Northern Ireland

What exactly are you asking? How many days are "several"? What else are you planning to do? Are you allowing time to visit Dublin, or are you doing that earlier in your trip? A bit more detail would help us give you better advice.

well..the trip for us starts in Dublin, then we have the plans going south and around the island. We will end up in Dublin for our flight home. The Belfast stop is four days before our flight out. So we basically have four days to fill.. I looked on line and the Titanic pump house tour looks interesting. What other things should we look for in Belfast and during our trip to Dublin. We have not made reservations yet. We are using B & Bs on our other nights.

Take a day trip from Belfast to the Antrim Coast and check out the Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Portrush etc.
I can highly recommend taking a Black Taxi tour of 'the troubles' areas. A an enlightening and interesting insight into the tragic past of the city.

So are you spending some time in Dublin on the front end of your trip before heading south? Will you be visiting Newgrange while you are in the Dublin area? Monasterboice, with its high crosses, is also north of Dublin. Depending on what side of Belfast you are staying on it might be doable as a day trip.

Go to Stormont - the NI seat of government. If it is in session you may get inside, but walk the grounds. It is a large park with monuments, sculptures etc. If you are a dog lover, it is a favourite place for the locals to walk their dogs. It is a mile from the main gate to the building, so you can see how big the park is. Take the HOHO bus and see the places you may want to spend more time. Take a black cab tour of the "Troubles" areas. Have lunch at the Europa hotel, reputed to be the most bombed hotel in the world - though some in Baghdad may dispute that. Walk the waterfron with its renewed walks, funny statue (The Girl with the Ring).

I'd make sure to spend a day in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland's "Second City" in the northwest. Take a tour of the city wall, see the murals in the Bogside part of town, etc. A lot of history of "The Troubles" are here also, and there are tours for that as well.

recently we had family over from America, I booked a taxi tour of the famous murals along the Falls rd and Shankill rd, to say these tours have come on in years is an understatement, We spent over 2 hours with a guy called joe, i cannot speak highly enough of this guy, a local taxi driver with his roots firmly in the troubles, his narrative on the murals of both sides was both knowledgable and professionally presented, for our guests, that they may understand more of what he was saying, he produced old photos and an ipad that he showed videos on to compliment his historical talk, we saw the streets that we sat in and how they looked decades ago, remarkable stuff. i dont usually write reviews as such but this is clever stuff and well worth the fee,(we gave a lot extra and we did not feel even that was emough)we found joe ouside our hotel, he can be contacted here, www.Belfastmuraltours.com

Richard - I would also recommend a Black Cab tour and a tour of the Antrim Coast. The Giant's Causeway is definitly worth a look.

I started this topic back in 2010, we went to Ireland in 2011 for the month of September. The Belfast was a different experience from the rest of Ireland. we did the Black Taxi tour...very informative...driver was a little off the wall. the Titanic experience was very good. Over all...I would go back to Ireland for another visit. Not sure I am anxious to return to Belfast. Other than the Titanic area to see the new stuff.

In Belfast you have to have breakfast or lunch at The Merchant Hotel, the room is lovely! Also the famous pubs, I think there were 3 or 4 with lots of history. Kelly's Cellars and John Hewitt come to mind! Also the botanic gardens at the University are wonderful!

My boyfriend and I recently decided last minute to take a black taxi tour of Belfast and its murals having being recommended by a friend. We weren't sure if it was our thing, but we did want to see the murals especially with a locally knowledgeable guide. http://www.belfastattractions +44(0)2890247797 We phoned the morning we wanted to go and were able to leave an hour later. Our tour guide Brian collected us on time and was very friendly and welcoming. As soon as we entered the black taxi we entered the historical world of Belfast, which has a troubled past. Having grown up in the south of Ireland, I was a little embarrassed and even ashamed about how little I knew about the religious divisions which exist in Belfast. Brian filled us in on the history, right up until present day and he didn't make us feel silly about any of our questions. Brian gave us loads of photo opportunities, was very patient and funny and even had old photos and newspaper cuttings to fill in he gaps.
I would definitely recommend this tour to any person who visits Belfast as it is a great hour and a half of interesting local knowledge and great value for money