Things to do
Forest parks and beaches, castles and harbours, boat trips and long lazy lunches. Here's how to fill a day out from High Mourne House, whatever the weather's doing.
Whether you've got restless kids, a dog that needs a proper run, or just a free afternoon and no fixed plan, you'll find options from quick outings close to the house to full days out further afield.
Nothing matches both of those choices. Try all types to see everything that suits.
Show all types →Titanic Belfast
Titanic is one of the best-known stories of all time, and here it is told on the very slipway where the ship was launched — the galleries work outwards from the shipyard rather than the sinking. The self-guided experience runs to about two and a half hours, and the same ticket takes you aboard SS Nomadic. Entry is by timed slot, so book before you leave the house.
Find out more →Plan a full day →Newgrange and Brú na Bóinne
A UNESCO World Heritage Site older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids — a 5,000-year-old passage tomb, famous for the beam of winter-solstice sunrise that reaches the chamber. You visit by pre-booked guided tour only, from the Brú na Bóinne visitor centre with a shuttle bus out to the monument, so book ahead and give it the best part of a day.
Find out more →Ulster Folk Museum
An open-air museum, and that is the whole point of it: you walk backwards in time between rebuilt houses, shops, a school and farms spread across a large site, so it needs decent weather. It runs separately from the Transport Museum across the road, with its own ticket, and pre-booking is recommended though you can pay at the door.
Find out more →Ulster Transport Museum
The indoor half of Cultra, across the road from the Folk Museum and run separately with its own ticket. Trains, trams, cars and the DeLorean are all under cover, so it works whatever the weather. Allow around two hours, and treat it as its own visit; pre-booking is recommended but you can pay at the door.
Find out more →Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens
Free to walk into, and a forgiving choice when a day has gone wrong: several floors running from Egyptian antiquities to modern art. Belfast's Botanic Gardens sit right outside — the museum is the part that stays dry, while the gardens and the Palm House are open to the weather.
Find out more →Armagh Planetarium
Northern Ireland's home of astronomy, where you can follow in the footsteps of the late Patrick Moore, its first director. A 360-degree dome theatre runs immersive shows from toddler-friendly to deep space, with hands-on exhibits alongside. It is all indoors — a dependable wet-weather choice — and a visit runs two to three hours. Book a dome-show slot ahead; exhibition-only tickets are sold on the day.
Find out more →Pair it with
Allow longer for Belfast traffic and parking.
A full day in Belfast
Titanic and Belfast city centre
Titanic Belfast is a morning in itself, so the simplest way to make a day of it is to leave the car at the museum and take the Glider into town. That puts you a short walk from Victoria Square, Donegall Place and City Hall for lunch and an afternoon on foot.
The G2 stops outside Titanic Belfast and runs directly to Wellington Place. Check Translink for current times. Museum parking is underground, with a 2.1 metre height limit.
translink.co.uk →Titanic and a Black Taxi Tour
Several long-established Belfast taxi firms run guided tours of the city's murals and Peace Walls, generally an hour and a half to two hours, with drivers who talk through the history of the conflict and the peace process. Most will collect you from Titanic Belfast or the city centre if you arrange it when you book, and these tours are worth booking ahead rather than looking for one on the day.
Allow the whole day for both. The museum alone takes two to three hours before a tour starts.
visitbelfast.com →Make a day of it, then soak it off.
Check your dates and make High Mourne House your base for the Mournes.