Cheapest€13.38
- Catherine Madigan CM456406:303h 42m10:12Dublin BusarasCork Parnell Place
Door to door 4h 26mCO2 6.8 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Dublin to Cork costs €13.38 at the cheapest and takes 2h 30m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 6 operators. The route covers 252 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Train.
At a glance
- Distance
- 252 km
- Fastest
- 2h 30m
- Average
- 4h 3m
- Services per day
- 21
- Cheapest
- €13.38
- CO2 per passenger
- 7.1 kg
Every way to make this journey
Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on September 29, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 2h 34m | 1h 50m | 44m | €33.89 | 8.3 kg | 5 |
| Coach | 4h 4m | 3h 20m | 44m | €15.58 | 6.8 kg | 15 |
- 2h 34mFastest, by Train
- €15.58Cheapest, by Coach
- 6.8 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 252 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€32.79
- Irish Rail IR638516:501h 50m18:40Dublin HeustonCork Kent
Door to door 2h 34mCO2 8.3 kgChanges 0Refundable
Today's real departures
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
| Operator | Service | Departs | Arrives | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus1 changes | C3 | 08:31 | 11:32 | 3h 1m |
| Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus2 changes | 23 | 08:35 | 11:32 | 3h |
| Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus1 changes | 39A | 09:22 | 12:30 | 3h 24m |
| Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail2 changes | DART | 09:17 | 12:30 | 3h 20m |
| Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus1 changes | C4 | 09:40 | 12:41 | 3h 1m |
| Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus1 changes | 4 | 09:50 | 13:00 | 3h 20m |
Prices over the next three weeks
Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of traveling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Dublin to Cork | FriSep 11 | SatSep 12 | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 | ThuSep 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €26.03 | €27.13 | €21.08 | €18.33 | €18.88 | €19.43 | €19.43 | €18.33 | €19.43 | €17.78 | €15.58 | €15.58 | €16.13 | €17.78 |
| Train | €72.94 | €68.54 | €58.09 | €43.24 | €40.49 | €49.29 | €50.94 | €42.69 | €49.84 | €43.24 | €36.09 | €33.89 | €35.54 | €43.24 |
| Flight | €137.61 | €137.02 | €118.14 | €111.65 | €108.70 | €112.83 | €98.08 | €108.11 | €101.03 | €102.21 | €85.10 | €81.56 | €91.59 | €92.18 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €13.38
Cork sits on the water, which usually settles which side of town you want to wake up on. Rooms are not ours to sell.
A room in Cork for the night the bus gets in
Sort by distance from Cork Kent and you can see which places are ten minutes on foot and which are not.
Search Cork on Booking.comOr compare on Expedia
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Dublin to Cork
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €13.9390 days
- €11.7360 days
- €12.8345 days
- €13.3830 days
- €16.1321 days
- €17.7814 days
- €19.437 days
- €21.083 days
- €26.031 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €11.73.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 122 percent. The most expensive point is €26.03, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 60 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €17.78Sun
- €15.58Mon
- €15.58Tue
- €16.13Wed
- €17.78Thu
- €18.33Fri
- €19.43Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €18.88Sep
- €14.48Oct
- €12.83Nov
- €12.83Dec
- €13.38Jan
- €11.73Feb
The route
What the journey actually looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- Direct or connecting
- 86% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 14% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 252 km against 219 km in a straight line, a detour of 15 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Liverpool, Waterford, Limerick. The gap between arriving and leaving is 47 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 20 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Part of this journey is a self transfer between separate tickets, so leave more time than the minimum and expect to check in again.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Dublin at 06:36 and the last at 16:50, across 5 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Dublin
Rail
- Dublin Heuston
- Dublin Connolly
- Dublin Pearse railway station
Bus
- Dublin Busaras
- Busáras
Air
- DUB
Ferry
- Dublin Ferryport
- Dublin Port Terminal 1
Cork
Rail
- Cork Kent
- Cork Kent railway station
- Cork Capwell railway station
Bus
- Cork Parnell Place
- Parnell Place Cork Bus Station
Air
- ORK
Ferry
- Cork Ringaskiddy
- Cork Harbour Cruises
The fare from ORK into Cork is the one price on this trip we cannot show you, because it is not ours.
Getting from ORK into Cork?
Settled in advance, so the ride into Cork costs what it said it would rather than what the cab stand says.
Book a ride from ORK with Welcome PickupsOr check Daytrip
Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bus Éireann | €13.93 | 4h 5m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
| Catherine Madigan | €13.38 | 4h 5m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
 Citylink | €15.03 | 4h 4m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
 Irish Rail | €28.94 | 2h 30m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, Wi-Fi |
 LUAS | €13.38 | 4h 5m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
 TFI | €13.93 | 4h 4m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €9.00 | 67% |
| Taxes | €0.90 | 7% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 11% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 15% |
| Total you pay | €13.38 | 100% |
We cannot promise Cork Kent still has a baggage check, because plenty of stations closed theirs.
Where to leave your bags in Cork
Priced by the bag and by the day, booked before you get there, and insured while it sits.
Check Cork on StasherOr try Bounce
Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.
Questions about Dublin to Cork
The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from Dublin to Cork?
The fastest journey from Dublin to Cork takes 2h 30m door to door, of which 1h 50m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 4h 3m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from Dublin to Cork?
The cheapest fare from Dublin to Cork is €13.38, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €21.08. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from Dublin to Cork?
The cheapest way from Dublin to Cork is by Coach, at €15.58 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 4h 4m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
What is the fastest way to get from Dublin to Cork?
The fastest way from Dublin to Cork is by Train, at 2h 34m door to door. Only 1h 50m of that is spent moving; the remaining 44m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €33.89.
When should I book Dublin to Cork?
Fares from Dublin to Cork bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €11.73. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 122 percent, measured on September 29, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Dublin to Cork?
Monday is the cheapest day to depart from Dublin to Cork, at €15.58. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 29, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Dublin to Cork?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Dublin to Cork, at €11.73 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs service from Dublin to Cork?
6 operators sell services from Dublin to Cork across 2 modes: Bus Éireann, Catherine Madigan, Citylink, Irish Rail, LUAS, TFI. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from Dublin to Cork?
86 percent of the services we sell from Dublin to Cork are direct. The rest connect at Liverpool, Waterford, Limerick, with about 47 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.
How much CO2 does the journey from Dublin to Cork produce?
Traveling from Dublin to Cork by Coach produces about 6.8 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 8.3 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Dublin to Cork use?
Services from Dublin to Cork by Train leave from Dublin Heuston and arrive at Cork Kent. Allow about 44m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from Dublin to Cork?
6 of the 6 operators we sell from Dublin to Cork allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Derived from service area No carrier record names this exact pair. The operators listed publish a service area covering both places at a distance their mode plausibly carries people, which is evidence that the corridor is served and not evidence of a specific service. Pages state which, because presenting the two as the same thing would be dishonest.
Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for Dublin to Cork on September 10, 2026: 252 km of route against 219 km in a straight line, 21 services a day, 6 operators, a cheapest fare of €13.38, and 2h 30m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
Plenty of what is worth seeing sits outside Cork and elsewhere in Ireland. None of it is ours to sell.
Day trips out of Cork and across Ireland
Timed entry, guided walks and half-day trips out of Cork, with free cancellation on most of it.
See Cork on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.
Other ways to make this journey
Arriving in Cork
Leaving Cork
- 55Places you can leave for
- 17Countries
- 23Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.