Short Break in Belfast and Dublin

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Molly Malone's Statue in Dublin Photo - Ireland, Europe

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A holiday in Ireland means lots of "green" scenery - rolling fields and hills and to go with this, more often than not a touch of rain in the air - hence the greenness! Ireland is on our doorstep, we tend to go at least once a year. There is something for everybody - rich history, stunning natural scenery and vibrant, lively cities. There is a great atmosphere wherever you go, and the people are always laid back and very friendly. Irish hospitality is famous throughout the world and extends to children - this is a very family friendly destination.The country - north and south is very rural but also very diverse in its landscape.Whatever time of year you decide t...Read More

A holiday in Ireland means lots of "green" scenery - rolling fields and hills and to go with this, more often than not a touch of rain in the air - hence the greenness!

Ireland is on our doorstep, we tend to go at least once a year. There is something for everybody - rich history, stunning natural scenery and vibrant, lively cities. There is a great atmosphere wherever you go, and the people are always laid back and very friendly. Irish hospitality is famous throughout the world and extends to children - this is a very family friendly destination.

The country - north and south is very rural but also very diverse in its landscape.

Whatever time of year you decide to come here, be prepared for wet and windy weather. The weather in Ireland is predictably unpredictable. In a couple of hours, never mind one day, you can experience a full range of weather conditions. It could be a soggy morning and by the afternoon be sunny and glorious. We had very wet, cold and windy weather to start with, but by the end of our week it was hot, sunny and glorious. It does not make packing an easy task, but you have to be ready for anything!

Northern Ireland is a very safe place to visit. It is perhaps best known for the political and religious strife that has divided it in the past. It has been the object of bitter political tensions. The history of this small counry is complicated, but rich and interesting. Some tourists are scared away because of its troubled past. There is little risk however - statistically you are more likely to be injured in a road traffic accident, than to come to any harm in Northern Ireland.

We spent some time in Belfast - a wonderful city and visitors there will be surprised by the normality of it. It is modern, with great nightlife, excellent shopping and many fascinating historical and cultural attractions.

Dublin is another great city - it is fun, convivial and very manageable. It has a different atmosphere and feel to Belfast, but there is also a lot to see and do.

Our highlights of both cities were:

- The hop-on, hop-off tour of Belfast. It was a great way to get our bearings, we heard so much history and saw such diverse sights as the Peace Wall, Stormont government buildings and the City Hall.
- The shipyard of Harland and Wolff in Belfast - birthplace of the Titanic, with the huge cranes - Samson and Goliath dominating the skyline. They are building a big new Titanic exhibition centre, due to open next year, which promises to be a great new attraction.
- The political murals in the Loyalist and Republican areas of the city - a fascinating insight into the city's troubled past.
- In Dublin it is great just to stroll around. Temple Bar and the area beside the River Liffey have great eating places and a wonderful atmosphere. Grafton Street has lots of nice shops and interesting street performers.
- Dublinia Museum - interesting overview of Dublin's history, from the Vikings right through to Medieval Dublin in an absorbing and hands-on way.
- Christ Church Cathedral - a gem in the middle of a built up and modern area. Beautiful insight, full of fascinating treasures from the past, including the tomb of the Norman warrior Strongbow. The crypt is amazing - an absolute must-see, there are even more treasures to be found here. Read Less

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City Sightseeing Belfast Hop On Hop Off Bus

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Attraction | "Belfast Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour"

Stormont Photo - City Sightseeing Belfast Hop On Hop Off Bus, Belfast, Northern Ireland

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The capital city and the largest city in Northern Ireland has undergone a rebirth in recent years and is now a modern and vibrant place. It was voted 4th best in the UK for a city break by the Guardian/Observer Travel awards recently. You are never short of things to do here, there are lots of trendy and lively bars, great shopping, top restaurants and lots of historical and cultural attractions.The hop on, hop off bus is a good way to see all the main sights of Belfast - especially those that are outside the city centre. It is also a great way to get your bearings in the city.The ticket is valid for 24 hours and you ride on a double decker bus (some are open-topped, others ...Read More

The capital city and the largest city in Northern Ireland has undergone a rebirth in recent years and is now a modern and vibrant place. It was voted 4th best in the UK for a city break by the Guardian/Observer Travel awards recently. You are never short of things to do here, there are lots of trendy and lively bars, great shopping, top restaurants and lots of historical and cultural attractions.

