Londonderry/Derry from the city’s ancient fortifications

A “modified” road sign

Brick row-houses line the streets

It may seem silly to us to fight about a name of a city, but in this case the name of the city represents far more to the people that call Londonderry/Derry home. During the Troubles the name was a shibboleth that acted to associate a speaker with the side of the religious/political divide they fell into.

During this period, the city was the location of some of the most violent clashes anywhere in the British Isles. Undoubtedly the most famous of these was “Bloody Sunday”. On January 20, 1972 in the Bogside neighbourhood of the city, 26 civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by British Army soldiers – 13 of whom died immediately (one protester also died four months later). Derry was one of the hardest hit cities in terms of violence, and it is a testament to the character and effort of the people that it has recovered so dramatically.

Thankfully, since the end of The Troubles, Londonderry has transformed itself into a city known for its famous city walls, gorgeous riverside location, and colourful old town complete with hundreds of peace murals.

One of the many peace murals in Londonderry/Derry can be spotted on the building in the bottom left corner

A street in the city’s historic centre

The city’s new Peace Bridge

On our first day in the city, we decided to take the highly recommended walking tour of the city walls, and braved the rain to find the meeting point. Apparently we were the only ones stupid enough to take the tour in the absolute pouring rain, but we quickly realized we had made the right choice. Our guide, a native of Derry who had lived through The Troubles, regaled us with both hilarious and horrifying tales of what the city and her people went through for nearly 30 years.

We spent the majority of the tour circling the city on the top of the city’s 17th century walls – the only still intact example on the entire island. These city walls were never breached, and are easily the most prominent feature in the city. They also provide amazing views over the various neighbourhoods of London/derry, the countless murals commemorating the events of the Troubles, and the River Foyle.

A charming open market full of little shops selling handmade goods

Colourful shops and pubs line the street

A shopper braves the rain to pick up some groceries

Although our time in Londonderry/Derry was short, just one full day before moving on to Dublin, and the weather prevented us from spending more than a few hours exploring the city by foot, we really enjoyed what we were able to see and agree that Derry has enough to keep visitors busy for a couple days, more if you enjoy people watching with a hot cuppa and freshly prepared scone. The city also appears to have plenty of charming little shops that we would have loved to explore had our visit not fallen on a Sunday (poor planning on our part).

Hot tea and scones with jam and clotted cream

Logistics: The tour we went on was the Martin McCrossan City Tour. This is perhaps the best value tour we have ever been on, costing just 4 GBP per person – and includes a free tea or coffee at the end of the tour! Tours run 4 times a day every day of the week. Our guide was amazingly knowledgeable about the city, and you could see the pride he had in his city when the tears welled up in his eyes while speaking about how far the city had come. Definitely a must-do if you are there!

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Stand up straight, arm bend at a ninety degree angle and bring the glass towards you – don’t bend into it, keep your head up. Take a large drink of the beer, through the foam -this isn’t meant to be sipped. As you drink the beer, you’ll taste different flavour components in different parts of your mouth.

And with that I hesitantly raised the glass to my mouth and had my very first sip of Guinness.

You can hardly mutter the name Dublin without thinking of the dark stuff, and although Guinness is synonymous with Ireland as a whole, St. James’s Gate located off the south quays in Dublin is the birthplace of this famous brew. Today visitors can visit the beloved Guinness Storehouse to learn about the history of Guinness, the brewing process, and even sample some of the good stuff right where it’s made.

The infamous Guinness Storehouse

We have managed to check out a few breweries during our time in Europe, however none have been as infamous or widely recommended as the Guinness Storehouse – and none of these visits have come with as large a price tag either. However, as pricey as the entrance fee seemed to a couple of budget travelers like ourselves, at nearly 15 Euro per person we also knew that this was one of the must-see attractions in Dublin; the fact that most of the other “attractions” we wanted to see in Dublin involved walking around and admiring from afar (for free!) helped ease the sticker shock of visiting the Storehouse.

Guinness Storefront sign

While it’s not possible to visit the Guinness Brewery, without selling your soul or getting in good with the right people, Guinness has provided plenty to keep visitors busy – so much so that one almost forgets they aren’t walking along the brewery floor. Housed in the original brewery building, Guinness has constructed an elaborate museum of sorts complete with interactive exhibits explaining their unique brewing process and intriguing company history, numerous restaurants, a fully stocked souvenir store, and a glass encased Gravity Bar that features some of the best views of the city of Dublin.

