Things to do in Belfast with kids: the family guide

Belfast is small enough to explore on foot yet substantial enough to fill an entire week, and for a family that combination matters more than almost anything else.

You can have breakfast in the city centre, reach Titanic Belfast before anyone asks whether you’re nearly there and be standing beneath the glass of the Palm House in Botanic Gardens by mid-afternoon. A compact city means no lengthy transfers, no car park queues and no losing half the day to getting around.

What follows is a practical guide to the things to do in Belfast with kids, based on what the families staying with us tell us every week. It explains which museums have interactive exhibits worth the ticket price, which attractions are better suited to older children, where to go when it rains and which day trips across Northern Ireland justify the drive.

Nothing here is guesswork; it’s the list we’d give a friend visiting with their own children.

Why Belfast is great for a family break

The case for Belfast with kids rests on short distances, with most major attractions positioned close together and within walking distance of the city centre. The Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens share a corner of the city, Belfast City Hall is a few minutes from the main shopping streets and the Titanic Quarter is a single walk along the river. Less time spent travelling means considerably more patience left for the afternoon.

The value helps as well, since the Ulster Museum, the Palm House and the visitor exhibition at Belfast City Hall are all free, so the paid attractions feel like occasional treats rather than the entire budget.

Belfast isn’t a city of theme parks, but it is a city of people who’ll stop and chat with your children at a bus stop, which turns out to be the more valuable quality.

Day trips are straightforward too, since the Giant’s Causeway, managed by the National Trust, is roughly an hour and a quarter’s drive up the coast, while Strangford Lough is under an hour away, so you’re comfortably back in time for tea.

Titanic Belfast & SS Nomadic

If you only book one attraction, make it Titanic Belfast, which stands on the original slipways where RMS Titanic was constructed, in a building that matches the height of the ship’s hull. Although people often call it the Titanic museum, it works more like a story you walk through, with ten galleries of interactive exhibits following the ship from the shipyard to its launch, maiden voyage and eventual sinking. Younger children usually remember the shipyard ride, a slow journey through a full-scale gantry filled with noise and riveting, whereas older children tend to engage more with the recreated cabins and the footage of the wreck on the seabed.

Your ticket also includes SS Nomadic, moored a few minutes’ walk away in Hamilton Dock. The last surviving White Star Line vessel in the world, she ferried first-class passengers out to Titanic at Cherbourg, and smaller children often prefer her because they can explore genuine decks and rooms at their own pace.

• Ages and timing: children aged six and over benefit most, since some galleries are dark and text-heavy. Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours for the main experience, plus up to an hour on SS Nomadic.

• Booking: entry is by advance booking only, with timed slots, and online tickets (£24.95 for adults and £11 for children) are cheaper than paying on the day.

• Busy periods: weekends, school holidays and wet days are particularly popular, so the first slot of the morning is usually the calmest.

Belfast Zoo

Belfast Zoo is built into the slopes of Cave Hill, about four miles north of the city centre, which gives you sweeping views across Belfast Lough from the upper paths. The trade-off is the hills, which are steep enough to slow little legs. Most children head straight for the red pandas, lions and gorillas, followed by the sea lions and penguins at feeding time, so it’s worth checking the feeding schedule on arrival and planning your route around it.

• Ages and timing: the zoo suits every age, under-4s go free and a typical visit lasts three to four hours.

• Footwear and buggies: wear trainers rather than sandals. A buggy with reliable brakes works if you’re prepared to push it uphill, although a carrier is often easier for babies.

• Booking and hours: booking online saves £1 per ticket, or £2 on the family ticket (£44.50 for two adults and three children). From late September to late March the zoo opens 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 2:30pm, extending to 6pm in summer. Sunny weekends draw the largest crowds, so arrive for opening.

Ulster Museum & Botanic Gardens

This pairing makes an excellent free half-day, because the Ulster Museum sits at the entrance to Botanic Gardens, beside Queen’s University Belfast, and children typically head straight for the dinosaur skeletons and Takabuti, an Egyptian mummy who has been in Belfast since 1835.

Across the lawn, the Palm House is a Victorian glasshouse of iron and curved glass, while the neighbouring Tropical Ravine is a sunken jungle viewed from a raised walkway. Both are warm and humid, offering a welcome escape from a grey Belfast afternoon.

• Ages and timing: suitable for every age, completely free and requiring no booking, with around two hours needed in the museum and an hour in the gardens.

• Hours: the museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, closing on Mondays except bank holidays. The Palm House closes at 3:30pm and the Tropical Ravine at 4pm, so visit the glasshouses first.

