With kids · Belfast · United Kingdom
Belfast with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertpaulyoung/, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Belfast works well with children: Titanic Belfast's interactive galleries and ride, the free Ulster Museum with its mummy and dinosaurs, and the zoo on Cave Hill all suit families. The Ulster Folk Museum and the Giant's Causeway are easy days out. Top picks: Titanic Belfast, Ulster Museum and Belfast Zoo. Families usually base themselves in Titanic Quarter.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Titanic Quarter
- Rainy-day options
- 2
Best things to do with kids
Museum · Titanic Quarter
1.Titanic Belfast
Built on the site of the slipways where the Titanic and her sister Olympic were constructed, this angular, silver-clad building tells the story of the ship and of Belfast's industrial peak across nine interactive galleries, including a ride through a recreated shipyard. Outside, the outline of the slipway is marked on the ground.
Leave time to walk the slipways outside and look up at the Samson and Goliath cranes of the Harland & Wolff yard.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Entry is by timed ticket and summer and weekend slots fill up; book online in advance.
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Queen's Quarter
2.Ulster Museum
Northern Ireland's national museum covers art, natural history and local history, with an Egyptian mummy named Takabuti, a dinosaur gallery, treasure from the Spanish Armada ship Girona and a measured gallery on the Troubles. Entry is free.
Pair it with a walk through the Botanic Gardens, whose gates are right beside the museum.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Art
Zoo · North Belfast
3.Belfast Zoo
Set on the steep slopes of Cave Hill, the zoo keeps animals including Asian elephants, red pandas and gorillas, with views over Belfast Lough between the enclosures.
The site is very hilly; bring a sturdy pushchair or a carrier for small children.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Garden · Queen's Quarter
4.Botanic Gardens and Palm House
The Victorian Botanic Gardens beside Queen's University centre on the curvilinear iron-and-glass Palm House, one of the earliest of its kind, and the sunken Tropical Ravine with its jungle plants. The lawns fill with students and families on sunny days.
The Tropical Ravine and Palm House are free and make a warm escape on a cold, wet afternoon.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
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Historic site · Titanic Quarter
5.SS Nomadic
The last surviving White Star Line vessel was built in Belfast as a tender to ferry passengers out to the Titanic and Olympic at Cherbourg. Restored and set in Hamilton Dock, she can be explored from the first-class lounge to the engine room.
Entry is usually included with a Titanic Belfast ticket, so visit straight after the main exhibition.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
Landmark · East Belfast
6.C.S. Lewis Square
A public square at the Connswater Greenway celebrates the Narnia author, who was born in east Belfast, with seven bronze sculptures of characters including Aslan, the White Witch and Mr Tumnus.
Children love finding all the statues; combine it with a walk or bike ride along the Connswater Greenway.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Rainy-day ideas
- Titanic Belfast — Leave time to walk the slipways outside and look up at the Samson and Goliath cranes of the Harland & Wolff yard.
- Ulster Museum — Pair it with a walk through the Botanic Gardens, whose gates are right beside the museum.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for families and first-timers
Titanic Quarter
On Queen's Island across the River Lagan, the old Harland & Wolff shipyard is now home to Titanic Belfast, SS Nomadic, the Titanic Hotel in the shipyard's former drawing offices, film studios and the SSE Arena. The yellow Samson and Goliath cranes still tower over the area.
- Good
- Right beside the top attraction; Modern hotels; Waterfront walks
- Watch out
- Few restaurants and pubs in the evening; Feels detached from the old city
- Nearby
- Titanic Belfast, SS Nomadic, Samson and Goliath, SSE Arena
Family travel tips
- Book Titanic Belfast slots ahead during school holidays.
- Children under five travel free on Translink buses and trains.
- W5, the interactive science centre at the SSE Arena, is a good rainy-day option for younger children.
- Pack waterproofs and spare layers for the Giant's Causeway, which is exposed and windy.
- Many pubs serve food to families during the day, but children usually need to leave by early evening.
Day trips for families
- Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast (About 1 hour 30 minutes by car) — Some 40,000 interlocking basalt columns step into the sea at the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Ulster Folk and Transport Museums (About 15 minutes by train) — At Cultra, an open-air museum of rebuilt cottages, farms, shops and a whole Edwardian town recreates rural and small-town life in Ulster, with costumed guides.
- Carrickfergus Castle (About 25 minutes by train) — One of the best-preserved Norman castles in Ireland stands on a rock jutting into Belfast Lough, begun around 1177 by John de Courcy.
- Mourne Mountains and Newcastle (About 1 hour by car or 1 hour 15 minutes by bus) — The seaside town of Newcastle sits below Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland's highest mountain, at the edge of the granite Mournes.
- Game of Thrones Studio Tour (About 40 minutes by car) — At Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, the official studio tour displays original sets, costumes and props from the series, much of which was filmed in Northern Ireland.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and August–September. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Belfast good for kids?
Belfast works well with children: Titanic Belfast's interactive galleries and ride, the free Ulster Museum with its mummy and dinosaurs, and the zoo on Cave Hill all suit families. The Ulster Folk Museum and the Giant's Causeway are easy days out.
+What can kids do in Belfast?
Titanic Belfast, Ulster Museum, Belfast Zoo, Botanic Gardens and Palm House and SS Nomadic.
+Where should families stay in Belfast?
Titanic Quarter: Former shipyard slipways, Titanic Belfast and new waterfront hotels.