Holidays in Belfast

Belfast makes an easy base for days out, mostly because the things worth seeing are a mix of big indoor attractions and smaller, more particular museums that reward a bit of planning. You could fill a long weekend without repeating yourself, and you can shuffle the order around when the weather turns, which in this part of the world it tends to do.

Best for families

W5 in Belfast is the obvious anchor for a family day. It's the sort of place where children who claim to hate museums end up pressing buttons for three hours, and it works across a wide age range, so you're not stuck entertaining a bored teenager while a five-year-old has the time of their life.

Alongside it, PJ Land is squarely aimed at younger children, and Rainforest House gives you animals under cover — a useful combination if you have a mixed-age group and want two short visits rather than one long one.

For pool days, there are several options spread across the wider area:

• Tropicana in Newcastle
• Lagan Valley LeisurePlex in County Down
• The Lake Kilrea WaterPark in Portrush

Pick the one that fits the direction you're already travelling rather than chasing the biggest. Take swimming kit in the car boot regardless — a water park is the single best emergency plan when an outdoor morning falls through.

Rainy day options

Almost everything listed here is indoors, which is the quiet advantage of holidaying in Belfast. The Ulster Transport Museum in County Down is a good wet-weather choice because it's substantial enough to absorb a whole afternoon. The Linen Centre and Museum, also in County Down, suits a shorter stop, as do Store House, Kiln House and Miller's House — smaller museums that work well when you want something between a big attraction and lunch.

Check opening days before you set off. Smaller museums often keep shorter hours than the headline attractions, and it's worth a phone call rather than a wasted drive.

Heritage and history

This is where the region gets genuinely distinctive. The Somme Heritage Centre and War Years Remembered, both in County Down, deal with military history in very different registers — doing both in one day is possible but heavy going, so you may prefer to split them across a trip. The White House in County Down and Newry and Mourne Museum in Newcastle fill in older local history.

For something more personal, George Best's Family Home in Belfast is a small, specific visit rather than a half-day, and Seamus Heaney HomePlace in County Antrim is the opposite — worth planning a day around if you have any interest at all in the poetry.

Getting outdoors

The honest advice here is to build outdoor time around your bookings rather than treating it as a separate expedition. Arrive early for a museum and walk the surrounding streets first; take a picnic to eat outside between two indoor stops; leave the afternoon loose so a decent spell of weather doesn't get spent under a roof. The water parks at Newcastle, Portrush and County Down all give you a reason to be somewhere for the rest of the day too.

How to group it into a sensible day

A few combinations that hold together:

• Family day in Belfast: W5 in the morning, lunch, then Rainforest House or PJ Land depending on the ages in your group.
• County Down heritage day: Somme Heritage Centre, lunch, then the Ulster Transport Museum or the Linen Centre and Museum.
• Slower day: Seamus Heaney HomePlace in County Antrim, with nothing else scheduled.
• Weather-proof day: Tropicana or Lagan Valley LeisurePlex in the morning, a small museum such as Kiln House or The White House afterwards.

Two attractions a day is the sweet spot. Three is doable only if one of them is small.

Where to eat

We haven't got specific recommendations to give you for Belfast, so treat this as method rather than a list. Most larger attractions — W5 and the Ulster Transport Museum among them — have cafés, which saves you a drive mid-afternoon with tired children. For evening meals, check the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating online before booking; it takes a minute and it's published for every venue. Book ahead at weekends, and ask about kitchen closing times if you're eating after a late finish somewhere.

Making it a short break

Three nights gives you enough room for a Belfast day, a County Down day and one longer drive to County Antrim, Newcastle or Portrush. BritStays doesn't currently have any places to stay listed in Belfast, so you'll need to book accommodation elsewhere — worth factoring in before you commit to dates. Whatever you book, keep one day unplanned. Something will be closed, or the weather will be too good to spend indoors, and the trip is better for having space in it.