Families

Planning family travel can be complicated; when you have organised the airline, agreed where you are going to stay, packed the luggage and found the passports you now must find things to do that will suit everyone. Belfast is walkable, an important consideration when travelling as a family group.

Activities are varied with attractions such as W5 meeting the needs of all ages while in the same Odyssey Pavilion there are more than 10 cinemas in the Storm multiplex, bowling and restaurants to suit all tastes, and all under one roof. There are numerous Belfast City Council leisure centres in many different locations across the city providing a wide variety of facilities and Dundonald International Ice Bowl offers both ice skating and extreme bowling including Indiana Land for the smaller family members and just around the corner is Pirates Adventure Golf.

Tour the city centre and learn about this fascinating place then plunge into the River Lagan in the same amphibious vehicle and learn astounding facts about the maritime history of Belfast. Take a visit to Streamvale Open Farm, or interact with history at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra; while at Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory you can watch the hand-crafted candy being made.

Just a few minutes from the city centre Belfast Zoo is considered one of the most attractive animal parks in these islands with a huge array of animals including reptiles, gorillas, elephants, giraffes, lions and the much loved penguins;  built on the slopes of Cavehill the views of the City and Lough are stunning; and while you are up there why not swing by the Cavehill Adventure Playground which is suitable for kids aged three to fourteen and includes cradle swings, slides, spring rockers, a sand play unit and a bictcle roundabout while for the older ones there's a spectacular space net and an aerial runway.

Just a short ride out of the city in Portaferry is the Marine Nature Reserve of Strangford Lough and Exploris Aquarium Northern Ireland's only public Aquarium and seal sanctuary.