Days Out NI
Hand-written · Fact-checked · Free

Guides & Top Lists

The best of Northern Ireland, properly researched — every entry links to a full visitor guide with prices, parking and the honest need-to-knows.

Every guide we've written, in one place — hand-written, fact-checked and free. Each one links to full visitor guides with prices, parking and the honest need-to-knows, and it's all on the free map.

Start here

The two big ones — and what’s on right now.

By interest

The evergreen lists — the ones worth a drive whatever the month.

Tall timber towers and a steel tunnel slide at Hillsborough Forest play park

10 Best Play Parks in NI

8 of 10 free · Every corner

Zip wires, a giant's lair, a play-ship on the seafront and a rope pyramid in a walled garden.

Read the list →
Dunluce Castle on the clifftop

10 Castles You Can Actually Explore

All year · 4 free

Norman keeps, clifftop ruins and a royal palace — real drawbridges-and-drum-towers stuff.

Read the list →
The waterfall boardwalk at Glenariff

10 Best Forest Parks & Big Walks

All year · Walking free

Waterfall gorges, the Stairway to Heaven and Game of Thrones forests — walking is free at every one.

Read the list →
Bottle-feeding lambs at Streamvale

10 Best Animal Days Out

Hands-on · All ages

Bottle-feed lambs, meet penguins, hold an owl and wave at rescued seals.

Read the list →
Golden sand at Benone Strand

10 Best Beaches for a Family Day Out

Summer · All free

Drive-on strands, sheltered shallows and a seawater lagoon that refills on every tide.

Read the list →
Sunset through the Cushendun Caves

Game of Thrones Filming Locations

10 locations · Most free

The Kingsroad, Winterfell and the Iron Islands — Westeros wasn't built on a green screen.

Read the list →
The Gobbins tubular bridge over the sea

10 Days Out That Feel Like an Adventure

Ages ~8+ · Book ahead

The cliff path, the rope bridge, the underground river — days out that come home as stories.

Read the list →
A giant timber sculpture in the Sperrins

Story Trails for Kids

Year-round · 9 stops, 6 free

Gruffalos, giants, fairies and a wardrobe into Narnia — the walks that get children to the end without complaint.

Read the list →
The natural rock pool at Dunseverick

14 Special Places to Swim in NI

Summer · Mostly free

The swims locals keep quiet — a 1933 tidal lido, waterfall pools and a cove they've jumped for generations.

Read the list →
Rock pools at Ballintoy at low tide

20 Best Rock Pooling Spots in NI

Summer · Go at low tide

From Dunseverick's deep pools to an Exploris touch-pool finish — twenty spots locals actually rate.

Read the list →
The underground boat ride at Marble Arch Caves

10 Best Rainy Day Days Out

All-weather · Across NI

Rain doesn't cancel a day out here — it hands you the excuse for the indoor greats.

Read the list →

By county & area

The best things to do in every county — plus the coast, the Mournes, the lakes and the long drives.

The dramatic Antrim coast

15 Best Things to Do in County Antrim

County guide · Coast, glens & castles

The Giant's Causeway, the Dark Hedges, the Glens, the Gobbins and Rathlin — the county with the greatest hits.

Read the list →
The Mourne Mountains sweeping to the sea

15 Best Things to Do in County Down

County guide · Mournes to Strangford

Mount Stewart, Tollymore, Castle Ward's Winterfell and the mountains that sweep down to the sea.

Read the list →
Armagh's twin-spired cathedral on the hill

15 Best Things to Do in County Armagh

County guide · The Orchard County

A planetarium, an ancient royal fort, Slieve Gullion's fairy trail and its own crisp-factory castle.

Read the list →
The Peace Bridge over the River Foyle in Derry

15 Best Things to Do in County Derry~Londonderry

County guide · The North West

The walled city, the Peace Bridge, the Bogside murals, Mussenden Temple and seven miles of Benone sand.

Read the list →
The Sperrin Mountains of Tyrone

15 Best Things to Do in County Tyrone

County guide · The Sperrins

The Ulster American Folk Park, Ireland's darkest skies, Bronze-Age stone circles and forest sculpture trails.

Read the list →
Lough Erne in the Fermanagh lakelands

15 Best Things to Do in County Fermanagh

County guide · The Lakelands

Show-caves, the 'Stairway to Heaven', monastic islands and the great lakes of Lough Erne.

