Things to see and do

As the inspiration for C.S.Lewis' Narnia, and the current home of Game of Thrones' Westeros, Northern Ireland is a truly stunning land that is all too often overlooked in favour of its southern counterpart. Rain, or shine, there is plenty to do there! Below are a few suggestions of things which might interest visitors. We've tried to include a selection of things for all ages, but again, if there is something you'd like to know, or feel like we have missed, please do let us know.

- The North Antrim Causeway Coastal Route is a stunning drive that leaves from Belfast and winds its way around the coast to Donegal.
http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/Causeway-Coastal-Route.T186.aspx

- Titanic Belfast is a new, custom-built, museum which tells the story about the famous disaster
http://www.titanicbelfast.com/

- W5 is fabulously fun and interactive science museum. Designed for all ages to enjoy, the under 12's in particular will love getting their hands dirty (literally in some places) in this Belfast attraction.
http://www.w5online.co.uk/

- The Giant's Causeway, with its ancient legend of Finn MacCool, is a stunning stretch of coastline for those who like to walk. 
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/

- The Bushmills Distillery has been producing their whiskey for hundreds of years, and for the connoisseur, is a definite must see. They run guided tours quite frequently, and though you can hire a car yourself, you will find that there are bus tours that leave from Belfast itself which will leave you free to sample the oh so tasty wares of the factory at the end of your tour. 
http://www.bushmills.com/

- National Museums of Northern Ireland is a group of several interesting attractions from all over NI. Just a short walk from our wedding venue is the Ulster Museum, hosting Art, Human History and Natural Sciences. Further out out of the city, at Cultra, is the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, where they have recreated life in a rural village circa 1900. You can visit the printers, bank, court or even just buy some sweeties from the corner shop. Even further afield, in Omagh, you can visit the Ulster-American Folk Park and learn the stories about immigrants to the US.
http://www.nmni.com/default.aspx

- If you are a fan of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones series, then you are in luck. Much of the HBO series is filmed in NI, both in Belfast itself at The Painthall studios, and all over the province. You can take a guided tour from various places and companies
http://visit-belfast.com/things-to-do/member/game-of-thrones-locations-tours
http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/Game-of-Thrones-Tour-McCombs-Travel-P38823

- Get your guide.com is a website which is will inform you of available attractions in your destination as well as offering reductions for those attractions. We plan to use it for our upcoming holidays too!
http://www.getyourguide.com/

Places to stay

Our wedding is to be held in the Malone Lodge Hotel. The hotel has reserved a block of rooms for us and have offered a discounted rate for our guests. These rates are capped, and will not increase if you book at the last minute, but they were very honest with us and pointed out that it may be cheaper if you book well in advance. A quick look at a holiday/hotel booking website proved this to be true. Should you choose to book closer to the time, remember to tell the hotel you are guests of the Dancer/Glass wedding!

www.malonelodgehotelbelfast.com
Friday & Saturday;
Classic double £99.00 inc breakfast
Executive double £119.00 inc breakfast

1 bed apartment £100.00
2 bed apartment £150.00

Sunday - Thursday;
Classic double £88.00 inc breakfast
Executive double £108.00 inc breakfast

1 bed apartment £70.00
2 bed apartment £120.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Travelodge have a city centre branch just a short drive from our wedding venue. They are currently offering rooms from £36 a night for the night before, and the night of, our wedding.

http://www.travelodge.ie/hotels/224/Belfast-Central-hotel

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I checked on expedia.co.uk today (26/8/14) and they had hotel and flight for the weekend, departing from a London airport on saturday, returning the day after the wedding, from £215. For flight and accommodation at Malone Lodge, they were charging from £300 for the 4 nights, so it could be worth checking it out.

www.expedia.co.uk
www.travelocity.co.uk

Hello and welcome,

Thank you for joining us for our big day! We are understandably excited and we know that the time will just fly in, so we wanted to give people as much warning as we could in order to make any travel plans they might need. This blog is designed to give you an idea of where to stay and things to do, so if we are missing anything, please do let us know. 

As you will have realised by now, we plan to be married on Tuesday 26th May 2015. This is the day after the last May bank holiday, so if work allows, you might like to make a long weekend of it. Belfast, and Northern Ireland in general, has a lot to offer tourists, and we doubt you will be bored.