Ferries to Belfast

The ferry port of Belfast is in Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, with the berth in the Bloomfield district. From here you can reach Cairnryan in Scotland and Liverpool in England. Together the services add up to as many as 16 departures a day. Crossings take between 2.25 and 8 hours. The port is served by Stena Line. The short route to Cairnryan carries the traffic, while Liverpool is the long sailing for anyone heading further into England.

Getting there and the terminal

The ferries leave from Victoria Terminal 4, VT4 for short, on West Bank Road, BT3 9JL. It lies at junction 1 of the M2 motorway at the Fortwilliam Roundabout and is signposted from the approach roads. The terminal has no rail connection. The Translink Metro route 96 takes around 22 minutes out from Upper Queen Street by the City Hall, timed for the departures at 7:30, 11:30, 15:30 and 19:30. In front of the building there are more than 300 spaces for both short and long stays. On foot, a covered walkway of at least 200 metres leads from the terminal to the ship; alternatively a shuttle bus will take you.

Check-in

For Cairnryan, Stena Line opens check-in two hours before departure for vehicles and 1 hour 45 minutes before departure for foot passengers. It closes 30 minutes before departure for both. On the route to Liverpool the deadline is stricter: there check-in ends as early as 60 minutes before departure, for vehicles and foot passengers alike.