The first place on my agenda was to visit Titanic Belfast. I pre-booked my ticket, including entry time, which was £25. The Titanic was built and launched in Belfast and the building reflects the height of the ship. It goes through the journey of ship building and how the ship was laid out and decorated, the launch into the water and the sinking of the ship. It's really well done and the end was certianly emotive. I highly recommend it as a place to visit.
Included in the ticket is a visit to SS Nomadic which was used to transfer 1st and 2nd class passengers from the dock to the Titanic in Cherbourg. It has been restored and, whilst significantly smaller, was really interesting as it was also used during the war, before becoming a floating restaurant in Paris.
I was in Belfast so went to see the parade in the city centre. It lasted about an hour (I was near the start) and enjoyed the music, dancing and floats. There was also live music and entertainment in Cathedral Square.
I had some really great service when I ate out, so just recognising the great food and service at Frankie and Benny's Belfast (in Victoria Square) and Mumbai 27
For £28 I booked onto a coach trip from City Tours Belfast for a day trip to see the Giants Causeway. It made lots stops along the way, with particular visits to places filmed in Game of Thrones as well.
The Causeway itself is a walk down from the visitors centre, although there is a free shuttle bus too. The National Trust charge for the visitors centre, but you can walk down to the stones for free. I was not blessed with good weather and therefore the stones were rather slippery, but it was nice to be able to visit and see the area.
I took a bus down to the Botanical Gardens, which were very pretty and includes a Palm House and a Tropical Ravine, both stunning and under roofs. It is a lovely place to wander around in. The Ulster Museum is located in the Botanical Gardens and is free to visit, so I spent some time visiting the museum galleries before heading back to the city centre.
I went to Victoria Square shopping mall which has a glass dome at the top. I recommend checking it's open before you go, but it is free to go to the top of the dome and enjoy panoramic views of the city.
There's still a lot of things I would like to visit in Belfast, so might have to visit again, but it's a great city with lots to do and the people are very friendly. I would certainly recommend it as a place to visit.
