VERDICT: WE GAVE 5 OUT OF 5 TICKETS AND HERE’S WHY!
This guide forms part of our complete UK Travel Guide, featuring scenic road trips, iconic destinations, practical travel advice and honest first-hand travel experiences from across the United Kingdom.
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A Day Tour of Belfast
Getting up at 6 am, I headed to the rendezvous point at the Gresham Hotel (23 O’Connell Street, Dublin) for the 7 am pick up. I was about to embark on a day tour of Belfast, including a visit to Giants Causeway, and The Game of Thrones filming locations with the Wild Rover Tours Company.
An Unexpected ‘Black Cab’ Tour Of Belfast
A road trip from Dublin to Belfast is short, scenic, and rich in history, taking around two hours without stops, though you’ll want to stop. Along the way, highlights include the historic town of Drogheda, near the ancient passage tombs of Brú na Bóinne, and coastal detours through the Mourne foothills or seaside villages as you approach Northern Ireland. Crossing the border is seamless, and the journey neatly links two capital cities with contrasting character, shared history, and plenty of opportunities for culture, coastline, and countryside in between.
Once aboard the 60 seat luxury coach, I had the pleasure of sitting next to a retired private school teacher. As we were to travel a number of hours, we got to share a bit of each other’s lives, it was fascinating to hear of he and his wife’s travel exploits around the world, and about their home city of Perth, Australia.
As we departed Dublin, the guide explained about the Millennium Monument, The Spire of Dublin located across the River Liffey. Dubliners were disappointed as the big celebration planned for the Millennium that was to include the monument did not happen as the monument wasn’t finished until 3 years later. It has been given many names (some I cannot repeat!) but one popular name that is frequently used is the ‘Stiletto in the Ghetto’.
We travelled for about 2.5 hours, heading to Belfast. We were given the option of either taking a Black Cab Taxi Political Tour or visiting the iconic Titanic Museum. I opted for the Black Cab Taxi Tour. We were dropped at a nearby shopping mall, grabbed a tea & a sandwich, then in groups of 5, were piled into a series of Black Cabs. My fellow travellers included a couple from Germany & students from Toronto, Canada. The taxi driver was full of vim & vigour, and couldn’t wait to tell us about the history of Belfast, and in particular, the division of Catholic & Protestant communities that still exists today.
Seeing and Understanding the Peace Wall
Our first stop, was called Battle of the Falls, where the famous murals of history are all displayed on the Catholic side of the Peace Wall. We got out of the cab in the pouring rain, were given umbrellas & marched along the Road of Murals with our tour guide in tow.
Passionately, he explained about the brutal violence over 30 years that took place in the streets of Belfast, with thousands of people losing their lives. This included his own personal trauma during the troubles. We spent about 80% of our time on the Catholic side & the remaining on the Protestant side. When we stopped at the gates that divided the two communities it struck home to me, that the violence and the troubles were still very real.
Dubbed ‘The Troubles’ – Northern Ireland 1968-1998
The memory of a 30 year stretch of violence in Belfast is still very apparent. The Catholic/Nationalist population together with the IRA (Irish Republican Army) was in a brutal conflict with Protestant led RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary), UDR (Ulster Defence Regiment) and the British Army. The aim of the IRA was to achieve a United Ireland by removing British rule. Violence in the streets was common between Unionist/Loyalist Protestant population and minority Catholic/Nationalists, including; rioting, house burnings, shootings & bombings.
Our taxi driver, Martin May, with Black Cab Tours, said “There were troubles on both sides. I will never forget the death squads (RUC/UDR), as they were known, who came & simply hunted Catholics to kill. On the other side, I recall the IRA getting information that leaders within the Protestant groups were enjoying a meal at a local fish & chip shop. They planted a bomb & blew it & everyone in it up. No one survived. They later found out the leaders had already left & innocent people were killed. The conflict in Belfast/Northern Ireland was officially ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. 3,500 people lost their lives & 50,000 were injured over the thirty year conflict.
When you enter Belfast, in particular along the Peace Wall, it is evident that there are many reminders of the conflict however even today the main gates between the two religious groups are locked every night at 6:30pm & all day Sundays.
Making a stop at Drogheda
Drogheda sits at the heart of one of Ireland’s most important historic landscapes, just minutes from the world-famous Brú na Bóinne.
Brú na Bóinne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to some of the oldest man-made monuments in Europe, dating back over 5,000 years, older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. The site includes the major passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth, vast circular mounds built by Neolithic communities for ritual, burial, and astronomical alignment.
The most famous, Newgrange, is precisely aligned with the winter solstice sunrise, when sunlight floods the inner chamber through a roof box above the entrance – a remarkable feat of prehistoric engineering. Knowth is known for its extensive megalithic art, while Dowth remains less excavated but equally amazing.
Visiting & Admission
All visits are managed through the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, located near Drogheda.
- Admission (approximate):
- Adults: €10
- Seniors/Students: €8
- Children: €5
- Family tickets available
- What’s included:
- Exhibition centre
- Guided tours to Newgrange and Knowth
- Shuttle transport to the monuments
Advance booking is strongly recommended, especially during peak season and winter solstice periods, as access to the tomb interiors is strictly limited.
Why It Matters
For visitors to Drogheda, Brú na Bóinne provides extraordinary context; transforming a simple stop into a journey back to the very origins of Irish civilization. It is not just an archaeological site, but a powerful reminder of Ireland’s deep prehistoric roots and its enduring connection to landscape, ritual, and time.
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