Plan Your Visit
Coming to Northern Ireland for the Science Festival? We've put together some information to help make your visit easy and stress free!
Traveling to Belfast & Derry/Londonderry
We'd love it if you travelled here as sustainably as possible - there are ferry and rail options from Scotland, Wales and England and buses and trains throughout the country. Many of the NI Science Festival events are held in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. Here's some helpful information for travelling to these cities.
By air
Flights from all major UK and European cities arrive at either of Belfast’s two airports. Belfast International is 19 miles from the city centre, and George Best Belfast City Airport three miles from the city centre.
By boat
Stena Line sails up to six times a day between Belfast and Cairnryan, and up to twice a day between Belfast and Liverpool. P&O sails up to nine times a day from Cairnryan to Larne, and twice a day from Troon to Larne from the end of March to end of September.
By bus
Translink Metro buses are very regular throughout the day. A single journey bus ticket starts at £1.60. Smartlink day tickets start at £3.00 off peak or £3.50 unlimited See translink.co.uk
By train
Lines run between Belfast and Dublin, Larne, Londonderry and points in between. For routes and fares, visit translink.co.uk.
Contact Translink 028 90 66 66 30 or visit translink.co.uk for up-to-date timetable information.
Things to Do
Discover Northern Ireland and Discover Ireland are excellent sources of information on what to do and see during your stay here.
If you have time during your visit, or are staying in Ireland, you may want to soak in some more Irish culture, by visiting some popular tourist destinations. You can find guides to accessible venues here at sites all across Northern Ireland. Here are some of our suggestions:
Botanic Gardens
View on mapImage attribution: Albert Bridge / Flower bed, Botanic Gardens, Belfast / CC BY-SA 2.0
Bushmills Irish Whiskey Distillery
View on map
Crumlin Road Gaol
View on map
Titanic Belfast
View on map
Belfast Bus Tour / Taxi Tour / Bike Tour
Not got long? A quick way to see a bit of everything!
Where to Stay
To view the full range of hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses and hostels Northern Ireland has to offer visit Discover Northern Ireland from our Festival partner Tourism Northern Ireland.
Bullitt Hotel, Belfast - Official NISF Accommodation Partners
At Bullitt, their no-nonsense philosophy means no expensive mini-bars, bellboys and butlers so that they can deliver a top-quality service with no hidden costs. That means stylish, comfy rooms; fresh, local food; delicious drinks and an eclectic events calendar, all in the heart of Belfast city centre.
Bishop’s Gate Hotel, Derry/Londonderry
This elegant hotel dating from 1899 is a 9-minute walk from Peace Bridge and the murals in Bogside, and a 15-minute walk from Londonderry railway station.
Visit the website