Circuit of Ireland Itinerary - Belfast in Two Days

Ireland is the land of picturesque green fields and hills. It is the home of St. Patrick’s Day, the shamrock, and endless pubs. Ireland has many stereotypes known around the world. For all these reasons and many more, Ireland deserves a spot on your upcoming vacations list. The following is the final part of a four-part Ireland Itinerary culminating with two days in Belfast. While the itinerary to this point has been in the Republic of Ireland, these last two days find us in Northern Ireland (a small part of the United Kingdom).

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Day 8 – Belfast

The best way to end the Circuit of Ireland Itinerary is actually not a stop in Ireland. Instead, a stop in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, will wrap up this 9-day trip. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. The history between Ireland and Great Britain (especially related to Northern Ireland) is both interesting and tragic. Driving to Northern Ireland is easy. Most people will not notice the border as they drive, and this has been done on purpose. The changes between Ireland and Northern Ireland have been diminished as much as possible due to some of the tragic history. The only clue to the driver is that signs which previously used the metric system in Ireland change to imperial units in Northern Ireland.

Belfast Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus

After dropping off luggage at your accommodations, one of the best ways to get acquainted with the city is a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. While this is a very touristy thing to do, it has several things going in its favor. With only two days in Belfast, you are only going to be able to see the highlights. A hop-on-hop-off bus is an easy way to do it. Second, there are a couple of stops that deserve more attention such as the Titanic Museum. The bus is a cheap way to get transportation around the city. Finally, the bus generally has an English tour guide who provides an entertaining narration of the sights going by as you drive. This can be a good way to sample the most popular things to see and make notes of anything you want to go back and see later.

The hop-on-hop-off buses are double-decker. In nice weather, the top is open air and provides the best views by far. As a result, this means that the top is the most crowded part of the bus. If you are getting on at one of the first stops earlier in the day, this won’t be an issue. However, the later stops in the route tend to have a fuller bus. If you are lucky and get a seat on the top, be careful of the sun exposure for the ride. During less than ideal weather, the company operates fully enclosed double-decker buses. The upstairs is still more ideal, but the difference isn’t as noticeable in the fully enclosed bus.

While you can get on at any stop, the first bus departs from Stop 1 near City Hall. The next must-visit experience on the itinerary is the Titanic Museum. This is Stop 5 on the hop-on-hop-off bus route. For these reasons, it is recommended that travelers take the first bus departing near City Hall.

Titanic Museum

The Titanic Museum is one of the most visited locations in Belfast. Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyards are where the famous Titanic ocean liner was built. The museum is located on the old spot where the berth and construction of the Titanic and its sister ships were performed. Opening in 2012, this museum has a modern feel and does a great job of bringing the voyage and the history of the Titanic to life.

The walk through the museum is self-guided. However, the museum is constructed in such a way that the natural flow of the museum tells a story. The experience begins with a history of Belfast shipbuilding which was so important to the local area. Because of the shipbuilding expertise in this city, Belfast became renowned around the world for this trade.

Following this, the museum turns its focus on the Titanic including its construction, decoration, and launch. Several exhibits show off the complex machinery and gigantic vessel that the Titanic was at her launch. Finally, as would be expected, the museum wraps up with the story of its first and final voyage. This story starts with the embarkation by recounting personal stories of those who were on the ship. The museum goes into the details of the sinking and why it happened. The stories of the aftermath and efforts to recover items from the Titanic wreck are also detailed at the end of the self-guided experience.

SS Nomadic Experience

Also included in your ticket is the opportunity to tour the SS Nomadic. This ship was a tender to the famous Titanic meaning it ferried guests from the docks out to where the ship was anchored. This is the last remaining vessel of the White-Star cruise line that operated the Titanic. The vessel is just outside the museum.

While there isn’t anything particularly interesting about the Nomadic, it has been well restored. This gives visitors a glimpse into how people would have experienced the Titanic and other ocean sailings during this time period. Additionally, since there aren’t many physical replications of the Titanic in the museum, this physical representation brings some of the exhibits and displays into reality.

Peace Wall and Black Taxi Tours

History of “The Troubles”

In recent history, Northern Ireland was the site of conflict between the Unionists (loyal to Great Britain) and the Irish Nationalists (sympathetic to the Republic of Ireland). This conflict was known as “The Troubles” and lasted from the 1960s to the late 1990s. While traveling, visitors often learn about ancient conflicts or battles going back almost one hundred years.