The hop on, hop off bus is a good way to see all the main sights of Belfast - especially those that are outside the city centre. It is also a great way to get your bearings in the city.

The ticket is valid for 24 hours and you ride on a double decker bus (some are open-topped, others are not), past 20 stops throughout the city. The cost is £12.50 for adults, £10.50 for seniors and £6.00 for children.

I booked our tickets in advance directly through the bus company website as they promised savings that way. I paid £9 for the adult tickets and saved £1 on our son's ticket. Do not do this though - we felt completely ripped off. When we arrived in Belfast we were approached almost immediately by a man selling tickets for another open top bus tour company at a price of £5 per person. We declined, feeling it must be some sort of scam, but were astonished when a couple of streets away, we were approached by someone from the company we had booked with, also offering tickets at £5 per person. When I pointed out we had bought these on the internet, and why was there such a difference, they did not want to know. My advice - wait until you get here and buy the tickets on the street.

So this was a bit of a sour taste for us, but we did still enjoy the tour. They have live guides on all the buses who are informative and interesting.

The first bus leaves at 10am and the last one is at 4:30pm. The tour starts at Castle Place next to McDonalds. You can board at any of the stops however. The entire loop takes about 1.5 hours, buses go about every half an hour.

Keep an eye on the weather before you get on - we got on an open-top bus first, but it started to pour with rain, so we got off and took the next bus which was closed in on the top - this was definitely the best option for us!

There are lots of interesting things to see - you drive past parliament buildings at Stormont. This is the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive and was opened by Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales. The Crumlin Road is the site of the former Crumlin Road Gaol. This was a prison and is the only remaining Victorian era prison in Northern Ireland. It has been derelict since 1996, but a restoration project began in 2010. You also pass by Queens University - founded in 1845 to encourage higher education for Catholics and Presbyteri as a counterpart to Trinity College, Dublin, then an Anglican institution.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the tour, is when the bus goes past the Peace Wall and into the areas of Belfast where political murals are displayed. Some parts of the city still have grafitti and paintings displaying political allegiances and identifying themselves as Republican or Loyalist. There is nothing to be alarmed about - it is the norm here. The bus drives through the Shankhill and Falls Roads areas and you see the murals, hear bout the troubles and the legacy they left behind. It is a really different experience and extremely interesting. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 1, 2011

City Sightseeing Belfast Hop On Hop Off Bus
High Street
Belfast, Northern Ireland
44 (0) 2890 321 321

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A Day in Belfast

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Royal Opera House Photo - Ireland, Europe

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Belfast has undergone remarkable changes in the last 15 years. Today, it is a must-see city. It is a great choice for a short break. It is rich in social and industrial history - once Belfast was the industrial heart of the British Empire with its shipbuilding, linen and rope making industries. We started our walking tour at the Albert Clock at Castle Place. It is Belfast's very own leaning tower. It commemorates Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria and is 113 feet tall. It provided a bird's eye view for those watching the Titanic set sail. It is built on reclaimed land on marshy foundations. A recent renovation corrected its tilt somewhat, but it still really does lean....Read More

Belfast has undergone remarkable changes in the last 15 years. Today, it is a must-see city. It is a great choice for a short break. It is rich in social and industrial history - once Belfast was the industrial heart of the British Empire with its shipbuilding, linen and rope making industries.

We started our walking tour at the Albert Clock at Castle Place. It is Belfast's very own leaning tower. It commemorates Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria and is 113 feet tall. It provided a bird's eye view for those watching the Titanic set sail. It is built on reclaimed land on marshy foundations. A recent renovation corrected its tilt somewhat, but it still really does lean.

