Top 10 places to visit in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the most popular travel destinations in recent years. I have listed some great attractions below that show just why that is.

Its the number one place to visit in Northern Ireland. 40,000 basalt columns reach up out of the sea, they were said to have been created by an ancient volcanic eruption, but legend would have us believe that the Irish Giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill built the causeway as steps to walk to Scotland to fight a Scottish giant Benandonner. 

Follow in the footsteps of Titanic's Builders on a fully guided walking tour of Queens Island, Belfast where Titanic and her two sister ships were designed, built and launched at the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard.

Perched precarioulsy on a 120 ft cliff top in the Downhill Demesne in County Derry, the temple was built as a summer library, its was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, near Rome and was built in 1785 as part of the estate of Frederick Augustus Hervey, Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol.

Voted as one of the top 10 best golf courses in the world, the Royal County Down sits in the shadows of the Mourne Mountains right on shores of Dundrum bay. Even if you dont play golf the area is well worth a visit for its outstanding natural beauty.

Considered as one of the best show caves in the world, the Marble Arch Caves let visitors explore an underworld of rivers, waterfalls, twisting passages and high chambers.

The caves are natural limestone and were caused by water draining off the slopes of Cuilcagh mountaint in County Fermanagh.

Take an open top Bus tour around Belfast to see how it was born during a time of engineering and industry.

Find out how it survived famine, disease, bombing raids in World War 2 and of course the political troubles of the last 30 years.

Tollymore Forest Park situated in Bryansford County Down was the first state forest park in Northern Ireland.The forrest sits at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and it offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the sea.

Considered as such a great family location, Tollymore was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 British picnic sites. Northern Ireland wedding photographers also consider it to be one of the best places to take scenic wedding photos.

Take the invigorating rope bridge to Carrick-a-Rede island where you will be rewarded with uninterrupted views of Rathlin and the Scottish islands.

The bridge which was originally erected by salmon fishermen, spans a chasm which is thirty metres deep and twenty metres wide and it makes for a great photo opportunity.

If you want to step back in time and see what it was like to live in Northern Ireland in yester year, visit the Ulster Folk & Transport Museaum where you will be met by costumed visitor guides who will guide you through the farms, schools and shops of the past, demonstrating crafts as you go.

At the end of a long day there is no better way to finish than with a wee tipple. Visit the Bushmills distillery home of the legendary Irish whiskey to see how the oldest distillery in Northern Ireland creates its whiskeys.