A small but excellent tourist information centre. I went there twice yesterday, once to buy…read morepostcards and once, before we left the town, to pick up various leaflets about places to visit, and ferry timetables. There are lots of glossy postcards for sale at two prices (for small or large). This is probably the best place to buy cards because I didn't see any for sale anywhere else. There are also lots of beautiful Scottish gifts, from china mugs and other kitchenware to shortbread and fudge. The two ladies working in there yesterday were really helpful. Found near to the large car parks near the water, on the main road. Definitely well worth a visit on your way to, or from, the town centre on foot.

A small station which is a bit of a walk from the town, next to the Stena Line ferry terminal, and…read morethe only railway station here. You can travel from here to Glasgow via Ayr. There are two platforms although only one is in use at present and there is a unisex disabled toilet and cycle racks.

If you're going from ireland/north Ireland to Scotland highly recommend going by ferry. It is the…read moremost comfortable way to travel you don't have to go through scanners or deal with weighing your luggage plus you can take your car with you. I guess we bought a package that allowed the lounge pass which is the most comfortable area plus all the snacks and wine lol I gather we even pay the extra to get on and off the ferry early we were the third car on and the third car off loved it. As soon as you get on head for the lounge and let the party start such a smooth stress-free way to travel. The front part has the best View and most comfortable seating options. But all the seats are comfortable it's a great way to travel. Highly recommend bringing your car because where the ferry let you off there's not a whole lot going on so it would be expensive to try to get a car from there. We made these decisions kind of late in the game so we had to turn our car back in and get a different car from a different company to take over to Scotland. So it would have been better if we'd had it more planned out but this whole trip was very thrown together had to figure it out as we went. Some of which we didn't know how long we'd want to spend in each area so the last part in Ireland was kind of up in the air needed to be flexible. I think we spent seven or eight days in Ireland / north Ireland. Pretty much went around the coast

Our journey from Dublin to Scotland began before sunrise, we took the first departure at 9:30 am…read more The terminal was surprisingly large. The ship is so much fun, we had bottles of champagne, explored different levels and dared to go outside in the cold. The ride is a little over 2 hours, smooth going to Scotland and then a little choppy going back to Ireland, but it flew by so fast. My drinking buddy and I met some amazing senior citizens, danced with them and had a GREAT time, it's unforgettable. The ship is very nice, clean, comfortable and not crowded. The restaurant has pretty good Swedish meatballs, coleslaw and fish and chips. They even sell bottles of wine! The ship is well laid out and very spacious, and the WiFi was reasonable. Major plus, super friendly staff. Efficient in all aspect of the booking, check-in, boarding, sailing and departure.

Always fantastic experience nice crossing friendly helpful staff thanks to lady in Nordic sparead more

Took the trip from Ireland to Cairnryan with a bunch of students. Wasn't too bad. Lots to do on…read morethe ship to entertain the young ones, and there's also plenty of place to settle down for a nap. It's quite noisy, and the food isn't cheap- you might want to bring your own snacks. But all in all, it was not bad. We didn't have a car- were dropped off by bus and picked up by bus- so I can't speak to that. The luggage arrived pretty fast- so that was nice. The kids liked the video games and the movies. I appreciated the comfortable seating choices.

We went from Cairnryan to Ireland for a few days and back. Getting a ticket was pretty easy (did it…read moreall online) and the check-in was fast. Larne has some good coffees shop with drinks and light food. Also a small kiosk / souvenir shop. Getting on and of the ferry with the car is a fast and well-organised thing. The ferry has a little souvenir shop, a small "casino", a smoking section and a kid's care. There is a restaurant and a big bar / restaurant in front with the best views (you can take the food from the restaurant here). It's a quick and smooth ride with nice views (weather permitting). A really convenient way to travel. The only complaint I have would be the quite hefty price. I know there's a lot of staff and maintenance to do, but it's still quite high. We were travelling with our dog. Too bad the pets have to stay in the car. But it was ok, she's used to the car and slept most of the time :) All in all a nice way to travel. The quality of the ferries is high and it's all well-organised.

Very good and efficient service with excellent check in facilities for foot passengers. Great…read morecoffee shop with good selection of hot and cold food and drinks. Can get newspapers, gifts and nick backs. There are arcade games to pass the time but no wifi!!

When we left home this morning I didn't expect to be on this diesel powered ferry. It's a first…read morefor me and likely the last; I've been in Columbia more often. My wife was on it once before. This is one of the world's shortest ferry journeys as it's about four minutes each way. The world's shortest ferry line is the Ferry Lina in Töreboda, Sweden. It takes around 20-25 seconds and is hand powered. A car with two people return is £16. The staff are very friendly, you pay aboard, we used a card on a phone and while it's roll on - roll off for vehicles it also takes foot passengers. It was very busy both ways, it holds around 25 cars and some motorcycles and it goes from Strangford where we approached it on the hour and half hour and from Portaferry quarter to and quarter past the hour.

