Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [515]
Return by the same route or catch any bus or taxi back to the city centre. There’s a bus stop across the road from the Milltown Cemetery entrance.
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BELFAST FOR CHILDREN
W5 Click here is the city’s biggest draw for kids – it’s hard to drag them away once they get started with the hands-on exhibits. The Odyssey Complex houses other attractions including a video-games arcade, a ten-pin bowling rink and an IMAX cinema. Belfast Zoo Click here is a perennial favourite, and the Ulster Museum Click here also has plenty of exhibits and special events designed for children of all ages.
For outdoor fun, head for the Botanic Gardens Click here or the adventure playground in Cave Hill Country Park Click here. Or you can try crazy golf with a difference at Pirates Adventure Golf ( 9048 0220; www.piratesadventuregolf.com; 111A Dundonald Touring Caravan Park, Dundonald Rd; adult/child £6/4; 10am-10pm), a landscaped, 36-hole course decked out with waterfalls, fountains and a giant pirate ship.
Sweeties may not be at the top of parents’ shopping lists these days, but you might be prepared to make an exception for Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory (Map; 9073 2868; www.auntsandras.com; 60 Castlereagh Rd; tours adult/child £3.50/2.50; 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4.30pm Sat). This 1950s-style shop sells fudge, candy, chocolates, toffee apples and other traditional sweets, which have been made by hand, and you can get a tour of the workshop before buying the goods.
Located outside of town but near enough for a day trip, you’ll find the Ulster Folk & Transport Museums Click here, and the Ark Open Farm Click here, both of which are hugely popular with kids.
The free monthly Whatabout? booklet (available from the Belfast Welcome Centre) has a ‘Family Fun’ section, which lists events and attractions of interest to travellers with children. If you’re in town in late May, look out for the Belfast Children’s Festival (www.belfastchildrensfestival.com), which is packed with cultural and educational events.
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TOURS
You can find full details of organised tours at the Belfast Welcome Centre. If you want to hire a personal guide, call the Welcome Centre or contact the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association ( 9753 3370; www.bluebadgeireland.org; half-/full-day tours £75/140).
Boat Tours
Lagan Boat Company (Map; 9033 0844; www.laganboatcompany.com; adult/child/family £10/8/28) offers two 1¼-hour boat tours: the River Lagan Tour ( 2pm & 3.30pm Mon, 12.30pm, 2pm & 3.30pm Sat & Sun Jun-Sep, 12.30pm & 2pm Sat & Sun Oct) heads upstream to Stranmillis, departing from the Lagan Lookout; the excellent Titanic Tour ( 12.30pm, 2pm & 3.30pm daily Apr-Sep, 12.30 & 2pm Oct, Sat & Sun only Nov, Feb & Mar) explores the derelict docklands downstream of the weir, taking in the slipways where the liners Titanic and Olympic were launched and the huge dry dock where they could fit with just nine inches to spare. The Titanic Tour departs from Donegall Quay near the Bigfish sculpture.
At the time of writing, Belfast Duck Tours ( 9032 1321; www.belfastducktours.com) was about to begin offering city tours in amphibious buses, part on road, part on river – check the website for details.
These tours are popular – it’s safest to book in advance.
Bus Tours
Belfast City Sightseeing (Map; 9045 9035; www.belfastcitysightseeing.com; adult/child £12.50/8.50) Runs 1¼-hour open-top bus tours that take in City Hall, the Albert Clock, the Titanic Quarter, the Botanic Gardens, and the Falls Rd and Shankill Rd murals in West Belfast. There are departures from Castle Pl every 30 minutes from 10am to 5pm from May to September, every 45 minutes from 10am to 4pm from October to March.
Belfast International Youth Hostel ( 9032 4733; www.minicoachni.co.uk; 22 Donegall Rd; tour adult/child £10/7) Recommended by many readers for its two-hour minibus tour that takes in all the city