Ferries from Belfast to Scotland
There are two main ferry routes from Northern Ireland to Scotland.
From Belfast Harbour and from Larne, just North of Belfast. Both routes sail to Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland with a journey time of just over 2 hours.
For those in Central or Southern Scotland or from Northern England even, the Irish Sea ferry routes between Belfast, Larne and Cairnryan are a convenient and quick way of reaching Ireland from Scotland by both car and as a foot passenger.
Crossings to Cairnryan from Belfast and Larne generally take just a couple of hours and there are 4 daytime crossing per day on each of the routes.
Belfast – Cairnryan
- Ferry operator: Stena Line
- Duration: Around 2 hours
- 4 crossings per day
Larne – Cairnryan
- Ferry operator: P&O Ferries
- Duration: Around 2 hours
- 4 crossings per day
* Crossing times correct at the time of writing.
Belfast – Scotland Ferry FAQs
Where is the Stena Line terminal at Belfast?
The Stena Line terminal at Belfast is located just to the north of the city at Belfast Harbour. The postcode for your sat nav is BT3 9JL but be careful, the first terminal you’ll see is Stena Line for Liverpool. Drive past that one and on to Victoria Terminal 4 for the Cairnryan ferry.
Stena Line Belfast Terminal – View Larger Map
Where is the Stena Line terminal at Cairnryan?
The Stena Line terminal is on the A77, around a 15 minute drive north of Stranraer. The postcode for your sat nav is DG9 8RG.
Stena Line Cairnryan Terminal – View Larger Map
Where is the P&O Ferries terminal at Larne?
The P&O Ferries terminal at Larne is located about a 35 minute drive north of Belfast. Put postcode Bt40 1AJ in your sat nav.
P&O Ferries Larne Terminal – View Larger Map
Where is the P&O Ferries terminal at Cairnryan?
The P&O Ferries terminal at Cairnryan is located just 2 miles south of the Stena Line terminal, also just off the A77. The postcode for your sat nav is DG9 8RF.
P&O Ferries Cairnryan Terminal – View Larger Map
How soon do you have to check in for the ferry?
You’ll generally need to arrive at the port a minimum of 45 minutes before the sailing time.
Stena Line advise both foot-passengers and those with cars to check in not later than 45 minutes before departure from both Belfast and Cairnryan ports. For P&O passengers travelling via Larne, they advise car passengers to arrive at least 30 minutes before sailing and, for foot passengers, 45 minutes before.
Do I Need a Cabin?
No, as the crossings are only a couple of hours, you won’t need a cabin. On the Belfast – Cairnryan route with Stena Line you can book an optional cabin if you wish to grab some sleep during the crossing. This costs from £35.
Is there mobile phone signal or Wi-Fi during the crossing?
Your usual mobile phone signal is available for most, if not all of the Irish Sea crossing. If signal is lost, your phone may pickup the onboard MCP (Marine Communication Partner) satellite network. As normal ‘roaming’ rules and charges don’t apply to this, costs could be significant and so it’s advisable to turning of roaming on your device before departure.
On both the Stena Line and P&O routes, Wi-Fi is available onboard. There’s a free service, suitable for simple browsing, messages and email but we tested this on a Stena Line ferry and, with a connection speed of less that 1 mbps, it is slow. You can pay for faster ‘streaming’ Wi-Fi for £3.90.