Drogheda to Belfast by Coach or Minibus
Drogheda sits on the M1 about half way between Dublin and the border, so Belfast is about 1 hour 20 minutes away by coach. Clubs, schools and shopping or concert groups from Louth and Meath use this run, either as a day return or one way to a ferry, flight or hotel.
Journey
- Drogheda to Belfast
- Approximately 1h 20m
- Serving Drogheda
North on the M1 and A1
The coach joins the M1 northbound at the Drogheda junctions, which are north of the toll plaza at Balgeen, so this run passes no Irish toll. It continues past Dunleer and Dundalk to Junction 20, where the motorway becomes the A1. The A1 is dual carriageway through Newry, Banbridge and Hillsborough to Sprucefield, where the M1 takes over for the last stretch into Belfast. A comfort stop is not needed on a run this length, but one can be planned for a younger group.
Into Northern Ireland
Belfast is in the UK. Road signs and speed limits switch to miles per hour after the border, and shops take sterling. The crossing itself has no routine checks. Even so, each passenger needs photo ID in their bag. A visitor holding neither an Irish nor a British passport may need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation to enter by road; people legally resident in Ireland are exempt if they carry proof of residence. Check each traveller on GOV.UK before the day.
Setting down in Belfast
Visit Belfast lists on-street coach set-down and pickup points in the centre, including Donegall Square West beside City Hall, Chichester Street, Albert Street and Bedford Street by the Grand Central hotel. The driver confirms which one fits your venue and the time of day. For a match, concert or attraction with its own coach area, tell the operator the venue name so the set-down is arranged with them.
Do we pay a toll on the way?
Not in Ireland, because a northbound coach from Drogheda joins the M1 beyond the Balgeen toll plaza. The A1 and the M1 in Northern Ireland are untolled.
Do passengers need passports?
There is no passport control at the border. Carry photo ID all the same, and have any non-Irish, non-British passenger look up the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation rules, since residents of Ireland are exempt and tourists generally are not.
Popular Transfers from Drogheda
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