No jaunt to Belfast is complete without a trip to Titanic Belfast. We weren’t sure what to expect from the Titanic Experience, especially with our kids (aged 6, 8 and 10) in tow, but it far exceeded our expectations.
The futuristic building looms large on the skyline of Belfast’s Maritime Mile, and the visitor attraction is as futuristic and memorable as the building it inhabits.
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Titanic Belfast is an immersive, emotional and has-to-be-encountered-first-hand experience. It is evocative and informative for adults, and engaging and interactive for children.
The Titanic Experience is a self-guided tour around a one-way system through 10 interactive galleries, using huge screens with audio-visuals, sound effects and artefacts. The rooms take you on a chronological journey from Boomtown Belfast, the Shipyard, the launch of the Titanic, the Maiden journey, the sinking and Dr Ballard’s search for the wreck. By the time you reach the final room with a suspended, rotating model of the ship above you and video imagery of the sunken wreck below your feet, you will be broken!
We spent two hours exploring the Titanic Experience, but you could easily spend longer, particularly if you have older children who would enjoy reading the information boards. Highlights for our children were the Shipyard ride (yes there is a ride!), the children’s trail and the video of the inside of Titanic (this video is immersive with 3 enormous screens surrounding you, making you feel you are actually exploring the interior of the ship). What was so impressive about the Titanic Experience was how it conveyed so much information without being dry. The 2 hours flew by, and each member of our family learnt a huge amount.
My favourite gallery was about the sinking. The distress cries from the ship are written on the walls, the sound of the morse code and voices of survivor accounts play overhead. Then there is a visual depiction of the ship sinking and a huge wall with a list of all the survivors and victims of the Titanic. It’s impossible not to be outraged and moved by it – life boat no.1 was launched with only 12 passengers on it, but it had capacity for 40.
SS Nomadic
Included with your Titanic Experience ticket is access onto the SS Nomadic or “mini Titanic”. The SS Nomadic is the last remaining White Star Line ship in the world and it actually transported passengers to board the Titanic for her maiden voyage. There are 4 decks to explore and the ship contains many of the same finishes as the Titanic, giving you a real sense of what it would have been like to be a passenger on that fateful journey. There’s also a chance to learn about the SS Nomadic’s role in the world wars.
Guided tours and plazas
If you’re still itching for more information about the Titanic, then you can do an award-winning discovery tour where your guide will tell you all about the symbolism of the historic slipways and plaza on the land around Titanic Belfast. Tickets cost £10 for children and £15 for adults but they don’t include entry into the Titanic Experience. If we were to visit Belfast on a mild day, I would be tempted to do this as a family.
This time however, we explored the plaza and slipways ourselves. Outlines of the Titanic and Olympic ships are inlaid in white stone, and you can walk the full length of the Titanic and even sit on benches which are positioned exactly where they would be on the ship. Our children loved running from one end of the Titanic outline to the other. There are plenty of spaces on the plaza to sit and contemplate or enjoy a picnic if the weather is good.
Facilities
Beneath the Titanic Belfast building there is a secure underground car park (charges apply). Inside there is a well-stocked gift shop and 2 cafes serving Northern Irish produce as well as the museum. There is also a 1900’s shipyard- style pub called Hickson’s Point which boasts traditional music and entertainment.
Price and Opening Times
Standard admission to the Titanic Experience includes entrance to SS Nomadic.
Ticket Type
Adult – £24.95*
Child (5-15) – £11.00
Child (under 5) – Free
Family Pass (2 adults, 2 children) – £62.00
Alternatively you could opt for the White Star Premium Pass
Adult – £51.50
Child – £28.50
A White Star Premium Pass includes:
The Discovery Tour (Guided Tour)
The Titanic Experience (Self-Guided Tour)
SS Nomadic (Self-Guided Tour)
A commemorative engraved souvenir
Adult Pass – £10 voucher* to spend in The Galley Café, The Pantry or the Titanic Store
Child Pass – A Special Gift
The Titanic Experience has seasonal opening hours, in the winter months it is open between 10am-5pm and in the summer months it is open between 8.30am-7.30pm. Last admission is 1 hour 40 before closing time. Check out the website for the opening hours for your trip.
