Northern Ireland comprises six counties (Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Derry-Londonderry) that have been part of the United Kingdom since 1921. In practice, since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the border with the Republic is invisible: you pass from Dundalk to Newry without controls, just a change of road signs (miles instead of kilometres) and currency (sterling pounds, although some Belfast shops accept euros). From our Dublin agency, we count 2 hours by road to Belfast via the M1 motorway.

The terrain is more dramatic than in the south. The Mourne Mountains peak at 850 m at Slieve Donard, overlook Carlingford Bay and inspired C.S. Lewis for Narnia. Further north, the Antrim basalt plateau plunges into the sea in black cliffs between Ballycastle and Portrush. At the centre, Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles (390 km²), remains little visited but still feeds commercial eel fishing at Toomebridge. To the west, County Fermanagh strings together its two lakes like beads, Upper and Lower Lough Erne, which you can traverse by boat to the monastic island of Devenish.

Belfast has transformed over the past twenty years. The old Harland & Wolff shipyards, where the Titanic was built in 1911, have given way to the Titanic Quarter, with the eponymous museum opened in 2012 in an aluminium hull-shaped building. The city remains legible for those seeking to understand the Troubles: the peace walls still physically separate Catholic (Falls Road) and Protestant (Shankill Road) neighbourhoods, and the murals tell two parallel narratives. We work with guides from both communities for these black taxi tours, which remain the best way to approach the subject without discomfort.

The Antrim coast concentrates the most iconic landscapes. Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site, aligns approximately 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns formed 60 million years ago by the rapid cooling of a lava flow. 15 minutes' drive away, the ruined Dunluce Castle clings to a cliff overlooking the sea, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge has connected a small island to salmon fishermen for 350 years. The Glens of Antrim, nine glacial valleys descending to the sea between Larne and Cushendall, can be explored on foot in sections, notably Glenariff with its waterfalls.

Derry-Londonderry, the region's second city, preserves its 17th-century walls intact over 1.5 km, making it the only completely walled city in Ireland. The Bogside, a nationalist neighbourhood, houses the Bloody Sunday murals (30 January 1972) and its Free Derry museum. Beyond the sites, local cuisine embraces its British influences: Ulster fry at breakfast (egg, bacon, black pudding, soda bread and potato bread), fish and chips from Morelli's counter in Portstewart, and Bushmills Distillery (1608, oldest licensed distillery in the world) offers 1-hour tours with tastings.

Must-see

Giant's Causeway and Antrim coast. The 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns at the foot of the cliffs, then 30 km of coastal road towards Ballintoy with a stop at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge suspended 30 m above the waves.

Belfast and the peace walls. Black taxi tour with a local guide from Falls Road then Shankill Road, followed by the Titanic museum on the old Harland & Wolff shipyards. Allow a full day.

Derry-Londonderry walls. 1.5 km loop around the 17th-century fortifications, overlooking the Bogside murals and crossing the Peace Bridge which has connected the two banks of the Foyle since 2011.

Mourne Mountains and Mourne Wall. 4-hour hike to the summit of Slieve Donard (850 m), with the option of following the dry stone wall built between 1904 and 1922 that runs for 35 km along the ridges.

Lough Erne and monastic islands. Boat crossing to Devenish Island from Enniskillen, with its 12th-century round tower 25 m high, and stops at White Island and its seven Celtic statues.

When to visit

The most stable window extends from May to September, with daytime temperatures between 15 and 19 °C and days lengthening to 17 hours of daylight at the end of June on the Antrim coast. July and August remain the driest months (around 80 mm of monthly rainfall), but also the busiest at Giant's Causeway: we recommend arriving before 10 am or after 4 pm. April and September offer a good balance of daylight and crowds, with 12 to 14 °C and heather in bloom on the Mourne in August-September.

From November to February, temperatures drop to 4-7 °C, days shorten to 7-8 hours of daylight, and Atlantic storms regularly close the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. The north coast remains accessible but windy, with frequent gusts above 80 km/h. 12 July (Orange marches) creates occasional tensions in Belfast and Portadown: we generally avoid scheduling city visits on that date.

Practical advice

We recommend a minimum of 3 days for the region: 1 day in Belfast, 1 day on the Causeway Coastal Route between Belfast and Portrush, and 1 day in Derry with return towards Donegal or Dublin. To include the Mourne Mountains or Fermanagh, allow 5 days. The simplest entry point from our tours remains Dublin: 2 hours by road to Belfast, with no vehicle change or formalities, car rental covers both jurisdictions. Belfast International Airport also offers direct flights from Paris, Brussels and Geneva.

Northern Ireland naturally combines with Dublin and the East (southern axis), with Connemara and Galway via the Donegal enclave (western axis, 3 hours from Derry to Letterkenny then Sligo), and more rarely with the South-West and Kerry which require a complete loop. The standard of hotel comfort is equivalent to the south, with country B&Bs between Bushmills and Cushendall and urban hotels in Belfast and Derry. The region suits contemplatives interested in recent history, hikers (Mourne, Causeway Coast Way at 53 km) and families: distances are short, sites well-equipped, and children particularly enjoy the Titanic museum and Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.