We drove our own van from Germany all the way to Ireland, which meant one unavoidable question: how do you actually get a van across the sea? Our answer was the Dunkirk to Rosslare ferry with DFDS — a crossing of almost 24 hours from northern France straight to Ireland’s south-east coast. Here’s what that day actually looked like, and whether it was worth it.

Why We Took Our Own Van

This trip happened during the school holidays, and from the start we knew we wanted to explore Ireland as a family in our own vehicle rather than flying and renting one there. Driving means freedom for us — more luggage, our own pace, stopping wherever we want. And once we land, we’re already exploring: no rental counter, no airport queues, no repacking everything into a stranger’s boot.

Why We Chose Dunkirk Over Cherbourg

There are a few ways to reach Ireland by ferry from mainland Europe, and we weighed them before booking. Cherbourg meant more kilometres to drive, more toll roads through France, and in our case a pricier crossing on top of it. We also considered routing through England instead, but once we added everything up, that option brought no real time or cost advantage — just an extra crossing and more driving for the same result.

Dunkirk made the decision easy: a shorter drive, less toll, a cheaper crossing, and one direct ferry straight to Rosslare — no second crossing, no detour. Drive on in France, drive off in Ireland. For a family road trip, that’s about as simple as it gets.

Booking the Crossing

Once the route was decided, we booked ahead for both directions and chose an inside cabin for four — no window. That was all we actually needed: somewhere to sleep, shower, stash our bags, and relax. The price included the cabin and all meals on board, which was one of the things that sold us on this specific route in the first place. You can check current cabin options and prices on the official DFDS Rosslare–Dunkirk booking page.

For reference, we paid €1,151 for our return trip, covering a 4-berth inside cabin with bunk beds and a vehicle under 2.2 metres in height and under 6 metres in length. We travelled outbound in mid-August and returned in mid-September, both fairly busy summer months. Prices on this route vary quite a bit depending on season, vehicle size, and how far in advance you book, so treat this figure as a rough reference point rather than a guaranteed price — always check current rates directly with DFDS before you plan your budget.

Getting to the Port

Our sailing left Dunkirk at around five in the morning. Check-in closes two hours before departure, and the port only opens to private vehicles — not trucks — three to four hours beforehand. We drove through the night rather than arriving in the dark, which meant we reached the port far earlier than necessary and ended up waiting outside alongside a fair few motorhomes. Lesson learned: give yourself time, but you don’t need to camp outside the gate.

One practical tip if you do end up early: space right outside the port itself is limited, but there’s a gravel area a few hundred metres before it (51.01536955784857, 2.1951573672704274) where you can pull in and wait without blocking anything. Once check-in actually opened, everything moved fast — check in from the van, follow the signs, drive straight onto the ferry.

The Ship: DFDS Athena Seaways

Worth saying clearly upfront: the Athena Seaways is not a cruise ship. It’s built to move vehicles, freight, and passengers — not to entertain you for a week. No pools, no theatre, no full activity schedule. We didn’t need any of that. What we needed was a comfortable bed, decent food, somewhere to relax, and a safe way to get our van across the sea, and on all four counts it delivered.

One thing worth knowing in advance: mobile internet on board is very limited. With a bit of luck you might briefly pick up a UK network out at sea, but even then the speed is mediocre at best. If you actually need internet during the crossing, it’s worth booking the ship’s WiFi package at check-in — it only costs a few euros and saves you the frustration of hunting for signal. Once we’d landed, we sorted our mobile data with a Three Ireland prepaid SIM.

The Cabin and First Impressions

After parking on the vehicle deck, we headed up to the passenger area, collected our key card, and found the cabin — simple, nothing luxurious, but everything we needed for a day and a night: beds, towels, water, storage, and a private bathroom with a shower. No window meant the room went completely dark once the lights were off, which made for genuinely good sleep. Right after check-in we also found free sandwiches waiting in the restaurant area — a nice first surprise, alongside the crossing info and meal times for the day ahead.

A Day With Nothing to Do

We took seasickness tablets before bed just in case, then woke around eight as breakfast was being announced — a proper spread of hot food, bread, fruit, tea, coffee, and water, all included. Having meals covered made things easy as a family: no deciding where to eat, no adding up a bill, just show up when it’s time.

After breakfast we explored the ship. We got lucky with calm seas and clear skies, so we spent time on the open deck (including a helipad up top, where the wind hit hard the moment we stepped outside), and otherwise moved between the lounge, the bar, the small shop, and a coffee machine. The day settled into a simple loop: breakfast, walk, coffee, rest, lunch, more walking, dinner, back to the cabin.

What struck us most was what was missing. On a normal road trip, someone’s always driving — watching the road, following the GPS, hunting for the next stop. Here, the van was parked below us, going nowhere, and for almost a full day we could just stop, eat, sleep, and rest. We expected 24 hours on a ferry to feel like time to get through. Instead, it felt like a full day of rest before the road trip had even properly started.

Arriving in Rosslare

We woke again around three in the morning to pack, grabbed one more small breakfast bag on the way down, and headed to the vehicle deck. One thing worth planning around: Ireland is an hour behind Germany and France, so factor that into your arrival expectations. We’d left France early Sunday morning; by early Monday, we were driving off the ferry onto Irish soil.

The Return Crossing

The return leg from Rosslare followed a similar pattern, departing late evening instead — boarding around ten, sailing at eleven. This time we arrived at the terminal with just enough time to check in comfortably, no long wait outside. Even close to midnight there was still food waiting for us. The next day was the same relaxed loop of meals, coffee, and rest, and we landed back in France around midnight, on the road toward Germany within the hour. Despite the length of the whole journey, we weren’t exhausted — because for most of the crossing, we’d genuinely been resting rather than travelling.

Pros and Cons of the Dunkirk to Rosslare Ferry

The good: meals included, a private cabin, friendly staff, a calm atmosphere, and almost 24 hours to actually relax instead of another day behind the wheel. Some sailings also offer pet-friendly options.

The trade-offs: this isn’t a cruise ship, so don’t expect much on-board entertainment — fine for adults who just want to unwind, but younger kids who need constant activity might get bored. The crossing is long, which matters if you’re prone to motion sickness. And the route is built around travelling with a vehicle, so it’s worth checking current booking rules before you go.

Final Verdict

Would we book the Dunkirk to Rosslare ferry again? Yes. We expected it to be the slow, dull part of the trip — something to get through before the real Ireland road trip started. Instead, it gave us a proper day to slow down, sleep, eat, and arrive already rested. Sometimes the slower route isn’t actually the slower route.

For the official schedule, cabin options, and current booking details, check the DFDS Rosslare–Dunkirk route page.

Watch: Our Dunkirk to Rosslare Ferry Crossing

Reading about a 24-hour ferry crossing is one thing — seeing it is another. In the video below, we take you along for the full ride: check-in at the Dunkirk terminal, our cabin, the buffet breakfast, and that surprisingly relaxing day at sea we talked about above. If you’re still on the fence about whether this route is right for your own trip to Ireland, this should help.

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Planning your own crossing to Ireland? Check our UK and Ireland ferry crossings guide, our Germany to Calais route (the same drive gets you to Dunkirk too), and our Ireland facts before you go.