8 Best Downtowns In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland packs a great deal of personality into a small corner of the island. Its small town downtowns are the best places to discover the region's rich culture and heritage. Royal Hillsborough lives up to its name as it is houses the Hillsborough Castle, the official royal residence in Northern Ireland. Beautiful gardens, water features and access to the Hillsborough Forest makes this town a perfect travel destination. Holywood is another fascinating town packed with attractions like a living folk museum, an Anglo-Norman castle, and the Ballycultra Tearooms.Belleek is renowned for its Belleek Pottery and visitors can take a guided tour in the town's Visitor Center to learn about the process behind its craftsmanship. These eight towns demostrate that for those seeking good food, deep history, and scenery, Northern Ireland is an ideal destination.

Armagh

Armagh, located in the County of Armagh, wears its history out in the open, and that history runs deep. Known as the Home of Saint Patrick, is the spiritual center of Ireland after Patrick built his stone church on the hill called Ard Macha in the year 445. Today two cathedrals crown the skyline, both named for Saint Patrick, making Armagh the only city in the world to hold that double honor. Visitors can enjoy exploring the Church of Ireland Cathedral, which sits on Patrick's original site, the heading over to the Roman Catholic Cathedral which lifts its twin spires from a sister hill across the valley. While History buffs can wonder through the Ecclesiastical Trail between them, then trade the past for the cosmos at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, the longest running planetarium in the British Isles. When you need a break, head down to 4C Coffee House and Kitchen, on College Hill for a cup of delicious hot coffee and a mouth-watering pastry.

Dundrum

Dundrum is a breathtaking small town in County Down, approximately 35 miles south of Belfast. The view of this gorgeous little town starts at Dundrum Castle, a free-to-enter ruin built around 1177 on a rocky, wooded hill. Climb to the upper levels and be instantly rewarded with a full sweep of the Mourne Mountains, Dundrum Bay, and the patchwork countryside. Down at sea level, nature lovers will happily lose track of time at Murlough National Nature Reserve, which protects a fragile 6,000-year-old sand dune system, the first nature reserve in Ireland, laced with boardwalks through dune, heath, and woodland. To reach it, cross the beautiful Downshire Bridge, whose stone arches and rolling backdrop provide the picture-perfect background to share your excursion of the town with friends and family. Satisfy your hunger at the Blue Bay Café and Bakery on Main Street, where the fresh scones and pastries disappear as soon as they leave the oven.

Newcastle

Newcastle, located in County Down, is a little resort town proudly known as the place where the mountains meet the sea. The town sits at the foot of Slieve Donard, the highest peak of the Mourne Mountains and in Northern Ireland at 2,790 feet, with the trail to the summit starting in town, making it one of the most accessible mountain climbs in Ireland. Two prehistoric cairns wait at the top, along with the story of Saint Domhanghart, better known by his Anglicized name, Saint Donard, the hermit who gave the mountain its name. Down below, Murlough Beach rolls out five miles of golden sand under the same peaks, perfect for surfers, windsurfers, and anyone happy to walk for hours. Golfers can head on over to Royal County Down, which is frequently ranked the number one course in the world, with narrow fairways threading through "bearded" bunkers, purple heather, and golden gorse along Dundrum Bay. After a day out in the fresh air, The Percy French, located near the foot of the Mournes, serves pub classics, such as beer-battered fish and chips, and a Sunday roast.

Portrush

Portrush sits on Ramore Head, a narrow peninsula on the north coast of County Antrim, approximately 65 miles from Belfast. The town offers three beautiful sandy beaches, West Strand, East Strand, and White Rocks, for those who are looking to maximize outdoor leisure, beach hop, or both. Fun is at the heart of this town, literally, with Curry's Fun Park, the largest indoor amusement park in Northern Ireland, which keeps families busy with dodgems, a ghost train, and rides for every nerve level. Take a short walk east for breathtaking views of the limestone cliffs of Whiterocks Coastal Park, which have been carved by the centuries into caves, arches, and oddly shaped headlands with names like the Wishing Arch and Elephant Rock, all best appreciated from the clifftop path. Golf fans will be off to Royal Portrush Golf Club, the only club outside Great Britain to host The Open Championship, to cross it off their bucket list. Golfers are treated to a stunning backdrop of the ruins of the 13th-century Dunluce Castle and the beautifully manicured courses of the club grounds.

