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Belfast - Titanic Museum and Giants Causeway on one tour, or just pick one?


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I'll be in Belfast on Celebrity Silhouette in August. I found a bus tour whose itinerary I like from McComb's that does the Titanic museum with admission and fast track entry included, a city tour, and an hour and a half at Giants Causeway (plus other stuff, see the link) for only 40 pounds. The only problem is that it would likely be on a big bus holding as many as 52 people, and I would much prefer a smaller tour.

 

https://www.mccombscoaches.com/tours/cruise-ship-shore-excursions

 

I contacted Belfast Black Taxi Tours and asked if they could arrange the same tour for a small group, and they said it wouldn't really be practical since we wouldn't have enough time.

 

Are there any companies that can provide this for a smaller group, or should I really decide on either the Titanic museum or the Giants Causeway? I will contact McCombs and see if they can do a private tour. I had previously found what I believe is their tour listed in Irish Tour Tickets and hadn't seen a way to get a private tour.

Edited by MisterBill99
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I did the ship's tour to the Giant's Causeway. It's quite a long drive from where the ship docks.

 

Factor in lining up to catch a bus down to the bottom, to see the rocks, and lining up again to get the bus back up to the top, plus time to look around the information centre and the journey back to Belfast, and I really don't think you'd have time to do the Titanic Museum as well. That is, unless you only want a very superficial look at everything.

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I did the ship's tour to Giant's Causeway and we dropped off some people at the Titanic Museum afterwards. I believe they only had about 90 mins. or so to see it before last call for boarding. I can tell you that IMO, Giant's Causeway is VERY worth the visit. Seeing the countryside alone is worth the trip.

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I think 90 minutes at the Titanic museum is actually plenty. I have done McCombs to Giants Causeway a couple of times and was happy with the tour. If you decide to pick one or the other I would absolutely recommend Giants Causeway. It is an amazing sight like no place else on earth. The titanic was interesting but not overwhelmingly so to me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I have been to the Titanic exhibition in Vegas twice. It is a very impressive, but I am not sure I need to do it in Belfast, too. Has anyone done both who can give a comparison?

 

I haven't done both (yet--ask me in a couple months) but I do know that they are very different exhibits.

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Keep in mind that there are three parts to the Titanic Exhibit in Belfast. To get the most out of it you might want to consider the White Star package which in addition to the self-guided tour also offers an additional one hour guided tour.

 

I don't think you'd really have time to both Giants Causeway and Titanic in a day. We will be in Belfast for a week next month and have booked the White Star package and are planning on it taking about four hours start to finish. What you would have enough time to do is Titanic and then book a tour with Belfast Black Taxi of the murals and Peace Walls. I have booked the Black Taxi Tour and added some additional things in that were important to us. They gladly tailored a two hour tour to our interests, adding a stop at Milltown Cemetary and pick up and drop off directly to our flat.

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I don't think you have time to do both. We loved our Giant's Causeway tour that also went to the Rope Bridge and other places north of Belfast. I highly recommend that tour with Odyssey. Our tour had a short windshield tour of Belfast that drove through the neighborhoods, but we spend a lot of time at the GC and RB.

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I researched McComb's and in the end decided to do a private tour, shared with 4 others (total of 6). We went to the Giant's Causeway, which we loved, to a road with trees where Game of Thrones was filmed, saw the Carrick a Rede Bridge, and spent a little time viewing a castle or getting a snack. We also went to Belfast to see the murals. It was sobering to see the different areas of Belfast and hear of "The Troubles." I can't remember the name of the company we used or the price, but I probably mentioned in my pictures, which are here: http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/belfast__dublin&page=all

 

We usually don't do a lot of private/small shared tours, but this was one time I was happy we paid a little more and just did it. I wasn't really interested in the Titanic Museum, so my decision-making was a little easier than yours might be. If you're lucky, though, you will at least see the outside of the museum from where you dock, and also some Titanic "things."

 

We loved our Belfast/Northern Ireland day.

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We have booked with "Tours by Locals" and the guide we are using said it would be feasible to see Giant's Causeway, and Carrick-a-Rede, and also get back to Belfast to the Titanic Experience by 4:00 or 4:30, which gives 90 minutes or so before closing. We'll see how it goes - we let him know this is ideal but we want Giant's Causeway most, so if we end up too late for Titanic that's okay. But he at least seemed to think it was possible.

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