Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast is a museum and monument to the maritime city of Belfast. Its exhibitions are dedicated to the liner that sank in 1912, as well as its sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic. The museum is located on the site of the former Harland and Wolff shipyard in the Titanic Quarter.

History of Titanic Belfast

The museum opened on 1 April 2012, coinciding with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. It is housed in a building covering an area of over 12,000 square metres and consists of galleries and private rooms.

The museum's exhibits reveal the history of the legendary liner's construction, life on board and the tragedy that befell it.

In 2023, the museum was recognised as Northern Ireland's most visited tourist attraction, with over 800,000 people visiting it.

In April 2024, the Titanic Museum Belfast welcomed its 8 billionth visitor.

The configuration of the building resembles a ship's bow, with the main ‘bow’ turned at an angle towards the centre of the Titanic and Olympic slipways in the direction of the Lagan River.

A significant part of the façade is divided into three thousand aluminium panels, most of which have a unique shape.

The height of the building corresponds to the height of the Titanic's hull from keel to bridge.

What's inside?

Inside the museum, there are many artefacts related to the liner, some of which tell the personal stories of passengers and crew members.

Visitors are particularly interested in the attraction with suspended carriages that take them through recreated scenes of the construction of the huge ship, demonstrating the scale of the work and the atmosphere of that period.

The full-scale reconstructions of cabins of different classes impress everyone who sees them.

Inside the Titanic Museum, there are nine gallery rooms covering various topics related to the ship:

The first room contains photographs, videos, models of old Belfast buildings, plans, drawings, and models of the ship.

In the second hall, visitors can see metal scaffolding, the noise and clatter of machinery, and a car designed for six passengers moving around a recreated part of the shipyard around the ship's wheel.

The third gallery is dedicated to the launch of the Titanic, with windows offering views of the docks and slipways where the liner was launched on 31 May 1911.

The exhibition in the fourth gallery includes a large-scale model of the ship, a circular dynamic panorama and life-size examples of three types of cabins.

In the fifth gallery, visitors can walk along the deck where the lifeboats were located and examine photographs taken by chaplain Francis Brown.

The sixth hall contains photographs and audio recordings of Titanic passengers who survived, newspaper clippings, and a giant iceberg formed from several hundred life jackets.

The seventh gallery is dedicated to investigating the circumstances that led to the disaster. In the centre is a full-size replica of a lifeboat, alongside interactive screens with lists of everyone who sailed on the Titanic.

The eighth gallery immerses visitors in memories of how the catastrophic voyage influenced popular culture: literature and cinema.

A walk through the ninth gallery plunges visitors into the depths of the ocean. Photographs and videos of the expedition are displayed on a large screen.

The ninth hall. Here you can immerse yourself in the depths of the ocean. A huge screen displays videos and photos from the expedition of Robert Ballard, who was the first to explore the liner. Underfoot is a glass floor through which you can see the sunken liner.

In addition to the galleries, the building houses the Ocean Studies Centre, which tells about marine biology, research conducted in the coastal waters of Northern Ireland, and Ballard's expeditions around the world.

The museum can accommodate 3,547 visitors at a time — exactly the same number of passengers and crew members who were on board the famous ship during its only voyage. A visit to this place promises an exciting immersion into the past and pays tribute to the great ship.

The construction of the museum building took approximately the same amount of time — about 26 months — as the construction of the Titanic. This fact emphasises the deep symbolic connection between the exhibition and the ship to which it is dedicated.

Where is Titanic Belfast located?

The Titanic Belfast building is located on Queen's Island, a plot of land next to Belfast Bay that was reclaimed from the water in the mid-19th century. For a long time, this land was used by shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who constructed giant slipways and dry docks for the Titanic and the Olympic.

How to get to Titanic Belfast?

There are several ways to get to Titanic Belfast, so choose the one that is most convenient for you.

By train (nearest train stations)

The closest train station to the museum is Titanic Quarter Station, about a quarter of an hour's walk away.

