Day trip from Dublin Belfast
The capital of Northern Ireland, with the Titanic Belfast museum on the old shipyard site, 2 h 08 from Dublin on the hourly Enterprise train.
Is Belfast worth a day trip from Dublin?
Go. Take the 07:40 train.
Yes, and do it by train. The Enterprise runs hourly from Connolly and takes 2 h 08 to Belfast Grand Central. Take the 07:40 on a weekday (07:50 on Saturday) and you have from 10:00 to 18:00 in the city. A day return is € 35 at the station. Titanic Belfast costs £ 24.95 and needs 2 to 3 hours. Last entry is 1 h 40 before closing. Sunday has only 8 trains and the first arrives at 11:00, so pick another day. You are crossing into the UK: prices are in sterling and some passports need a UK ETA.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 2 h 08one way · Irish Rail Enterprise timetable
- Transport
- Enterprise train
- Self-guided cost
- € 35Enterprise day return at the station price; Titanic Belfast is £ 24.95 extra, paid in sterling · Irish Rail, Dublin-Belfast fares
- Tour price
- From € 80Civitatis catalogue
- Time needed
- 11–13 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- 24-26 Dec (Titanic Belfast)
- Best time
- Monday to Saturday, for the hourly trains; Titanic Belfast opens 08:50-18:00 in OctDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth a full dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Belfast
- 01
Titanic Belfast
Galleries on the site where the ship was built, including a ride through a mock shipyard. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours. The ticket also covers SS Nomadic, the tender moored outside.
- 02
City Hall
The domed 1906 building on Donegall Square, about 10 minutes on foot from Grand Central. The ground-floor exhibition is free, and guided tours of the upper rooms run several times a day.
- 03
Black taxi mural tour
A driver takes you along the Falls and Shankill roads and the peace wall on Cupar Way, explaining the murals on both sides. Tours last about 90 minutes and start in the centre.
- 04
Cathedral Quarter
Cobbled lanes around St Anne's Cathedral with street art, old pubs and many of the city's places to eat. It is 10 minutes on foot north of City Hall.
- 05
St George's Market
A Victorian covered market near the River Lagan, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Food stalls, crafts and live music. Half an hour is enough, longer if you eat there.
How to spend the day
Leave Connolly at 07:40 and arrive at 09:58. Walk to City Hall, then take the Glider bus or walk on to Titanic Belfast in the Titanic Quarter for a late morning slot. Lunch in the Cathedral Quarter around 13:30. Spend the afternoon on a black taxi tour of the murals in the west of the city. Take the 17:00 or 18:00 back, arriving at 19:13 or 20:13. The last train is 21:00.
Belfast in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustJuly and August bring the longest hours at Titanic Belfast, 08:30 to 19:30, and the heaviest demand, so book a timed slot before you buy the train ticket. Avoid 12 July and the day before: Orange Order parades close roads, many shops and restaurants shut and public transport runs a reduced service. Evenings stay light for the 20:00 train back.
Winter
December to FebruaryFrom November to March Titanic Belfast closes at 17:00, so last entry is 15:20: go there first. It shuts on 24-26 December. A Christmas market fills the City Hall grounds from mid November. Belfast is mostly an indoor day, which makes it one of the better winter trips. For the murals, remember it is dark by 16:15 in December.
How crowded it gets
Busy- Busiest
- Jul-Aug and cruise ship days, 10:30-14:00 at Titanic Belfast
- Quietest
- Weekdays Nov-Mar; first slot of the morning
Only Titanic Belfast gets queues. Book the earliest slot you can reach from the 09:58 arrival, around 10:45, or go after 15:00 when the tour groups have left. The rest of the city centre never feels packed.
How do you get to Belfast from Dublin?
Enterprise train
- Travel time
- 2 h 08
- Frequency
- Hourly Mon-Sat (15 trains), 8 on Sunday
- Cost
- € 35 day return, € 30.40 single
- Departs from
- Dublin Connolly
Direct to Belfast Grand Central, in the city centre. Trains leave Connolly at 50 past the hour from 05:50. Web fares on irishrail.ie are lower than the station price, so book ahead. Trains from Belfast leave on the hour, the last at 21:00.
Organized tour
- Travel time
- 12.5 to 13 hours door to door
- Frequency
- Daily
- Cost
- From € 80
- Departs from
- Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square North
Both tours are Giant's Causeway days with Belfast as the last stop. One gives you 1 h 30 free in the centre. The other includes entry to Titanic Belfast and 15 to 30 minutes of free time. Neither is a real visit to the city.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
City clothes and comfortable shoes, as you will walk 8 to 10 km. A waterproof jacket in every season. There are no dress codes. The Titanic slipways outside the museum are exposed to wind off the lough.
What to eat
The Ulster fry is the local breakfast, with soda bread and potato bread fried alongside the bacon and eggs. Try St George's Market from Friday to Sunday for stalls, or the Cathedral Quarter for pubs and lunch. Prices are in sterling and cards work everywhere.
What you will spend
The Enterprise is € 35 for a day return at the station, less on the web. Titanic Belfast is £ 24.95 and the biggest single cost. City Hall's exhibition, the Cathedral Quarter and St George's Market are free to walk around. A black taxi tour is charged per cab, so it is cheaper shared.
How to get the most out of the day
- Grand Central station opened in 2024. Older maps and guidebooks still show the Enterprise arriving at Lanyon Place, further from the centre.
- The Glider G2 bus runs from the city centre to Titanic Quarter. Buy the ticket at the stop machine before boarding, as drivers sell none.
- The free Ulster Museum in the Botanic Gardens is a good rain plan, but it is closed on Mondays.
- Spend any Northern Irish banknotes before you leave. They are sterling, but exchange desks in Dublin often refuse them.
How long do you need in Belfast?
Plan 11–13 h on site, plus 2 h 08 of travel each way from Dublin.
When is Belfast closed?
24-26 Dec (Titanic Belfast). Best time: Monday to Saturday, for the hourly trains; Titanic Belfast opens 08:50-18:00 in Oct.