A Day Trip to Northern Ireland

I’ve just realized that after switching platforms, I only have one blog post of Ireland. Its ironic because on my social media platforms, I’m constantly talking about where I live and what I do. All of my days as of lately consist of being in Ireland! So, I figured it was time to push a little Irish your way. I happened to have off of work, so what better a way to spend the day by traveling to Belfast via train from Dublin. Oh, you remember that broken iPhone screen I was telling you about, yah might as well get that fixed too.

I booked a ticket for the train last minute, of course. AKA last night. It cost me about €30 round trip. I managed to get to the platform a mere four minutes before the train left. Thanks to Dublin city center construction. BUT hey, I’m not complaining, I made it! The weather for October is absolutely gorgeous and dry, so it was a perfect decision to go today, in my opinion. I might have under dressed though, its getting quite cold out now.

The majority of my time was spent by visiting the Victoria Square Shopping Center, which is huge. There are a ton of stores to wander into and its a seven minute walk from the Belfast Central Station. As I was getting my phone replaced, I was able to check some Christmas shopping off the list. Yup, planning ahead early this year – go me! After that, I walked around the city and spent the rest of the day enjoying the sun, rare nowadays. I also was able to put together a list of touristy sites to check out:

Titanic Museum: This is the worlds largest Titanic exhibition. Make sure you save a few hours to go through all of the attractions, because this place is HUGE. Theres a bunch of information to take in, with interactive guides and even an indoor ‘rollercoaster,’ so to speak. The amount of knowledge found here was absolutely mind-blowing. If you peer out the window, you can see the slipways where the Titanic and Olympic were built. You can also walk down the slipways to get a sense of how large the ships actually were. The Titanic Museum is open all year round, except December 24-26th. It costs £17.50 for an adult ticket, £12.50 for a student and £7.50 for a child. The Titanic has always been a subject that was so fascinating to me, so this tour was well worth it.

 

The Giants Causeway: This is one of my favorite spots in Northern Ireland! I’ve ventured out here twice. The first time it was too windy to actually make it down the hill, so we had to turn back. The second time, the weather was gorgeous, and I was able to snag a few photos before it got dark. What is it you may be wondering? Most clearly its an area of about 40,000 interlocking columns that came from an ancient volcanic eruption. All of the stones are hexagonal in shape and act as stepping stones. There are a bunch of myths about the basalts, but I will leave that up to your tour guide. The Giants Causeway was named one of the greatest wonders in the United Kingdom and its one of the most popular sites to visit. General admission costs £7.50, so its quite hard to refuse.

 

The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge: Ah, the rope bridge. This attraction is NOT for someone who hates heights. Only a few minutes car ride away from the Giants Causeway, you can knock out both of these in the same day. The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in Northern Ireland. The man made bridge links the mainland to a tiny island called Carrickarede. (Hence the name.) It spans about 65 feet across and is raised about 100 feet above the rocks and waves crashing below. There is a short hike to get to the bridge itself, so I’d not suggest wearing heels. The views along the coast are absolutely incredible, so definitely bring a camera. Make sure you check the weather ahead of time, as the rope bridge could shut down during the day due to high winds. The entrance fee for an adult is £5.90 and £3.00 for a child.

 

The Dark Hedges: Most notable for its feature in the hit TV series, Game of Thrones, The Dark Hedges is a quick spot to stop. There is no entrance fee and not much to do here, except well, check out the trees. A lot of tours are being offered now to show different sites from Game of Thrones show, so it is bound to take you here. I haven’t personally been on one of those tours yet, but I hear they’re great for fans of the series.

 

Have you been to Belfast or Northern Ireland before? If so, what are some of the attractions you’ve been to? Hope you have a great rest of the week!

xx