Travel guide
Rosslare
Rosslare Strand is a Blue Flag beach about 12 km south-east of Wexford town, and a few kilometres further on, Rosslare Harbour is the village beside the ferry port. From here, Curracloe, Kilmore Quay, Johnstown Castle and the Irish National Heritage Park are all within an easy drive, and Hook Lighthouse is a good day out.
What brings you to Rosslare?
A day at the beach
Lighthouse and castle
A family day out
A boat to the Saltees
Sailing from Rosslare
A weekend away
Lighthouse, castle and the coast near Rosslare
Rosslare and County Wexford on the map
All places on the map as a list (8)
Your stay
Two villages called Rosslare
When people in Ireland say Rosslare, they mean one of two places. Rosslare Strand is the beach village, a holiday resort for more than a hundred years, with a Blue Flag strand, wooden groynes and a free car park. Rosslare Europort, where the ferries leave for Wales, France and Spain, is about 4 km south-east of the Strand, and Rosslare Harbour is the village beside it.
Wexford town is about 12 km from Rosslare Strand. It has the National Opera House, the ruins of Selskar Abbey and medieval lanes near the Slaney estuary, and the tourist office is on the Quays.
A weekend in County Wexford
You can fill two days without long drives. Rosslare Europort is about 30 minutes from the Irish National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig, just north of Wexford town, where most visitors spend 90 minutes to two hours. Johnstown Castle, south of Wexford town, combines a guided tour of the castle with gardens, lake walks and the Irish Agricultural Museum.
On the second day, head for the south coast. Kilmore Quay is a fishing village with thatched cottages and a marina, and from April to August boats cross to Great Saltee. Hook Lighthouse on Hook Head is about 50 minutes’ drive from Wexford town, and its tower can only be visited on a guided tour. For a beach, choose between Curracloe north of Wexford and Rosslare Strand; both are on the beaches page.
Getting to Rosslare
By car, Wexford is about two hours from Dublin and about an hour from Kilkenny and Waterford. The N25 runs from Wexford to Rosslare Europort, and the drive takes about 20 minutes.
Trains run from Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort and stop at Wexford O’Hanrahan and Rosslare Strand on the way. There are up to five trains a day in each direction to the port. Bus Éireann runs from Wexford bus station to the port, and Wexford Bus links Wexford with Waterford, Carlow, Dublin city centre and Dublin Airport.
If you are sailing from Rosslare, our Rosslare Europort page covers check-in, parking, the terminal and sailing times. For a night before an early ferry or a weekend at the beach, see where to stay.
Weather and the beach season
The long-term averages for 1978 to 2007 at Rosslare give an idea of what to expect. Afternoons reach 18.3 °C in July and 18.5 °C in August, and 8.8 °C in January. May is the month with the most sunshine, at 6.9 hours a day; December has the least, at 1.8 hours. Across the year, about 905 mm of rain falls on 125 days, with the wettest months from October to December.
The Blue Flag season in 2026 runs from 1 June to 15 September. Lifeguards are on duty at Rosslare Strand in the summer bathing season, and the details are on the information boards at the beach.