Most families thinking about a UK break overlook Northern Ireland, which is a genuine shame. It is one of the few places where a golfer can play a championship links course in the morning and spend the afternoon with children scrambling around a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Causeway Coast, Belfast, the Mourne Mountains, and some of the most celebrated golf courses in the world all sit within an area compact enough to cover comfortably in a week.
It is also closer than most people realise. Short flights from most UK airports into Belfast International or George Best Belfast City Airport mean you are not losing a full day to travel at each end. That accessibility, combined with how much the region packs into a small area, makes Northern Ireland one of the more practical choices for a family holiday where different people want different things from the trip.
The Golf: Two of the World’s Great Links Courses
For golfers, Northern Ireland stands apart from the rest of the British Isles. Royal Portrush on the Antrim coast hosted The Open Championship in 2019 and is one of the outstanding links courses in the world. Royal County Down in Newcastle sits at the foot of the Mourne Mountains with the Irish Sea in front, and regularly appears at the very top of global course rankings. These are venues people plan entire trips around. Premier Golf’s Ireland golf trip packages cover both courses and handle tee time coordination and logistics, which makes a significant difference when you are also running a family itinerary alongside the golf.
Portstewart Strand Course, a few miles along the coast from Portrush, is worth adding if you are spending time in the area and want a third round without the premium green fee of the flagship venues. Castlerock Golf Club, also on the north coast, has a more relaxed atmosphere and straightforward visitor access. Royal Belfast, the oldest golf club in Ireland with roots going back to 1881, suits those based on the eastern side of the province.
The Causeway Coast: Things to Do With Kids
The Causeway Coast gives the non-golfers in the group more than enough to do while rounds are underway, and most of it sits within easy reach of Portrush or Bushmills.
The Giant’s Causeway on the Antrim coast is a National Trust and UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed by ancient volcanic activity. It tends to work particularly well with children because it is genuinely unusual to look at and climb around, not just something impressive to stand in front of. There is no charge to visit the causeway itself, only for the visitor centre, which keeps costs reasonable for families.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, a few miles along the coast, connects the mainland to a small island above a dramatic drop. The National Trust manages the site and timed entry is required, but the bridge is safe for most ages and the coastal views from the island are hard to beat. Dunluce Castle, perched on a sea stack near Portrush, is another worthwhile stop on the same stretch and combines easily with a golf day given how close it sits to the course.
The Dark Hedges near Stranocum in County Antrim is a beech tree avenue that featured in Game of Thrones as the Kingsroad. It is free to visit and works well as a short detour. Teenagers who follow the series tend to find it genuinely compelling, though the beach at Portrush tends to settle the argument for younger children.
Belfast: City Days Out for All Ages
Belfast is worth at least a full day, ideally two. The city is compact, easy to navigate on foot, and has changed considerably in recent decades in ways that make it genuinely enjoyable to explore.
Titanic Belfast in the city’s waterfront quarter is the most visited attraction in Northern Ireland and earns that status. Built on the site of the original Harland and Wolff shipyards where Titanic was constructed, it is the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience and has enough to occupy a full morning for children of most ages. The SS Nomadic, a surviving White Star Line vessel moored alongside, is included in the ticket and adds a useful extra hour.
The Botanic Gardens near Queen’s University are free and a good option for an afternoon when the weather is reasonable. Belfast Zoo on Cave Hill suits families with younger children looking for a day away from the coast. For an evening in the city, the Cathedral Quarter has the best concentration of restaurants and bars and is an enjoyable area to wander before dinner.
County Down: Quieter Coast and the Mourne Mountains
County Down is less visited than the Antrim coast and worth including if the itinerary has room for it. Newcastle, the small seaside town where Royal County Down sits, has a beach, a reasonable choice of places to eat, and the Mournes rising directly behind the town. Tollymore Forest Park on the edge of town is free to enter and has well-marked trails through old woodland alongside the Shimna River. It has also appeared in Game of Thrones, which gives it an added pull for older children.
Strangford Lough on the eastern side of the Ards Peninsula is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that works well for a quieter day. Wildlife spotting, kayaking, and boat trips are all available on the lough. Castle Ward on the lough shore features as Winterfell in Game of Thrones and offers filming location experiences alongside its National Trust grounds and facilities.
Practical Details: Getting Around and When to Go
Northern Ireland is compact enough that a hire car from Belfast covers the whole region without long driving days. The Causeway Coast is roughly an hour from the city. Royal County Down at Newcastle is under an hour in the other direction. A week gives enough time to take in the coast, Belfast, and County Down without rushing any of it.
May through September is the most practical window. The golf season runs well from late April onwards, and most family attractions are fully open through the summer months. The Causeway Coast and Giant’s Causeway get busy in July and August, so early morning visits make a real difference. The shoulder months of May, June, and September tend to offer the best balance of reasonable weather, open attractions, and quieter main sites.
A Holiday That Works for Everyone
Northern Ireland suits families where different people have different ideas about what a good holiday looks like. Golf can fill the mornings while coastlines, castles, museums, and forest walks take care of the afternoons. The Causeway Coast would justify a visit on its own. Belfast deserves more time than most itineraries allow. The golf adds a dimension that takes the trip to a different level for anyone who plays.
It is closer than most families expect, easier to navigate than it looks on the map, and consistently more interesting than the number of people who overlook it would suggest.
What say you?
Thoughts on a Northern Ireland Family Holiday?
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