Customs House Square, near the Albert Clock is an nice outdoor event space which has recently been transformed. There are fountains here, our son loved watching them and found it even more fun to watch a group of cyclists ride straight through the water - it was raining anyway!

The Titanic Quarter is also an interesting area. It is a waterfront regeneration project full of apartments and entertainment, but they are in the construction phase of a large Titanic themed attraction which is due to be opened in 2012. This area was previously known as Queens Island and it used to be occupied by part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

The Titanic Dock and Pump House is where the Titanic had its final fit out. 2012 will be the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The enormous cranes Harland and Wolff, builders of the Titanic, dominate the skyline of Belfast and can be seen here. They are nicknamed Samson and Goliath.

Take time to go into St George's Market near Oxford Street. It was built between 1890 and 1896 and has won awards for its fresh produce. It has a great atmosphere, smells of the foods on offer are very tempting and they have a craft market on Saturdays. We visited this and bought some lovely souvenirs.

St Anne's Cathedral on Donegal Street is a Church of Ireland church and is not a cathedral in the true sense of the word as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is the focal point of the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast.

Fisherwick Place is the location of the City Hall. This is a beautiful building and is the civic building of Belfast City Council. Construction started in 1898 and it was finished in the early 1900's. City Hall in Durban, South Africa is an exact replica.

We interspersed our sightseeing with some shopping in the lovely Victoria Quarter. If you feel in need of refreshments, head off to Avoca nearby. This is a shop selling homewares and all sorts of lovely things, but on the first floor they have the most wonderful cafe/restaurant. The food and drinks are delicious and beautifully presented and the atmosphere is really relaxing. Read Less

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Dublinia

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Attraction | "Dublinia Museum"

Dublinia Photo - Dublinia, Dublin, Ireland

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Dublinia is open from 09:30 to 5:00 during the summer. Entrance cost is 9 Euros for adults, 6.50 Euros for concessions and 5 Euros for children. You can buy a discounted ticket for Dublinia and Christ Church Cathedral. They are connected to each other by a medieval footbridge - if you come here, you must see the cathedral. There is a car park in Jurys Hotel with the entrance on Werburgh Street. If you keep your Dublinia ticket they give you a discount on parking.Dublinia is in the heart of Dublin's old city, in a really beautiful old Victorian Gothic building. It aims to offer a "hands-on history experience" to children. It focusses on Dublin's Viking and medieval history. There ar...Read More

Dublinia is open from 09:30 to 5:00 during the summer. Entrance cost is 9 Euros for adults, 6.50 Euros for concessions and 5 Euros for children. You can buy a discounted ticket for Dublinia and Christ Church Cathedral. They are connected to each other by a medieval footbridge - if you come here, you must see the cathedral. There is a car park in Jurys Hotel with the entrance on Werburgh Street. If you keep your Dublinia ticket they give you a discount on parking.

Dublinia is in the heart of Dublin's old city, in a really beautiful old Victorian Gothic building. It aims to offer a "hands-on history experience" to children. It focusses on Dublin's Viking and medieval history. There are some interactive exhibits as well as background sounds and smells.

There are 3 levels - the ground floor deals with the Vikings. It explores the effect the Vikings had on Ireland. Dublin became north-western Europe's most important slave market. You can see what life was like on a Viking longboat, what they brought in their chests, experience the sounds of a Viking street and the highlight for us was to go into a Viking house and see what that was like. Children can also be chained up as a slave or write their names in runes. They have an interesting section on Viking burial customs.

The second floor moves on to the Medieval era. It follows the history of Dublin from 1170 to 1530. You start with the capture of the city by Strongbow and his knights in 1170. The museum goes right up to Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century.

You can step into a medieval lair in this section and try on clothes and armour, including chain mail from these times. There are town stocks - we took photos in these, as well as a market area with a pie stall, a medicine tent, a spice stall where you play guess the spice by sniffing them and a scribes stall where you can do a rubbing.

