Exploring Northern Ireland is one of the most incredible road trips we have ever taken! This place is filled with so much natural beauty and history. If you are planning on heading out to explore Northern Ireland here are the best places to visit in Northern Ireland.
Belfast
Belfast has to be on the top of the list for the best places to visit in Northern Ireland. As the capital of Northern Ireland this place holds some amazing history.
Belfast was the birthplace of the RMS Titanic- you know the one that hit an iceberg and sunk back in 1912. Today you can visit the Titanic Quarter and see the history, the making of and even the details of the last hours before the iconic ship sunk to the bottom of the ocean. I loved the movie and have seen it only about 1,000 times so being able to visit this incredible museum was something very special to me.
Carrickfergus Castle
Hop in a car and along the way to more of the best places to visit in Northern Ireland you will drive through beautiful landscapes of rolling green hills and little villages. I wouldn’t be surprised if you accidentally came across a castle or two. Carrickfergus Castle located on the shoreline of the Carrickfergus town was built in the 1700’s and the castle played an important military role until 1928. It remains one of the best preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
A visit to Northern Ireland is not complete without crossing the famous Carrick-a-Rede Bridge. This rope bridge is suspended almost 30 m above sea level connecting Carrick-a-Rede island to the mainland. First erected in 1755 by salmon fishermen, today it is a one-of-a-kind rope bridge that perhaps not everyone dares to cross!
Giants Causeway
One of the most famous icons and best things to do in Northern Ireland, is to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Giant’s Causeway. The result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption (that’s the scientific version), the Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns.
The legend of the Giants Causeway is that there was a Scottish giant threatening Ireland so the Irish giant grabbed chunks off of the Antrim coast and throws them into the sea- thus creating the Giants Causeway so that he may travel across the water to fight the other giant. Personally, I like the legend version better than the scientific version!
Dark Hedges
The iconic tree tunnel used in Game Of Thrones, the Dark Hedges is an avenue of beech trees along Bregagh Road between Armoy and Stranocum in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is the most photographed location in Northern Ireland. There were about 150 beech trees planted back in the 1700’s when a man named James Stuart built a house for his wife. Its a pretty amazing and beautiful road so I wasn’t surprised to see so many tourists walking along the road.
More in England…
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3 Day London Itinerary
More in Scotland…
2 Day Scotland Itinerary
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