Vintage Guinness Bottles

Beer Barrels

Guinness Storehouse reflection

As it turns out, all the reviews and recommendations we read online were spot on as we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Guinness Storehouse. Although as beer fans it played into our interests, with so many different displays and interactions I bet that almost anyone can find something to take away from a visit – even if you prefer Guinness advertisements over their beer. One of my favorite aspects of our visit was learning about Arthur Guinness who founded the brewery in 1759 and was so confident in his product he signed a 9,000 year lease for the property at St. James’s Gate. Although the lease is no longer valid, it’s incredible that anyone was willing to make this kind of wager on themselves and their product.

The Guinness Gravity Bar

Delicious Guinness stew topped with mashed potatoes for lunch

Taps at the Gravity Bar

Walking through Dublin, it’s evident that this is the home of Guinness – posters and advertisements are plastered on every pub in the city, delivery trucks are rampant in the downtown core, and every souvenir store within a ten mile radius is full of products plastered with the famous Guinness harp. However as famous as Guinness is throughout the world, before our visit I’d never bothered to try it for myself.

Guinness delivery truck

Guinness advertisements

Why would a self-professed beer lover not have tried one of the most known and loved beers in the world you may ask? Although I had never gone out of my way to avoid Guinness, I also had always considered myself a light-beer drinker, completely writing off the darker varieties and claiming I didn’t like them. The funny thing is I hadn’t really tried that many dark beers so how I knew I didn’t like them is a bit of a mystery. Fortunately, I approached our visit to Dublin with a more open mind and discovered that I actually enjoyed the creamy head and thicker consistency of my first Guinness.

Before

…and after

Taking in the view from the Guinness Gravity Bar, as the sun poked out from behind a dark cloud and painted the entire city of Dublin in it’s rich golden light, I couldn’t help but pause and relish the moment. I was enjoying my first ever pint of Guinness and I was drinking it in Dublin at the world’s most famous brewery. Looking around, everything was perfect, except for one tiny detail – with beer this fresh, I knew it would never taste as good anywhere else.

Logistics: The Guinness Storehouse is located towards Euston Station. The easiest and most pleasant way to get their is to walk (on a sunny day of course) which takes about 20 minutes from the centre. You can also take the LUAS to St. James’ Hospital. Buying your tickets online will save you 10% on your entry fee. You just write down your confirmation number and use the ticket machine at the entrance – plus you get to skip the line! The Storehouse is open every day from 9:30 – 17:00.

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Clearing skies at the picturesque Cliffs of Moher

Rising over 120 meters above the Atlantic Ocean, the cliffs are a world-famous attraction drawing in nearly one million visitors a year and are part of The Burren Geopark UNESCO natural protected area. Which is really just travel-speak for “these cliffs are mind-blowingly beautiful and deservedly one of Ireland’s best attractions”.

Seeing as our visit was part of a day tour, we enjoyed a relaxing drive through the acclaimed regions of Ballyvaughan and the Burren, which are comprised of martian landscapes, rugged shoreline, and over 6000 years of history.

We also managed to squeeze in a couple stops before reaching the cliffs. We began with a stop in the small seaside village of Kinvara to see the amazing Dunguaire Castle. Perched spectacularly on the water’s edge, the castle dates back to the 16th century and is thought to be the most photographed castle in Ireland.

Admiring the Irish countryside

Traditional thatched roof houses in The Burren region

Dunguaire Castle on a clear winter morning

Our next stop was the 13th century Corcomroe Abbey, a crumbling Cistercian monastery that is nearly as photogenic as the hairy cows and sheep that wander its grounds. After getting our fill of photos, we made a quick stop for an Irish coffee (to warm up) before setting off in search of some neolithic history.

With human habitation dating back more than 6000 years, the Burren is rich with interesting archaeological sites. As we were making good time, we decided to make two stops before lunch, the first of which was Cahermore Ring Fort. In all, the Burren contains more than 400 of these circular remains, with Cahermore being one of the oldest and best preserved. Dating back to approximately 500 AD, the fort provided protection from the elements and wildlife (there were even bears back then!). It was an absolutely amazing site to walk through.

Corcomroe Abbey is hauntingly beautiful

Cahermore Ring Fort, a 3000 year old residence

The Poulnabrone dolmen, a neolithic burial tomb

Our final stop before lunch was perhaps the most intriguing. The Poulnabrone dolmen is a neolithic portal tomb that dates back to somewhere between 4200 and 2900 BCE. I always struggle to fully grasp how old a site is. Unlike other forms of measurement, time is so very difficult to put into context and looking at anything older than a couple hundred years in comparison to the meager amount of time’s I’ve circumvented the sun doesn’t really register. Therefore, when standing alongside a neolithic burial tomb that was built well over 5,000 years ago (or roughly 192 of my own lifetimes) it was difficult to wrap my head around life during this time.