They have a gruesome area with scenes from the plague in 1348. More uplifting is the merchant's house which you can explore. There is an interesting reconstruction of a Dublin woman from 900 years ago - her face has been forensically reconstructed from an excavated skeleton.

The top floor deals with the excavation work and lets children get an insight into the role of the archaeologist. They can try on hard hats and see what equipment is used. There is also a little cafe on this area and a gift shop.

We spent about 2 hours in Dublinia. I enjoyed it and found it interesting. Our 7 year old was only just about old enough to appreciate the experience. It proclaims itself very hands-on - there is plenty to see and touch, but there is also a lot of reading to do, and some children may find it a bit heavy going. Avoid the cafe - service is exceptionally slow and the tables took a long time to be cleared. The museum was also packed full of people when we visited, this also did it no favours. That said, it was the middle of the summer holidays, but perhaps they should stagger entrance times somewhat, to avoid large numbers of visitors entering at the same time. It is though, an interesting and informative place to visit. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 1, 2011

Dublinia
St. Michaels Hill, Christchurch
Dublin, Ireland
01-6794611

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Christ Church Cathedral

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Christ Church Cathedral Photo - Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland

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Christ Church Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Dublin. It is well worth a visit and we spent a very engrossed 1.5 hours exploring the inside of the cathedral and the crypt. It has had many renovations, but is still an architectural gem and very beautiful. The area around it though has not always been sympathetically developed. This is unfortunate - try and approach the cathedral from the river - this will help you to appreciate it properly.There is an entrance charge, we bought the combined Dublinia / Cathedral tickets and made a saving.Christ Church Cathedral dates back from 1038. Sitric, the Danish king of Dublin at that time built the first wooden Christ Chur...Read More

Christ Church Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Dublin. It is well worth a visit and we spent a very engrossed 1.5 hours exploring the inside of the cathedral and the crypt. It has had many renovations, but is still an architectural gem and very beautiful. The area around it though has not always been sympathetically developed. This is unfortunate - try and approach the cathedral from the river - this will help you to appreciate it properly.

There is an entrance charge, we bought the combined Dublinia / Cathedral tickets and made a saving.

Christ Church Cathedral dates back from 1038. Sitric, the Danish king of Dublin at that time built the first wooden Christ Church on this spot. The present structure dates from 1871-1878 when a huge restoration project took place. That project was controversial at that time, and is still controversial to this day. Much of the old detail was destroyed. Some parts have survived - the magnificient stonework and arches are original. It is a bit difficult though, to tell which parts of the interior are medieval and which are Victorian.

Christ Church is officially claimed as the seat of the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Archbishops of Dublin. In practise though, it has been the cathedral of only the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation.

When you go inside, pick up one of the free guides to the cathedral. It is informative and points out all the main things of interest. They also have children's guides, our son loved this and it made the whole thing interesting for him. They have things for children to find in the church - examples include the tomb and statue of Strongbow (the great Norman lord who conquered Dublin; figures of wooden castles; the lion and the unicorn and the heart shaped box in the southeast chapel which is supposed to contain the heart of St Lawrence O'Toole.

Inside the cathedral glows with light streaming through the brilliant stained glass windows. There are medieval stone carvings and a beautiful, coloured tiled floor. The baptistry has a wonderful bejewelled font. Look out for the State Pew, where the President of Ireland sits.

The crypt is a must-see. It is original to the 12th century structure and is the largest crypt in England and Ireland. It is very atmospheric here, lots of stone pillars and fascinating to think this is the original foundations of the church. There are plenty of interesting exhibits here too. They have the city's old stocks, costumes from the BBC television programme The Tudors which was filmed here and "The Cat and the Rat" - a mummified cat and rat, found in the organ pipes and preserved for posterity. They were mentioned in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.

There is another section in the crypt full of even older treasures, including silver presented by King William in 1690 after the Battle of the Boyne. Photographs are not allowed in this section.

I thought Christ Church Cathedral was a fascinating place and definitely well worth a visit. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 1, 2011

Christ Church Cathedral
Christ Church Pl.
Dublin, County Dublin
+353 167 78099

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