Royal Hillsborough

Royal Hillsborough is a polished Georgian village roughly twelve miles from Belfast, and its small size hides a very grand resident. Hillsborough Castle is the official royal residence in Northern Ireland, and it has hosted everyone from George IV to Queen Elizabeth II and now King Charles III. The real treat is outside: one hundred acres of gardens with flowerbeds, water features, the tree-lined Lime Walk, and a Walled Garden to lose an hour or two in. A few minutes on foot will guide you to the Hillsborough Forest, which spreads across nearly 200 acres around a quiet lake, with marked trails, an orienteering course, a woodland play area for children, and a digital sculpture trail added in recent upgrades. Watch for swans and ducks at the lakeside wildlife sanctuary. Back on the village square, Little Del Toro packs surprising space behind its front door and serves honest, seasonal food with excellent coffee for patrons from all walks of life to enjoy.

Holywood

Holywood hugs the shore of Belfast Lough between Belfast and Bangor, residing in County Down with a population of about 10,700. Well far away from the popular Hollywood, California, Holywood is not short of entertainment. Visitors can start their journey in the town with the Ulster Folk Museum, a living museum since 1964, where costumed crafters demonstrate blacksmithing and basket weaving along winding country lanes that recreate rural Ulster life. Set aside two or three hours to enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the Ballycultra Tearooms for a range of beverages and food offerings. In the center of town, castle enthusiasts can enjoy exploring the Holywood Motte, an Anglo-Norman castle mound shaped into a spiral by nineteenth-century landscaping, where King John is said to have stayed in 1210. Golfers can test themselves at Holywood Golf Club, an eighteen-hole course laid out by the celebrated architect Harry Colt in 1904, with a signature par-three twelfth that frames Belfast Lough.

Belleek

Belleek is the smallest stop on this list, a border village of fewer than 1,000 people where County Fermanagh meets the River Erne and the line into County Donegal. The town’s name is known to collectors worldwide thanks to Belleek Pottery, which has produced the town’s delicate fine china on this very site since 1857. The award-winning Visitor Center offers a thirty-minute guided tour through all sixteen steps of the craft, from molding and flowering to painting and basket weaving, and you can browse the museum, shop the showroom, and take afternoon tea overlooking the banks of Lough Erne. The setting is the other half of the pull to this town. Belleek sits close to where the River Erne meets Assaroe Lake, making it a natural base for walkers, boaters, and cyclists, with a little marina, public amenities, and a playground steps away. For a proper local welcome, McMorrow's, known to regulars as Frank's, is a cozy, family-run bar on the main street with an open fire and fine spirits.

Carrickfergus

Carrickfergus, or simply Carrick, is the oldest town in County Antrim, a community of about 27,900 on the north shore of Belfast Lough, roughly eleven miles from the city. The town’s showpiece is Carrickfergus Castle, a Norman stronghold begun in 1177 that has survived sieges by the Scots, Irish, English, and French and remains one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Ireland. Visitors can climb the keep, walk the walls above Belfast Lough, and explore the banquet hall and vaults, where lifelike figures and seasonal props recreate the past. Next door, the Carrickfergus Marina has held the prized 5 Gold Anchor rating for over a decade, and its promenade leads to a headland where onlookers can watch seals squabble for space on a rock just off the shore. For those interested in darker history, the Islandmagee Witch Trail is a two-and-a-half-hour guided walk past the old jail site and the haunted Dobbins Inn, complete with a warming Witches Brew. For lunch, PaPa Browns, a short stroll from the castle, plates up homemade burgers, steaks, and all-day favorites to reenergize visitors for more exploration.

Picture Perfect Northern Ireland

From twin cathedrals to witch trails, these eight towns exemplify how Northern Ireland proudly holds on to tradition and culture. Each downtown mixes something old with something lively, like a castle and a coffee shop, or a mountain trail and a hearty game of golf; the options are near endless. Wherever you are walking, biking, or driving through the small towns of Northern Ireland, there will always be a small main street with history on one side and a good pint on the other. Go slow and let each one surprise you.