Titanic Belfast, the liner museum

Titanic Belfast is the great museum devoted to the most famous liner in history, built in the very shipyard where she was born, in Belfast. The building, with its four points clad in aluminium panels that recall ships' bows, has become the symbol of the regenerated city. Inside, nine galleries tell the story of industrial Belfast in the early 20th century, the building of the Titanic, the maiden voyage, the sinking and the discovery of the wreck. Since it opened it has been one of the most visited attractions in Northern Ireland.

History

At the beginning of the 20th century Belfast was one of the most dynamic industrial cities in the world, with linen mills, ropeworks and above all the Harland & Wolff shipyard, then the largest on the planet. Here, between 1909 and 1911, two twin liners were built for the White Star Line, the Olympic and the Titanic, designed by the engineer Thomas Andrews. The Titanic was launched on 31 May 1911 before a huge crowd. On 10 April 1912 she left Southampton for New York, and on the night of 14 to 15 April she struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic: about 1,500 people died, including Andrews himself.

For decades the tragedy was felt in Belfast almost as a source of shame. Only with the regeneration of the harbour area, renamed the Titanic Quarter, did the city choose to tell its shipbuilding story with pride. The museum, designed by the architect Eric Kuhne, opened on 31 March 2012, a hundred years after the sinking.

What to see

The galleries

The route begins with Boomtown Belfast, among factories, workers and shipyards. A small ride takes visitors into a reconstruction of the shipyard, amid the noise of hammers and rivets, up to the great steel gantry that surrounded the hull. You continue with the launch, the fitting-out of the interiors, with reconstructions of first, second and third-class cabins, and the maiden voyage. The sinking gallery, with survivors' voices and Morse code messages, is very moving. The last section covers the myths that grew up around the Titanic, the films and the exploration of the wreck.

The building

The building is 38 metres high, the same as the Titanic's hull, and its façade is covered with thousands of aluminium shards that reflect the sky and water. In the great central atrium, beneath the points, a staircase recalls the ship's famous one.

SS Nomadic and the slipways

The ticket includes a visit to SS Nomadic, the small 1911 ship that ferried passengers from the port of Cherbourg out to the Titanic: she is the last White Star Line vessel still in existence. Outside the museum you can see the slipways where the Olympic and the Titanic were built, with the outlines of the ships marked on the ground, and the Harland & Wolff drawing offices, now a hotel.

A book to read

Of the many books about the sinking, the classic remains A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, a minute-by-minute reconstruction based on survivors' accounts.

Practical information

The museum is open every day; tickets have a timed entry and it is best to book online, especially in summer. There is a café and a restaurant. Opening times and prices are on the official website.

Getting there

• On foot: about 20 to 25 minutes from Belfast city centre along the River Lagan.
• By train: Titanic Quarter station, a 10-minute walk away.
• By bus: Glider services link the centre with the Titanic Quarter.
• By air: George Best Belfast City Airport is a few minutes away, Belfast International about 30 minutes.

Nearby

• Central Belfast, with City Hall and the murals.
• The Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.
• See also Northern Ireland and its history.

Tips

• How long: two and a half to three hours for the museum and Nomadic.
• When to go: all year round; early morning is less crowded.
• A tip: after your visit, walk along the slipways at sunset: Harland & Wolff's yellow cranes, Samson and Goliath, stand out against the sky.

Titanic Belfast on the map

Nearby