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Ulster Museum, Botanic

Companionship careBelfast

Days out in Belfast for an older parent

Nine places in Belfast that make a good day out for an older parent, from Titanic Belfast to Linen Hall Library. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated October 2026

Ulster Museum. Photo: Bazonka, CC BY-SA 3.0

Nine days out across six towns

The best places to take an older parent in Belfast

Six of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for three describes a step-free route, and five confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Titanic Belfast

Museum · Titanic Quarter

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast stands on the old Harland and Wolff slipways where the Titanic was built, and its galleries tell the story of the ship, the shipyard and the city at the time. There is a short shipyard ride, reconstructions of the cabins and a café inside the building.

All the galleries and circulation spaces are accessible, wheelchairs can be reserved in advance, there are accessible spaces in the underground car park, and a carer goes free with a paying visitor who needs assistance.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry, carers free

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Titanic Quarter

Ulster Museum, Botanic

Photo: Bazonka, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Botanic

Ulster Museum

The Ulster Museum is Northern Ireland's national museum of art, history and natural sciences, with galleries covering everything from dinosaurs and an Egyptian mummy to Irish art and the Troubles. It sits at the gate of the Botanic Gardens and has a café.

Entry is free, most of the building suits wheelchair users, push wheelchairs can be borrowed from reception, and the recommended routes have drop-off points to the exit if your parent tires.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Botanic

Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical Ravine, Botanic

Photo: Robert Young, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Botanic

Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical Ravine

Belfast's Botanic Gardens are a Victorian public park with rose gardens, herbaceous borders and mature trees, next to Queen's University. The glass Palm House and the Tropical Ravine, a sunken glasshouse of tropical plants, are both free to go into.

The Tropical Ravine has lift access to its walkway and an accessible toilet, and the flat paths between the glasshouses and the museum make it easy to keep the walk short.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry to the gardens and glasshouses

What their access information confirms

  • Accessible toilet

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Botanic

Belfast City Hall, City Centre

Photo: Giorgio Galeotti, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Day out · City Centre

Belfast City Hall

Belfast City Hall is the grand Edwardian civic building in Donegall Square, with a marble interior, stained glass and a dome. It has a free visitor exhibition on the city's history, guided tours and The Bobbin coffee shop.

The building has step-free level access throughout with lifts, three accessible toilets, and a manual wheelchair or electric scooter can be borrowed.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near City Centre

Belfast Castle, Cave Hill

Photo: Trevor Caruth (Uploaded by Johnnykimble), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle · Cave Hill

Belfast Castle

Belfast Castle is a Victorian baronial mansion on the lower slopes of Cave Hill, with gardens and wide views over the city and Belfast Lough. The house has a visitor centre about Cave Hill and a restaurant in the cellars, and woodland trails start from the grounds.

The castle has step-free level access throughout, including by lift, with accessible toilets on the ground and cellar floors, and the garden is reached by ramps or slopes.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Cave Hill

Crumlin Road Gaol, Crumlin Road

Photo: Z thomas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Crumlin Road

Crumlin Road Gaol

Crumlin Road Gaol is a Victorian prison that held inmates from 1845 to 1996 and is now open for guided tours of the cells, the tunnel to the courthouse and the execution cell. There is a restaurant, Cuffs, on site.

There is Blue Badge parking in the car park, adapted toilets on several levels and step-free entrances, but it is worth asking which parts of the tour route suit a wheelchair when you book.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Crumlin Road

St George's Market, City Centre

Photo: Eric Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Day out · City Centre

St George's Market

St George's Market is a covered Victorian market hall with around 200 stalls selling local food, crafts, antiques and flowers, open Friday to Sunday. There is live music at the weekend and plenty of hot food to eat inside.

Each market day starts with a quiet hour for people who prefer a calmer visit, which is a good time to bring an older parent before it gets busy.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near City Centre

St Anne's Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter

Photo: The original uploader was Stuart at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · Cathedral Quarter

St Anne's Cathedral

St Anne's Cathedral, known as Belfast Cathedral, is a Romanesque cathedral in the Cathedral Quarter begun in 1899, with large mosaics, stained glass and the stainless steel Spire of Hope rising from the roof. It holds the tomb of Lord Carson and hosts concerts and events.

