The city is easily accessible from Scotland and is perfect for a day trip for adults and kids
Parents of teenagers and tweenagers will know it takes a lot to get them out of their rooms and off their screens. My two daughters are 13 and 10 and would happily languish in bed or on the sofa if given half a chance.
So when I asked Sophia, 13 and 10-year-old-Gracie if they fancied a day trip to Belfast during a recent school holiday I did fear grumping and moaning would prevail. But they both seemed pleasantly keen.
Of course, that enthusiasm may have be down to TikTok telling them about the city’s very decent Primark. So off we went with them excited about a new shopping experience and me determined to shoehorn in a spot of culture too.
We were booked on an early ferry from Cairnryan port and that meant a red-eye alarm call. It’s impossible to get them up in the morning for school so I assumed this would be an epic struggle.
But, on the morning, the pair of them bounced out of bed, much to my surprise, and we set off on the 90 minute journey from our home. Blasting tunes out to keep us all awake and get us in the mood for some fun, we arrived and were soon aboard the Stena Line ferry to Belfast port.
Going on a ferry just makes you feel like you’re on your holidays and we headed straight to the spacious restaurant to get some breakfast. There’s a great range of options on the menu and we tucked in to cooked breakfasts and I fuelled up on coffee ready for a busy day ahead.
Just a couple of hours later, after watching the sun rise on the deck and catching a movie in the cinema, we were disembarking, ready for our first stop of the day and it wasn’t even 10am. Despite their excitement to hit the shops, it was time to visit the incredible Titanic Belfast. Parenting is all about bribery and pay offs after all and that day it was learning first, shopping later.
It’s a ten minute taxi ride from the port to the Titanic quarter. Don’t try and walk it, the police aren’t keen on people wandering about the port so the safest option is to hop on a bus or grab a taxi. We wanted to make the most of our time there so opted for the latter.
Museums are perhaps not something all kids will relish, but this is another level of museum and one which will keep them hooked. Located in the shipyard where the doomed vessel was built, the building is immediately impressive as it resembles a four-hulled ship.
We covered six floors and were immersed in the story of Titanic from its conception, its construction and launch and, of course, the maiden voyage and tragic end. Having been before, I was happy to go again and the girls loved the interactive galleries. We searched for family names in the catalogue of survivors and those who perished and learned about the subsequent attempts to search the wreckage.
And as we headed for the exit, I was dragged into the museum’s impressive souvenir shop. This pair will take any chance to shop.
We set off, on foot, into the city. Thankfully, despite there famously being ‘only seven types of rain in Belfast – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…’ it was dry and we wandered up to the city centre to grab some lunch.
St George’s Market, a must-visit when in town, it has free entry and is a great spot to get some grub. The last surviving Victorian covered market in the city it’s located on May Street and is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Built between 1890 and 1896, it’s a filled with delicious food from local producers and on a Saturday, the day we were there, the craft market is in full swing from 9am until 3pm.
It was named as the UK’s Best Large Indoor Market in 2014 and beat off markets like London’s iconic Spitalfields, Billingsgate and Borough. I can confirm that the banter with stall holders is also top notch and my girls loved spending an hour munching on a pizza and browsing the stalls.
We could have spent longer there but we had a place to be. No, not Primark.
The city’s Crumlin Road Gaol is another attraction that will immerse you in the history in a way that brings it to life. It’s a 20 minute walk from the city centre or you can hop on the bus (the 57 and the 12B) which stops outside.
And you certainly can’t miss the jail. The imposing building was home to 25,000 prisoners, including poor children, suffragettes and political prisoners. We chose to do the self-guided tour which featured video, audio and even holograms as well as interviews with former prisoners.
One part that is not for the faint-hearted is the condemned man’s cell. Stepping inside is enough to send chills down your spine when you learn of the 17 men who were hanged there. Condemned men were brought to the cell – known as The Crum – the night before their execution and little did they know it was just a few steps to the hangman’s noose.
The door to the execution site is concealed as a bookcase and seeing the hangman’s noose and the trap door as a video played listing the names of the men who died was eye-opening for us all.
Again, you could spend hours in there learning about the history of the prison but the girls decided it was definitely time for their promised shopping. Primark was calling them.
After bleeding their mum dry, they were happy but hungry again so we headed up to an Italian restaurant that I had been to years before but still remembered the food, setting and service.
Villa Italia is located in the south of the city and is a stone’s throw from Queen’s University. Huge bowls of pasta soon arrived at our table and a well-deserved wine for me too. The bill was very reasonable, which was great as I was all spent up after that Primark trip.
And just like that it was time to head for our ferry back to Scotland after a jam-packed day. We were tired but we felt we had packed plenty in and made the most of our time. The last ferry from Belfast Port is 11.30pm meaning you can pack a lot in to one day.
You can catch a bus from close to City Hall to the port or take a taxi. The taxi was around £15 for us, and laden with shopping bags and with aching feet, I felt it was worth that.
Back on the Stena Line ferry we settled down to rest our weary legs while the girls raved about the day. My youngest, who had never been to Ireland, declared it was the best day ever. She didn’t talk about the shopping bit, but instead asked questions about Titanic and the jail.
My eldest promptly fell asleep and I smiled at normal service being resumed. We are planning a trip back to take in some of the city’s other attractions including the political taxi tour. And of course, another sweep around Primark.
- Stena Line operates crossings from Cairnryan Port to Belfast Port daily, with fares for foot passengers priced at €67.04 return (note: prices can vary depending on the day and time of travel). For more information, or to book, go to the Stena Line website, here.
- For Titanic Belfast information and to book, click here. Ticket prices are £24.95 for adults and £11 for children aged 5 to 15. Family tickets are priced at £62.
- Crumlin Road Gaol’s self-guided tour costs £14 for adults and £7.50 for children. Family tickets are £38 when booked online. To book click here.
