Cheap Flights from London to Dublin: Fares from £13 (2026)

Cheap Flights from London to Dublin, Starting at £13

I almost didn’t board. Standing at Stansted with a £13 ticket and a backpack, I’d convinced myself a fare that cheap had to have a catch — a hidden bag fee, a 4am departure, a bus to an airport in another county. There wasn’t one. I landed in Dublin 80 minutes later having paid less than my taxi to the airport had cost. That’s the open secret of cheap flights from London to Dublin: this is one of the most over-served routes in Europe, and the airlines are practically giving seats away to fill the planes.

Here’s the fast answer. Cheap flights from London to Dublin start at around £13 one-way, and a midweek return for under £40 is genuinely normal in the quiet months. The only way to mess it up is to pay for a bag you don’t need or to fly on the one weekend everyone else does.

Four London airports, a dozen-plus daily departures, and Ryanair, Aer Lingus and British Airways all scrapping over the same short hop. That oversupply is your edge. Below: the cheapest months, an airline-by-airline price table, the London airport that quietly saves you the most, and the ID rule that trips up first-timers on this route.

Start by checking live prices for your dates, then read on to find the cheapest combination of airport, airline and day.

Best Time to Fly from London to Dublin

Pick the right week and you fly for the price of lunch. Pick St Patrick’s weekend and you pay five times as much. Here’s the month-by-month picture for the cheapest London to Dublin airfare.

The pattern is simple: January, February and November are the bargain trio, while September and October give you mild weather and low fares together. The one trap is March — fares look cheap until you hit the St Patrick’s Day weekend, when the whole world flies to Dublin and prices go vertical.

My £13 trip was a deliberate November booking. Dublin in the cold isn’t sunbathing weather, but the city does cosy beautifully — steamed-up cafés, the warm fug of a tea room, museums you get to yourself. And the fare was a quarter of what the same flight cost a friend who went over for the March parade. Which airline gets you there cheapest is the next question.

London to Dublin Airlines Compared

Three carriers do almost all the work on this route, each with a different trade-off between price and what’s bundled in.

Ryanair

Ryanair is almost always the cheapest, with flash-sale fares as low as £13 from Stansted, Luton and Gatwick. The honest trade-off is baggage: only a small personal bag is free, and a cabin bag or hold luggage costs extra. This is where people lose the saving — a £13 fare plus a £25 bag plus priority boarding is suddenly £45. I crammed two days of clothes into the free under-seat backpack and the £13 stuck. Pack like that and nothing beats Ryanair on this route.

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus flies Heathrow, Gatwick and London City to Dublin from around £30 to £50, with a carry-on bag included in most fares and a more comfortable cabin. It’s the smart pick if you’re connecting onward through Dublin — the airport’s US pre-clearance and Aer Lingus’s transatlantic network make it a genuine hub. London City is also a joy if you work in the Docklands.

British Airways

BA runs Heathrow and London City to Dublin from roughly £45 with a carry-on, seat selection and refreshments, and earns you Avios. Sale fares occasionally dip under £35. It’s rarely the cheapest, but the included extras narrow the real gap once you’ve added Ryanair’s bag and seat fees.

Ready to compare these airlines for your exact dates? Pull up the live price calendar and let the cheapest days jump out.

Which London Airport Saves You the Most?

Your departure airport changes the total cost more than the headline fare suggests, because the train out to Stansted can eat the saving over Heathrow.

London Stansted (STN)

Best for the lowest Ryanair fares. The Stansted Express from Liverpool Street takes about 47 minutes (£19 to £22 single booked ahead), while National Express coaches run around £12. It’s the furthest major airport from the centre, so factor the journey in.

London Luton (LTN)

Also strong for Ryanair. Thameslink to Luton Airport Parkway plus the DART shuttle reaches St Pancras in about 45 minutes for £17 to £20. Slightly fiddlier than a single train, but the fares match Stansted.

London Gatwick (LGW)

Best for a balance of cheap fares and easy access if you’re south of the river. Gatwick Express to Victoria is 30 minutes (£20), or cheaper Southern and Thameslink services do the same run for less.

London Heathrow (LHR) and London City (LCY)

Best for Aer Lingus and BA. Heathrow’s Elizabeth line reaches central London in 35 to 45 minutes for around £10 to £13. London City is unbeatable if you’re heading to Canary Wharf — the DLR has you in the financial district in minutes.

