Northern Ireland

If you don't go you'll be sorry.

First last and always I'm a city boy. The great outdoors holds little interest for me ( unless we're talking Africa ) but the Antrim coast is staggeringly beautiful.

Belfast is probably the most underated city in the UK. For architectural splendour it's possibly even better than Edinburgh.

Even I can see the attraction of the Ulster countryside, it's fantastically lush and green with wonderful small villages that are so friendly they even make the English feel welcome.

Thanks for that; I do plan on doing Antrim coast with Giant's Causeway and maybe using Portrush as a base for that. Belfast does look extremely interesting and have heard the prices aren't as jacked up as they are in Dublin. Have you ever been to Derry?

Derry is a jewel.

Apart from the fact that it's a walled city to rival Chester, it has some very pleasant bars and my wife finds that prices on a lot of the things you take home as souveniers are much more reasonably priced that in The Republic.

The Scenery is stagering ! ! !

Justin, While you are there make some time to visit Donegal. Malin head is very scenic and is the northernmost point in Ireland. Fanad head drive is spectacular as is area around Glenveigh National Park as well as the park itself. You will find fewer tourists here,at least American tourists. The dollar has not lost as much of its value against the pound sterling as it has to the euro so your money will go a wee bit further.

If you enjoy taking the road less traveled and not having to endure hoards of tourists the north and northwest of Ireland is the place to go.

Given two weeks, you will be sacrificing some sites in the Republic if you spend too much time in the North. Derry and Belfast overlap somewhat as both give you a good representation of the troubles. Personally, I would choose Derry over Belfast.

I spent 5 nights of my Ireland trip in the North. If I were to do it over, I would probably cut it down to three and do it more whirlwind style (single night stays)

Thanks for those suggestions, at this point I'm going to try and shoot for 3 nights there (one Derry, one Portrush, and one for Belfast, if only because Belfast makes for a shorter drive back to Dublin which is the last two nights of the trip. The Steves guidebook cover Donegal as part of a side trip from Derry but not sure if i'd be selling Derry short by only doing half a day and night there. Both Belfast and Derry look really interesting and I assume plenty to see in both. Could the Antrim coast and Giant's causeway be done in a day?

Justin, I stayed in Portrush and was able to fit in both Dunluce Castle and the Giant's Causeway in a one day trip using the hop-on/hop-off shuttle bus (FYI: shuttle only operates during summer tourist season).

If you have a car and get an early start, you'll see even more. It doesn't really get dark out in NI during the late Spring and throughout the summer until very late (even at 10:00 PM, you'll still have a fair amount of light), so if you want to add other parts of the Antrim Coast, you should have plenty of time.

Derry and Belfast are both great, but one night in each can be rough to really get a sense of the city. Maybe pick just one.

I found prices cheaper in Dublin because they operate on the Euro. When you cross the border, it's the Pound. For lodging, I liked Queen's University in Belfast, Paddy's Palace in Derry.

Justin. We have just returned from my 3rd tirp to Ireland. Spent 6 days in the North. First time there. Simply stunning scenery. We stayed in a wonderful B & B in Ballycastle which enabled us to do Giant's Causeway, Carrick a Rede Bridge, Dunluce Castle with ease. Don't miss the opportunity to visit the glens in this part of the worldif you can.
Totally concur with views on Belfast. We loved it. Sorry we didn't have more time there.

Thanks everyone, I guess now I have to figure out whether to do Derry or Belfast more in depth. Portrush seems like an obligatory 2 nighter since all the things to see on the Antrim coastline. The political murals are definitely on my list so I wonder if Derry or Belfast has better ones. Does anyone who has been to both Derry and Belfast have a preference on which they liked better?

Really hard to choose between the murals in Belfast and Derry. Those were my best photographs on a RTW trip. I know a lot of tourists simply take a tour that shows them only a small number of highlights in each area, but I really recommend you walk the neighborhoods.

In Derry, the relatively new Museum of Free Derry is incredible. The day I was there, it was pretty quiet and one of the museum founders walked me through half the museum talking to me about the Troubles. His brother had been killed on Bloody Sunday. Don't miss this museum if you choose Derry.

We did the Black Taxi tour in Belfast of Falls Road and Shankhill. It was one of the highlights of our whole trip. We were fortunate to enough to have a very knowledgeable and passionate taxi driver. Apparently the quality and knowledge of your driver can make or break this experience. His name was Steven - mobile no. 07761094437

Northern Ireland is an absolute must! BFS is one of my favourite cities in the UK! The Belfast Hilton is my jumping off point. It's close to Connolly Station which is less than 10 minute walk.

The Antrim coast is spectacular! I love the Giant's Causeway, a real Photog's paradise! Bushmills and Dunluce Castle Ruins are worth a visit.
I enjoy talking to locals in the neighbourhoods. Exploring by foot is what I enjoy most. The cab tours are descent, though.

"Derry" or "LondonDerry" the walled City is interesting. A good day trip from BFS.

I'd say spend at least 4-5 days in Northern Ireland if you are exploring the Island for 14-15 days.
The consultants at the TI downtown BFS are very helpful. They have served me very well and never led me astray. Do be sure to stop in!

Céad Mile Failte!

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