Luckily, with just a few clicks and choice words online I was able to add at least a bit of context to our day. During the period in which the Neolithic temple and circle were built:

• the first bluestones at Stonehenge begin to be raised (3000 BC);
• the Mayan calendar starts on August 11, 3114 BC (the same calendar that had everyone worried the world would end in 2012);
• construction of the Ggantija megalithic temple complex begins on the island of Gozo, Malta (3600 BC);
• the first neolithic settlers arrive in the island of Thira (Santorini), Greece (4000 BC).

And while the wheel had already been invented, and the Mesopotamian civilization was flourishing along the Nile, the Neolithic remains in Ireland are part of a handful of still-intact sites scattered across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia that can still be explored today.

Dark clouds moving in? We must be in Ireland!

Cutting and moving these stones would have been back breaking work

However as impressively old as these Neolithic sites are, in the end they couldn’t stand up to the Cliffs of Moher – which also happen to contain evidence of 300 million year-old river channels cutting through their rocky foundations, making the cliffs 60,000 times older than the Neolithic tombs and eleven and a half million times older than myself (also known as too old for this method to provide any form of context).

While Ireland is brimming with charming towns painted in rich hues and lush rolling hills crisscrossed by endless miles of short stone walls, a visit to Ireland feels incomplete until you’ve taken in the stunning Cliffs of Moher.

The Cliffs in all their glory – from sea to sky!

Quintessentially Irish, the rugged rock cliffs rise in a dramatic fashion from the deep blue water below, while and the crashing waves send wisps of mist up and over the cliff face and into the faces of the unsuspecting visitors above. Complete with a charming castle, officially called O’Brien’s Tower and built in 1835 to impress female visitors, and stunning vistas, the Cliffs of Moher are picturesque and incredibly romantic, especially at sunset.

In the harsh sunlight the Cliffs appear to stretch on forever

O’Brien’s Tower, impressing the fairer sex since 1835

The Cliffs of Moher at sunset are the epitome of romantic – minus the rain and bone chilling wind

We spent nearly two and a half hours wandering along the cliffs – marveling at the power of the waves crashing and the wind gusting. Even at the top, nearly 200 meters above the crashing waters below we could feel the sea mist against our face and smell the salty sea below.

If you haven’t had the privileged of visiting the cliffs in person, you may have marveled at their beauty without even knowing it as they have made appearances in several blockbuster films – most notably The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. However, even if you’ve snuggled in with a bowl of popcorn to enjoy one of these movies, we’d still highly recommend a visit to the cliffs to take in their majesty in person.

Logistics: Although far from the regular tour-bus type, after finding some success with something similar in Gozo, Malta, and realizing there was little way for us to reach Ireland’s more secluded sites without renting a car (and driving on the wrong left side of the road), we decided to hop aboard and explore both the Giant’s Causeway (from Belfast) and the Cliffs of Moher a few days later (from Galway).

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“It reminded me of Tofino” was all I needed to hear to know that Galway was a city I would go out of my way to see during out time in the British Isles.

Colourful homes line the waterfront

Continuing our rainy tour of Ireland, our time in Galway was spent clambering under eaves, fighting a losing battle between our little umbrella and fierce gale-force winds, and  sneaking in as many photos as possible during brief 20 minute periods of sunshine “not rain”. However there was little the weather could do to distract us from the charming pubs, brightly painted homes, and kitschy shops that make up Galway’s central core.

Bright little buildings still standout amid the rain

Green everything at the little Irish pub

 While our time in Galway was short – just one full day to explore the city – we easily fit in some sightseeing, shopping, and delicious fish and chips lunch with time to spare. Cold, wet, and comfortably full from out delicious fish lunch, we made our way back to the B&B for a cozy evening spent relaxing in our room.

It doesn’t get much better than fresh caught fish and chips

A pub covered in Gaelic signage and Guiness posters

A red pub with detailed woodwork

Small as it may be, Galway is a wonderful base for exploring Western Ireland and nearby attractions including The Burren, Cliffs of Moher, and the Connemara region – all of which we were able to cover by joining a tour the following day. As we turned in for the night, with a full day ahead of us the following morning, only one question filled our minds – how much longer can this rain continue?

