The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or more commonly known as United Kingdom, UK or Great Britain is a country of a fairly small island in the north-west mainland of Europe. It has four constituent countries namely England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The capitals of the constituent countries are London for England, Edinburgh for Scotland, Belfast for Northern Ireland, and Cardiff for Wales. The main island of UK is surrounded by North Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, English Channel, Irish Sea and Celtic Sea. Not surprising, there are hundreds of ports that surrounds the island of the UK, making ferry ride a popular transport option or supports for leisure activities such as fishing. A ferry to United Kingdom is the perfect start of a great holiday vacation for anyone.

The Ferry to United Kingdom Experience

A ferry is an old form of public transport that carries passengers, cargo and vehicles (even train) through the sea. ferries come a long way back. For centuries, riding boat has been a reliable way of transportation. It is a cheaper way to hop from island to island. These days, a ferry ride can be a luxurious traveling experience, too. One would think that riding a boat across countries would be behind the times, but on the contrary, it has paved the way to a more relaxing means to take a trip. Riding a ferry to a dream vacation is like a vacation itself as there are ferries right now that are designed like a floating hotel, more popularly known as cruise ships, where amenities such as swimming pool and casino can be enjoyed by the traveler. Ferry ride is an exciting experience and very unlike riding an airplane, a train, bus or a car. The travelers in a ferry are able to enjoy the view of the horizons, the sky and the ocean during the trip. It has a lot of room to move around for families to experience real bonding activities even during the trip to their vacation destination, one of the advantages that only a ferry and no other public transportation can offer.

Taking the Ferry to United Kingdom

Countries such as Norway, Denmark, Holland, Poland, France, Ireland and most European countries have ferry lines that transfers directly to numerous ports around the United Kingdom. Booking for trips either for a long vacation or a short trip can be done through a local travel agency or through the World Wide Web. There are regular schedule of trips of ferry to United Kingdom. If a traveler wants to use a ferry, he can readily purchase a two-way ticket for fixed schedules, but they can also be changed when needed. Some of the major ferry operators that provide ferry to United Kingdom are Stena Line, P&O Ferries, Brittany Ferries and Irish Ferries.

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Norway and Water Transportation

Norway is a popular tourist destination in Scandinavia. With its dramatic landscape, dynamic cities and cool climate, it’s easy to see why tourists from fellow members in the European Union as well as from other countries around the world flock to this place. It is popular for lovers of outdoor activities and for enthusiasts of winter sports such as skiing, sledding, and curling. The beauty of its towns and cities has also made them popular destinations in summer. Its rugged terrain, long winters, and numerous streams, rivers and fjords—especially on the western side of the country—have meant that water transport has always played an important part in its commerce and history. Just ask the Vikings.

Millions of people travel annually to and from Norway, and the ferry to Norway system that has developed handles a major part of this traffic. For those who don’t wish to take the long, circuitous land routes and are afraid of flying, traveling by ferry to Norway is a viable option. Not only is it fast and cheap, but ferries service many Norwegian ports and allow you to bring your vehicle as well, something you can’t easily do with major air carriers. If you don’t have a very pressing need to be somewhere quickly, you can hardly go wrong by deciding to travel by ferry. In fact, it, sometimes it’s actually quicker.

Ports of Note

A ferry to Norway has many possible destination ports. One of the most important for travelers, whether domestic or international, is Kristiansand. Its central location on the southern coast of the country makes it a hub for sea, road, and rail transportation, and the frequent arrivals and departures which take place there have earned it the nickname “The Gateway to Europe.” It is itself a tourist destination, also known as the “The Flower Town of Norway” for the 20,000-odd flowers which greet both residents and visitors alike with splendid displays of colors during the summer.

Sandefjord is another port of note for ferries to Norway, offering fast ferry travel to and from Sweden via Strömstad. This town preserves its past in its museum devoted to whaling—the only one of its kind in Europe. It is also a pedestrian’s delight, decorated with statuary, with lots of little cafes to drop into while out on a stroll.

Olso, the capital, is also well-served by ferry. An old city (it was founded in 1048), it has preserved its heritage in its long vistas, wide streets and imposing buildings. The quays, at which a ferry to Norway docks, the Vippetangen, are within walking distance of Oslo S.

Finding Routes & Booking Passage

It is easy to find schedules and book passage on a ferry to Norway, whatever your destination is in Norway. You can purchase a ticket in port terminals, in shipping companies’ offices, by phone, or on the Internet, where not only can you book passage to Norway, but also find ferry services to places as far away as Greenland, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, or the United Kingdom. Depending on the trip you choose, ferries sail on an hourly or daily basis.

