Overview
Northern Ireland is the part of the UK on the island of Ireland: six counties, about 1.9 million people, and a landscape of basalt cliffs, green glens, lakes and granite mountains. It is small. You can drive from Belfast to the Giant's Causeway in about 1 hour 15 minutes, and across the whole country in under three hours.
Most American visitors come for three things: Belfast, a confident, friendly city with a great food and pub scene and a world-class Titanic museum; the Causeway Coastal Route, one of the great coastal drives in Europe; and Game of Thrones locations, which are scattered across the countryside. Derry~Londonderry, with its complete 17th-century walls, and the Mourne Mountains round out a trip of four to six days.
Northern Ireland is also a place still living with a hard recent history. Thirty years of conflict ended with the 1998 peace agreement, and today it is a safe, welcoming place to visit. Understanding a little of that history makes the murals, the flags and the walls you will see far more meaningful. The section below explains it as neutrally as we can.
Different from home
"Ireland" and "Northern Ireland" are different countries with different currencies, speed units, phone networks and governments, even though there is no border post between them. Northern Ireland uses pounds and miles; the Republic of Ireland uses euros and kilometers. Northern Irish banks print their own pound notes, which are legal but sometimes refused in England; spend them before you leave or use cards. See money.
The history, briefly and carefully
In 1921 Ireland was divided. Twenty-six counties became the Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland. Six northeastern counties, where most people were Protestant and wanted to stay British, remained in the UK as Northern Ireland.
Broadly, two traditions share the place. Unionists, mostly from Protestant backgrounds, see themselves as British and want Northern Ireland to stay in the UK; loyalists is the term for the more hardline, often working-class end of that tradition. Nationalists, mostly from Catholic backgrounds, see themselves as Irish and hope for a united Ireland; republicans are the more hardline end. A growing share of people, especially younger people, identify with neither label, and the 2021 census counted slightly more people from a Catholic background than a Protestant one for the first time.
In the late 1960s, a civil rights movement protested discrimination against Catholics in housing, jobs and voting. Violence escalated, the British Army was deployed in 1969, and armed groups on both sides, along with the security forces, were involved in killings over the following three decades. More than 3,500 people died in what became known as the Troubles, many of them civilians, and bombings also hit England.
The Good Friday Agreement (also called the Belfast Agreement) of 1998 was approved by voters in both parts of Ireland. It created a power-sharing government at Stormont, confirmed that Northern Ireland stays in the UK unless a majority votes otherwise, and lets people here be British, Irish or both, with passports to match. The power-sharing government has been suspended several times, most recently from 2022 until February 2024.
How to handle it as a visitor
- Do not lead with politics or religion. If someone raises it, listen more than you talk. People often have family stories you will not hear in the guidebooks.
- Place names and words carry meaning. "Northern Ireland" is the neutral official name. "Derry" is mostly used by nationalists and "Londonderry" by many unionists; tourism bodies write Derry~Londonderry, and using whichever name the person you are talking to uses is the polite move.
- Flags, painted curbs and murals show a neighborhood's identity. Take photos of murals, but not of people or homes without asking, and do not add your own messages to walls other than where invited.
- Leave Celtic and Rangers soccer shirts at home; they read as sectarian here.
- In July, the Orange Order parades around July 12 (a public holiday called the Twelfth), and large bonfires on the night of July 11, are celebrations for one community and tense for some neighborhoods. Most visitors see nothing of it, but avoid bonfire sites and check local news. See safety.
The ETA, the border and crossing to Ireland
This is the part that catches Americans out. The UK and Ireland share a Common Travel Area, so there are no routine passport checks on the land border, and you will cross it without noticing anything but the change in road signs. But the rules still apply on both sides.
- Northern Ireland needs a UK ETA. Since January 8, 2025, US citizens visiting any part of the UK need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, and that includes driving, taking the train or catching a bus from Dublin into Northern Ireland. It costs £20 (about $27), covers stays of up to six months per visit, and is valid for multiple trips over two years, or until your passport expires if sooner. Apply through the official UK ETA app or on GOV.UK, never through lookalike sites that add fees. Details are on our entry page.
- Ireland needs no ETA. The Republic of Ireland has its own entry rules. US citizens show a passport at Dublin or Shannon airports and are normally admitted as visitors without any advance application.
