If you have a couple of extra days in Ireland to fill, I recommend spending 2 days in Belfast!
When I was planning my UK trip for this summer, I thought we’d go to Dublin (blog post here), then the iconic Cliffs of Moher. However, upon further research, I learned that Galway was the closest big city to the Cliffs, and unfortunately, Galway does not have an international airport. We would have to get back to Dublin to fly to Scotland, and my logistical heart could not take the inefficiency, so I had to find an alternative city. My dad suggested I go to Northern Ireland to get my country count up, so I just looked at the map and made sure flights from Belfast to Edinburgh existed, and that is how we ended up here.
HOW MANY DAYS TO SPEND IN BELFAST?
Belfast is a pretty small city. I don’t think you need more than 2 or 3 days unless you really want to have a lot of leisure time. We basically did one day sightseeing and then one day on a bus tour to Giant’s Causeway, up at the northern tip of Ireland.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BELFAST
I couldn’t tell you all the history (but this Britannica article can), but Ireland is made up of two countries. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and is part of the United Kingdom, while Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland. We took the train between the two cities and there wasn’t any border crossing. The only major difference we noticed was in the currency, which wasn’t a problem since we didn’t take out any cash. Euros are used in Dublin since it’s part of the EU, while Great British Pounds are used in Belfast.
There are 2 airports in Belfast, be sure to double check your plane tickets before heading to the airport. George City Belfast Airport is a small airport about 15 minutes from city center with more local flights, while Belfast International Airport is 35 minutes outside the city center and has more international flights. We took the train from Dublin to Belfast, then flew from George City Belfast Airport to Edinburgh Airport.
WHERE TO STAY IN BELFAST
Belfast is a very small, walkable city. We used public transport, but many attractions were close together and concentrated on certain streets. I’d recommend staying near City Hall or the Ulster Museum, which are only separated by a mile. Our Airbnb was basically in between them, so it was an easy walk both ways. Here’s a map of everywhere we went during our 2 days in Belfast!
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN BELFAST
Like Dublin, Belfast also had double-decker buses, and these were even more fun because they were pink! A kind museum docent helped us learn the public transportation system. We ended up buying a public transport pass, but it seemed like every bus we took accepted Apple Pay.
DAY 1: MONDAY, 7/07
Jordan, Kyra, and I took the 1:58pm train from Dublin to Belfast, so we went from the capital of Ireland to the capital of Northern Ireland. The train ride was just about 2 hours, so we got into Belfast around 4pm. It was a stunning ride. The train goes through lush Irish countryside and also right along the ocean!
We checked into the Airbnb, which was less than a 10 minute walk from the train station, which was great. Our Airbnb’s host’s mom was the one to show us around the apartment. She said she lived about 45 minutes outside the city and she thanked us for being on time, so just a reminder to be courteous and communicative with your Airbnb host if you’re running late if you’re doing an in-person check-in. We got an early 5:30pm dinner at Maggie Mays, which was a burger/sandwich place with these milkshakes that came topped with marshmallows.
DAY 2: TUESDAY, 7/08
We started the day getting coffee and pastries at Napoleon Coffee before heading to Queen’s University, where we walked through the Rose Garden and Botanic Gardens, which were lovely. There were also two greenhouses, called the Palm House and Tropical Ravine, respectively. All of this was free entry, which we love!
Within this park area, there was also the Ulster Museum. We had no expectations at all and the museum was free, but it’s probably one of the best museums I’ve been to. It was part natural history museum, part art museum, and covered every time period from the ancient Egyptians to the Troubles in Belfast in the late 1990s. We definitely had to rush toward the end of this museum, so allot a good 2-3 hours in here.
We rode the bus to the city center area to reserve $6 tickets for a Belfast City Hall guided tour, as you have to reserve them in person on the day of, and can’t book them online in advance. Then, we grabbed salads across the street at Seed (not as good as Sprout & Co from Dublin) and sat and ate outside on the base of a statue in front of City Hall.
There was a Titanic memorial with all the victims’ names on it nearby, so we looked at that before checking out the Cathedral Quarter. We hit up a Søstrene Grene, the cutest Danish home good store with all the home, kitchen, and bath items and knick-knacks. I definitely could spend an hour in here – girlies you’re going to want to buy the whole store. Then, Jordan grabbed a strawberry matcha at Trait Coffee, and it was so good! I have yet to come across a matcha with fresh fruit puree in Los Angeles.
I really enjoyed our City Hall tour and would recommend! The architecture was really cool, and we got to see where they have council meetings. Our tour guide was a red-headed young woman and besides her, my friends and I were the youngest people on the tour by probably 20 years.
After the tour, we got some juice at Juice Jar and relaxed a bit before taking the bus up to the Titanic Museum. The SS Nomadic sits in the empty shipyard in front of the museum, and it’s free to enter. The Nomadic is a restored tender boat of the White Star Line that transported passengers to and from the Olympic and Titanic. We took about 20 minutes to explore the inside and outside before heading into the museum.
