I had a question

[Sympleesmshn]

I am starting to plan a trip to Belfast later this year and will be there for a week. I was wondering if anyone out there who have been could tell me about what to do, where to go, and what to see.

[Sympleesmshn]

1. I can not believe nobody has been to Belfast...

I guess I should try posting in a different forum....

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Sorry, but the scenes on the news tended to put people off for years

The risk of being in Belfast may not actually be significantly than, say, London, but we're not always rational. They used to say that the Northern Irish Tourist Board was the most difficult job in the UK.

I'll try asking this on the Irish Affairs group (without a star, you won't be able to post there). Few of them are actually Irish, but they may have visited Belfast.

On edit: For a natural attraction, there's Giant's Causeway, about 40 miels from Belfast - a basalt pavement marching into the sea.

[Zuni]

6. I am not British, but isn't it much more peaceful there

than in years past. I admit I am not that well versed in the current situation (although I have read a few books about the IRA and Northern Ireland).
Hasn't the Good Friday Agreement produced some success in limtiting the violence and tension?

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Yes, it is, by all accounts

but I think the worries about bombs etc. put off a lot of people from going back in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Since you also had to use a longish ferry trip or (then, at least) fairly expensive flight to get there, it made it easier to go somewhere else instead.

[Nihil]

3. I'd second the suggestion of the Giant's Causeway but ...

... it's a good few miles North of Belfast ... well worth the drive
though as it has to be seen to be appreciated - photos just don't do
it justice.

While you're up there, I'd recommend the Carraigh-Rede (sp?) rope
bridge (just down the coast) and - if you like the odd dram - the
Bushmills distillery is just inland.

I've only been through Belfast (rather than staying in it) and so
don't know what there is to see in the city itself. (Hence the lack
of any earlier reply!)

If you are wandering around the area, I'd recommend the Ards peninsula
and Strangford Lough - stayed in some self-catering cottages there
last year and thought it was superb. Lovely scenery, lovely people.

There are some really good places to eat (e.g., "Pier 36" in Donaghadee
and "The Quays" in Portavogie - both highly recommended IMHO).

Check the web for more info (e.g., for the Ards peninsula, have a look
at http://www.ards-council.gov.uk/local_tic.htm).

Good luck - hope you enjoy the place as much as we did!

[Sympleesmshn]

5. Thanks for the help!

I am trying to get out there for a Model UN conference they hold at Methodist College in Belfast. I know Ireland is a great country and I hope I can pull the trip off.

[smirkymonkey]

4. I have been to Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland.

Personally, I found Belfast rather dull and only spent two days there, most of them in a bar.

The Antrim coast is absolutely beautiful, and a hike along the cliffs (near Carrick-a-Read sp? rope bridge, which someone else mentioned) was one of the highlights of my trip to NI.

The Giant's Causeway is really something to see as well, but is quite a distance from Belfast. Portrush was the town we stayed in, I was there in June and it seemed a bit sleepy, but was lovely in its own way.

Derry was much more interesting than Belfast, I thought, but tensions seemed high as it was around the marching season. Maybe it's always like that, but it was very noticeable to an outsider. Lots of history though, depends on what you are into.