- Legal residents of Ireland who are US citizens do not need an ETA to travel from within the Common Travel Area, if they carry proof of residence.
- Carry your passport anyway. Police and immigration officers can carry out spot checks, and you will need it on flights and ferries.
Watch out
A no-checks border does not mean the ETA is optional. If you plan even a day trip from Dublin to the Giant's Causeway or Belfast, get the ETA before you leave home. Tour companies running Dublin to Causeway day trips may ask for it.
Practical differences at the border
- Money: Northern Ireland uses pounds, Ireland euros. Cards work everywhere; some shops near the border take both currencies at their own exchange rate.
- Speed: Northern Ireland signs are in mph; Ireland's are in km/h. A "100" sign on an Irish highway means 100 km/h, about 62 mph.
- Phones: near the border your phone may hop onto an Irish network. Most US international plans cover both countries, but check, and see staying connected.
- Rental cars: tell the rental company you will cross the border. Many allow it, sometimes with a cross-border fee or extra insurance.
Belfast to Dublin and back
The Enterprise train runs from Belfast Grand Central to Dublin Connolly about every hour: 15 departures Monday to Saturday and 8 on Sundays, in a little over two hours. Online fares from Belfast start at £14.99 (about $20) single. Book on the Translink Enterprise page and collect tickets from the machine at the station. Frequent coaches also link Belfast with Dublin city and Dublin Airport in about two hours. See combining the UK with Ireland.
Getting there
Most Americans fly into Dublin, which has many daily nonstops from US cities, and head north by coach, train or rental car. A bonus: on the way home, Dublin Airport has US Customs and Border Protection preclearance, so you land in the US as a domestic arrival. If you are already in Great Britain, fly into Belfast.
- George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD) is about 10–15 minutes from the center, with flights from London and other UK cities. Flights within the UK are domestic, with no passport control, but airlines require photo ID, so use your passport.
- Belfast International Airport (BFS), about 18 miles (29 km) northwest of the city, handles more international flights; an express bus runs to the city center.
- Ferries sail from Cairnryan in southwest Scotland to Belfast and to Larne in about two hours, and from the Liverpool area to Belfast, including overnight sailings. Ferries make sense if you are driving from Scotland or northern England.
Belfast Grand Central, which opened in 2024 and replaced the old Great Victoria Street station and Europa bus station, is now the city's main hub for trains and buses, including Enterprise services to Dublin and buses to the airports.
Belfast (Béal Feirste)
Belfast was an industrial powerhouse of linen, rope and ships, and the Victorian city center shows it. It is compact: you can walk from City Hall to the Cathedral Quarter in ten minutes, and to the Titanic Quarter in about 25. Give it two full days.
Titanic Belfast
The Titanic was designed and built here at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, and this museum, opened in 2012 in a building shaped like ships' bows, tells the story from the boom-town city through the construction, the sinking in 1912 and the discovery of the wreck. It includes a gentle ride through a re-created shipyard. Adults pay £24.95 (about $33), children 5–15 £11 (about $15), and a family of four £62 (about $82); the ticket includes the SS Nomadic, the last surviving White Star Line ship, moored nearby. Book a timed entry on the Titanic Belfast site; last admission is 1 hour 40 minutes before closing.
The murals and peace walls
The Falls Road (a mostly nationalist area) and the Shankill Road (a mostly unionist area) sit side by side, separated in places by the peace walls, barriers built during the Troubles, some with gates that still close at night. Both areas are covered in murals: memorials to the dead, political statements, and newer art about other causes. Black Taxi tours, run by local drivers, are the classic way to see them, and the best guides explain both communities' views and let you visit both sides. Book with an established operator through Visit Belfast rather than a driver who approaches you on the street. These are real, lived-in neighborhoods; treat them with the respect you would want for your own street.
Crumlin Road Gaol
A Victorian prison that held prisoners from both sides of the conflict, among many others, until it closed in 1996. The tour includes the cells, the tunnel under the road to the courthouse, and the execution cell. It is open daily, from 10:30am to 3:30pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm on weekends. Adults pay £17.50 (about $23) booked online at least a day ahead, or £18.50 (about $25) at the door; book on the Crumlin Road Gaol site.
