Ever since I moved to the UK, I’ve wanted to visit Belfast, and by extension, Northern Ireland. I finally was able to get a trip organised, and managed to spend five days exploring Belfast, and other areas of the country. Here are some of the highlights!

Belfast City Centre

The city of Belfast itself was the main purpose of my trip, and I feel like I was able to cover much of the city during my visit. I lucked out with weather for much of the trip, and even managed to get a little sunburnt due to the unexpected sunshine. With the weather so nice, it meant that I was able to easily walk around the city, and truly enjoy the beauty of the city.

One thing that did surprise me was how early it seemed a lot of places, restaurants included, closed. Bars and pubs were open late, but when I first arrived and wanted dinner after 8pm, it didn’t seem like I could find many options.

Titanic Belfast

Belfast is broken up into several quarters, all offering their own insight into the history of Belfast. I started my time in Belfast off with a visit to the Titanic Quarter, making a visit to the Titanic Belfast museum. The tickets aren’t the cheapest, but I went through a Titanic phase when I was younger, so this felt like something I needed to do. The museum takes you through the history of the Titanic, starting in “boomtown Belfast” leading all the way through the repercussions of the Titanic’s sinking.

I almost found there to be too much information in some of the sections, and the recommended 2-3 hours almost felt like not enough time (although there were several groups from schools and cruise ships there while I was visiting). I spent over three hours going through all of the exhibit, but it’s really well done. I came away with loads of new information about the ship, and enjoyed my time in the museum (including a small shipyard ride!).

Included in the entry ticket is the ability to board the SS Nomadic, one of the tender boats that was used to board first and second class passengers onto the Titanic in Cherbourg, France. It’s not as in depth as the Titanic museum, but it’s worth exploring.

After finishing with everything my ticket granted me access to, I went into the Titanic Hotel next door to walk around. While the hotel has been modernised, and is a full service hotel, this was done with the requirement that some of the rooms be kept in their original state from when Titanic was being built. This means that you can see the draughts room, offices, and more – even if you aren’t a guest!

I also decided to treat myself to an afternoon tea at the Hotel, and it was a lovely experience!

While in the area, I also managed to spot a Queen Victoria cyphered postbox! I always look at the cyphers on postboxes as I walk by, and Queen Victoria’s is one I haven’t yet seen “in the wild.” Not only did I finally get to see one in Northern Ireland, but I went on to find her other cypher near the Giant’s Causeway.

If you walk to or from the Titanic along the Maritime Trail, you’ll also come upon up to six stained glass windows depicting fan voted scenes from Game of Thrones. This is called #GlassofThrones, and was created in honour of the show that filmed for ten years in Belfast. Even if you aren’t a fan of Games of Thrones, they’re worth trying to find for the glass work, and stunning colors.

Belfast City Hall

Located in the centre of Belfast is Belfast City Hall. The architecture of the big dome is reminiscent of Saint Paul’s in London, and surrounding the building are several statues of people of note. The highlight of the visit has to be the inside of the building. Not only are there a handful of beautiful stained glass windows representing pivotal moments in Belfast’s history, but there is also a 16 room exhibition of the history of Belfast.

I was shocked at how in depth the exhibition was, and how much information there was about Belfast. Admittedly, it was more older history, and less modern history, but it was chock-full of information about the city, and how it has grown into what it is today.

You can also join a guided tour of the council rooms. The tour lasts an hour and has limited spots, but it’s worth an hour of your time to learn about the position of Lord Mayor in Belfast, and see how the 60 councillors of Belfast hold their meetings. The tours operate at set times, and you have to inquire about whether they have space – be sure to go early to grab a ticket (it’s free!) if you want to join one.

Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens

At the South side of Belfast, you can find the University, along with the large botanic gardens. Towards one corner of them sits the Ulster Museum, containing history of Belfast from prehistoric times to today. Due to its location, I only managed to get there about 15 minutes before it closed, so I sped off to the section about the Troubles and started there. I didn’t have much time, but what I was able to see was an interesting exhibition.

The Botanic Gardens were also lovely to sit in while the sun was out – I definitely lucked out with the weather during much of my visit!

St. George’s Market

If you’re in Belfast Friday – Sunday, St. George’s Market is open to explore. Inside they have countless stalls of food, souvenirs, as well as arts and crafts. It’s a perfect place to grab a bite to eat, or to pick up a memento from your trip.

Cab ride of Belfast Murals

Dotted around Belfast are murals depicting both Republican and Loyalist icons/scenes depending on where in Belfast you are. Booking a cab ride will allow you to be driven around to see them, while also hearing from someone who lived in Belfast during the troubles.

I had a Republican driver who told us all about how he and his family spend the troubles, and some history on how the IRA came to be during the time. I found any opportunity I had to learn about the history of Northern Ireland fascinating, and it was made even more so by being able to hear some first hand stories.

There are countless cab companies offering this experience, and I imagine they’re all fairly similar. I opted for a 60 minute tour, but you can book longer ones. If this is something you want to do in Belfast, be sure to book in advance to guarantee a time slot that works for you.

Coach trip to the Giant’s Causeway

In addition to spending some time in Belfast, I wanted to explore more of Northern Ireland itself. I booked a day trip via coach with McComb’s Coaches, and it was a wonderful time. It was a full day full of stops, but I had beautiful weather and a great coach driver that made it feel like it went by in a breeze.