Empty kegs waiting to be replaced with full ones

Pouring rain and dangerously high water levels in Galway

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Our trip to Belfast had been spur-of-the-moment. From Malta we had limited options as to where we could fly for a non-budget-busting price – the UK was pretty much our only choice. To be honest, we had not really planned on visiting Ireland or the UK on this trip, but when a 20 Euro flight to Belfast popped up we booked it immediately.

Belfast is not a city that regularly features on bucket lists – a phenomenon mainly due to lingering images from times past rather than current conditions. To most, the city’s name conjures up images of carbombs, shootings, and other fleeting images of overtly sectarian and political violence. Even a decade or two ago, these occurrences were commonplace, creating a literal warzone, and making Belfast a no-go for tourism.

Murals can be found all over the city commemorating The Troubles

Thankfully, this has all changed in recent years. Belfast is a now a thriving and bustling city committed to shattering these preconceived notions and embracing what makes the city unique – its history. From the Troubles to the Titanic, this is a city long plagued by tragedy. But it is this precise aspect that has laid the fabric for what the city is today, a city where you’re greeted with a smile and a joke every place you go.

Wonderful architecture, a vibrant city center, top-class shopping and dining experiences, and a revitalized waterfront are all contributing to make the city a rising star. As of now, Belfast still feels like a hidden gem and is nicely positioned off the well-worn tourist trail that cross-crosses much of Europe and the British Isles. But with rapid regeneration projects, easy access to the stunning North Atlantic Coast (including the world famous Giant’s Causeway), and easy access via budget airline carriers, Belfast likely won’t stay secret for long.

Graffiti down one of Belfast’s back streets

With a clear void of information regarding Belfast in the travel blogging community, we have decided to provide an outline on how best to spend your time in the city, what aspects we enjoyed, and some must see sites.

Black Cab Tour

For a memorable introduction the history of The Troubles of Belfast and Northern Ireland a Black Cab Tour is a must. Not only will the tour allow you to see parts of Belfast you’ll never find on your own, but each private tour is led by a guide who experienced The Troubles firsthand. Tours take place in real black cabs, a form of transportation which arose out of necessity during the periods of conflict and played an integral role in transporting residents during these turbulent years. We had an immensely rewarding experience on our tour – so much so that we are going to write about it separately.

Numerous Black Cab Tours are available in Belfast, and they all tend to cost around 30 pounds for up to five people. They last approximately 2 hours and each driver tailors their own route and stops – however they are always more than happy to alter the route if there is something specific you want to see.

Our (White) Black Cab

The City Centre

Belfast’s city centre is absolutely teeming with life – a far cry from times past. Beginning with  the spectacular City Hall, you can easily spend hours simply wandering the lively streets that radiate out from Donegall Square to the Cathedral Quarter or the River Lagan. Some fantastic examples of Edwardian and High Victorian Architecture can be found in this part of the city. For a city of it’s size, Belfast has some truly stunning buildings and the architecture here is extremely different from anywhere else in the region.

The stunning City Hall

If you’re in Belfast on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and looking for something different, you can head down to St. George’s Market. Built in the late 19th century, the market was recently voted the best in the UK and is one of the finest architectural jewels in the city.

Belfast City Hall is free to enter, and they even offer guided tours. This is also where you can find the main bus/train station, tourist office, shared taxi ranks, and many local buses.

The city has some lovely pedestrian streets

A black cab sits in front of the famous Bittles Bar

Victoria Square Shopping Centre

As you explore the main downtown arteries, keep an eye out for Victoria Square, a sparkling new shopping complex right in the heart of the city centre. While the shopping here appears to be quite good, the real reason for visiting this modern complex is the stunning views from the glass domed roof on top of the building. Closely resembling the glass dome at the Reichstag in Berlin, on a clear day it’s possible to see the Albert Memorial Clock, City Hall, the Courts of Justice, numerous church spires, and even across to the Titanic Quarter.

Victoria Square is open every day and has nearly every shop you can imagine. There are also tons of food options and a cinema. Access to the viewing dome is FREE, and there also appears to be an attendant that can help answer questions, point out specific landmarks, or snap a photo of you – they even offer guided tours! 

The view from the glass dome with the Albert Memorial Clock in the foreground

Cathedral Quarter

After you’ve got your fill of sight-seeing and shopping, the best place to get some good food and drink (or “good craic” as the locals would put it) is the Cathedral Quarter. The neighbourhood, which radiates out from St. Anne’s Cathedral, has been revitalized over recent years and now reigns as the cultural and gastronomical heart of the city. Almost all of the best pubs and restaurants in the city can be found here – many offering live music and good value meals.