St George's Market
A Victorian covered market that comes alive Friday through Sunday, from the morning into the early afternoon. Expect local cheese, fish, breads, Ulster fry sandwiches, crafts and, on weekends, live music. Go hungry. It is at 12–20 East Bridge Street, a short walk from City Hall.
The Cathedral Quarter
The cobbled streets around St Anne's Cathedral are the city's pub and live-music district. The Duke of York, in a narrow alley called Commercial Court, is wall-to-wall with old signs and whiskey; the Merchant Hotel's bar is the splurge cocktail. Thursday to Saturday nights are the liveliest, with traditional Irish music sessions in several pubs.
City Hall, the Crown and the museums
Belfast City Hall offers free guided tours. Across from the Europa Hotel, the Crown Liquor Saloon, a Victorian gin palace of stained glass and wooden snugs owned by the National Trust, still pours pints. In the south of the city, the free Ulster Museum sits in the Botanic Gardens next to Queen's University.
Insider tip
For the full picture of Belfast's two traditions, pair a Black Taxi tour in the morning with Crumlin Road Gaol after lunch, then spend the evening in the Cathedral Quarter. It shows you the city's past and its present in one day. If you have American roots in Ulster, the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh and the Ulster Folk Museum outside Belfast are worth a detour; see ancestry.
Food here is a highlight. Start the day with an Ulster fry: eggs, bacon, sausage, plus soda farl and potato bread fried in the pan. Try champ (mashed potatoes with scallions), and seafood from the County Down coast. Prices include VAT; restaurants may add a discretionary service charge, and 10% is normal if they do not. See food and pubs.
The Causeway Coastal Route
The signposted Causeway Coastal Route runs roughly 120–130 miles (195–210 km) from Belfast to Derry~Londonderry. The fast road from Belfast to the Causeway takes about 1 hour 15 minutes; the coast road through the Glens of Antrim takes all day, with stops. Do it in at least one night, based in Bushmills, Portrush or Ballycastle.
Heading north from Belfast, the highlights run in this order: Carrickfergus Castle, a Norman fortress on the harbor; the Gobbins, a dramatic cliff path near Islandmagee visited only on guided tours; the nine Glens of Antrim; Cushendun's caves; and the narrow, white-knuckle Torr Head scenic road, with Scotland visible on clear days.
Giant's Causeway
About 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, formed by cooling lava some 50 to 60 million years ago, step down into the sea. Legend says the giant Finn McCool built them to reach Scotland. The coastline itself is open from dawn to dusk. Please do not wedge coins into the stones; the National Trust has asked visitors to stop.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
A rope bridge first strung by salmon fishermen, swaying high over a chasm to a tiny island. Tickets cost £16 (about $21) for adults at peak times, and pre-booking online is essential. Parking is included. The walk from the car park is about two-thirds of a mile (1 km) each way. The bridge closes in high winds, sometimes for a whole day, so book early in your trip and keep a backup.
Dunluce Castle
The roofless ruins of a medieval castle on a sea cliff, home to the MacDonnell clan. Legend says part of the kitchen fell into the sea during a storm. There is an admission charge; check the opening hours on the Discover Northern Ireland site before you go, as they shorten in winter.
The Dark Hedges
An avenue of beech trees planted around 1775 by the Stuart family to impress visitors to their house. More than 150 trees were planted; storms and safety felling have thinned them, and fewer than 90 remained in recent counts, with more lost in the storms of 2024 and 2025. The road is closed to traffic, so park in the designated parking nearby and walk. Come at sunrise for photos without crowds.
Bushmills
The Old Bushmills Distillery claims a link to a 1608 license to distill in the area, making it one of the oldest licensed whiskey sites in the world. Guided tours end with a tasting; book ahead in summer and check the minimum age on the distillery's site. The village is a good base, 2 miles (3 km) from the Causeway.
Portrush and Downhill
Portrush is a seaside resort and home of Royal Portrush Golf Club, which hosted The Open in 2019 and 2025 (see sports). Farther west, the long sands of Portstewart Strand and the cliff-top Mussenden Temple at Downhill Demesne, both National Trust sites, have the best sunsets on the coast.
