Two main short-sea options from the North West: Stena Line Belfast–Cairnryan (and Belfast–Liverpool/Birkenhead) and P&O Ferries Larne–Cairnryan. Fares move by sailing and season — figures below are official ‘from’ prices checked on operator pages/PDFs.
Duration: About 2 hours 15 minutes (operator wording)
Frequency: Up to 12 daily sailings (operator wording)
From price: From £155.00 single, car & driver (route page ‘from’ price); 2026 economy online fares in the official PDF start at £155 depending on sailing/season
Scotland side is Cairnryan (near Stranraer). Good if you are already heading to Belfast.
Sources: Stena Line – Belfast ↔ Cairnryan, Stena Line 2026 Cairnryan–Belfast fares (PDF)
Duration: About 8 hours (operator wording); day and night crossings
Frequency: Up to 4 daily sailings (operator wording)
From price: From £159.00 single, car & driver on the UK route page (checked 5 November 2026)
Useful for England without driving the whole way; cabin options on overnight sailings.
Sources: Stena Line – Belfast ↔ Liverpool
Duration: About 2 hours (operator wording)
Frequency: Operator describes multiple daily crossings (season-ticket page references 6 daily from Cairnryan to Larne)
From price: Standard tickets from £114; Standard Flexi from £129; Fully Flexi from £219 (operator season-ticket page)
Larne is often a shorter drive from the North Coast / mid-Antrim than Belfast Port.
Sources: P&O Ferries – Cairnryan ↔ Larne
Stena Line’s route page showed from £155 single for a car and driver on 5 November 2026. Exact fares depend on sailing and season — see the 2026 fares PDF.
Both go to Cairnryan. Larne (P&O) can be a shorter drive from the North Coast; Belfast (Stena) suits travellers already in the city. Compare total door-to-door time.