New ‘cruise-ferry’ will sail directly from Ireland to Spain twice a week – bikes, foot passengers and dogs welcome

Brittany Ferries has officially launched its 214. 5m-long “cruise-ferry” Salamanca at Rosslare Europort. T he new ship will take over the direct route from Rosslare to Bilbao in Spain, carrying more than 1,000 passengers and accepting customers on foot and bike for the first time on the route.

Salamanca will sail from Rosslare to Bilbao twice weekly departing Wednesday and Friday mornings. Sailings to Spain take 29 to 30 hours with one to two nights spent on board. “Passengers will feel as though they have been transported to a Spanish city from the moment they step on board,” said Frederic Dumoulin, chief commercial officer for Brittany Ferries.

Going to press, one-way rates for two passengers and a car sailing from Rosslare to Bilbao are quoting from €232, with reclining seats included. Read More Mary Kenny: Opinion An Irish passport is highly prized – but it shouldn’t be just a flag of convenience The price for two people with a car and cabin start from €342 each-way. Daily Headlines & Evening Telegraph Newsletter Receive today’s headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening, with our free daily newsletter.

Enter email address This field is required Sign Up Expand Close Plaza Mayor Bar on the Salamanca / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Plaza Mayor Bar on the Salamanca Accommodation is also compulsory on the sailings, with seats starting from €12 each way and four-berth cabins from €135 each way this month. Salamanca replaces a previous vessel, Connemara, adding passenger capacity, space and more creature comforts on what is currently the only ferry service connecting Ireland to Spain. The total of 343 cabins include 22 that are “especially designed for passengers travelling with their pet dog,” Brittany Ferries says.

Pet-friendly and upgraded cabins cost extra. “Until now it has been very difficult to accommodate bike and foot passengers on this route,” Mr Dumoulin said. “Now we have the right ship, on the right route, so I am delighted to announce a change.

” Expand Close Artist Tony Robinson paints the Salamanca. Photo: Julian Behal / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Artist Tony Robinson paints the Salamanca. Photo: Julian Behal Salamanca named after the heritage city in Castilla y Léon, features a central Plaza Mayor bar styled on the city’s main square, and will serve Spanish cuisine in the Azul and Taberna de Tapas restaurants.

It also advertises “interactive playrooms” for children, shopping boutiques, and a private “premium lounge”. “The north of Spain has a lot to offer in terms of food, wine and culture so we are sure the Irish visitor will enjoy visiting the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia,” said Rubén López of the Spanish Tourism Office in Ireland. “The Irish visitor will also find good value in northern Spain.

” As well as ferrying Irish holidaymakers to Spain, the new ship will boost inbound tourism. In 2019, Ireland welcomed 431,000 Spanish visitors to the island, spending €218m. Expand Close A deluxe cabin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A deluxe cabin “The Salamanca is really good news for tourism from Spain, tripling the capacity of the existing service to 90,000 passengers per year,” said Monica MacLaverty, Tourism Ireland’s Manager of Southern Europe.

“As an island, the importance of convenient, direct access cannot be overstated – it is absolutely critical to restoring growth in inbound tourism. ” Salamanca is the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered passenger ferry to service Ireland, Brittany Ferries says – promising “lower emissions and a smoother, quieter voyage”. Brittany’s first direct sailing to Spain was a 28-hour Cork to Santander route on the Connemara, launched in 2018.

Its Rosslare to Bilbao route followed in February 2020. .