The tour started bright and early, and quickly came to a photo stop at Carrickfergus Castle, followed by a drive along the coastal Causeway route (Antrim Coast). With the weather being so clear, we were able to see pretty far into the distance, and the views were stunning. We had another stop in Carnlough Harbour which is a small, fishing village. We then had another stop at Cushenden Caves – while it was nice to stretch my legs at this stop, I wasn’t as wowed with the caves as I was with other stops.

Before lunch we had another photo stop at Carrick-a-rede Ropebridge, and in the far distance, we could even make out some of the Scottish coast. I wish I could’ve done the Ropebridge, but coaches aren’t allowed anymore, and you’d really need to make your own separate trip to do it. I brought a packed lunch for the lunch stop (where I got myself some Tayto crisps to try), and then we were off to the Giant’s Causeway – the highlight of the trip.

I had no idea what to expect, and it was incredible. The nature trails down to the Causeway give you sweeping views across the Atlantic, and then walking around the Causeway itself is such fun. Although we had close to two hours to explore, it didn’t feel like enough time! My only complaint is that the Visitor’s Centre requires the purchase of a ticket, and the way they’ve set it up, you can’t even access the gift shop without buying a ticket. Luckily, the hotel next door has some souvenirs, but I was surprised that they wouldn’t let you buy a postcard or magnet without also buying a ticket (this was the same to access their cafe, too!).

From the Causeway, the way home stopped off with a quick photo stop at Dunluce Castle, a wee break at the Bushmills Distillery, and finally a longer stop at the Dark Hedges. I had expected the latter to be darker than they were, but I can imagine them being impressive when the trees were at full height. I know this is a popular stop due to its usage in Game of Thrones – while the tour had no affiliation with the show, we did get some background on its impact on Northern Ireland, and the driver did point out several filming locations throughout the day.

I’m so glad I did the tour, and the cost was great as well for what I got out of it. Our driver, Patrick, was also a great guide, always announced where the toilets would be, and made the journey that much more smooth (I can’t imagine driving some of those roads) and informative.

Day trip to Derry

As a fan of the television show Derry Girls, I knew I wanted to visit Derry when I was in Northern Ireland. It takes about two hours on the train to get there from Belfast, and on Sundays, they run a “Sunday Fun Day” ticket that costs £9 for any train journeys you can do on that day. For that cost, it felt like a no brainer to spend my Sunday in Derry.

When you arrive at the train station, you’re greeted by the Derry – Londonderry sign, and already the history lessons have begun. Derry comes from the Irish name for the city, but in the 1600s, the King added London to the city’s name (Londonderry) due to the city’s increasing population and funding from those from London. Today, both names are used interchangeably, although the preference may vary based on nationalist and unionist allegiances. That being said, Derry is used in conversation and in all the tourism related things.

I will say that not much is open in Derry on Sundays, but I was still able to see a fair amount. I entered the city on foot via the Peace Bridge, and then made my way to the walls of Derry. These date from when the city was a walled city, and you can walk the full ramparts while learning about the role the wall played in the history of the city, and most notably with the Siege of Derry.

Thunder started rolling in at that point so I quickly hurried to the Bogside Murals to be able to see them all before the rain inevitably started. These are 12 murals commemorating the Troubles, and the city of Derry during that time. They represent the Battle of the Bogside, Bloody Sunday, and other people impacted by the Troubles. They’re all along the sides of buildings, standing at a tall height, and I found them all particularly striking. The walk ends at the “You are now entering Free Derry” sign.

As the rain had picked up by that point, I ran into the Museum of Free Derry. Entry was £8, and it was an incredibly informative museum. I’ll admit that prior to this trip I had limited knowledge about the history of Northern Ireland and the Troubles, and I had no idea how much Derry was impacted by that time period. The museum is well signed and walks you through how the Republican movement was impacted by the US’ Civil Rights Movement, what happened in Derry in the lead up to the Battle of the Bogside as well as Bloody Sunday, and how the British Army created such devastation with their handling of the city. I was also shocked to learn that Derry had been treated so poorly as a city after the division of Northern Ireland due to its mainly Republican sentiments.

After making my way through the whole museum, I headed to the Tower Museum (£4 entry) where they have an exhibition on the history of Derry from the prehistoric ages, an exhibition on the Spanish Armada, and finally an exhibition titled “The Derry Girls Experience.” I won’t lie that a lot of my motivation in going to Derry initially was down to my love of Derry Girls so naturally, this is where I headed first. They have props, costumes, and set pieces from the show, along with commentary from the writer of the show. It was very fun to see some of the show up close.

The historical bit of the museum was interesting, but I wasn’t able to spend loads of time in it as I had a train back to Belfast to catch (on Sundays, the trains run every two hours). I did have to skim through the more recent years, but having done the Museum of Free Derry, and all the other information I’d learned at that point in my trip, I felt like I had a good amount of that information already.

Even though I know that I’ve still barely scratched the surface of Northern Ireland, I had such a wonderful time exploring some corners of it during my trip. I’m coming away from my visit having learned so much about the Troubles, and the history of Northern Ireland, and I’m always grateful to be able to learn more about the places I visit, especially when it’s within the country where I currently live. As they’d say in Northern Ireland, it was great craic!