Four of these ten sit in Belfast or on its edge, and three of them could be done in a single day without leaving the city. Belfast Botanic Gardens is free, 28 acres in the Queen’s Quarter, and the reason to go is the pair of glasshouses: Charles Lanyon’s curvilinear Palm House, and the sunken Tropical Ravine reopened in 2018. Stormont Estate, 224 acres on the eastern side, suits a long walk up the avenue, the Saturday parkrun or the Mo Mowlam play park. The Titanic Memorial Garden is smaller and quieter, in the City Hall grounds, where the Belfast List names all 1,512 who died.
Colin Glen, on the western edge, is a different kind of day: 200 acres of old linen-mill woodland with an alpine coaster and a zipline launching from the Mountain Entrance, and calmer river walks at the River Entrance.
The rest are a drive. Glenariff and Glendun are two of the Nine Glens on the north-east side of the county; Glenariff’s gorge boardwalk passes three waterfalls and is at its fullest after rain, while Glendun is the deeper and emptier of the two, with the 1830s viaduct spanning it. Mid and north Antrim hold the town gardens, at Ballymena, Broughshane, Ballymoney and the Carrickfergus waterfront.
A free Victorian park in the Queen's Quarter whose curvilinear Palm House predates the one at Kew, with the restored Tropical Ravine sunk beside it.
Two hundred acres of old linen-mill woodland on Belfast's western edge, holding an alpine coaster, a long zipline and quieter colour-coded river walks.
The largest of the Nine Glens, with a boardwalk through the river gorge past three waterfalls and longer trails climbing onto the Garron Plateau.
The deepest of the glens, where the peat-stained River Dun runs through old woodland beneath the three-arch viaduct built in the 1830s.
A free 224-acre park on Belfast's eastern edge, with the avenue up to Parliament Buildings, a Saturday parkrun and an inclusive play park.
10 of 10 shown — tap a pin for the place.
Belfast, antrim
A free 28-acre Victorian park in the Queen's Quarter, minutes from the city centre. The draw is the two glasshouses: Charles Lanyon's curvilinear Palm House, which predates the one at Kew, and the sunken Tropical Ravine, reopened in 2018 after a £3.8 million restoration. Bring nothing, pay nothing, and give it an hour or two.
Stewartstown, antrim
Colin Glen is 200 acres of old linen-mill woodland on the western edge of Belfast, run by a community trust. It holds Ireland’s first Alpine Coaster, the Black Bull Run, its longest zipline, and its only official Gruffalo Trail, alongside colour-coded river and hill walks. The River Entrance is the quiet, family end; the Mountain Entrance is where the thrill rides launch.
Glenariff, antrim
Glenariff is the largest of the Nine Glens of Antrim, its forest park built around a river gorge with a boardwalk that passes three waterfalls. Beyond the flagship Waterfall Walk there are longer trails onto the Garron Plateau, red squirrels and hen harriers, and a National Nature Reserve rich in mosses and ferns.
antrim
Glendun is the deepest of the nine Glens of Antrim, where the peat-stained River Dun winds through ancient woodlands to the Atlantic. The dramatic three-arch Glendun Viaduct, a masterpiece of 1830s engineering, crowns the valley, offering spectacular views and a glimpse into the region’s history.
Belfast, antrim
Stormont Estate is a free 224-acre park on the eastern edge of Belfast, bought in 1921 for Northern Ireland's new parliament and now holder of a 12th straight Green Flag. Walk the avenue up to Parliament Buildings, run the Saturday parkrun, or bring children to the Mo Mowlam inclusive play park; WWII barrage-balloon anchors still sit on the lawns.
Belfast, antrim
In the grounds of Belfast City Hall, a nine-metre bronze plinth known as the Belfast List names all 1,512 people who died when the Titanic sank – the first memorial anywhere to record every passenger and crew member on one structure. It wraps around Sir Thomas Brock's 1920 marble sculpture, and it's free to walk in and read.
Northern Ireland, antrim
Ballymoney, antrim
carrickfergus, antrim
Ballymena, antrim
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