Burtonport to Arranmore Ferry: Two Operators, Times & Fares
Burtonport to Arranmore Ferry: Two Operators, Times & Fares
A fifteen-minute car ferry to Donegal’s largest island, run by two competing companies whose headline fares match to the euro. Between them they sail up to sixteen times a day in summer, which makes this the easiest island day trip in Ireland.
Departure times
| Season | From Burtonport | From Arranmore |
|---|---|---|
| June – August Mon–Fri, red operator | 07:30, 08:30, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 18:00 | 07:50, 09:00, 10:30, 12:30, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30, 18:30 |
| June – August Mon–Sat, blue operator | 08:45, 09:45, 11:45, 12:45, 14:30, 16:30, 17:30, 18:30 | 07:45, 09:15, 10:15, 12:15, 13:15, 15:00, 17:00, 18:00 |
| Sundays, summer | 11:00–18:00 (6 sailings across both operators) | 10:15–18:30 |
| Winter, Mon–Sat | 08:45, 09:45, 12:45, 14:30, 16:30, 17:30 | 07:45, 09:15, 10:15, 13:15, 15:20, 17:00 |
| Winter, Sunday | 11:30, 12:45, 14:30, 16:30, 17:30 | 10:15, 12:00, 13:15, 15:00, 17:00 |
Times as published by both operators and checked in July 2026. The blue operator publishes a full year-round timetable month by month; the red operator publishes summer only, so its off-season sailings were taken from its live booking system. There is also a Friday-only late sailing all year. One oddity worth knowing: the red operator’s home page lists a 09:20 from Burtonport and 09:40 from Arranmore that appear on neither its timetable page nor its online booking system. It is not an old error — the pair was added recently, and has no precedent in a decade of archived versions of the site. It mirrors the pattern of the 07:30 weekday commuter run, so it may be a new sailing sold at the pier rather than online. Phone 074 95 42233 before planning around it.
Times change with the season and the weather. Check the operator before you travel:
What it costs
| Ticket | Return | Difference between operators |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | €15 | Identical with both |
| Student | €10 | Identical |
| Child under 12 | €7 | Identical |
| Car and driver | €30 | Identical |
| Family car ticket | €45 | 2 adults + children |
| Motorbike | €20 or €25 | €20 red · €25 blue |
| Bicycle | Free or €5 | Free with the red operator · €5 blue, e-bike €10 |
| Free Travel Pass | Free or €2 | Free at the red office · €2 blue |
Fares taken from both operators’ live booking systems in July 2026. The headline tickets are matched to the euro, which is the visible result of genuine competition on a five-kilometre crossing. Neither publishes a fixed PDF tariff, so prices can change without notice. Island residents pay reduced rates.
Prices move with the date and demand. Get a live quote and book direct:
Route map
Burtonport — Ailt an Chorráin — sits on the Donegal coast about five kilometres from Arranmore, the county’s largest inhabited island.
Choosing an operator
Two separate companies run car ferries on this five-kilometre crossing to an island of 478 people — unusual anywhere in Europe. Their headline fares match exactly, so the real differences are in the timetable, the extras and the accessibility.
| Operator | Crossing | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Arranmore Ferry (the red office) MV Rhum, MV Coll | 15–20 min | Bicycles carried free · publishes summer times only |
| The Arranmore Ferry (the blue office) Arranmore Blu, in service since 2025 | 15–20 min | Step-free boarding ramp · full year-round timetable published |
Getting to the pier
- Parking is free in the car park just before the harbour — a welcome contrast with most Irish ferry piers.
- There are two ferry offices at Burtonport, one red and one blue. Check which company you booked with before queueing at the wrong one.
- Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before sailing. Tickets are sold online by both operators and on board by the red one.
- By bus, TFI Local Link route 971 runs Burtonport–Dungloe–Letterkenny up to eight times a day; Bus Éireann 492 from Donegal reaches Dungloe, about 8 km short of the pier. See also public transport in Letterkenny.
Worth knowing
Ireland’s first offshore digital hub
In 2019 Arranmore installed 100 Mb broadband and published open letters to the people of the United States and Australia inviting remote workers to move there. Fibre followed in September 2025.
Bikes are free with one operator
The red company carries bicycles at no charge; the blue charges €5, or €10 for an e-bike. On matched fares elsewhere, this is one of the few real differences.
About the island
Arranmore — Árainn Mhór — is Donegal’s largest inhabited island, with 478 people across twenty-two square kilometres. It is a Gaeltacht island where Ulster Irish is the community language, and the summer Irish college more than doubles the population past a thousand. That single fact explains the timetable: sixteen crossings a day in August, six in February.
The island has pubs, restaurants, shops, three accessible beaches and an RNLI lifeboat station operating since 1883.
Cars and bikes
Unlike most Irish islands, this is a real car ferry and taking a vehicle is the normal thing to do — Arranmore is big enough to drive, with cliffs rising to 120 metres on the western side.
A car and driver costs €30 return with either operator. Deck space is the constraint rather than price: the MV Rhum takes only seven cars, the summer relief vessel eighteen. Neither company calls booking mandatory, but both ask you to declare your vehicle size including roof racks and tow bars so they can reserve the space — in practice, book.
Passengers may not remain in their vehicles during the crossing.
Can you do it in a day?
This is the easiest island day trip in Ireland. With twelve to sixteen crossings a day each way in summer across the two operators, and a fifteen-minute passage, you can go out on the 08:45 and return at 17:30, or simply pop over for two hours.
Even in midwinter there are six or seven sailings each way from Monday to Saturday, so the trip works year-round in a way that Inishbofin or Cape Clear do not.
Continuing your journey
- TFI Local Link 971 links Burtonport with Dungloe and Letterkenny, with connections towards Crolly, Donegal Airport, Bunbeg and Falcarragh.
- Bus Éireann 492 runs Donegal to Dungloe via Glenties, about eight kilometres from the pier.
- See also buses in Letterkenny and public transport across Donegal.
Accessible travel
The two operators differ here, and it matters. The blue company’s Arranmore Blu, in service since 2025, has step-free access, a wide gently sloped boarding ramp suitable for wheelchairs and walking aids, wheelchair zones, an accessible toilet and staff trained to assist at both terminals.
The red operator states a general commitment to passengers with reduced mobility and asks you to contact them. If accessibility is the deciding factor, choose the blue ferry.