7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Northern Ireland on Your Next Vacation ...

One of the reasons why you should visit Northern Ireland is something that many people outside of the UK (and plenty in it) don’t realize: it’s is part of the United Kingdom, not just a geographical region of Ireland. This means that if you’re on holiday in the UK, you can pop across the water without needing different documents or currency, or the need to queue to get through immigration!

The Titanic was built in Belfast, and where it stood during construction is marked out on the ground. You can stand in the middle and see how huge it was! There’s also the new Titanic Belfast Center which is an absolute must-see, and a whole area of the city is known as the ‘Titanic Quarter’.

The Giant’s Causeway is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, and for good reason. This Word Heritage Site is an incredible natural beauty spot and the locals love it just as much as the visitors. Plus, it’s located close to the small town of Bushmills which is famous for its whiskey, so you can fit in a visit to the distillery after a morning of enjoying nature at its best.

One of the best things about Northern Ireland is that if you go out for the evening in one of the cities or large towns and hit the local pubs, there is usually an abundance of brilliant live music. The atmosphere is relaxed and singing along is not just acceptable but often encouraged, and anyone who enjoys Irish music will definitely have a great time.

Tourists are often wary about visiting Northern Ireland because of The Troubles but it’s very safe for tourists, who are made to feel very welcome. The UN has rated Belfast not only safest city in the UK but the second safest city in the world for tourists, beaten only by Tokyo.

I may be a little bit biased because my partner is from Northern Ireland, but I really love the accents! Northern Irish accents are a bit like a cross between southern Irish and Scottish, but they can vary a lot in thickness, even within a very small area. You may meet some people there who you really can’t understand, but they probably won’t have any trouble understanding you if English is your first language.

There are beautiful castles and medieval forts all over the country, and this should please both lovers of architecture and history. Many of them have a museum so that you can learn about the history of each, too. And if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you may recognize some of the locations as parts of the television series have been filmed in Northern Ireland.

Hopefully more people will get inspired to visit Northern Ireland, because it really is a beautiful part of the world. I’m going back next month and can’t wait! Have you ever been, or would you like to?