The best things we did in Belfast with the kids

It is a long time since we last visited Belfast – almost twenty years. We had a really good time back then but a lot has changed so we were curious – would we be able to keep the kids entertained, and how has Belfast itself developed? In summary, we thought it was great and the kids agreed. This is what they told us they enjoyed the most, in precisely the order they shouted them out at us.

W5

W5 is an interactive science discovery centre, designed for kids to explore science and nature in a really hands-on way. It is in the same area as the Titanic centre, the new cinema and the Belfast Giants ice hockey arena. The name itself stands for Who, What, Where, When and Why? It is epic for both kids and parents alike. We spent a good four hours there but in truth could have stayed longer – the majority of the day out for sure (allowing time for travel, lunch etc). Each floor of the building is themed, and as well as the more permanent sections there are temporary exhibits and also seasonally themed live demonstrations.

Worth knowing about W5:

• The main entry fee got us into the vast majority of W5. We paid the extra three or four pounds per child to go in the softplay as well. Once in there, there is a small coffee kiosk to keep us parents entertained
• BUT if the kids just want to climb on some stuff, as most kids seem to want to do, there’s a free and brilliant climbing thing on the second floor that sees them climbing up netting tubes on seemingly floating leaves! Ours loved that too
• Our Visit Belfast Belfast Visitor Passes did not get us a discount at W5
• We bought a sandwich and soup lunch in the W5 cafe, but later in the trip we also used the Subway nearby which would have been a very viable option too

Went to the movies

It’s true – we could have done this anywhere. But it was cold and raining, and the kids loved it. What’s more, the new CineWorld in the Odyssey complex had only just recently opened so was sparkling clean and very quiet on a midweek day outside of the local school holiday period. From my perspective, the Lavazza coffee was the best we had in the area too. For the record, we watched The Bad Guys which was better than I thought it would be (even though I did snooze through a bit of it), and the kids absolutely adored it, lots of LOLing ensued.

Brunch at Harlem

Our flight wasn’t until mid afternoon so we had a leisurely final morning of checking out and travel to the airport. On the way we had a fabulous blow out brunch at Harlem, which is three or four blocks south off the south west corner of the city hall square in the centre of town. This was quite a treat for everyone given we had been pretty frugal with packed lunches and home cooking the rest of the trip. Their website seems to be out of action but don’t let that put you off. The pancakes were memorably outstanding, as were the more healthy options I took. I glanced with some jealousy at other tables where their Irish breakfasts also looked epic. We are generally rubbish at taking food pictures, and it was so good here we forgot entirely – this being the only one, after Dess had already demolished most of hers (perhaps a little too quickly).

Dockside trail

It turns out there is one, perhaps two, trails laid out around the docks. One of those seems to be maritime themed (obviously), while the other seems to be a series of Game of Thrones stained glass artworks. Regardless of the details, following the trail(s) kept the kids brilliantly engaged for a long period, despite a brisk and biting westerly gale. To be honest we are not qualified to judge the Game of Thrones art other than it looked good, as neither of us have seen the show. That’s not strictly true – Helen saw an episode once in Kirkuk, but that’s perhaps a story for another time.

Titanic Belfast

Of course we visited Titanic Belfast. How could we not? It is probably the star attraction of the city. Certainly a good deal of funding has gone into it, and it is pretty well done. Did it work with the kids though? Just about. The first half of the exhibition felt really quite crowded, tight and lacking natural light – leaving everyone a bit agitated and grouchy. The second half, after the ride around the dockyard, seems to open out and was generally much more pleasant. Given that we were visiting at what I presume was fairly low season, I’d assume this could get very crowded indeed in the summer.

The unexpected joy for us was the SS Nomadic, next door to the Titanic with entry included in the Titanic ticket price. The kids really enjoyed this, learning about the varied life of the vessel while actually onboard the ship. The hunt for treasure trail helped enormously in getting them round both Nomadic and Titanic.

On the buses

The bus is for us. Or at least it was for this trip. We didn’t hire a car, instead relying on the extensive Belfast bus network. This worked out well. With us coming in and out of Belfast City Airport the #600 did the job, while the G1 and G2 got us from city hall out to the Odyssey / Titanic quarter for Titanic etc. We initially got 3 day Belfast Visitor Passes that cover you for all buses in Belfast as well as giving discounts at attractions. In retrospect those would be economic if you used enough of the discounts, which we didn’t. For our other days we just bought a family and friends day pass each morning on the bus for £9 – bargain! Though note you need to pay cash for those on the bus – you can tap a card for other bus tickets onboard but not these.