Bus Hire in Wexford

Wexford is one of Ireland's oldest Viking-age towns, founded by the Norse in the 9th century on the south bank of the River Slaney estuary. The town is best known internationally for the Wexford Festival Opera (held each October in the National Opera House on High Street), one of the premier opera festivals in Europe and a significant driver of coach hire demand. The festival draws audiences from Ireland and abroad for productions of rare and lesser-known opera at the National Opera House, a purpose-built 780-seat lyric theatre opened in 2008.

The county of Wexford has a particularly rich natural and heritage appeal: the Hook Peninsula (40 kilometres south-west, with Hook Lighthouse at its tip) is one of the finest day-trip circuits in south-east Ireland; Curracloe Beach (15 kilometres north-east, where Spielberg filmed the Normandy landing scenes for Saving Private Ryan) is the longest beach in Ireland at over 10 kilometres; and the Irish National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig (4 kilometres north of Wexford town) is an open-air museum covering 9,000 years of Irish history from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers to the Norman settlement.

Wexford Festival Opera and the National Opera House

The Wexford Festival Opera takes place over two and a half weeks each October in the National Opera House, 1 High Street. The festival is noted for its staging of rarely performed 19th and early 20th-century opera, often Irish or world premiere productions. The National Opera House (780 seats) is in the pedestrianised centre of Wexford town; coaches drop at the Crescent Quay and the Redmond Square car park, both within 5 minutes' walk. The festival also stages free street performances, fringe events, and late-night shows in town-centre venues. Coach hire demand during the festival's final two weekends is at its highest; book at least 8 to 10 weeks ahead for late October.

Hook Peninsula and Hook Lighthouse

The Hook Peninsula (40 kilometres south-west of Wexford via the R733) ends at Hook Lighthouse, one of the oldest operational lighthouses in the world, built by William Marshal in the early 13th century. The lighthouse is managed by Irish Lights and is open for guided tours year-round. Coaches can park in the Hook Lighthouse car park at the peninsula tip. The Hook Heritage Trail follows the peninsula south from Wellingtonbridge through Fethard-on-Sea, Slade Castle (a 16th-century Norman tower house above a working harbour), and Baginbun Beach (landing site of the first Normans in Ireland in 1169). The circuit from Wexford town and back is approximately 100 kilometres, typically run as a half-day or full-day excursion.

Irish National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig

The Irish National Heritage Park (Ferrycarrig, 4 kilometres north of Wexford via the N11) is a 35-acre open-air museum with reconstructed settlements from the Mesolithic period (7000 BC) through to the Norman occupation (12th century). The park includes a Neolithic farmstead, Bronze Age roundhouses, a Celtic ring fort, a crannag (artificial lake dwelling), a monastic enclosure with a round tower, and a Viking longphort (ship camp). Guided group tours are available with advance booking. Coach parking is in the main heritage park car park adjacent to the entrance. The walk around the full park takes approximately 90 minutes at a steady pace.

What Bus Hire Costs in Wexford

As a rough guide, a minibus (up to 19 seats) in Wexford runs around 240 to 450 EUR per day, a midi-coach (around 35 seats) around 400 to 780 EUR per day, and a full-size coach (49 to 55 seats) around 620 to 1,180 EUR per day. Wexford has a pronounced seasonal peak in October during the Opera Festival, when coach and accommodation availability is very limited. Summer beach traffic (Curracloe, Rosslare) is the second demand peak from June to August. The final figure depends on your route, the date, and how long you need the vehicle and driver. We confirm a fixed price with no hidden charges, so send your details for a free quote.

Services Available in Wexford