How To Spend: 72 Hours in Belfast

I've always wanted to visit Belfast and it definitely didn't disappoint, so I'm going to fill you in on my mini-break away.

Thanks to this trip I can now say I've been to all the countries that make up the UK. According to my dad if we'd have been to Dublin this wouldn't be the case, then I realised that Southern Ireland (where Dublin is located) isn't apart of the UK so it's effectively like travelling to France.

This post won't include any recommendation on accommodation or any restaurants as we stayed with a friend and ate most of our meals there. Instead, I'm going to focus on the main tourist attractions which I'd recommend if you were a newcomer to the city. 

Although the majority of tourists fly to Belfast, I travelled there by ferry which my dad preferred as it meant he could bring the car. I've never been a fan of boats so I wasn't too happy but honestly, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. After a couple of hours, I began to feel slightly nauseous which I put down to nerves and choppy water. Timewise it takes around eight hours to get from Birkenhead to Ireland, but will obviously vary wherever you travel from. For comparison, I've flown to Los Angeles before and that took eight hours! There wasn't that much to do throughout the journey besides sit around all day, I noticed a lot of people sleeping or reading to pass the time. Unless you have a cabin (which you can pay extra money for) you are confined to various lounges- one has a cafe and one has a counter that provides hot breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived at about half six on Tuesday evening and after a whole day of travelling just ate and went to bed. 

Wednesday was our first full day. My dad chose to show us The Giant's Causeway, something I'd always wanted to see. It's completely natural, made millions of years ago by a volcanic eruption of some sort. Any of my expectations were surpassed, the whole area is absolutely breathtaking. The weather was mild with bright blue skies and even though it was quite windy I ended up taking my jacket off. A lot of visitors climb across the rock columns to get closer to the water and take that perfect Instagram picture (me included)! We spent an hour or so walking up and down taking in the sights, the rock formations are truly beautiful. One thing I found was how refreshing it is out there, in the sense that nowadays it's difficult to find a place that's not full of pollution, genuine fresh air.

The heritage site is now managed by the National Trust who have played a huge role in the maintenance and conservation of the site. The Visitor Centre at the Giant's Causeway opened in 2012 attracting millions of tourists per year and contributed enormously to the local economy. The centre itself is an impressive building with a gift shop, cafe, toilets and a small exhibition. The Giant's Causeway is located a couple of miles outside the town of Bushmills, best known for being the home of the Old Bushmills Distillery. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go on a tour because my sister Katie is under eighteen, but we did take a peek in the gift shop and have a drink in the hotel.

On Thursday we visited Titanic Belfast, a visitor attraction built on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the RMS Titanic was built. You have to make a whole day of this, it's a long experience that requires a lot of reading. I tend to have a short attention span so, as fascinating as it was, I did lose interest halfway through. From start to finish it's very informative with a focus on the history of trade in Ireland, Harland & Wolff employees and the company itself. Personally, I found the very end of the experience most interesting as it's all about how the story of the Titanic influenced popular culture which is right up my street. When you've finished in the museum there is of-course a gift shop, I have to say that the merchandise wasn't as great as I expected. Tickets for this are quite steep, but to be fair I can understand why with the amount of time you can spend inside the attraction. Your ticket also allows you to access the SS Nomadic, a former ship of the White Star Line now on display in the Titanic Quarter. 

Friday was our last full day, we travelled out of Belfast to Castle Ward. Another site managed by the National Trust, popular with Game Of Thrones fans. At Castle Ward, you can immerse yourself into HBO's hit show as you explore sites from Winterfell. The site was predominantly used for the initial series of the show, you can even have a go at archery like the Stark brothers do in the pilot episode (the exact spot). There isn't much to say about Castle Ward, but it would be easy to spend a whole day there wandering around taking in the scenery.

We roamed around Belfast in the evenings which I loved, the city is rich in history and culture. One of the main roads in Ireland is Shankill, a notorious location during the Troubles and remains predominantly Protestant. In general, Ireland has always had a political and religious conflict, but I didn't realise that it's still evident even now. 

I would most definitely recommend Belfast for anyone considering a visit! One thing I will say is to decide whether you'd prefer to stay in central Belfast or a little further out. Unless you have a car or hire one it may be difficult to do both, we travelled a few hours to get to the Giant's Causeway and Castle Ward. 

In the future, I want to visit Belfast again. It's a stunning city that's struck a chord with me, next time I'd probably go with friends. 

For any more information check out Visit Belfast here.