Northern Ireland: Holiday apartments between coast, nature and culture

Northern Ireland combines striking coastal landscapes, protected nature and exceptional cultural sites. At the Giant’s Causeway, around 40,000 regularly shaped basalt columns form a paved surface. Footpaths provide access to the coast and offer views of the coastal landscape from the cliffs. Most of the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast protected area is a National Nature Reserve.

Nature

Glenariff Nature Reserve also showcases the landscape from its water-rich side. Boardwalks, paths and footbridges make it easier to access the waterfalls; the protected area also has a visitor centre and signposted trails. In County Down, the Mourne Mountains form a dramatic landscape with twelve peaks over 2,000 feet high. The Six Peak Challenge in the Mourne Mountains is designed to take three days and requires a high level of fitness.

Strangford Lough is one of only three designated Marine Nature Reserves in the United Kingdom. Along its shore, the Mount-Stewart-Lake-Walk runs beside a seven-acre lake. The Mount Stewart demesne also has ten miles of walking trails through woodland and mixed farmland.

Culture

Mount Stewart itself is a 19th-century mansion with a globally significant collection of paintings and other internationally important objects. The Temple of the Winds at Mount Stewart is an octagonal, listed 18th-century building with Grade 1 status. It stands on elevated ground overlooking Strangford Lough.

Castle Ward provides a different architectural accent: the 18th-century mansion is designed in a Gothic Revival style on one side and in a classical Palladian style on the other. The historic estate served as a filming location and backdrop for Winterfell in HBO’s Game of Thrones. The estate includes 21 miles of paths for walking, wheelchair use, cycling and horse riding. The Castle Ward Boundary Trail is a challenging eight-mile route leading from Audley’s Castle to the Deer Park. The Castle Ward Hoof Trail is a 7.5-mile horse-riding route through woodland and along the shore of Strangford Lough. The Castle Ward Shore Trail is a short, accessible 1.2-mile route for walking and cycling. Outdoor play parks on the Castle Ward estate are open daily.

Cities and routes

Belfast is connected to the rest of Northern Ireland by road, rail and bus services. In the city, Titanic Belfast presents the history of RMS Titanic across six floors with interactive galleries. In the Titanic Quarter, sea safaris or boat tours are available with views of the River Lagan.

The 400-year-old walls of Derry-Londonderry can be explored on foot. There is also a one-hour-and-30-minute storytelling experience in a brewery, including a tasting of house beers and local artisan snacks. The Causeway Coastal Route runs from Belfast to Derry-Londonderry.

Getting around

Inland nature experiences include the Marble Arch Caves, with a guided cave tour. The Marble Arch Caves are considered the most active river cave in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Other places in Northern Ireland

Armagh, Ards, Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena, Down, Fermanagh, Dungannon, Craigavon, Lisburn, Cookstown, Limavady, Derry, Coleraine, Carrickfergus, Tyrone, Newtownabbey, Newry, Londonderry, Moyle, Ballymoney, Magherafelt, Dungannon And South Tyrone, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Banbridge

For the main travel overview: Great Britain.