Meals at a reasonably priced restaurant in Belfast will normally set you back a good 10-15 pounds or more at dinnertime. The secret to eating out in Belfast is to take advantage of the amazing lunch Specials that can be found in nearly every restaurant – many of which offer BYOB to keep costs down ever more. We usually ate at a restaurant for lunch and then had a takeaway (4-8 pounds) for dinner.

St. Anne’s Cathedral

Titanic Quarter

One of the most interesting ways to spend part of a day in Belfast is to explore the Titanic Quarter. “She was alright when she left here” reads the sign that greets you as you make your way into the very place where the RMS Titanic and her sister ships were built and launched. The River Lagan separates the rest of the city centre from this district, which was once occupied by the Harland and Wolff Shipyard. Nowadays, the Titanic Quarter is one of the biggest regions of redevelopment in all of Europe – the brand new Titanic Exhibit sparkles in the sunlight, the SS Nomadic and HMS Caroline sit in dry dock, the monstrous yellow gantry cranes Samson and Goliath tower above, and modern new condos and shops give the district a vibrant feel.

The sparkling new Titanic Belfast exhibit

Samson and Goliath tower above all else

The real star of the show in the Titanic Quarter is undoubtedly the brand new Titanic Belfast museum. This futuristic building, built to the same height as the Titanic and (supposedly) in the shape of an iceberg, houses exhibits chronicling the construction and fate of the most famous ship in the world. Even if you don’t want to pay the enter the exhibit (which is pretty pricey in our opinion at 14.75 pounds), you can still admire the building both inside and outside or take a peek at the gift shop.

The easiest way to get to the Titanic Quarter is over the pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Lagan. More info on Titanic Belfast and the other things to do in the area can be found on their website.

One of the many harbours along the River Lagan

The restored Titanic Drawing offices where the ships were designed

A City Break

For those with an extra day in Belfast, you will definitely want to take a daytrip to the Giant’s Causeway – Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whether done by car or by tour, the drive along the North Atlantic Coast is one of the most breathtaking we’ve ever seen and is definitely a must see! We will be writing a post about our trip here so stay tuned.

A couple tour companies offer tours to the Giant’s Causeway (plus a number of other interesting stops along the way). They are priced around 20 pounds and take a full day. They include entry to the site at the Causeway and are pretty good value.

The “Big Fish” along the River Lagan

We thoroughly and unexpectedly enjoyed our time in Belfast. In many ways the city reminded us of our time in Sarajevo – another city ripped apart by politics and religion. In similar fashion, the incredibly resilient people that call this city home seem to be healing the wounds that were torn open so recently, and attempting to move forward. Currently 48 walls separating Protestant and Catholic communities still exist and many roads connecting these communities are still gated at night, but it felt to us like the “real walls” are starting to come down. Hopefully forever.

Logistics: The entire city centre can be explored very easily on foot. If it’s raining, you don’t feel like walking, or you are staying outside the centre, Belfast had a very efficient bus system (just tell the driver where you’re going and he’ll tell you how much the fare is). Alternatively, many shared taxis (black cabs) drive the main routes and will stop if you flag them down. Just knock on the glass when you need to get out and then pay (1.30 when we were there) through the passenger side window. This service helped people get around during the troubles (when buses were to dangerous to use) and continue to operate to this day – definitely a unique Belfast experience! If you need to store luggage, the Belfast Welcome Centre can do this for you for 4 pounds. It’s also a great place to get maps, info on tours, souvenirs, etc.

The post Belfast Visitor’s Guide – What to See and Do appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

The first 6 days of our time on the island will be spent in Northern Ireland. Our original plans did not include a stop in Northern Ireland, but after finding an amazing deal from Malta to Belfast, we figured we should take the opportunity to try something new and be a bit more spontaneous.

The amazing city hall in Belfast.

Traditionally known more for the “Troubles” than tourism, Belfast and the other amazing parts of this small region of Ireland are beginning to register on more than a few itineraries, and we are very excited to see what this area has to offer. From the Giant’s Causeway to a Black Cab tour of Belfast to a wander around “Free Derry” – we are expecting to have an absolute blast. Now if only the weather will cooperate…

The UNESCO listed Giant’s Causeway

Have you ever traveled to Northern Ireland? What should we be sure to see? Let us know in the comments!

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