Family holidays to Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s capital is lively and modern with a deeply historic heart, a love of festivals and a talent for making everything from creepy prisons to legendary shipwrecks fun for kids. It’s also an amazingly green city covered in pretty parks from impressive Belfast Castle to the beautiful Botanic Gardens. And for a quick city break, Belfast is good value with loads of free museums and galleries, year-round offers on transport and accommodation and family tickets for everything from Belfast Zoo to the brilliant Titanic Experience.

• Belfast has a wide range of city centre accommodation, it’s also a business capital and many hotels offer excellent family rates at the weekend.
• Don’t miss the caverns under Belfast Castle, Ulster Museum, Titanic Belfast, Crumlin Road Gaol and Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory.
• Belfast has one of the world’s most famous St. Patrick’s Day Parades and the city’s Christmas celebrations are incredibly colourful – wonderful markets.

This is the county for outdoor adventure, endless freedom and fun days out that can easily turn into entire holidays. Cycling, sailing, walking, hiking and island-hopping are just a few of family activities in and around the enchanting Fermanagh Lakelands. And the county’s nestled on Northern Ireland’s border to the west so it’s wonderful for exploring ancient, fortified castles like Enniskillen and romantic Castle Balfour.

• Good for self-catering country cottages, family-run B&B and holiday lodges.
• Don’t miss Castle Coole, Devenish Island and Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark.
• Area for outdoor activity centres with skill schools and on-site family self-catering.

County Antrim’s dominated by a magnificent coastline of cliffs and headlands staring down into the wild Atlantic. It’s here you’ll find the Giant’s Causeway, one of Northern Ireland’s most famous landmarks, a World Heritage site and all-out wonder of the world. Coastal road or path, driving or walking this is a stunning country to roam around and as filled with myths and legends as it is with natural phenomena.

• County Antrim has a wide choice of family accommodation from country inns and guesthouses to coastal golf resorts and Belfast city centre hotels.
• Big, beautiful Atlantic beaches are great for surfing – wild walks in winter too.
• Don’t miss Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Glenarff Forest Park, the gorgeous Glens of Antrim, the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills Railway and sensational wreck-diving off Rathlin Island.

Armagh’s small and easy to get around, packed with history, myth, legend and overflowing with fantastic natural wonders. It’s the spiritual heart of Northern Ireland, where St. Patrick founded the first church in 445AD – Northern Ireland’s Cathedral stands on the same site today. Sometimes known as ‘Orchard County’, Armagh has an Apple Blossom Festival every May and is also home to Slieve Gullion the extinct volcano at the heart of the Ring of Gullion which kids will love for tales of the Giant , Finn McCool.

• Armagh City’s well known for its fine Georgian buildings. A good base for exploring the county.
• Don’t miss Armagh Planetarium, Observatory and Astropark, Navan Fort and the circular earthwork and Ardress House.
• Peatlands Park has over 15km of well marked walking trails – if you’ve ever wanted to try Bog Snorkelling, visit the park in June.
• See herds of deer at Gosford Forest Park and visit Slieve Gullion Forest Park to climb the county’s highest hill – views of the Mourne Mountains are sensational.

County Down is where the 60 plus peaks of the magnificent Mourne Mountains dominate the landscape, glorious sands are edged with enormous cliffs and pretty towns offer seaside family fun, all-year-round. Cranfield Beach proudly flies its Blue Flag here and Tollymore Forest Park is where to find all sorts of action from horse riding and hillwalking to bouldering, canoeing, abseiling, climbing and mountain boarding.

• Country cottage self-catering, pretty seaside hotels, forest lodges and cosy guesthouses are another good reason for families to visit County Down.
• Several of the Mourne Mountains are over 600m and the area is in the process of becoming another one of Northern Ireland’s wonderful National Parks.
• Newcastle is one of the country’s favourite beach resorts.
• Don’t miss Silent Valley, Castlewellan Forest Park, fishing at Kilkeel and the Newry and Mourns Museum in the lively city of Newry.

Derry-Londonderry’s Northern Ireland’s second city and the only remaining completely walled city in the country. Base a holiday with kids here for exciting living heritage museums, beautiful countryside and colourful events all-year-round.

• Large city centre family hotels and country house hotels and resorts.
• Don’t miss Tower Museum, Prehen Wood, Riverwatch Aquarium and a guided tour of the city’s 17^th century walls.

Drive the roads around Tyrone’s Sperrin Mountains and it’s easy to see why they’re included in the World’s Best 101 Scenic Routes. It’s a wonderful county for walking too and dozens of the well-marked routes are perfect for younger kids.

• Don’t miss the Ulster Folk Museum, Beaghmore Stone Circle, Ranfurly House Arts Centre and Springhill Plantation.
• Top county for mountain biking, cycling and hiking.