Top choice in County Down
Balloo House has long been one of County Down's best restaurants. Casual, modern Irish fare is available in the nook-and-cranny-filled, stone-floored downstairs pub, which centres on a warming cast-iron range stove. Upstairs, a fine-dining restaurant (undergoing refurbishment at research time) serves more refined dishes on Saturday nights (book ahead).
There's bluegrass in the bar Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9pm.
12.89 MILES
The stunning, star-shaped Titanic Belfast is the city's number-one tourist draw. Standing majestically at the head of the slipway where the Titanic was…
12.92 MILES
Belfast's classical Renaissance-style City Hall was built in fine, white Portland stone in 1906. Highlights of the free, 45-minute guided tour include the…
12.45 MILES
You could spend hours browsing this state-of-the-art museum, but if you're pressed for time don't miss the Armada Room, with artefacts retrieved from the…
12.95 MILES
There are not many historical monuments that you can enjoy while savouring a pint of Guinness, but the National Trust's Crown Liquor Saloon is one of them…
15.9 MILES
The view from the summit of Cave Hill (368m) takes in the whole sprawl of the city, the docks, Belfast Lough and the Mourne Mountains – on a clear day you…
12.33 MILES
The showpiece of Belfast's green oasis is Charles Lanyon's beautiful Palm House, built in 1839 and completed in 1852, with its birdcage dome, a…
13.86 MILES
Guided tours of Belfast's notorious Crumlin Road Gaol take you from the tunnel beneath Crumlin Rd, built in 1850 to convey prisoners from the courthouse…
6.51 MILES
The magnificent 18th-century Mount Stewart is one of Northern Ireland’s grandest stately homes. Entertaining tours tell the story of the house and its…
2.51 MILES
In a wonderful island setting, the 5th-century Celtic monastic community of Nendrum was built under the guidance of St Mochaoi (St Mahee). Its scant…
2. Castle Espie Wildfowl & Wetlands Centre
3.94 MILES
Situated 2km southeast of Comber, off the Downpatrick road (A22), Castle Espie is a haven for huge flocks of geese, ducks and swans. The landscaped…
6.51 MILES
The magnificent 18th-century Mount Stewart is one of Northern Ireland’s grandest stately homes. Entertaining tours tell the story of the house and its…
7.05 MILES
This Cistercian abbey was founded in 1193 by Affreca, wife of Norman knight John de Courcy, the builder of Carrickfergus Castle, in thanks for surviving a…
5. Scrabo Tower & Country Park
7.48 MILES
Newtownards is overlooked by Scrabo Hill, 2km southwest of town. It was once the site of extensive prehistoric earthworks, which were largely removed…
8.45 MILES
This excellent aquarium has displays of marine life from Strangford Lough and the Irish Sea as well as tropical fish, otters and a reptile centre with an…
8.49 MILES
Portaferry's castle is a small 16th-century tower house that, together with the tower house in Strangford, once controlled sea traffic through the Narrows…
8.53 MILES
Famed for its role as Winterfell in Game of Thrones, 1760s-built Castle Ward House has a superb setting overlooking the bay west of Strangford. The estate…