Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum is Northern Ireland's largest museum of art, history and natural sciences, set in Belfast's Botanic Gardens about a mile south of the city centre. Entry is free, it is open Tuesday to Sunday, and it is an easy half-day for families, rainy days and first-time visitors.
Photos
The Travelling Camera
What's inside
Collections run from Irish and European paintings to Troubles-era objects, coins and world cultures. Visitors tend to head first for Takabuti, an Egyptian mummy, and for the gold and jewellery recovered from the Girona, a Spanish Armada ship wrecked off the Antrim coast in 1588. The natural sciences galleries have dinosaur skeletons, a minke whale skeleton and Peter the polar bear. Modern and contemporary art galleries round things off, so it is easy to spend a couple of hours without seeing everything.
The building and the story
The museum grew out of the Belfast Natural History Society, founded in 1821, and took its present name in 1962. It is run by National Museums NI. The Brutalist extension designed by Francis Pym is a landmark in its own right, sitting against the older classical block at the edge of the gardens.
Making a day of it
Pair a visit with a walk in Botanic Gardens and the Victorian Palm House next door, or continue into the Queen's University quarter for lunch. Discovery Centres offer hands-on activities for children, and there is a café and shop inside. There is no on-site parking, so walk, cycle or take a bus from the centre.
Highlights
- Free entry
- Takabuti the Egyptian mummy
- Armada treasure from the Girona
- Dinosaurs and a minke whale skeleton
- Set in Botanic Gardens
Good to know
- Closed on Mondays except public and bank holidays.
- No on-site parking; it is about a mile from the city centre.
- Lifts and ramps give full wheelchair access, with tactile maps and a sensory guide.
- Lockers are available in the cloakroom.
Frequently asked questions
Nearby
Sources: travelextra.ie