Northern Ireland
From World travel guide
Northern Ireland consists of the six north-easterly counties of the island of Ireland, and is a part of the United Kingdom. Whilst having a reputation for violence and sectarian conflict, it is nonetheless a fascinating province with much to offer in the way of beautiful scenery and cosmopolitan cities.
Contents |
Cities
Major Towns
Counties
Get in
Immigration and visa requirements
Northern Ireland has the same immigration and visa requirements as the rest of the UK.
- Citizens of the European Union do not require a visa, and have permanent residency and working rights in the UK. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland have additional rights allowing them to vote in elections.
- Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland also have permanent residency rights, but may require a work permit in some circumstances.
- Citizens of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States do not require a visa for visits under 6 months.
- Most other countries will require a visa, which can be obtained from the nearest British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.
- The UK also operates a Working Holidaymaker Scheme for citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations, and British dependent territories. This allows residency in the UK for up to 2 years, with limited working rights.
For more information of UK Immigration and visa requirements, see the UK's Home Office website
By Air
The main airports in Northern Ireland are:
- Belfast City Airport is 2 miles from Belfast City Centre, and serves domestic UK and Ireland. Airlines using the airport include:
- British Airways to Manchester
- bmi to London Heathrow
- flybe to Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Newcastle, Norwich and Southampton
- Belfast International Airport is the only international airport in Northern Ireland and is used by the following airlines:
- bmibaby to Birmingham, Cardiff, Durham Tees Valley, Manchester and Nottingham
- Easyjet to Alicante, Amsterdam, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Malaga, Newcastle, Nice, Paris
- Continental Airlines to New York (Newark)
- Zoom to Toronto
- City of Derry Airport is a smaller regional airport serving County Derry and is used by:
- Aer Arann to Birmingham and Manchester
- British Airways to Glasgow and Manchester
- Ryanair to London Stansted
By Train
Northern Ireland's train network is connected to the Irish Republic and direct services are available between Belfast and Dublin. Translink operate services and bookings can be made through their website.
By Car
Roads link Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, however, take care when crossing the border as road signs in the Republic Of Ireland are mostly metric (kilometres) and road signs in Northern Ireland are all imperial (miles).
By Boat
Ferry services link Northern Ireland with Stranraer and Cairnryan in Scotland, and also Liverpool in England.
Get around
By car
Northern Ireland has a limited motorway system, connecting Belfast to Dungannon, Ballymena and Newtonabbey. All large towns and cities are well connected by road. The speed limits are -
Motorways (Blue signs) - 70 miles per hour.
Other roads (Green & white signs) - 60 miles per hour.
Urban areas (towns and cities) - 30 miles per hour.
By bus or train
Translink operate the Northern Ireland public transport system.
Talk
English is spoken everywhere. There are a wide range of regional dialects. Ulster Scots and Irish are used in some small communities. Do be aware though that the Northern Irish tend to speak quite rapidly compared to most English speakers, and have a huge arsenal of local words that are frequently dropped into conversation by speakers of all ages and groups.
Drink
Bushmills whiskey is made in the town of the same name on the north coast, and distillery tours are highly recommended. Belfast produces its own range of ales. Depending on their license, most bars stop serving alcohol at either 11pm or 1am. Some clubs serve until later, and some bars have (illegal) "lock-ins" where the doors are locked at closing time, but people can stay and drink for longer. You usually have to be known by the bar staff to be allowed to remain, however.
Stay safe
Northern Ireland has a reputation as a dangerous place but almost all visitors experience a trouble-free stay. Avoid being alone at night in urban areas, and avoid wearing clothes that could mark you out as being from one community or the other (for example Celtic or Rangers kits). Avoid political gatherings where possible.
Contact
The country code for Northern Ireland is the same as the rest of the UK, +44. The code for the whole of Northern Ireland is 028, with the 0 being dropped for inbound international calls. Northern Ireland numbers can be called from the Republic of Ireland by replacing the area code 028 with 048. International phone cards are widely available in large towns and cities.
de:Nordirland fr:Irlande du Nord
