Hello all. I will be travelling to Europe for two weeks in May of 2016 and will kicking it off with 4 days in Ireland. I will be flying in to Belfast and would love advice on where to spend my time while in Ireland.
Do your four days include your arrival day and your departure day? Or do you have four days besides those? It makes a big difference in the advice you will get.
I will arrive at 9 am in Belfast on day 1 and leave for London either the evening of day 4 or early morning of day 5.
That's not a lot of time, but there are some things I would recommend. Do a day trip up to the Giant's Causeway. It will probably include the Carrick a Rede bridge, and a stop at Bushmill's to taste some whiskey. Try a black cab tour, or a half day bus tour of Belfast that should include the castle, and the political murals. Wander downtown and do a free tour of city hall, it's a very nice building. The Titanic was built in Belfast so you may want to check out the museum, too.
It will be mid-morning before you are out of the airport, so you basically have that afternoon and three more days, depending on when you fly out. Jet lag will probably send you to bed early that first night, too. The first suggestions were good ones. Dublin is 90 minutes away by train, and there are a number of great things to see there, like Kilmainham Gaol, the national museums, Temple Bar, and Christchurch Cathedral. There is also a hop-on hop-off bus that takes about 90 minutes and gives you a good overview of the city.
Thank you for the great advice everyone. I was trying to figure out if it would leave enough time for the west of Ireland or Cork but that seems like a stretch for this trip. As a first time traveler to Europe I'm trying to hit the highlights and go back for longer stays and exploration next time.