Ferry to Scotland
Every crossing in one place
Ferry to Scotland
Every crossing in one place
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Yes, you can get ferries to Scotland from a range of destinations. There are up to 678 ferries running per week. Ferries to Scotland are provided by P&O Irish Sea, Stena Line, Northlink Ferries, Caledonian MacBrayne & Pentland Ferries. Book now with Direct Ferries and find a ferry to Scotland to suit you.
The Belfast to Cairnryan ferry sails approximately 40 times per week, with an average duration of about 2 hours 22 minutes.
Belfast to Cairnryan first ferry: departs at 03:30
Belfast to Cairnryan last ferry: departs at 23:30
The Larne to Cairnryan ferry currently sails around 38 times per week. The journey usually takes around 2 hours.
Larne to Cairnryan first ferry: departs at 04:00
Belfast to Cairnryan last ferry: departs at 23:59
The fastest ferry to Scotland is Armadale to Mallaig. This journey usually takes 30 minutes.
Ferries to Scotland are provided by 5 ferry companies. These include P&O Irish Sea, Stena Line, Northlink Ferries, Caledonian MacBrayne & Pentland Ferries. There are currently 95 daily and 678 weekly sailings from Scotland.
There are 21 ferry ports in Scotland. Cairnryan is the most popular port.
The price of the ferry to Scotland varies depending on the route you choose. The Belfast to Cairnryan ferry costs £375.47 on average whereas the Larne to Cairnryan ferry usually costs £356.00.
The most popular ferry route to Scotland is the Belfast to Cairnryan ferry with 40 weekly sailings. The second most popular ferry to Scotland is the Larne to Cairnryan ferry with 38 weekly sailings.
Yes, you can get a ferry from Northern Ireland to Scotland. Ferries from Northern Ireland to Scotland set off from Belfast and Larne.
The cheapest ferry to Scotland depends on the route, season, ferry company and whether you are travelling with a vehicle or not. Prices are generally cheaper for foot passengers. We recommend booking your ferry tickets to Scotland in advance to get them at the cheapest price.
Belfast to Cairnryan ferry prices:
Average price: £375.47
Average foot passenger price: around £82
Average car ferry price: around £386
Yes, it is possible to get an overnight ferry to Scotland depending on your route.
You can take your car on most ferry routes to Scotland. Simply follow the signs at the port and staff will be on hand to guide you into the correct lane.
Scotland car operators:
P&O Irish Sea, Stena Line, Northlink Ferries, Caledonian MacBrayne & Pentland Ferries
Yes, you can take your pet on the ferry to Scotland.
Scotland pet operators:
P&O Irish Sea, Stena Line, Northlink Ferries & Pentland Ferries
It's easy to book ferry tickets to Scotland online at Direct Ferries. Just use our Deal Finder to compare times and prices and find the best Scotland ferry to suit you.
"First trip for 30 years!"
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"Larne - Cairnryan"
"Larne to Cairnryan"
Find out what it's like onboard the ferries before you travel.
Geographically speaking, Scotland occupies the northern third of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, sharing a land border with England to its south, and with Northern Ireland found to the south west, across the Irish Sea.
Scotland is home to hundreds of islands and many archipelagos, all varying in size. The Isle of Skye is perhaps the most well-known, part of the Hebrides along the west coast, as well as the historically rich northern isles of Orkney and the slightly more far-flung Shetland Islands. It’s usually on these islands, particularly the Western Isles, where Scotch whisky is made; it’s one of the nation’s best exports, with some five hundred million bottles produced annually.
Scotland boasts a mix of spectacular and spellbinding landscapes; it is a land of glorious, sweeping highlands with glistening lochs in the northwest, inhabited by a rich and varied wildlife, attracting high numbers of birdwatchers from around the world.
It has a blossoming arts and culture scene, which is most prominent in Glasgow, and countless castles, the most famous being the iconic hilltop fortress in the capital, Edinburgh. It’s believed there was once over three thousand castles in Scotland.
Getting a ferry to Scotland from Northern Ireland is simple, with a choice of conventional and high-speed sailings connecting you to south west Scotland. The ferries are modern, well-appointed vessels and provide a short and frequent year round link across the Irish Sea.
Though the direct passenger ferry link to Scotland from mainland Europe is no longer operating, the UK road network provides good access to all regions of Scotland. So if you’re travelling from the continent: going via England is a reasonable alternative, preferably sailing to a port in the north east England to minimise driving time. The Port of Newcastle is around two and a half hours from Edinburgh by car, while Hull is roughly four hours from the Scottish border.
Ferries to Scotland sail from Northern Island, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. Popular routes include Belfast to Cairnryan and Larne to Cairnryan.
There are 3 popular ferry operators for Scotland. These are Stena Line, P&O Ferries and Northlink Ferries.
Scotland’s island ferry routes include Lerwick to Aberdeen from the Shetland Islands and Stromness to Scrabster, St Margaret's Hope to Gills Bay Ferry and Kirkwall to Aberdeen from the Orkney Islands.
Ferries to Scotland can take between 1 -12 hours depending on the route. The quickest ferry crossing St Margaret's Hope to Gills Bay Ferry. This route takes approximately 1 hour and Pentland Ferries operates this route with 14 weekly sailings. The next quickest route to Scotland is Stromness to Scrabster which takes approximately 1.5 hours, with 3 daily sailings.