This, however, is unique in that it occurred during the lifetime of many who will visit. The Troubles were primarily a political and nationalistic conflict despite both sides sometimes being referred to by their religious sects/denominations of Protestant and Catholic. The division grew such that it became family pride to hold the line on your side of the conflict and many would rarely know (much less have a conversation with) anyone from the other side.

The conflicts got so bad that several walls, fences, and gates (known as peace lines) were built between many of the neighborhoods in Belfast. The predominantly Catholic and Irish supporting neighborhoods weren’t allowed in the Protestant neighborhoods and vice versa. Over 3,500 people were killed in the conflict with the majority of them being civilians.

The Troubles were brought to an end in 1998 by the Good Friday Agreement. This established a rocky peace between the paramilitary groups, the local government/police, and the British Army. While the violence mostly stopped after that point, many neighborhoods can still be seen around Belfast proudly displaying Loyalist or Irish colors and symbols. Political and remembrance murals are also very popular throughout the neighborhoods as a reminder of the times.

Black Taxi Tour

While a trip on the hop-on-hop-off bus takes riders by one of the peace lines/walls, one of the most popular ways to get a deeper experience of The Troubles is to take a Black Taxi Tour. Named for the black-painted old-style taxis, these tours go further back into different neighborhoods. These tours are able to hit many of the major murals and points of interest from The Troubles. The personal interaction and ability to ask your tour guide questions are also a perk of Black Taxi Tours. These allow you to really understand the extent of the conflict and how it was overcome.

I do want to offer one note on the Black Taxi Tours. Most of the drivers and tour guides were alive during The Troubles and also live in the communities. While they attempt to be non-biased, that is an extremely hard thing to do when you are talking about a lived experience. It’s best to get an understanding of where your guide and driver came from and take that into account during the tour.

Day 9 – Belfast

Welcome to Day 9, the final day of the trip. Don’t be too sad though as there is still a full day of exploration in Belfast.

Day Trip to Northern Ireland Sites (Giant’s Causeway, Dark Hedges, and Film Locations)

There are many sites north of Belfast that all visitors should see. These include Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and what is now known as the Dark Hedges. All of these can be seen during a few hour drive north of Belfast or they can be seen as part of a guided tour. However, there are several ways to take this exploration up a notch.

If you are a fan of the HBO television show Game of Thrones, there is perhaps a more fun way to see the areas north of Belfast. Belfast has a large film production industry. One of the shows filmed here that drew a large worldwide audience was Game of Thrones. In addition to taking participants to the must-see sights above, these trips also stop at many of the filming locations for the TV show.

There are many companies offering tours to the Game of Thrones filming sites from Belfast. They will all be similar in the sites they visit. However, during my visit to Belfast, I used the company “Game of Thrones Tours”. The following are comments specific to this company’s tour.

Game of Thrones Tours

There are generally two types of tours offered. First, a Winterfell tour covers the filming location of Winterfell (Castle Ward), Tollymore Forest Park, and Strangford Lough. This tour covers several castles and castle ruins. The second option covers mainly the Iron Islands film locations and Giant’s Causeway. This second tour also includes the Dark Hedges, Cushendun Caves, Carnlough, and film locations for Iron Islands and Dragonstone Beach. In my opinion, the second tour offers so much more to visitors. In addition to the film locations, some of the great Northern Ireland landmarks are also on display.

The tours are definitely fun. During the van rides, the tour guides play small clips of the show to orient participants on the filming location. This really helps to draw the parallels between the show and the location that you are seeing in real life. Additionally, all the tour guides work in the film industry and most were extras in the HBO show. Because of this, they are able to provide some great insights into the filming process, the actors, and other fun details about the show. Finally, the tour brings along some fun costumes for photo opportunities to wrap up the trip.

Day 10 – Return Home

Unfortunately, the end of the Circuit of Ireland has arrived. Most will have round-trip flights from Dublin and will need to make the short drive from Belfast back to Dublin Airport.

Dublin Airport has a US Preclearance Facility. This means that travelers to the United States will clear customs in Dublin before boarding their flight. This will save time upon arrival in the United States; however, it will require more time when departing Dublin. Be sure to give yourself enough time to drive to Dublin, return the rental car, and clear security/customs.

Circuit of Ireland Itinerary – Belfast in Two Days