Read the list →
Whiterocks Beach on the Causeway Coast

10 Best Things on the Causeway Coast

Area · 6 free

One road, ten brilliant days out — from the Causeway stones to ice cream on the Ballycastle prom.

Read the list →
The Mournes reflected on wet sand at Murlough

Best Days Out in the Mournes

Area · County Down

Granite mountains, forest parks, castles and warm shallow beaches — one corner of Down, one short drive.

Read the list →
The Devenish Island round tower on Lough Erne

Best Days Out around Lough Erne

Area · Fermanagh

Cave rivers, an island monastery, grand houses and the famous boardwalk — the lake county has the lot.

Read the list →
Titanic Belfast at sunset

10 Best Things to Do in Belfast with Kids

City · 3 free

World-class children's days out, most of them minutes apart — and three completely free.

Read the list →
The Belfast skyline with Cave Hill behind the city

Free Things to Do in Belfast

Year-round · 18 days out, all free

The Ulster Museum, the Palm House, City Hall, Cave Hill, the Titanic slipways, St George’s Market and more.

Read the list →
Carrickfergus Castle at dusk

12 Day Trips From Belfast (By Car + Train)

12 trips · 5 by train

Twelve proper escapes from the city — out after breakfast, home for dinner.

Read the list →
The basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway on the Antrim coast

Causeway Coastal Route Itinerary

Road trip · 16 stops in driving order

Belfast to Derry stop by stop, with 1, 2 and 3-day plans — and one tap loads the whole route into the map.

Plan the drive →
A woodland path beside water at Hillsborough Forest

Where to Stop on the A1

On the drive · Belfast to Newry

Nine stops worth pulling off for — toilets, real food and somewhere the children can actually run, plus the long stretch with nothing.

See the stops →

By season

Halloween and Christmas — the dates worth planning around.

The Derry Halloween carnival at night

The Best Halloween Events in NI

October · Europe's biggest Halloween

Derry Halloween, Boo at the Zoo, spooky estate trails and pumpkin patches — with fright levels flagged.

Read the list →
Rows of pumpkins in a pick-your-own patch

The Best Pumpkin Patches in NI

October · Pick your own

Ten pick-your-own patches with carving, spooky trails and farm animals, from the Ards to the Sperrins.

Read the list →
A candlelit corridor in a haunted historic building

Ghost Tours & Spooky Nights

Autumn · 12 tours, fright levels flagged

Crumlin Road Gaol, Carrickfergus, the Islandmagee witches, Armagh Gaol and gentle lantern walks for little ones.

Read the list →
A Santa's grotto set with a fireplace, Christmas tree and red velvet throne

Santa's Grottos in NI

Nov–Dec · 15 places to meet Santa

Farm grottos, castle walk-throughs, a train to the North Pole and a free light trail, with dates and booking tips.

Read the list →
A town centre Christmas tree and lights at the moment of the switch-on

Christmas Lights Switch-Ons

November · Every council area, all free

What happens at every town’s switch-on across NI, and the 2026 dates as each council confirms them.

Read the list →
Wooden chalets and festive lights at the Belfast Christmas Market

Christmas Markets in NI

Nov–Dec · 12 markets & craft fairs

Belfast City Hall, the Armagh Georgian Festival, Derry's Guildhall Square, Enniskillen Castle and the best local craft fairs.

Read the list →
The Belfast Christmas Market at City Hall

The Best Christmas Events in NI

Nov–Jan · The whole festive season

The Belfast market, glittering light trails, castle Christmases, pantos, festive skating and Santa.

Read the list →
A castle estate lit up for Christmas

Christmas at NI's Castles & Estates

December · Light trails & grand houses

Glenarm's big light experience, the Snowman trail at Hillsborough and the National Trust estates dressed up.

Read the list →
A colourful pantomime on stage

The Best Pantomimes in NI

Nov–Jan · All six counties

Oh yes it is — from the Grand Opera House spectacle to Newry's fifty-year community panto.

Read the list →

Who you’re with & the practical bits

Pick by the people in the car — plus the dates and the maths.

The best places and events in NI — twice a week, free.Newsletter, Mondays and Fridays · one tap to stop