During the long weekend of St Brigid Holiday, with two friends we decided to go to Northern Ireland. Belfast quickly stood as the best option. With hindsight, Belfast is by far the best city that I have visited since my arrival. Here are some tips if you want to give it a try as well.
How to go from Limerick to Belfast?
In the morning take a Dublin Coach bus to Dublin, they leave every 30 min from UL.
The trip lasts 2h30. If you use your leap card, you can get cheaper tickets: €14.50 (return). Once in Dublin, walk 10 min to take a train from Dublin Connolly. After 2 hours you arrive at your destination. It can seem long but believe me it doesn’t feel like it, especially when your neighbour is a friendly old Irish grandpa who gives you advice to make the most of your trip.
What to do and see on a two-day trip?
- Queen’s University
- Botanic Garden
- Belfast City Hall
- Victoria Square
- Cathedral Quarter
- The Big Fish
- Peace Walls
- St George’s Market
- Belfast Castle
- Titanic Museum
- Crown Liquor Saloon
Don’t hesitate to check other places even outside the city
Where to eat?
- Maggie May – for a typical Irish breakfast and scones
- Mackles Ice Cream – for a sweat break
- Scalini – for some pasta in a beautiful Italian setting
- Fibber Magees – for a drink with live trad sessions
Where to stay?
We stayed at Holiday Inn Express. The room and the hotel were clean, and the staff were friendly. The hotel is perfectly located which enabled us to do almost everything by foot. Most importantly an amazing breakfast is included!
Any last recommendations?
The city is very beautiful. If it is sunny just walk around, admire the architecture and try to spot the best street art works! We easily reached 25 km per day so don’t forget to bring comfortable shoes!
Northern Ireland is in the UK so keep in mind that they are using the pounds and not the euro.
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