Northern Ireland: Belfast and the Giants Causeway

Why we went…

History, conflict, and beauty…it has it all. Belfast has been on my list of places to go for a while. It also worked out the castle hotel that I booked in Ireland was in Donegal in the northern part of Ireland.

How we got there…

My favorite driving service to use in Europe is Daytrip. It is like Uber but between two cities, and it allows you to add tourist stops to your drive. We used it to get from Dublin to Belfast. The only negative for our group was that they only have cars that seat up to 7 passengers so we needed two cars and it was a bit more costly. That said, it worked out really well and we were able to make a stop on the way to see some beautiful Celtic crosses. As always, we got two very nice, knowledgeable, and professional drivers.

For our Belfast to Donegal leg of the trip, we used Liam Connelly Coach services out of Donegal. He has big buses to accommodate large groups, and we were able to visit Giants Causeway, Bushmills Distillery and Dunlace Castle along the way.

Where we stayed…

The Bullitt Hotel in Belfast was definitely the pleasant surprise of the trip. We loved this very cool hotel. The price was right, too! The rooms are simple, but roomy enough. They also have a room that can accommodate four people for a very reasonable price, which can be hard to find in Europe. The location was perfect for exploring the city. The hotel also had a great restaurant, very cool bar, and the best coffee in town in the lobby.

What we did in Belfast…

There are so many pedestrian streets in the center of Belfast which makes exploring the city very easy and pleasant. We loved the murals and Belfast has its own leaning tower!

The Belfast: Political Taxi Tour is a must. The history is interesting, and the cab drivers giving the tour lived through the troubles. There are longer tours but we opted for the hour tour which was great. We took our 13 and 11 year old on the tour, but chose not to take the 5 and 3 year old. They would not have gotten much out of it plus there are a lot of quick stops and getting in and out of the car which would have been tough with car seats.

The Titanic Experience is very well done. It is informative, interactive and visually stunning. We loved the little ride, taking pictures on the bow of the boat like Jack and Rose, and all the beautiful exhibits. The Titanic is such a fascinating piece of Belfast’s history.

Crumlin Road Gaol (pronounced “jail”) has a great tour. The kids loved seeing the cells and running around the yard. The building is beautiful. We ate in the restaurant at the jail. It was convenient if you are hungry and in a hurry, but not excellent (or as my daughter would say…her least favorite meal of the trip by far).

Colin Glen Forest Park exceeded our expectations. After 3 days of city travel in Dublin and Belfast, we needed an afternoon in nature. We started at the river entrance and made our way up to the mountain entrance. The kids loved the Gruffalo Trail walk. The loved coming across all the animals in the book. There were also little fairy houses with glitter that my niece was very excited about. These fun things kept everyone walking up the hill to the top of the park where we rode the alpine coaster.

Where we ate…

White’s Tavern was one of our favorite pub meals of the trip. The ambiance is traditional but updated and the food is excellent. We ate in the beer hall.

Bank Square Brasserie was a nice break from the pub style restaurant. The food was great. The location is very central and next to the beautiful Bank Sqaure which is worth walking through.

We loved the dining options at the Bullit Hotel. It is very convenient if you are staying there, but defitely worth a visit if you are staying else where. Taylor and Clay is fantastic. Spencer and Logan agreed that they have the best chicken goujons in all of Ireland. They also have skewers which made for a nice light protein heavy meal. The lobby and courtyard dining (we enjoyed the breakfast) and the coffee dock in the lobby are great. The coffee is world class and I would be surprised if you could find much better in Belfast.

For the best pint of Guinness in Belfast (according to one of our drivers), Bittles Bar is the place to go. The building is unique and the atmosphere is charming. Unfortunately for us but fortunately for everyone else, no kids are allowed. My parents, husband and brother enjoyed a great pint in peace.

What we did on our Daytrip to the Giant’s Causeway?

The Giants Causeway has been on my bucket list for awhile. The Giants Causeway is an hour and 15 minutes from Belfast and makes for a great day trip! I could have spent the whole day exploring the coastline. Most of us walked down from the tourist center. There is a bus that can take those with limited mobility down to the causeway for good views. The kids loved climbing on the rock formations, and we got some great pictures.

It’s worth stopping at the Bushmills Distillery for a tasting. It’s the world’s oldest licensed distillery. The facilities are very impressive. They offer tours, but we had the kids and decided just to do a quick tasting and peruse the gift shop.

Dunluce Castle is built on the very edge of a cliff that juts out into the north Atlantic Ocean. The setting is spectacular and the castle ruins are beautiful. The kids loved running into all the rooms and climbing the spiral staircase.