If you are heading to Holland, Northern Germany or Belgium this year to watch a  game, then the DFDS Seaways ferry to Amsterdam maybe the ideal way to travel with friends - without incurring a huge cost that is normally levied by the low cost airlines, when they get a sniff that an important game in on the horizon.

With daily sailings from North Shields, Newcastle you can sail overnight to Holland arriving around 9am, giving you the rest of the day to drive to your European football match of your choice. The other benefit of travelling by ferry is that there are no luggage restrictions, so you can literally take as much as you can fit in your car.

You can reach the Newcastle ferry by car from Scotland in around 90 minutes and has excellent motorway networks from the surrounding area.

Setting off from Sheids: The ferry to Amsterdam.

There is also a regular bus service from the centre of Newcastle directly to the port (you can’t miss the buses – painted in the DFDS brand) or a short walk from the metro stations of Meadowell or Percy Main.

Driving times / distances to top European clubs

Ajax 5.6 miles 19 minutes
Feynoord  57 miles 1 hour 10 minutes
PSV 77 miles 1 hours 31 minutes
Ghent (Belgium) 136 miles 2 hours 19 minutes
Standard Leige 159 miles 2 hours 43 minutes

Bruges 156 miles 2 hours 51 minutes
Anderlecht 129 miles 2 hours 18 minutes
Hamburg 290 miles  4 hours 37 minutes
Dortmund 149 miles 2 hours 32 minutes
Wolfburg 285 miles 4 hours 33 minutes

The ferries to Amsterdam offer a variety of things to do onboard and include a number of bars, restaurants cinemas and even a casino. The 7 Seas buffet is the most popular restaurant onboard offering an all you can eat dinner with a number of dishes including Italian, Chinese, traditional British and Scandinavian delicacies.

All aboard: The cabins on board the Amsterdam route.

On your ferry crossing you will need to book a cabin. In my opinion the basic cabins are more than adequate as you will spend very little time in them anyway, but there are much more ‘plush’ Commodore and Commodore De Luxe cabins available if you wish to travel in a little bit more style and comfort.

Prices to travel on the Amsterdam ferry start from only £149 each way for car plus 2 passengers, or £174 for car plus 4 passengers.

Alternatively Amsterdam has an excellent train network with regular departures across Europe.

For more information on travelling on a ferry to Amsterdam from Newcastle visit: http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/ferry-routes/holland/newcastle-to-amsterdam/