After leaving the station, head south-west along Sydenham Rd to Dee St, turn left onto Queen's Road, where the museum is located. Access on foot from the station is via the footbridge at the front of the station or along Sydenham Rd and Queens Rd.

Approximate travel time:

• from Derry – 2 hours 15 minutes;
• from Dublin (Connolly station) – 2 hours 20 minutes.

By ferry

Travellers from London can drive to Cairnryan and then take the car ferry to Belfast. Approximate travel time is 9 hours 34 minutes.

By bus

Titanic Belfast in Belfast can be reached by bus routes 26, 26A, 26B or 26C.

By car

When travelling on the M1 or M2 motorway, follow the signs for Belfast City Airport M3, taking the first exit for the Titanic Quarter.

Information for visitors

Before visiting the museum dedicated to the liner that sank in 1912, please read the information for visitors. It takes 1.5-2 hours to view the exhibits. You can stay in the museum until closing time.

If you choose a guided tour, the visit may take more than 3 hours.

Adult tickets start at £24.95, children's tickets (ages 5 to 15) start at £11.00.

Admission to the museum is free for children under 5 years of age.

Opening hours

January to March

Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00

1 to 5 January from 10:00 to 18:00

14 January - closed

10 February to 23 February from 10:00 to 18:00

April - May

Monday to Sunday from 9:00 to 18:00

12 April to 27 April from 8:45 to 18:15

June

Monday to Sunday from 8:30 to 19:00

July – August

Monday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

September

Monday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

October

Monday to Sunday from 8:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

November – December

Monday to Sunday from 9:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

1–2 November from 9:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

24–26 December – closed

27–31 December from 9:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Hotels nearby

There are several good hotels with positive reviews located a short distance from Titanic Belfast:

Titanic Hotel Belfast.

Holiday Inn Belfast City Centre — 2.38 km away.

Leonardo Hotel Belfast — 2.1 km away.

Clayton Hotel Belfast City — 2.16 km away.

Food and drink

After your museum tour, you can grab a bite to eat at the following places:

The Dock Café. Located next door to the museum, this café offers herbal teas and board games for entertainment.

The Pantry & The Galley Café. Another café in the Grand Atrium on the ground floor of Titanic Belfast, open to visitors daily. The Pantry is open for breakfast, lunch or early dinner.

Hickson's Point. A great place with traditional music and local food, conveying the atmosphere of the 1900s.

Souvenirs

The museum shop sells souvenirs related to the sunken liner:

• T-shirts;
• books;
• key rings;
• discs with James Cameron's Titanic film;
• various items related to the history of the liner.

Those who wish can purchase a commemorative coin with a piece of coal from the ship. RMS Titanic, Inc. has issued a limited series of coins with pieces of coal removed from the liner during submarine expeditions to the site of the shipwreck.

Also on sale are models of the Titanic and lifeboats, reproduced almost immediately after the tragedy, as well as copies of items from the ship's tableware. Personalised plates, mugs, salad bowls and other tableware with the White Star logo were created for each class. There is even a copy of the ship's bell that can be hung at the entrance to your home. Replicas of the Carpathia medal are in high demand. All members of the Carpathia crew were awarded medals for rescuing survivors from the Titanic.

Parking

There is a multi-storey car park next to the Titanic Belfast museum, which has spaces for people with disabilities. During peak periods, such as weekends and holidays, there may not be enough spaces for everyone, so it is advisable to plan your visit in advance.

There is another car park near Titanic Belfast: Q-Park Victoria Square. It is a 25-minute walk or 10-minute public transport ride from the museum.

Contact details and postcode

Address: 1 Olympic Way, Queen's Road, Titanic Quarter, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT3 9EP.

Telephone: +44 (0)28 9076 6386.

Email: [email protected] (for media enquiries), [email protected] (for group bookings of 15 or more guests).

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Frequently asked questions