I didn’t know this before I started trip planning, but Belfast is where the Titanic was built. The museum goes over the history of manufacturing in Belfast and lives of the workers, and basically everything leading up to and after the sinking. I learned that the SS Californian was only 20 miles from the Titanic, but they didn’t come to their rescue because the telegraph operator had gone to bed before receiving the messages.
At the end of the museum, you’ll find Titanic movie-related artifacts and of course, an iconic photo opp. It even includes a small ride, similar to Peter Pan at Disneyland. However, it only lasts like 3 minutes, so I wouldn’t spend more than 20 minutes in line for it. I thought the museum is really well-done, and we spent a good 1.5 hours inside.
For dinner, we went back to the city center area and tried to go to Orto Pizza for dinner, which truly looked like a fast-casual pizza place. However, we didn’t have a reservation and were told it was going to be a 90-minute wait (on a Tuesday??). Several other restaurants were also completely booked, so be sure to make a reservation if you want to go to some of these nicer places.
We walked around and looked at a couple pubs. The hanger was quickly setting in, but thankfully we were able to walk into Fratelli, a huge Italian restaurant, that had a lot of availability. I ordered the pesto flatbread appetizer, which was essentially a personal-sized pizza, and I was so hungry that I have no photos to show for it. After dinner, we stopped at a grocery store to get some candy for dessert and snacks for the next day.
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, 7/09
One thing about Belfast is that it is very small. Dublin felt small to me, and Belfast’s city population is half that size, around 350,000 people. To fill our time, we had booked an all-day Giant’s Causeway bus tour through Get Your Guide, which was from 8:30am to 5:30pm. It was only $47 per person, and Get Your Guide is on Rakuten for extra discounts.
The ticket said to get there 15 minutes early. We got there 20 minutes early, and the first bus was already full, so we ended up sitting in the front right behind the driver/guide, which ended up being great, so we had a nice view from the front window of the bus. Our guide was named Patrick, and he was terrific! He gave us great information and history about all the sights, and made some good jokes. While it wasn’t a Game of Thrones tour, he pointed out the Game of Thrones shooting locations since they filmed the show in Belfast over a span of 10 years.
The bus ride was gorgeous. It was overcast, but not raining, and we drove by lush green landscapes and grey misty coastlines. The first stop was Carrickfergus Castle. We weren’t able to go into the castle, but we just walked around the outside. Then, we hopped back on the bus and did a photo stop near Ballintoy where we saw lots of sheep. This tour was very tourist-friendly, and there were several bathroom and photo stops, and Patrick would always give us a heads up on when we should go to the bathroom. Lunch was at a hotel for an additional cost. There was a set menu, and you just had to tell the guide what you wanted. Kyra and I both tried the steak & Guinness pie, which was fine.
The longest stop on the tour was Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are a few trails that you can take, and our guide gave us information on all of them. There’s also a bus you can take for a nominal fare, I think it was 1 pound. We just walked it, it was downhill then flat on the way there, and then of course flat and then uphill on the way back. So you could definitely just take the bus one way if you wanted.
Giant’s Causeway is known for their hexagonal basalt rocks, resulting from volcanic activity. You’re able to climb on all of the rocks, just be careful! I can’t imagine climbing them when they’re slippery and wet.
On the way back, we quickly got off the bus to take photos of a viewpoint of the remains of the medieval Dunluce Castle, which is thought to be the inspiration for the castle in the Chronicles of Narnia. Then, we also had a short stop at the Old Bushmills Irish whiskey distillery. Jordan got a small glass of whiskey to try. It burned and we could not finish it.
Our last stop was at a Game of Thrones filming location, the Dark Hedges. They weren’t very dark or actually hedges, but it was a long corridor of beech trees planted in the 1800s. Over the years, many had been cut down, so the trees don’t fully line the road, but you can still get a nice photo if you walk all the way to the end and turn around.
For dinner, we went to a Thai place that was called Thaitanic (how could we not go?). The food was huge portions and it was pretty salty, so I wouldn’t recommend…but I mean, the name is too good. Kyra and Jordan also got gelato at AL Gelato. My stomach was not 100%, so I did not partake, but they said it was delicious!
DAY 4: THURSDAY, 7/10
We took the bus across the river and into a more residential area to go to Bread & Banjo for some breakfast pastries. This place was nowhere near the touristy area and had a line outside the door, so you know it’s good. My stomach wasn’t feeling the best, so I just got a plain bagel and a cinnamon roll for later. I never get plain bagels, but this was the best bagel I’ve ever had! It was chewy and soft and perfect. I didn’t even eat the cinnamon roll until hours later and I think it was the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had as well, no cream cheese frosting necessary.
Then, we took the bus to Belfast City Airport (again, double-check your plane ticket and your GPS since there are 2 airports) to fly to Edinburgh.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Get pastries at Bread & Banjo
- Visit the Titanic Museum
- Go to Giant’s Causeway (the tour we booked is here)
- Take a City Hall Tour
THINGS I’D CHANGE
- Make a reservation for a nicer dinner restaurant
- Don’t go to Thaitanic lol
- Find the energy to go to Duke of York Bar
