MrsMC fancies the Titanic thing, it's somewhere I've always been curious to see - nearly got to go for work back in the 90s but kept being cancelled. Anyway, we have a convenient week in July that looks the time.
Looking for tips of things not to miss, things to definitely miss, any ideas on how many days we might need etc
Oooh, also keen to hear, though we might combine it with a few days cycle tour
Anyway, we have a convenient week in July that looks the time
Mid July around the 12th is marching season, expect bonfires and lots of Orangemen!
It's an interesting spectacle but since schools finish here at the start of July a lot of folk head out and off to sunnier climes before the English lot bump up the prices in the med.
June is usually better weather, July's usually damp and grey but warmish!
But yes it's a great city and a friendly part of the world, lots of nice places to eat and drink, and visit 👍
Been there a few times recently. Titanic is great. Take some time around the docks area, a few interesting things to see. Generally a nice city. Easy to get around with decent food and friendly people. Beyond that, if you have the time it's worth heading north to the coast. Absolutely stunning and very accessible.
The Titanic Centre is well worth a visit and I would also recommend the nearby Titanic Hotel - but theres no shortage of accommodation nowadays.
Id suggest any of the open topped bus tours - excellent way to see the city and learn some of its history. Belfast is unrecognisable today to the place I grew up in and its actually a joy to see.The Cathedral Quarter is worth visiting as is Crumlin Road Jail. There are numerous eating and drinking establishments- many of them are excellent and you will be spoilt for choice. If you hire a car then deffo take the coastal route to Ballycastle and on round to Portrush and Giants Causeway. The scenery is simply stunning and you can take in the Dark Hedges and visit Bushmills Distillery too! Also worth visiting is the Mourne Mountains area especially Rostrevor, Newcastle and Warrenpoint. Lots of eateries and beatiful beaches and scenery.
The main 12th parade is on the 12th July surprisingly, and attract big crowds who get to see dozens of marching bands and members of Orange Lodges march through Belfast (and other towns) in the morning and late afternoon. Its an interesting spectacle and is trying very hard to create a kind of carnival atmosphere but it might not be for everyone. There can be traffic diversions etc. The night before - the 11th Night - sees bonfires lit all over the place. Fair bit of drunks around that night too!
I dont think you'll be disappointed, especially if you do a wee bit of research beforehand.
The Ulster museum in Botanic Gardens is definitely worth a visit, good on the Troubles and the complexity of the past here, and how it lives on in the present.
The sister museum at Cultra is the transport museum with Titanic exhibits too if that's of interest, just a short train ride out from central Belfast.
Museum opens Sunday mornings, about the only thing that is, retail starts at 1pm Sundays here so the city centre is quiet in the morning.
Belfast Lough shore has lovely walks on the south side
Some great ideas there thanks - we were thinking of trips out the city, the coast looks a great idea.
We'd fly out on 29th June, just before marching season - NI schools will have broken up by then?
If you are doing the coast then I'd recommend staying at the Causeway hotel. It's an ok hotel, a bit of run down former grandeur, but elegant and comfortable. That gives you free entry to the causeway museum and you can do a morning walk down to the Giants Causeway. We had the whole site to ourselves and weren't up particularly early, maybe 8am. Bushmills is there too.
I went 3 years ago, and found it a lot smaller than I was expecting. A taxi tour for £50 around the ‘Troubles’ areas was enlightening, as well as showing the pathetic sectarianism that continues today on both sides. I mean, you’d think they’d grow up as times have changed,FFS, but they just carry on as ever, with few killings but still a lot of low level vandalism, so I suppose their views have changed, slightly, to less violence. The Titanic was book in advance only when we called in, no spaces left for us on the day. I drove around the docks area, it’s massive, and the cranes are really big.
As hinted above, the coast out is good, we found Londonderry a far nicer place. I was a little disppointed with the Giants Causeway. yes, I know, wonder of the world etc, it was a bit dull for me, if you’ve seen pictures of it, it doesnt get any better seeing it in the flesh.
Oh, and the loyalist villages all over who think its a good idea to paint their kerbstones red/white/blue and have hundrends of flags out, just to make the point that they are not Irish. I found it all pretty sad, Bushmills was one of the worst, so much so that I didnt buy any whiskey there.
Titanic is v good. Pub interior: The Crown Pub music: Kelly's Cellars, The Sunflower
Falls Rd and the Peace Wall, political walk
Ulster museum
Parking's pretty tight so we park up and Uber around town, driving style's a bit 'lively' too
Giant's Causeway is ok, New Grange much more interesting
For great craic in a 300 sq ft pub, try Dumigan's in Portaferry (great village)
These days I prefer Beflast to Dublin
Oh and Bittles Bar is a must. Reportedly Van The Man's manager went in and asked if they wouldn't mi
nd clearing the bar so the Van could have a pint and some photos taken. He was banned on the spot.
NI schools will have broken up by then?
yes the last day of school will be 27th June, at least it is with my son's school.
folks will say to visit the Crown for a pint, it's a National Trust owned pub, in the city centre, very atmospheric, worth dropping in but quietest on weekday afternoons, the pub I would recommend for an evening is the Sunflower, a bit outside the city centre, and also the John Hewitt, which is in the Cathedral Quarter.
in the city centres, Belfast City hall does visits/tours, and has exhibitions often, and the Linen Hall Library has an excellent cafe (upstairs), the Ulster Museum has a good cafe too, as well as a excellent galleries, and is walkable from City Hall (20 minutes).
with a bit more time, then a £10 Sunday Tracker rail ticket will get you all over NI by train--the rail network is not exactly huge but you could easily get to Derry/Londonderry for a day-trip from Belfast, fantastic views from the train on the north coast, and Derry is a fascinating place and has walls to walk around. If like me you grew up in England in the '70s and '80s it's hard not to think of those TV images on the news of what things were like back then, so much has changed, a lot of the Troubles is now seen as part of the tourist experience here, and Derry has a lot to offer on this, if that's of interest.
a £19 Zone 4 iLink card is a daily 'go anywhere' on train and bus, at anytime, any day of the week, our public transport here is still 'public' and there's a good local rural bus network, that'd get you to the north coast and Giant's Causeway, take the train from Belfast that goes to Coleraine/Ballymoney, from either there are buses that serve the north coast. Summer time the services are frequent.
Giant's Causeway is free to visit, though the National Trust tries to funnel visitors through the exhibition / visitor centre which costs £££, the Causeway Hotel nearby does good coffee and scones.
tbh you could easily spend a week here to see the sights!
it really is a great place, NI, and lots of interest.
Yep, Bushmills is very loyalist, crowns tattooed in necks, red hand sign at the golf club, very poor town, distillery is ok and apparently a non-sectarian place to work. Overheard 'you can always tell when a catholic comes into town.'
