Abercrombie & Kent: Tailor Made Northern Ireland: Belfast
Day 1 Belfast, Ireland
Arrive in Belfast, where you are met and privately transferred to your magnificent hotel just outside the city center. Built in 1876 as the official residence of the bishop of Down, Dromore and Connor, today the Culloden Estate & Spa is one of the premier five-star hotels in Belfast, standing amid 12 acres of immaculate gardens and woodland.
Culloden Estate & Spa
Meals:
Day 2 BelfastSet out on a privately guided exploration of Belfast, beginning at the Renaissance-style City Hall, affectionately called “The Wedding Cake” due to its tiered architecture. Admire the rich Italian marble of the entrance hall and sit on the mayor’s throne as you learn about the building’s history. Continue to St. Anne’s Cathedral, known for its imposing neo-Romanesque façade to view its impressive mosaics, as well as artifacts that include a copy of St. Anne's Book of Common Prayer that was written on cigarette papers in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Next, pass by Queen’s University Belfast en route to St. George’s Market, a wonder from the Victoria era that opened in 1896. Join your local guide, who leads you around the various food and craft stalls as you take in the pleasant atmosphere and sample local delicacies. Then, explore Belfast’s famous Titanic Quarter, named after the ill-fated ocean liner built at the city dockyards. Visit the iconic, purpose-built Titanic Belfast, where the ship’s story is brought to life in an interactive, nine-gallery exhibition with special effects, full-scale reconstructions and an undersea exploration center.
Culloden Estate & Spa
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 BelfastVenture outside the city to the Giant’s Causeway — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — where you take a private tour with a specialist guide. View this unique geological formation, which consists of hexagonal basaltic columns formed from cooled volcanic lava flow, noting where they disappear into the sea. Legend has it the Giant’s Causeway was built by a giant wishing to cross the stormy waters to Scotland. Continue to the Old Bushmills Distillery, Ireland’s oldest licensed distillery. Learn how its famous spirits are made using Irish barley and water from St. Columb’s Rill, a tributary of the River Bush, and enjoy a complimentary sample of your choosing. Return to Belfast and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.
Culloden Estate & Spa
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4 BelfastAfter breakfast, privately transfer to the airport and board your departing flight.
Meals: Breakfast
Belfast
Belfast is popular with travelers who come to discover the city’s physical beauty and renewed tranquility. Enjoy performances at the Grand Opera House, shopping along trendy Donegall Place and visiting numerous pubs along The Golden Mile. St. Anne’s Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is the principal church of the Anglican Church of Ireland and contains stones from every county in Ireland. Located next to Europa Hotel, the Grand Opera House boasts an impressive mix of large productions of opera, ballet, musicals and drama. Known as the Big Ben of Belfast, the Albert Memorial Clock Tower was built in 1869 to commemorate the Prince Consort. Built in 1849 as one of Queen Victoria’s colleges, Queens University is one of the foremost universities in the British Isles. The classical-style building of Stormont, erected in 1928-32 to house the Parliament of Northern Ireland, stands 3.5 miles outside the city. The Prince of Wales Avenue is exactly one mile long and is bordered by rose beds containing 600 of the famous Korona roses noted for their scarlet blooms.
Excursions
Belfast: Cultural Belfast - 8 hours
Belfast: Cultural Belfast - 8 hours
Belfast may be a small city, but it has a wealth of culture and excitement on offer for you to discover! Firstly, visit the purpose-built iconic ‘Titanic Belfast’. With over nine galleries, the Titanic story is brought to life for you with exhibitions, rides, full-scale reconstructions and lots
of interactive fun.
After a hearty Irish lunch (payable locally) head into Belfast city where your guide unravels stories related to “the troubles” of Northern Ireland. You cannot miss the murals across Belfast that offer a fascinating history in pictures. Although huge strides have been made in the fight to combat sectarianism in the city, the marks of the past can still be witnessed across the city, adorning the sides of buildings and walls. A tour of Belfast wouldn’t be complete without enjoying a pint of Guinness at the famous Crown Bar in the city centre. This 19th-century bar is an experience that is unique to Northern Ireland. You are privately transferred back to board your cruise after your tour.
Highlights:
- Explore the 'Titanic Belfast' and learn about the ship's fascinating history
- Learn about Belfast's turbulent past and visit the famous Crown Bar in the city centre
Tour Duration: 8 Hours
Tour Can Operate: Morning / Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Exclusions:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Belfast: Highlights of Belfast - 6 hours
Belfast: Highlights of Belfast - 6 hours
Today you are met by your expert local guide for a sightseeing in Belfast and the surrounding area. Spend the morning on a panoramic tour of the city centre, where you see the impressive City Hall in Donegall Square, St. Anne’s Cathedral and the buildings of Queen’s University. During this tour, your guide talks to you about the sectarian divisions that have been so prominent in Belfast in recent years. You also visit the Titanic Quarter, so-called as it was here that the ill-fated liner was being constructed a century ago. Your guide shows you where the ship was constructed and the Thomson Dock where it had its final fit-out.
Highlights:
- Take a panoramic tour of Belfast’s city centre to see the impressive City Hall and the buildings of Queen’s University
- Visit the Titanic Quarter where the ill-fated liner was constructed a century ago
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Tour Can Operate: Morning / Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 6 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Exclusions:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Belfast - Tour of Antrim Coast - Full Day Tour
Belfast - Tour of Antrim Coast - Full Day Tour
Depart Port by luxury vehicle accompanied by local professional guide. Leaving Belfast behind, head north on a scenic, northbound journey. Travel to the port of Larne and then join the spectacular Antrim Coast road. Onwards through the villages of Ballygalley and Glenarm to Cushendall, know as the "Capital of the Glens" and Ballycastle, host of the annual 'Oul Lammas Fair'.
Arrive at The Giants Causeway Centre.
Next, travel to the famouse village of Bushmills, which is home to the legendary Bushmills Whiskey Distillery.
Enjoy a 2 Course lunch with tea/coffee in the wonderful Distillers Arms restaurant.
Following lunch you will travel along the Coast up to the fantastic Dunluce Castle. It is thought by some to be the most picturesque of all Irish castles. Situated in the most north-easterly tip of Ireland and first built by Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster in the 13th century, the ruins of the castle are a huge tourist attraction.
The castle is surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops at either side; these would have been essential features to the Vikings and early Christians, who were drawn to this magnificent place where an early Irish ring-fort once stood. It is situated on a 100 foot high basalt stack with a sea cave underneath. The earliest features of the castle, the two large drum towers, about nine metres in diameter, can still be seen on the eastern side.
Return to Belfast Port on the motorway which runs close to some scenic inland countryside.
Inclusions:
- Private Driver Guide
- Giants Causeway visitor Centre
- Entrance to Dunluce Castle
- Lunch Including Tea and Coffee