This little ferry is an absolute wonder. I don't think it has changed at all since I was a child…read more It's basically a very small car ferry which travels back and forward across Strangford Lough between Portaferry and Strangford. The journey is slow and relaxed and as you're only going a very short distance across the Lough (less than a mile) it only takes about 10 minutes. The ferry runs every half hour every day except Christmas Day, except when the weather is too stormy. You drive your car up a little ramp and leave it parked on the small deck. It costs just over a fiver to go across one way and on a sunny day you get a fabulous view of the Lough and the coast line on both sides. Travelling across Strangford by ferry is such a novelty, both adults and kids will love it and if you're cutting across the Lough for practical reasons rather than driving round, you'll save over an hour and 75 miles on your journey.

The present site of the Harbour Office has been in use since 1847 as the headquarters of the…read moreBelfast Harbour Commissioners. The building was constructed between 1847 - 1854, firstly designed by George Smith in 1854 and later by the Belfast architect William Henry Lynn. The building was done in style of an Italian palazzo. It features some gorgeous marble mosaic floors and stunning stained glass windows the most impressive of which shows the Seal of Belfast Harbour Commissioners, others depict commerce, ship building and enterprise as well as featuring a number of the coat of arms of cities with which Belfast has done business. The site is also home to a fascinating art galley. The collection here has been built up over the years by Harbour Commissioners. The gallery is located in ornate and opulent rooms decorated in Victorian fashion, the art works nestle themselves happily on these walls. The rooms boast work from prominent Irish artists such as; William Conor and Joseph Carey. There are also a number of sculptures from France and Italy. Mainly though the collection is impressive in its historical importance. There are a number of old landscapes, historical events and relevant scenes from Belfast's past. For example there is an 1851 painting of Belfast Harbour's Ferry Steps. Other pieces include the portrait of Sir Robert Baird, Proprietor of the Belfast Telegraph and Harbour Commissioner from 1932 to 1934. As part of European Heritage Weekend on 11th & 12th of September the Belfast Harbour Office will be open to the public for a chance to view the fascinating history within its walls and sneak a peek at the famous art collection.

As part of the European Heritage Open Day two friends and I visited this impressive building. The…read moreguide was very interesting and knowledgeable and gave us a thorough account of the Commission, its role, its inception and its future. I really was impressed with everything the commission is responsible for!!

Ulsterbus is the element of Translink which is responsible for bus transportation all around…read moreNorthern Ireland, except the centre of Belfast. The buses are instantly recognisable by their light blue and white design, and come in two different sizes. The regular buses are those which transport people between two different towns / cities, for example Belfast and Bangor, Bangor and Newtownards. The smaller, 'easybus' style buses are town service buses, and usually transport people around a single town, such as Newtownards or Comber. Some towns (such as Bangor) use the larger buses. You will now see why, for a good few years, my dad used to 'rake' (make fun of in Northern Irish speak) me about my knowledge of buses. I was, on occasion referred to as a 'walking timetable', and if any enquiry in relation to buses should arise, the 'raking' was taken further, with my dad insisting that I be asked. Being the fount of bus knowledge, you see. Ok, so it wasn't entirely unwarranted, and I did take an interest in buses (only mildly...I'm certainly no equivalent to those strange trainspotters, honest), but this was only because I did enjoy a good bus journey. And I still do. Sad I know, but since I do not drive, I have become heavily reliant on these wonderful modes of transportation. No really, they're not all that bad! I know buses have are reputed for being late, but Ulsterbus is usually a very reliable service, and the prices are still pretty decent despite having risen twice the past couple of years. Despite this, a good tip is to by a Smartlink card (available at the main bus stations - Laganside, Europa and the like), and top it up with a certain number of journeys (10, 20 or 40). They work out a whole lot cheaper than buying an actual bus journey on the day, and you simply place your card on the reader above the ticket machine each time you hop on the bus, and that's you done. Simples (to quote the infamous and most wonderful Aleksandr the Meerkat). Eh, I reckon that'll do. Before I start looking like a super nerd. Though it's quite possibly far too late for that...

I took the Goldline Service from Dublin Airport to the Buscentre. It had a camera so you could see…read morethe bus' view of the road on an overhead monitor but it looked like a tour bus. The cost was a little over 11 pounds one way. This transportation service operates in the major towns of Northern Ireland. You have to wait at a stand then show your ticket.