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Queen's University, Belfast
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is an underrated and often overlooked region that surprises visitors with its striking scenery and urban vitality. While it shares an island with the Republic of Ireland, when you cross into Northern Ireland, you're crossing an international border into the United Kingdom (where you change stamps, phone cards, and money). Its coast boasts the alligator-skin volcanic geology of the Giant's Causeway and the lush Glens of Antrim, while its interior is dominated by pastoral hills and the UK's biggest lake, Lough Neagh.
Places
At a Glance
▲▲ The Antrim Coast Short, stunning stretch of coastline offering one of Ireland's best days out: the geologic wonderland of the Giant's Causeway, the Old Bushmills Distillery, the cliff-edge ruins of Dunluce Castle, and the exhilarating Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
▲▲ Belfast No-nonsense industrial revolution metropolis, with stirring sectarian political murals, grandly domed City Hall, theTitanic museum, and the charming Victorian seaside retreat of Bangor nearby.
▲ Derry Seventeenth-century British settlement encircled by stout town walls — infamous as the powder keg that ignited Ireland's tragic Troubles — with thoughtful museums and access to the rugged beauty of County Donegal.
Plan
Photos
Watch
Read
- A Day on the Antrim Coast, Ireland’s Scenic North
- Buoyant, Booming Belfast
- Delving into Derry