NORTHERN IRELAND
Bars and buildings
Among the myriad bars and restaurants is the National Trust’s Crown Liquor Saloon on Great Victoria Street, refurbished in the late 19th century in high Victorian style. You could also take in a show at the Grand Opera House, just opposite. Make a tour of the city’s most beautiful architecture, including the Northern Ireland Assembly parliament buildings, Belfast City Hall It would have been difficult to credit 20 years ago, but Belfast and the Causeway Coast have topped Lonely Planet’s 2018 list of places to visit. This follows the gargantuan visitor attraction Titanic Belfast topping the world’s best attractions in 2016. Clearly, Northern Ireland should be high on your bucket list of tours. Its capital has plenty to offer the visitor. In the Titanic Quarter, you’ll find HMS Caroline, the last surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland and now a terrific family visitor attraction. And don’t miss ‘The Big Fish’ (aka ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’) sculpture on Donegall Quay – each of the fish’s scales tells a story of Belfast. and St Anne’s Cathedral, or explore places that shaped the lives of singer/songwriter Van Morrison and footballer George Best. Decommissioned Victorian prisons are now tourist attractions, too – you can visit Crumlin Road Gaol, which ceased service in 1996. On the road from Belfast to the walled city of Derry, you’ll find Seamus Heaney Homeplace, which celebrates the life and literature of one of Ireland’s greatest writers. It’s not all about the cities – Northern Ireland is blessed with stunning natural wonders, not least the basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway, Lough Neagh, the Fermanagh Lakelands and Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. The beautiful Mourne Mountains are proposed as Northern Ireland’s first national park, while gorgeous drives include the Causeway Coast and the Sperrin Mountains. There is so much more to explore here – beaches, castles, glens, waterfalls and, of course, the locations for TV hit Game of Thrones. The province is definitely on our bucket list for 2018. ■ Turn to p7 of the Top 100 guide for site info