The Giant's Causeway: visitor center or the free path
You do not have to buy a ticket to see the stones. The coastline is open to anyone, and you can walk down the road from the visitor center to the columns in about 15 minutes. What the Visitor Experience ticket buys is the exhibition about the geology and legends, an audio guide, a guided tour, the café and shop, and, importantly, parking at the visitor center.
| Option | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor Experience (pre-booked) | Adult £16 (about $21), child 5–17 £8 (about $11), family £40 (about $53); parking included | First-time visitors who want the story, families, rainy days |
| Walk in, park at the Causeway Coast Way Car Park | £12 (about $16) per car, paid through the JustPark app | People who just want the stones and a cliff walk |
| National Trust members | Free, including parking (book ahead) | Anyone visiting several Trust sites in Northern Ireland |
The visitor center opens at 10am; closing time varies by season (4pm in late October). Pre-booking is essential at busy times. A small electric shuttle runs between the visitor center and the stones. Go early or late in the day to avoid the coach tours, and walk back along the cliff-top path and down the Shepherd's Steps for the best views. Book on the National Trust site.
Save money
If you will visit the Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, Mount Stewart and Castle Ward, an annual National Trust membership can pay for itself, and it also covers Trust sites in England and Wales. Compare it with single tickets on our heritage page.
Different from home
No car? Coach tours from Belfast cover the Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, Dunluce and the Dark Hedges in a long day, and some run from Dublin too. Check what the price includes: many tours do not include the Visitor Experience ticket. Public transport works too: take the train to Coleraine or Portrush and use Translink's local buses along the coast, which run more often in summer.
Derry~Londonderry (Doire)
Northern Ireland's second city sits on the River Foyle near the border with County Donegal in Ireland. Its walls, built between 1613 and 1619, run about a mile (1.5 km) around the old center and are the only complete set of city walls in Ireland. They have never been breached, including during the 105-day siege of 1689. Walking the top of them is free and takes about an hour.
- The Bogside murals: just below the walls, a series of large murals, known as the People's Gallery, records the civil rights era and the Troubles, ending at Free Derry Corner.
- The Museum of Free Derry covers the civil rights movement and Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972, when British soldiers shot dead 13 unarmed people at a civil rights march, and another man died later. A 2010 public inquiry found the killings unjustified, and the British prime minister apologized.
- The Tower Museum tells the wider story of the city, including the Spanish Armada wreck La Trinidad Valencera.
- The Guildhall, with its stained glass, and the curving Peace Bridge over the Foyle, which opened in 2011 to link the city center with the Waterside across the river, a symbol of reconciliation between the two communities.
Derry is famous for its huge Halloween celebrations over several days in late October, with parades and fireworks along the river; check the council's events page for dates. The train from Belfast takes about two hours, and the stretch from Coleraine along the shore of Lough Foyle is one of the prettiest rail rides in the British Isles. Donegal's beaches and the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland start just across the border.
The Mourne Mountains
An hour south of Belfast, the Mournes rise straight from the sea at Newcastle in County Down. Slieve Donard, at 2,790 ft (850 m), is the highest peak in Northern Ireland. C.S. Lewis, who was born in Belfast, is often said to have drawn on this landscape for Narnia.
- Slieve Donard: from Donard Park in Newcastle, about 6 miles (10 km) round trip and 4–5 hours, steep and often in cloud. Check the Met Office forecast and carry a waterproof.
- The Mourne Wall: a dry-stone wall about 22 miles (35 km) long, built in the early 1900s to enclose a reservoir catchment, running over 15 summits. It makes an easy line to follow in poor visibility.
- Tollymore Forest Park: riverside trails, stone bridges and follies, and a Game of Thrones filming location.
- Silent Valley: a reservoir in the heart of the range, with gentle walks.
Nearby, Castle Ward on Strangford Lough (Winterfell in the series) and the gardens at Mount Stewart are National Trust properties, and Downpatrick has the grave said to be St Patrick's. See outdoors for hill safety.
Game of Thrones country
Much of Game of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland, and the official Game of Thrones Studio Tour at the Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, about 30 minutes south of Belfast on the road to Dublin, shows original sets, costumes and props. Book a timed ticket ahead.
