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Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Wexford
Loch Garman
Give Wexford one night as a base for the Heritage Park and Curracloe Beach, or two if you add the opera festival or a Rosslare ferry.
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, on the southeast corner of Ireland, about 2 h 30 min by train from Dublin and 19 km from the Rosslare ferry port. It is a compact, walkable town with a Viking street pattern, a Norman abbey ruin, an outdoor heritage museum and a long beach 11 km away. Most travellers use it as a one-night stop on the Dublin–Rosslare line or as a base for the southeast coast.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Loch Garman
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, short days, many seasonal places closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, coast guard 112 · Alternative emergency number 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | €14–22 |
| Restaurant main course | €18–28 |
| Pint of stout or lager | €5.50–6.50 |
| Fish and chips takeaway | €10–14 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €10–15 |
| Town bus fare | €2–2.50 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- Expressway Bus 2 and Wexford Bus 740 run hourly to Wexford, about 3 h
- WAT · Waterford Airport
- No scheduled passenger service as of 2026; plan via Dublin or Cork instead
Typical fares
- Dublin Airport → Wexford, Expressway Bus 2
- about €20, about 3 h
- Dublin Connolly → Wexford, train
- about €25, 2 h 30 min
- Wexford → Rosslare Europort, Local Link Bus 387
- about €5, 40 min
Get around
The centre is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. Wexford Bus runs two town loops (WX1 Drinagh, WX2 Clonard) Monday–Saturday every 30 min from Redmond Square, and Bus 877 (Bridge Loop) runs hourly Monday–Saturday to the racecourse, National Heritage Park and Castlebridge; a combined bus and Heritage Park ticket is sold by the driver. A dozen taxi firms operate in town. For Curracloe Beach, Johnstown Castle and the Wildfowl Reserve you need a car, a taxi or a tour.
See and do
Known for
- 1798 rebellion history
- Selskar Abbey
- Irish National Heritage Park
- Curracloe Beach
- Wexford Festival Opera
- Strawberries
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Irish National Heritage Park | Bus 877 from Redmond Square, or 5 km by car on the N11Bus 877 from Redmond Square, or 3.1 mi by car on the N11 | About 30–40 min |
| Curracloe Beach and Raven Nature Reserve | Car or taxi via the R742, 11 kmCar or taxi via the R742, 6.8 mi | About 20 min by car |
| Johnstown Castle and the Irish Agricultural Museum | Car or taxi, 6 km south-westCar or taxi, 3.7 mi south-west | About 15 min by car |
| Wexford Wildfowl Reserve | Car or taxi to North Slob, 5 km north-eastCar or taxi to North Slob, 3.1 mi north-east | About 15 min by car |
| Rosslare Strand and Rosslare Europort | Train or Local Link Bus 387 from the station | About 25–40 min |
| Enniscorthy | Train towards Dublin, or bus | About 20–30 min |
Sleep
- Town centre (Main Street, Abbey Street, Monck Street)
- Walk to everything: abbey, quays, restaurants, pubs. Best for one night without a car.
- Redmond Square and the station
- Train and bus station, cinema and several takeaways on the doorstep; useful for early departures.
- Ferrybank and Ferrycarrig
- Across the bridge or 5 km north on the N11; cheaper rooms, car useful, 1 km walk to town from Ferrybank.Across the bridge or 3.1 mi north on the N11; cheaper rooms, car useful, 0.6 mi walk to town from Ferrybank.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia duitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatguh rev mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-che |
| Where is the toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will un leh-rass |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- The Waterford railway line closed in 2010: Wexford is reached by train only from Dublin and Rosslare.
- Curracloe Beach, the Wildfowl Reserve and Johnstown Castle have no useful public transport: plan a car, taxi or tour.
- Wexford Festival Opera sells out months ahead and lifts town hotel prices: book both together.
- The Wildfowl Reserve is at its best in winter for Greenland geese, not in summer.
- Many restaurants stop serving by 21:00–22:00 outside festival weeks.
Wexford is a low-crime town and safe to walk at night in the centre. The real risks are weather, unlit rural roads and the tide at Curracloe: swim between flags, and take a torch if you walk back from Ferrybank after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Wexford yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- 1798 rebellion history
- Selskar Abbey
- Irish National Heritage Park
- Curracloe Beach
- Wexford Festival Opera
- Strawberries
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Irish Rail: www.irishrail.ie/
- Transport for Ireland route maps: www.transportforireland.ie/getting-around/by-bus/route-maps/
- Expressway: www.expressway.ie/
- Wexford Bus: www.wexfordbus.com/
- Irish National Heritage Park: www.irishheritage.ie/
- Johnstown Castle: johnstowncastle.ie/
- Wexford Wildfowl Reserve: www.wexfordwildfowlreserve.ie/
- National Opera House: www.nationaloperahouse.ie/
- Wexford Festival Opera: www.wexfordopera.com/
- Wikivoyage: Wexford, revision 5324509 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5324509
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
WexfordLoch Garman
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Wexford; the US embassy and most others are in Dublin. UK citizens: the British Embassy in Dublin.
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is a courtesy, not a necessity.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/wexford). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.