Titanic Belfast Review: Is the World’s Top Attraction Worth It?
More than 110 years later, we are still fascinated by the sinking of the Titanic. That is certainly the case with us — we’ve incorporated trips to see traveling Titanic exhibits as well as the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and historic locations in and around Southampton, UK. So a visit to the Titanic Museum Belfast was a must visit stop for us. Here is our Titanic Belfast review.
Belfast maritime history is significant, and this specific location is ground zero for the Titanic universe. The unsinkable ship that went down in April 1912 was built in Belfast. In fact, the museum is on the site of the Harland and Wolff Shipyard where the Titanic and her sister ships the Olympic and Britannic were launched.
The museum is a part of a massive restoration project in Belfast, Northern Ireland
called the Titanic Quarter. The former H&W shipyard has been transformed from an industrial site to a center for tourism, business, residential and entertainment all focused on the famed ship’s legacy. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ll be interested to know that the legendary series’ production was done nearby at Titanic Studios. Set jetting is travel inspired by film and TV. This hot trend will make Belfast a popular destination.
Our Titanic Belfast Review
Titanic Belfast is a self-guided tour. The curators of the museum call on all of your senses during the tour as you experience the sights, sounds, smells, and tons of stories about the ship. From its making, to its maiden voyage and collision with an iceberg, you get to experience first hand what it was like. For the Titanic Experience tour, you will spend around two hours in the museum. In our case, we trimmed some time off that total by not riding the little ride that travels through the galleries.
The Shipyard Ride is an immersive experience that gives you the highlights of the ship, from inception to its final resting place on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Storytelling throughout this entire museum is very well done including on this ride. They tell you the story of boomtown Belfast through the eyes of the workers who called the H&W shipyard their work home for years.
This is the definitive Titanic experience around. The museum has over 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, full of storytelling and one of a kind artifacts.
Several exhibits stood out to us. Most notably the violin of Titanic musician Wallace Hartley. This might be the rarest surviving Titanic artifact because of how delicate a violin can be. Hartley’s body was discovered over a week after the sinking, with his violin and case strapped to him. Many accounts of Titanic survivors mention Hartley and other musicians playing “Nearer, My God, to Thee” as the ship slowly submerged.
There are a total of about 500 original artifacts that survived the Titanic sinking. Life jackets and deck chairs along with many other items are there for you to take in during your visit.
The Cave
One of the more impressive technical displays is an area known as ‘The Cave.’ This is not some old dusty museum. The latest technology is integrated into exhibits through, especially at the Fit-Out. They use CGI in an area called the cave where they take you on a virtual tour of some of the ship’s most famous spaces. Every space that is displayed was created using the original ship’s plans, lit based on period photographs and fabric samples to match the appearance of launch day 1912.
The Slipways
We also enjoyed a stroll outside of the museum where the ships were built. The slipways feature markings to show exactly where the ships were laid out in the area in front of the museum itself. You’ll also find a commemorative plaque as well as some artwork.
If you have the time and want to explore, there are extensive trails you can access for free. The Maritime Mile runs from the City Quays, past the museum to the Titanic Pump House. There is also a self-guided two and a half mile Titanic Trail on Victoria Wharf which connects with the slipways and go to the HMS Caroline and the Thompson Dry Dock.
Titanic Belfast Tickets
The Titanic Experience during our visit was £24.95 for an advance adult ticket. Walk up tickets are available for about £2 more. That price also includes a self guided tour of the SS Nomadic, which was the original tender boat for the Titanic which ferried passengers to and from shore. The museum also offer an outdoor tour around the shipyard, and of course private bespoke tours can be arranged if you have the interest and the money.
Hours of operation change seasonally. We’d recommend that you visit the website to help you plan your visit and purchase your tickets in advance.
As mentioned, the Titanic Belfast location is on the old Harland & Wolff Shipyard, located at 1 Olympic Way, Queen’s Road, Titanic Quarter, Belfast. We arrived as a part of a tour and were dropped off at the front entrance. You can actually walk to the museum from the Belfast city center in under 30 minutes should you desire.
There are plenty of photo opportunities, including a chance to recreate your ‘King (or Queen) of the world” moment from the Titanic movie. As you might expect, they also have a well-stocked gift shop filled with every conceivable Titanic souvenir.
The Verdict: Should You Visit the Titanic Museum in Belfast?
For us, visiting the Titanic Belfast Museum was an easy decision. We’ve been fascinated by the story of the ship, its passengers and crew long before the movie. We thoroughly enjoyed this museum, and it exceeded our expectations.
Even if you are not a super fan of Titanic, this is worth a few hours. The first-hand storytelling, the rare artifacts and use of technology to bring to life this historic ship and event is impressive.
If we’ve convinced you to sample Northern Ireland tourism, might we also recommendation a Black Cab Tour of Belfast during your stay and visit the Peace Wall. Learn about the Troubles and the complicated history of this town. You can read our view here.
