Titanic Belfast: A Must-Visit in Northern Ireland

If you’re searching for the best things to do in Belfast, look no further than Titanic Belfast. It’s the city’s most iconic attraction and one of the top museums in Northern Ireland. Built on the very site where the RMS Titanic was designed and launched, this world-class experience tells the full story of the ship that changed history, and the city that built her.

Whilst on a solo trip to Belfast, I was invited to the Titanic Belfast Museum to hear all about the ship’s legacy and how it came to be. 

What to expect at the Titanic Belfast museum

Once upon a time, the Titanic was the largest moving object in the world, but there’s more than meets the eye. The innovation was more advanced than had ever been seen before, and the Titanic Belfast carefully pieces together these segments of history to provide you a well-rounded experience. Today, that legacy lives on inside Titanic Belfast’s award-winning galleries, where history, engineering and emotion collide in a breathtakingly immersive experience.

If you’re planning on visiting, here’s what you can expect.

Exhibitions at Titanic Belfast

Housed in an architectural landmark inspired by ship hulls, Titanic Belfast features nine interactive galleries that take you through the ship’s creation, voyage and legacy. These brilliant exhibitions cover the following points…

The Socio-Economic Industrial Setting of Belfast in the 1900s: This included linen mills, shipbuilding, and ropemaking to name a few. 

Construction of Shipyard and Ship: There are plenty of drawings and models to provide you contextualisation of just how incredible the Titanic was for its time.

The Maiden Voyage: This covered all things from how it’s launched, to what life was like on board (the room designs were quite something! No spoilers!), and of course the human stories.

The Disaster and Aftermath: This was the most insightful part, from hearing how the disaster took place to all the investigations, and changes in maritime regulations because of the Titanic sinking.

My favourite part must be the Shipyard Ride, which takes you on a cable car through a reconstructed gantry workshop. It gives you a first-hand POV of how the workers would be working and what they’d see and hear.

Accessibility

One thing we always look for as part of CGN is how accessible these spaces are, and this is the first time in a while a space like this has stood out in this category.

From adaptable cable cars to allow wheelchair users to participate, to having mobility scooters bookable. They also have carefully considered invisible disabilities by offering ear defenders, additional support for those with hearing or sight impairment, and staff assistance where needed.

How to get to Titanic Belfast

I walked from the city centre, which took roughly 30-minutes. It’s ideal if you want to by-pass some other local attractions en-route. Alternative transport options are listed below.

Train: If you disembark at the Titanic Quarter Station, it’ll take you a 15minute walk via the footbridge to reach Titanic Belfast.
Car: There’s lots of parking around the city if you choose to drive to the Titanic Belfast. Best to check on the day which car parks have availability.
Value Cabs: This is a partner taxi service which you could look into if you want to get a lift to the very outside of the museum.

A 100% City Girl Recommendation

What I personally think made this experience standout was that every detail was considered. I wasn’t aware of how much was manufactured and engineered within Belfast during the 1900s. 

I loved the journey through the museum as it provided context of the day-to-day life of Belfast, and hearing all the personal stories. It was the personal stories and reading the distress conversations that really tore on the heart strings! 

I’d 100% recommend if you’re visiting Belfast or Northern Ireland as a whole to give it a visit.

Find out more and book your tickets over on their website.

Written by Travel Writer and Bristol Girl, Tamara Lawrence (Instagram: @tamarabreeze)

Images were provided by Titanic Belfast