Northern Ireland visit

Just stay in Belfast where you won’t need a car. Day trip to consider is the Giants Causeway where you will need a vehicle.

In Belfast enjoy shopping and meandering about St George’s Market, try the sea food chowder at Mournes next door to Kelly Cellars pub. Have pint at The Spainard. Tour the Crumlin Road Gaol. See what’s on at the Opera House and if Game of Thrones fans take a tour. The Megheramorne Quarry was the site of the Wall. The sound stages were in the Titanic Quarter.

You could do either, depending on your preferences. I think it's worth staying somewhere in the west of Northern Ireland or its northern coast. Almost 30 years ago, I visited Derry and found it to be a very pleasant small city. Derry is about a quarter the population of Belfast, so it's a bit different. I also visited the Giant's Causeway site, which is along the coast of County Antrim; Antrim also hosts Belfast. The coast of Antrim is stunning. A couple nights in a seaside town would provide a contrast with urban Northern Ireland. Ballycastle is a popular seaside town, but I didn't stay there. Look for recommendations in a good travel guide.

By the way, if you visit coastal Antrim and-or the Giant's Causeway, a great site is Dunluce Castle (https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/dunluce-castle-p675011). I've seen probably around 50-60 castles in Europe, and Dunluce is one that stuck with me. Part of it slid into the ocean a long time ago.

It all depends on how far west you want to go. If it's only to Derry, take a look at Bushmills or one of the coastal towns. I have read very mixed reviews on Portrush, but geographically, it's a good base for Derry, Giant's Causeway/DunLuce. So 3 nights there. I would go there first and then return to Belfast, drop car, stay 2 nights in the city center, where you won't want/need a car.

How to travel from Belfast to the Giant's Causeway using public transport
The famous Giant's Causeway is a natural rock formation on the windswept North Antrim coast, see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway for visitor information. Access to the causeway itself is free for anyone, although access to the visitor centre must be paid for, free for National Trust members. There's no need for a restrictive or expensive tour. You can easily visit independently and cheaply by scheduled train from Belfast to Coleraine then regular public bus. Here's how...

Step 1, take a modern air-conditioned train from Belfast to Coleraine, these leave every hour, every day of the week, journey time 1h20.

Since October 2024 these trains leave from Belfast's new Grand Central station, near Great Victoria Street in downtown Belfast.

At Coleraine, leave the platform and turn left into the bus centre, which is an integral part of the rail station.

Step 2, buses 170 or 402 run regularly from Coleraine bus centre to the Giant's Causeway. It's a scenic run, along the coast past the impressive ruins of Dunluce Castle and the pretty town of Bushmills, with some buses calling at the Old Bushmills Distillery. Make sure you sit on the left hand side of the bus going north for the best coastal views, right hand side on the return journey. Watch the video guide below.

To check combined train & bus times from Belfast to the Giant's Causeway, go to the journey planner at www.translink.co.uk/Services/NI-Railways and simply enter Belfast Grand Central to Giant's Causeway, selecting Aird, Giant's Causeway when prompted.

Buy at the station on the day, no pre-booking is needed or even possible, they cannot sell out.
A one-day iLink Travel Card gives unlimited travel on all NIR trains and Ulsterbus buses all day for £19 adult (+ £1 fee for the card itself). available at the train station

Thanks for some great info, we actually prefer to drive, last time we came across some amazing finds that we would have missed otherwise.

last time we came across some amazing finds that we would have missed otherwise.

Did you visit the Ulster American Folk Park? near Omagh. If you are interested in social history or have Irish ancestry, this is well worth visiting. The park has three main sections. In 'Ireland' there are reconstructed buildings which had been lived in by families before they emigrated to America. The history of the families has been researched and the costumed interperters in each building will talk about them.

Then there is a reconstruction of part of a ship that would have carried families to America. Living quarters were cramped and the family had to provide their own food. They didn't know how long the voyage would last or where the ship would land - it all depended on th weathr and winds...

In 'America' are reconstructions of the houses the families lived in and again interpreters telling the story of their successes or failures. It was a completely different way of life and they were eating corn rather than potatoes...

Allow plenty of time for a visit as thre is so much to see and talk about.

There is also the Ulster Folk Museum at Cultra, just outside Belfast. This is very similar but just has buildings rebuilt here from across Ulster. There is a town with houses, shop, school, bank, etc. In the rural area are farms complete with farm animals. There is also a transport section too. Again this is a fascinating visit

You can definitely stay in Belfast and pretty much the rest of NI is within daytrip distance. Some of my favourite things in NI in addition to what has been recommended here:
-Mourne Mountains in County Down and the Down coast (e.g. Newcastle)
-Lough Erne in County Fermanagh
-Rathlin Island (ferry from Ballycastle)

In Belfast: Ulster Museum, Botanical Gardens, the entries, Duke of York pub, St George's Market, Cave Hill

It's a wonderful wee place... good luck with your planning.