Out in the countryside, the best-known locations are the Dark Hedges (the King's Road), Ballintoy Harbour (the Iron Islands), Cushendun Caves, Larrybane near Carrick-a-Rede, Castle Ward (Winterfell), Inch Abbey, Tollymore, and Downhill Strand below Mussenden Temple (Dragonstone). After storms brought down trees at the Dark Hedges, ten carved wooden doors made from them were installed in pubs and hotels around the country. Our film locations page covers routes and tours.
Getting around
A car gives you the most freedom on the Causeway Coast and in the Mournes. Roads are good and less crowded than in England, but country lanes are narrow and you drive on the left. Rent an automatic if you are unsure of a stick shift. See driving.
Without a car, Translink runs the trains and buses. Rail lines link Belfast with Derry~Londonderry (via Coleraine, with a branch to Portrush), with Bangor on Belfast Lough, and with Newry and Dublin. Buses fill in the rest, including the Mournes. A day of coach-tour sightseeing plus trains between cities works well for a first trip.
Watch out
The north coast is exposed. Wind closes the rope bridge and can make cliff paths dangerous, and the weather turns fast. Keep a flexible day in your plan, stay on marked paths at the Causeway and the Gobbins, and keep children well back from cliff edges.
Where to stay
Book Belfast early for summer weekends and big concerts, and the north coast early for July and August, when Northern Irish families head to Portrush and Portstewart. Tiers are per night for two; rates swing with the season. See where to stay.
The Merchant Hotel
A former bank turned grand hotel, with a domed, gilded dining room, a celebrated cocktail bar and the best location for the pub district.
Grand Central Hotel
A tall, polished hotel near City Hall with a top-floor bar and views across the city to the hills.
Titanic Hotel Belfast
In the restored Harland & Wolff headquarters, including the drawing offices where the Titanic was designed. Next door to the museum.
Budget Belfast
Premier Inn and Travelodge have central branches with dependable rooms; independent hostels in the university area suit students.
The Bushmills Inn
A former coaching inn with peat fires, a whiskey bar and a restaurant, a short drive from the Causeway and the distillery.
The Causeway Hotel
A traditional 19th-century hotel right by the visitor center. Stay here to walk down to the stones before the crowds arrive.
B&Bs on the north coast
Many family-run guesthouses with sea views and a full Ulster fry. The best book out months ahead for summer.
Bishop's Gate Hotel
A former gentlemen's club from around 1900, inside the walls, with an easy walk to everything in the old city.
Slieve Donard Hotel
A Victorian railway hotel and spa on the beach below the Mournes, next to Royal County Down golf course.
Itineraries
Four days in Northern Ireland
- Day 1
Belfast's story
Morning at Titanic Belfast and the SS Nomadic. Afternoon at City Hall and a pint at the Crown. Evening music in the Cathedral Quarter.
- Day 2
The two traditions
A Black Taxi tour of the murals and peace walls, then Crumlin Road Gaol. If it is a Friday to Sunday, have lunch at St George's Market. Pick up a rental car at the end of the day.
- Day 3
The Causeway Coast
Drive the coast road through the Glens of Antrim, cross Carrick-a-Rede (booked ahead), stop at Ballintoy Harbour and the Dark Hedges, and sleep in Bushmills.
- Day 4
The Causeway and Derry
Be at the Giant's Causeway at opening time, then see Dunluce Castle and Mussenden Temple. Continue to Derry~Londonderry to walk the walls before dinner, then return the car or catch the train back to Belfast.
A week across the island
- Days 1–2
Dublin
Fly into Dublin from the US. With your UK ETA already approved, take the Enterprise train to Belfast on the evening of day 2.
- Days 3–4
Belfast
Follow days 1 and 2 above.
- Day 5
The Causeway Coast
Rent a car and drive the coast to Bushmills, with the rope bridge and the Causeway.
- Day 6
Derry and Donegal
Walk Derry's walls in the morning, then cross into Donegal for the Atlantic coast, remembering to switch to km/h.
- Day 7
Back to Dublin
Drive south to Dublin Airport, about 3 hours from Derry, or via the Mournes and Newcastle if you have an extra night. Clear US preclearance at Dublin on the way home.
Insider tip
Northern Ireland pairs naturally with Scotland: the ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan puts you about two hours' drive from Glasgow. See Glasgow and the Scottish islands, or plan your trip and use our trip builder to fit it together.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.