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Among the attractions this country of 38 million offers are its architecture, its food, and historical artifacts. Poland is the birthplace of many famous people such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Pope John Paul II, Lech Walesa, Fredrick Chopin, and Roman Polanski. Despite its low research and development output at present, Polish educational institutions are numerous, old and storied, as Polish rulers always cared about the education of their subjects, resulting in the first universities being put up in the twelfth century. This is also the country which produced Nobel Prize winners Wladyslaw Reymont, Czesław Milosz, Wislawa Szymborska, and Marie Curie, who, aside from being the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes, together with her husband Pierre discovered radium and polonium and forever changed the way man looked at things and how they were made.

Polish Ports

Poland’s rivers have been used for a very long time for navigation. The Vikings from Norway sailed up the Vistula River, Poland’s longest, and later on was a major thoroughfare for food coming to Western Europe from the Polish-Lithuania region. Today the Vistula still constitutes an important gateway to the outside world for both freight and passengers.

Important ports on the Vistula include:

• Gdansk – Once known as Danzig when it came into German hands, it has a long history of being a free city and a major Baltic port. Its culture and architecture show the years of combined Polish and German influence. It is situated on the Motlawa River, a branch of the Vistula, at Gdansk Bay, which is bordered by the Hel Peninsula to the north. Not far from Gdansk is Kashubia, a region with its own unique language and culture.
• Gdynia – The port of Gdynia serves chiefly as the main shipping port for the Tricity conurbation of Gdansk, Gydnia, and Sopot. Sopot serves as a resort town, whereas Gdansk is the culture and commerce center of the three-city area.
• Swinoujscie – The largest and most modern ferry to Poland terminal is located here. An important port for cargo as well as a ferry to Poland, it provides services to neighboring Denmark and Sweden.

Ferry to Poland

The main Polish ferry operators include Polferries, the largest, which was established in 1976 as the Polish Baltic Shipping Co; Polska Żegluga Bałtycka, or PŻB, a state-owned shipping company; Unity Line, another Polish company; the Danish DFDS Seaways; and Swedish-owned Stena Line. They run a variety of passenger-only, roll-on/roll-off, fast, and conventional ferries in the area.

Getting oneself a ticket to a ferry to Poland is very easy. In this day and age, you have the convenience of choice. You can get them at port terminals, shipping agencies, through travel agents, or online, for destinations as varied as Greece or the Faroe Islands or Greenland. You can even plan your itinerary on certain websites, which show you what route and mode of transportation to take.

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Take a trip to the picturesque Faroe islands, for example. The Faroes, as the islands are fondly called, are great places to visit with their quaint brick houses and diverse flora and fauna. It’s always a pleasure to stand by the ragged and jaggy cliffs and just watch as the sun sets over the ocean, reveling in the feel of the ocean breeze caresses your face. The Faroe Islands really do look like pages torn out of a fairytale book. There is a long way and a short way to get there. The long way would be to hike there, it’s a long and winding road, and while it would be the adventurous way, it would also be the dangerous way. So, if you’re not too cool about compromising your time and your safety, don’t even think of braving the winds and the rains of this rugged Scandinavian terrain. The short way would be to hop on a plane or a copter and fly there. Of course, if you want to miss half of the fun, you can always take this route. The moderate and ultimately better choice would be to ride a ferry to Faroe Islands.

The Cost of a Ferry to Faroe Islands

Riding a ferry to Faroe Islands is quite fun. Of course, you will probably hear some people commenting that a ferry to Faroe Islands is expensively priced. However, you have to remember that this will only be so if you’re extravagant in your choice of ferries or if you’re carrying cumbersome luggage, like a car, for example. Each person would have to pay about €231 during certain months for a return trip, but they’d probably have to pay a bit extra for the type of car that’s to be used or ferried into Faroe.

If you’re traveling lightly, with only your travel bags as your material companions, then you’re probably going to be able to save a bit for the restaurants that you can visit in Faroe itself.

The Trip

But that’s not to say that the trip isn’t a pleasure in itself. The Smyril line’s M/F Norrona is the ship or the ‘ferry’ that you will most probably ride on to get to Faroe. You can access it through Denmark, and from there, it will ferry you to Faroe. The Norrona looks like a cruise ship, making it rather comfortable and rather pleasant to stay in. They have standard cabins which have comfortable and rather clean showers and toilets. But, if you’re not picky, you can save more money by using a couchette instead of a cabin. Of course, you can always stay on deck and enjoy the trip for all its worth. The open sea is always a beautiful sight to behold.

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