The real door-to-door maths

A £13 Ryanair fare from Stansted, plus a £20 train, plus a £25 bag, totals £58. A £45 BA fare from Heathrow with a free carry-on and a £12 Elizabeth line ride totals £57. On a bag-heavy trip the gap all but vanishes — so add it all up before you book on the headline price alone.

Use the Live Price Calendar

Green dates are the cheapest. Scan the month, spot the dip, and book the midweek day everyone else overlooks.

Seven Ways to Pay Less for London to Dublin Flights

1. Compare all four London airports in one flight search — the same dates can vary by £30 between Stansted and Heathrow.
2. Fly midweek. Tuesday and Wednesday departures beat Friday and Sunday by £15 to £30 each way.
3. Set price alerts. Flash sales on this route last 24 to 48 hours and cut fares 40 to 60 percent.
4. Book four to eight weeks ahead, or ten for St Patrick’s, summer weekends and Christmas.
5. Travel carry-on only. A checked bag costs £20 to £40 each way and you rarely need one for a city break.
6. Avoid the St Patrick’s weekend in mid-March unless that’s the whole point of the trip — fares can quintuple.
7. Mix airlines: a Ryanair outbound from Stansted plus an Aer Lingus return into Heathrow often saves £20 to £30.

One thing worth knowing before you fly. Dublin Airport still has no rail link — the long-promised MetroLink isn’t open yet — so don’t land expecting a quick train into town. The Airlink 747 and Dublin Express coaches run to the city centre in 30 to 40 minutes for about €7 to €12, the local Dublin Bus is cheaper but slower, and a taxi is €25 to €35. It’s a small thing, but I’ve watched people stand at arrivals looking for a platform that doesn’t exist. Budget for the bus and you’re in town before you know it.

Get online the moment you land

Irish airport SIM queues are slow and UK roaming charges can add up. A travel eSIM gives you maps, coach times and ride-hailing the second you land at Dublin, so you walk out of arrivals already connected and straight onto the right bus.

Planning the rest of the trip? Browse our hotel guides to pair a cheap fare with a well-located, budget-friendly base near the centre.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest month to fly from London to Dublin?

January, February and November are the cheapest, with one-way Ryanair fares regularly £13 to £25. Demand drops after the New Year holidays and again in late autumn, so prices follow it down. Skip the St Patrick’s weekend in mid-March and the Christmas week, when fares spike sharply on this otherwise cheap route.

How long is the flight from London to Dublin?

A direct flight takes about 1 hour 20 minutes gate to gate. It’s one of the busiest short-haul corridors in Europe, with dozens of departures a day spread across Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, Heathrow and London City, so you’re rarely tied to a single inconvenient time.

Which London airport is cheapest for Dublin flights?

Stansted and Luton usually have the lowest Ryanair fares, with Gatwick close behind. Heathrow and London City cost more but offer Aer Lingus and British Airways plus faster, simpler transfers into town. Always add the train and any bag fees, because a Heathrow fare with a free carry-on can land within a pound or two of a Stansted budget fare.

Do I need a passport to fly from London to Dublin?

UK and Irish citizens travelling within the Common Travel Area aren’t legally required to carry a passport, but airlines demand government-issued photo ID and most specifically ask for a passport, so bring one to avoid problems at the gate. Travellers of other nationalities need a valid passport and should check Irish entry requirements before booking.

When should I book London to Dublin flights?

Book four to eight weeks before departure for the best prices on this short hop. For St Patrick’s Day, summer weekends and Christmas, stretch that to about ten weeks. Set up price alerts, as flash sales on this heavily flown route regularly cut fares by 40 to 60 percent for a day or two at a time.

Can I get a return flight from London to Dublin for under £40?

Yes, easily in January, February and November. Fly midweek with hand luggage only and mix carriers — a Ryanair outbound from Stansted and an Aer Lingus or BA return — and a sub-£40 round trip is realistic. Add price alerts so you can pounce the moment a sale lands.

Book Your London to Dublin Flight Now

I made it to Dublin for less than the cab fare to the airport, and the only way to spoil a deal that good is to pay for a bag you don’t need or to fly the one weekend the whole world descends on the city. The cheapest London to Dublin fare rewards flexibility on your dates, your airport and your airline, and a backpack that fits under the seat. This is one of Europe’s most competitive routes — let that competition work for you. Lock in your price before it climbs.