Belfast day trip from dublin

Disover the capital of Northern Ireland on the Belfast Day Trip from Dublin! Combining guided tours with independent sightseeing, you'll gain an understanding of Northern Ireland's complex and fascinating history. Visit the historical coastal town of Drogheda, important churches and Irish political sites.

Starting from a central Dublin location, your day trip departs early to beat the traffic on the drive north to Belfast. Your first stop of the day will be at Drogheda, on the east coast of Ireland, former home of St Oliver Plunkett - the last English Catholic martyr. In Drogheda, you’ll visit St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, where Plunkett’s embalmed head remains as a grim reminder of Ireland’s turbulent, religious history.

Your Belfast day trip will continue north onto Monasterboice, the Irish-Celtic monastery and cemetery in County Lough. This monastic site comprises historical ruins, a round tower and several stone Celtic crosses, including the famously well-preserved Muiredach’s Cross. Before reaching Belfast City, there will be one further stop at Proleek Dolmen, an interesting tomb structure that dates back to the Viking age (more than 3,000 years ago).

In the early afternoon, you’ll enter Northern Ireland and reach Belfast, the country’s capital city. Here you’ll have approximately two hours to spend at leisure, and your guide will happily offer directions to recommended lunch spots. Suggested Belfast attractions for you to see include Belfast Cathedral (also known as St Anne’s Cathedral), or the landmark site of Belfast City Hall on Donegal Square.

Your day trip will resume with a guided coach tour of Belfast City, where you'll be shown the Belfast peace walls that act as peace lines between the Catholic and Protestant communities. Look out for the wall murals that tell stories of community disputes from both sides of the fence. After a lighthearted introduction into the perils of Belfast politics, you’ll visit the Harland and Wolff dry docks, where the doomed Titanic ship was designed and built.

Before leaving Belfast, there is a final visit to the Irish Republican History Museum where you can see a large collection of artifacts that represent the history of the struggle for Irish freedom.