It doesn’t seem to matter if we’re in our home state or traveling abroad, somehow we are always taking day trips. Staying in Dublin gave us many opportunities to venture out of the city and explore more of Ireland. Belfast was an easy day trip and we were back in Dublin in a flash!
Getting There
We actually booked our train tickets online through IrishRail before we left home. I know a lot of people advised online that it’s not necessary and you can buy them at the station the day you want to ride the train, but we weren’t going to chance it.
The journey from Dublin Connolly station to Belfast Central station is 2 hours 10 minutes long. We took the first train to Belfast at 7:35am and rode the 6:05pm train back to Dublin. The last train leaving Belfast was at 8:05pm but we wanted to get back to Dublin a little earlier with Tristan (plus our hotel was outside of city center so we had an extra commute once arriving in Dublin.)
If traveling with kids, children ride for free under the age of 5 years old.
Currency
One thing you must remember is that Northern Ireland’s currency is different from the Republic Of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom so it does not accept Euros like in the Republic. The British pound sterling (£) is Northern Ireland’s currency.
If you do bring Euros that you were using in the Republic, you will need to do a currency exchange. Credit cards are also accepted at some places, but if going for a day trip I would suggest bringing along the correct currency to avoid the hassle.
Public Transportation
Depending on where you want to go once you get into Belfast, you may be able to walk around city center to see the sights. Some sights are a little farther away and need public transportation via Translink.
For instance, when we needed to get to Crumlin Road Gaol from the Titanic Quarter, we had to take the city bus because the jail was across town. We also used the bus to get back to the train station on time.
We would’ve taken a taxi to and from the jail, it would’ve been easier – but we were trying to be as cheap as possible! Our all day unlimited metro pass cost us 9£ because we bought a family ticket (good for 2 adults and up to 4 children) it worked out much cheaper that way.
Tip: You can buy the bus passes or tickets directly from the driver.
St. George’s Market
During our day trip in Belfast, we spent majority of our time eating and browsing through St George’s Market, Belfast’s oldest market in a beautiful Victorian building. It is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so if you are ever in Belfast, put this on your list of weekend activities (and wear expandable waist pants, you will eat A LOT!)
St. George’s Market wasn’t on our itinerary for the day, we kind of ended up there since we didn’t eat breakfast in Dublin. It was recommended by an employee at Belfast Central Station when we asked for the best place to eat along with directions to Titanic Belfast.
The market was an easy 5 minute walk from the train station. There are so many food choices at the market, it took us at least an hour to finally settle on what we would eat for our late breakfast.
We stopped at a booth called The Belfast Bap Co. and ordered a traditional Belfast Bap for £5 This sandwich is huge! If you’re watching your cholesterol intake then this isn’t the sandwich for you.
It is a delicious crusty bread stuffed with Irish bacon, sausage, egg and cheese. It was big enough for the three of us to share it because I could not eat it all by myself!
Titanic Belfast
The Titanic is the main reason Belfast is Tristan’s favorite city. Since the weather was nice, we took the 20 minute walk to the Titanic Quarter from St. George’s Market. I’m glad we walked because we had a scenic stroll along the River Lagan and enjoyed seeing the cute boats in the marina.
Titanic Belfast is located in the Titanic Quarter which is a waterfront area consisting of not only the museum but the SS Nomadic (the Titanic’s tender), hotels, restaurants, businesses and film studios where Game of Thrones is filmed.
I have an entire blog post about our visit to the Titanic museum, which you can read here.
Crumlin Road Gaol
After our visit to the museum, we hopped on a bus to Crumlin Road Gaol. It’s an old jail with so much history attached to it. If only its walls could talk (some say it could because it’s believed to be haunted!), it would have many stories to tell.
The prison opened in 1846 and officially closed in 1996. During its 150 years lifespan, 17 men were executed and over 25,000 people were imprisoned – some were children.
You can’t explore the jail on your own, you have to join their guided tour which is very informative anyway. Interesting enough, the jail is now used as a venue for weddings, concerts and other events. If you’d like more information about Crumlin Road Gaol, read about our visit on this blog post.
Extended Stay in Belfast
If you’re planning on staying in Belfast longer than a day trip, you could easily take some cool day trips to places like the Giant’s Causeway, Carrickfergus Castle, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and The Dark Hedges from yes, Game of Thrones!
I would’ve loved to do a Game of Thrones tour if we stayed overnight in Belfast. I’m such a huge fan of the show. If you visit Belfast and have the time, you can take a Game of Thrones tour which is 40 minutes from Belfast or 2 hours from Dublin. While we didn’t do the tour, we would’ve chosen this one but Tristan isn’t old enough so maybe we’ll go on a future visit.
We also wanted to do the Belfast Black Cab tour for a political tour of Belfast.
Have you ever traveled by train? Comment below and share this post!
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