Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland are 2 different countries that share the same island. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. It’s not as touristy or as built up as The Republic of Ireland, and it wasn’t considered an especially safe place to visit until the early 2000’s. As with all of Ireland, Northern Ireland is beautiful. Lush, rolling green hills, lots of history, old castles… No matter where you visit, it’s worth going.
Although still a bit off the beaten path, Northern Ireland is a great place to vacation. We spent 3 days in the area and took one tour through the countryside, a half day trip to the Giant’s Causeway, and another tour through the Titanic Museum. Everything we did was well worth it, but when I go back, I hope to be able to do a Black Cab tour to learn more about the “Troubles”.
The Titanic Museum
The Titanic was built in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Titanic Museum is a multi-award winning museum which focuses on the stories of the shipbuilders who worked on the Titanic and on the shipping industry in Belfast.
The exhibits are spectacularly well done, and the historical documents displayed are so interesting; You’ll get to learn about the Titanic from the people who built and designed it, and about the events leading up to its tragic demise from the people who survived the disaster. Part of the tour included walking through the different types of staterooms they had on the ship, which I thought was fascinating. The design of the building itself is beautiful – even the gift shop is beautiful.
My favorite part was high tea in the Titanic Suite, which is a replica of the ship’s dining room complete with a replica of the Grand Staircase. Yes, THAT staircase. Having seen the 1997 movie MANY times as a young teen, you better believe I took a ton of selfies on it. If you go, be sure to take tea in the Titanic Suite – Even if you hated the movie; Even if you hate tea; Even if you’re on a diet and can’t eat the pastries. Still totally worth it (they have coffee as well as great tea, and the pastries are delicious).
Giants Causeway
The Giants Causeway is an Unesco World Heritage site. I am of the opinion that if you’re close to a word heritage site, you always go to the world heritage site. This place was certainly worth it. The natural rock formations were caused by lava cooling, but the Irish have another explanation which I though was adorable (involving – you guessed it -giants!). Also, not sure how they do it, but most of the gift shops in Ireland which are connected with attractions like this are beautiful – you feel ok being funneled into the gift shops because they are so nice to look at.
C.S. Lewis History
Any C.S. Lewis fans? The author grew up in Northern Ireland, and many places you read about in the Chronicles of Narnia series were inspired by the locations which influenced him as a child. For example, the ruins of Dunluce Castle were the inspiration for Cair Paravel. Lewis’ boyhood home was close to that sandy shore you can just see across from this castle, and I can imagine him dreaming up Narnia as he stared out his bedroom window at these ruins.
You’ll definitely want to check out C.S. Lewis square if you’re a fan of the books, and you might even consider doing a C.S. Lewis tour. This blog gives a little more information on places you can stop (and has some great pics of Narnia statues in the square). If you’re a super fan, maybe consider visiting the area for the C.S. Lewis Festival, which seems to have taken place in November for the last few years. I didn’t do enough research before we went so I was unaware there were any tours, and then we ran out of time to visit the square. I guess there’s always next time!
Black Cab Tours
Another thing I look forward to returning to the area to do is a Black Cab Tour. I love history, so the idea of being chauffeured around the city in a cab with a personal tour guide, as opposed to a full tour bus, is right up my alley. All my friends who did the Black Cab Tour highly recommend it. You’ll get a local perspective on “The Troubles“, and you’ll get to see places a tour bus may not be able to get into.
Have you ever been to Northern Ireland? I’d love to hear your experiences, so leave a comment!