Ramps are set up around the cathedral and stewards are on hand to help, so an older visitor can see the nave and mosaics without steps.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Cathedral Quarter

Linen Hall Library, City Centre

Photo: John Anderson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Day out · City Centre

Linen Hall Library

The Linen Hall Library is Belfast's oldest library, founded in 1788, and holds a large Irish and local studies collection in a former linen warehouse on Donegall Square. It has a café with views over the square and City Hall, and a gift shop.

Admission is free, there is wheelchair access throughout with a lift to all floors from the Fountain Street door, and the café makes a quiet stop in the middle of town.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free admission

What their access information confirms

  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near City Centre

Regular groups and events in Belfast

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Belfast.

  • Music · BelfastTraditional session at Madden's BarA long running traditional Irish music session in a city centre bar, listed on The Session and held regularly through the week. A carer can pick an early evening, arrange a seat away from the door and drive there and back so the outing stays short.Details
  • Music · BelfastUlster Orchestra concertsNorthern Ireland's professional symphony orchestra is based in Belfast and performs a regular concert season in the city. A carer can book seats near an aisle, look at the programme in advance and turn the concert into the whole outing rather than one part of a long day.Details
  • Dancing · BelfastDance classes for older peopleAge NI lists dance sessions aimed at older people in Belfast, including gentler classes where much can be done seated or holding a chair. A carer can go along to the first session, sort out transport and stay for the tea afterwards, which is often the point.Details
  • Photography · BelfastCB Camera Club, west BelfastA west Belfast camera club that has been running for over sixty years, with a regular programme of meetings and competitions. Suits someone returning to a hobby they had years ago, and a carer can go along for the first evening until it feels familiar.Details
  • Sports · BelfastBelfast Indoor Bowls ClubAn indoor bowls club in the city offering year round play regardless of weather, with league and social sessions. A carer can provide transport, carry the bowls and stay for the session so the person does not have to manage the trip alone.Details
  • Volunteering · BelfastVolunteer Now older people volunteeringVolunteer Now is the Belfast based volunteering development agency and has guidance and listings specifically for older volunteers. A carer can go through the options, help with the application and come along for the first few sessions.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Belfast

At a glance

The nine places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Titanic BelfastTitanic Quarterhalf a dayPaid entryYesYesAsk
Ulster MuseumBotanichalf a dayFreePartlyAskYes
Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical RavineBotanican hour or twoFreeAskYesAsk
Belfast City HallCity Centrean hour or twoFreeYesYesYes
Belfast CastleCave Hillan hour or twoFreeYesYesAsk
Crumlin Road GaolCrumlin Roadan hour or twoPaid entryAskYesYes
St George's MarketCity Centrean hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
St Anne's CathedralCathedral Quarteran hour or twoCheck pricesPartlyAskAsk
Linen Hall LibraryCity Centrean hour or twoFreeAskAskYes

Where the places are in Belfast

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

123456789
  1. 1Titanic Belfast, Titanic Quarter
  2. 2Ulster Museum, Botanic
  3. 3Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical Ravine, Botanic
  4. 4Belfast City Hall, City Centre
  5. 5Belfast Castle, Cave Hill
  6. 6Crumlin Road Gaol, Crumlin Road
  7. 7St George's Market, City Centre
  8. 8St Anne's Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter
  9. 9Linen Hall Library, City Centre

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Belfast

Carers in Belfast charge £19 to £21 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Belfast has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Belfast

Titanic Belfast in Titanic Quarter, Ulster Museum in Botanic, Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical Ravine in Botanic, Belfast City Hall in City Centre, Belfast Castle in Cave Hill, Crumlin Road Gaol in Crumlin Road, St George's Market in City Centre, St Anne's Cathedral in Cathedral Quarter and Linen Hall Library in City Centre. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The access information for Titanic Belfast, Belfast City Hall and Belfast Castle describes a step-free route. Titanic Belfast, Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical Ravine, Belfast City Hall, Belfast Castle and Crumlin Road Gaol have an accessible toilet. Ulster Museum and Belfast City Hall lend wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Palm House and Tropical Ravine, Belfast City Hall, Belfast Castle, St George's Market and Linen Hall Library. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 11 of the carers with a rate near Belfast drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Belfast shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Belfast

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Belfast

Days out in the areas around Belfast

Find a carer who could take them out in Belfast

See carers near Belfast who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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