h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How do I travel from London to Dublin by train most cheaply?

Travelling by rail I would suggest, that you book a week or two in advance specifing what trains you want to travel on.
The most direct route would be to go London to Holyhead by rail (only a couple of direct trains a day) and the holyhead to dublin by the sea cat/ferry. Another route would be to go London to Fishguard and travel to Rosslaire and then continue to Dublin.
Through tickets should be availiable for the train/ferry service to Dublin, check out the virgin trains website (http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/ )

You could of course travel by coach with direct services which would be cheaper than travelling by train.

Oh yes travelling on trains on a friday (and summer saturdays) can be quite expensive.

Train + Ferry is actually the _most_ expensive way to travel. "Eurolines" do very cheap busses if you absolutely can't fly and Ryanair (Broken link removed by Moderator) do cheap flights if you can.

That said, travelling by train is a great way to see the scenery, and both Wales and southern Ireland are quite beautiful. With that in mind, the train to swansea thjen the ferry to Rosslaire and train up to Dublin would be a decent enough excursion.

HTH,
<>=====uuu======<
(Numeruous articles off my home page for what to do when you get here)

Thanks for all the advices so far. Comparing virgintrains and ryanair, it looks like we will rather be flying. Ryanair really looks competitive.
However, if I am really lucky, I may get hands on roadster (MX 5) and will enjoy Ireland topless (if its not raining

For traveling from London, it probably is cheaper and quicker to fly due to the extortionate prices Virgin trains have (argghhh, monopoly supliers )

Be aware that there is a tourist tax such that a £9 return flight from London (Ryanairs cheapest yet!) actually cost me nearer £40!

If you are travelling by car (which is to be recommended, much of the "good stuff" in Ireland is only accessible by car) then the Stena HSS to Dun Loaghaire from Holyhead is a good bet. Try and get accomodation somewhere on the south side and tour Dublin by DART as driving into the city is a nightmare. (No signs, illogical traffic rules, overcrowding etc.)
Personal recommendations for accomodation - (Dublin):
Cheapest = "The schoolhouse hostel" in Dun Loaghaire (IR£9 for a bed in a shared dorm)
Best location = "Bewleys" in Ballsbridge (I kid you not ) from IR£49 per room per night.
If neither of these are available, check the listings provided by the Irish times (Broken link removed by Moderator)

Beyond the pale, many farming families augment their income with B&B..simply go to a town you like the look of and ask in the local newsagent or petrol station - they'll send you to the best place

Slainté

Did you get here alright then?
It hasn't rained seriously since you posted this - so perhaps you are a good omen.

The journey is over; we had a great time throughout the whole trip. In Dublin we stayed north of the harbour, there is a long road on the waterfront with one B&B after another. That was due to our late evening arrival by ferry, we just didn't want to look arround too much, but it was quite good in the end.

Going by car instead by plane or train was well worth it (not in monetary terms!) as we really saw much more this way. Some Highlights: Amsterdam red-light district, east-end London, Stonehenge, strange antique dealer in Wales, good chinese resto close to Holyhead, cozy parking garage in central Dublin (oh yes, we drove downtown!), weird tolkien-like boarder post (fortress) close to Enniskillen)... all these places remain unkown to those who travel by plane.

Thanks again for your advices; Dublin was really a nice place to be!