Belfast Castle & Cave Hill Country Park

For a day of burning off energy, Belfast Castle and its grounds are free to explore, and children enjoy hunting for the nine cats hidden around the cat garden before moving on to the Cave Hill Adventurous Playground. Older children and teenagers can tackle the trails through Cave Hill Country Park towards the caves and McArt’s Fort, a steep and frequently muddy climb rewarded by a panoramic view across the city and Belfast Lough.

• Ages and timing: the playground and castle grounds suit under-8s, while the summit trail suits older children with some stamina. Allow half a day, or a full day including the summit.

• Footwear and buggies: wear walking boots or sturdy trainers. Buggies manage the castle grounds comfortably but not the upper trails.

• Hours and transport: the parks open at 7:30am and close with the daylight, around 6pm in mid-October and 4:30pm in winter, with Metro 1 buses running from the city centre.

HMS Caroline

HMS Caroline is a First World War light cruiser and the last surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Moored in Alexandra Dock in the Titanic Quarter, a short hop from Titanic Belfast, she makes an easy addition for curious children who have caught the history bug. The guided tour passes through the engine room and the captain’s quarters, with interactive displays and soundscapes throughout, although the Jutland film is loud and dark, so it’s worth warning younger visitors beforehand.

• Ages and timing: best suited to children aged seven and over, with under-5s free. Allow around 1.5 hours.

• Opening: guided tours run Friday to Sunday, and during Northern Ireland school holidays you can explore independently from Wednesday to Sunday.

• Practicalities: expect steep steps, and note that the engine room isn’t buggy-accessible, although buggies can be left in the Drill Hall.

St George’s Market

Inside St. George Market by McCIrishman, CC BY-SA 4.0

This Victorian market hall opens Friday to Sunday, and the weekend is ideal for families, since Saturday brings food and craft stalls, while Sunday adds antiques and local makers, and both days feature live music. You can graze your way through the street food, let the children choose a pastry and listen to whoever happens to be performing, a relaxed morning requiring no planning whatsoever.

• Hours and timing: Saturday 9am to 3pm and Sunday 10am to 3pm. Allow one to two hours.

• Quiet hour: the music stays off for the first hour each day, which is helpful for babies and for children who find noise overwhelming.

• Practicalities: late morning is busiest, so arrive early if you’re manoeuvring a buggy. Lanyon Place car park is a few minutes’ walk away.

 

Free things to do in Belfast with kids

A week in any city adds up quickly once tickets, snacks and taxis start accumulating, but a surprising amount of Belfast costs nothing at all.

Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens. Dinosaurs, a mummy, the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine are all free, although the museum is considerably quieter on a wet Tuesday than a wet Saturday.

Belfast City Hall. The free visitor exhibition fills 16 ground-floor rooms with the city’s history, while guided tours are free for under-18s, with a small charge for adults and registration at reception 10 to 15 minutes beforehand.

Linen Hall Library. Across the square from City Hall, Belfast’s oldest library dates from 1788, and children can wander its reading rooms while the café overlooks Donegall Square. Entry is free, with a suggested donation, although the library opens on weekdays only.

Parks and playgrounds. Ormeau Park and Victoria Park both have playgrounds and generous open space, while the Lagan towpath is flat enough for bikes and scooters.

Cave Hill Country Park. The trails, castle grounds and adventure playground are all free, and reliably exhausting for every age.

 

Where to stay in Belfast with kids: Second Nature Belfast

Families need more than a bed for the night; they need somewhere to make breakfast, a place to park the buggy and enough floor space that nobody trips over a suitcase in the dark.

That’s the case for Second Nature Belfast. As a Hometel, every room has its own kitchen and considerably more space than a standard hotel room, with the service of a hotel behind it. You can cook when it suits you and eat out when it doesn’t, and either way the children have room to unwind after a long day.

The location does much of the work, placing you in the city centre, a short walk from Belfast City Hall and the Cathedral Quarter, with the Glider running out to the Titanic Quarter. The team can also recommend destinations further afield:

• Ark Open Farm: an enjoyable morning for younger children.

• Ulster Folk Museum: a full day exploring a recreated early twentieth-century town and countryside.

• A black taxi tour of the political murals and peace walls: better saved for teenagers, who’ll appreciate the history.

Join The Hometel Club before you book, since membership is free and gives you access to exclusive member rates.

Belfast is easy to love with children, and it’s easier still when the place you return to each evening is designed for all of you.