Belfast Ferry, another way to discover Ireland

Last year I decided to spend my holidays in a different way.

It was a long time since I desired to travel by ferries, and last summer I was successful in doing that, having the Isle of Man (to attend the Tourist Trophy event) as first destination and then Belfast as final destination.
The Tourist Trophy was very exciting, as always, while Belfast was very surprising.
I planned to make my trip by ferries because I really wanted to take a break in my "always in hurry" daily life and I consider travelling by ferries very relaxing and very amusing at the same time. In addition, you only have to reach Liverpool, where the ferry to Douglas leaves, and you are on the route to Belfast that you can reach in a two hours ferry distance from the Isle of Man.
If you want to reach Belfast directly, two are the main seaports where you can catch your ferry to Belfast. If you live in Scotland rather than in Northern England, Stranraer would be the natural departure seaport. If you otherwise live in the rest of England, I suggest that you take your ferry from Liverpool seaport.

Main companies operating on the route to Belfast are the following:

• Stena Line, which offers the crossing to Stranraer, providing six daily sailings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and seven daily sailings each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The sailing time is about two hours.
• Sea Cat provides ferry crossings to the Isle of Man, offering three sailings weekly. The sailing time is about three hours.
• Norfolk Line, which offers the crossings to Liverpool with daily night sailings and six daytime services. The sailing time is about eight hours.

I strongly recommend that you make an accurate search on Internet about prices and timetables before you book your tickets because there are other small ferry companies that may offer special prices. Remember to have a look at a shopper comparison before purchasing your tickets to Belfast, money saving is not that unusual.

As I said before, Belfast was a surprise to me and I immediately loved it. Here are few suggestions if you are going to Belfast for the first time in your life.
If you want to plan your visit in Belfast, I suggest that you go to the Belfast Welcome Centre, where a large number of services are offered to assist you in your visit, such as information, accommodation reservations, tickets rather than Bureau de Change. If you are interested in culture, you cannot miss some of the many interesting museums and galleries that Belfast offers.

What I loved above all was strolling through the Victorian streets of the centre of Belfast, sometimes following one of the suggested walking tours, sometimes not. The Historical Pub walking tour is something that you cannot miss, to feel the real atmosphere of the Irish warm hospitality.
Furthermore, if you travel with your children, you will find a large number of attractions and entertainments that make Belfast a very funny city for kids.

A tour of Belfast by bus or cab rather than by mini-coach or bicycle is highly recommended, to have the opportunity to discover the very best of the old and new Belfast.

Belfast also provides to the shopping addicted the embarrassments of choosing between the many opportunities of purchasing a huge range of fashion, jewellery, glassware, woodwork, and ceramics products.