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Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum is one of Belfast’s best places to visit when you want plenty of variety under one roof.
Set beside Botanic Gardens, it brings together art, archaeology, natural history and modern Northern Irish history, so you can move from ancient Egypt to wildlife, paintings and recent social history without leaving the building.
Start with the Main Galleries
The museum is arranged across several floors, with each section taking you into a completely different subject.
You might begin with archaeology and ancient history, move into natural science, then finish with paintings or modern Northern Irish history.
That variety makes Ulster Museum particularly good for families or groups where everyone has different interests.
Discover Ancient Egypt
The Ancient Egypt gallery is one of the museum’s best-known displays.
Around 100 objects are currently on show, including pottery, jewellery, amulets, funerary figures and other objects that help explain everyday life and beliefs surrounding death.
The gallery also includes the partially unwrapped mummified remains of Takabuti, an ancient Egyptian woman whose story has been studied by researchers for many years.
The museum handles the display of human remains carefully and gives visitors space to consider the ethical questions around how such collections should be presented.
Explore the Natural World
The natural-science galleries add a completely different side to the museum.
You can see specimens from the natural world, learn about geology and the environment, and discover how life on Earth has changed over enormous periods of time.
These sections tend to work particularly well with younger visitors because the displays are visual and easy to dip in and out of.
Understand The Troubles and Beyond
One of the most important galleries explores Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to the present day.
Rather than concentrating only on politics and conflict, the exhibition also looks at how ordinary people lived, worked and experienced social and cultural change during the same period.
Objects, photographs and personal stories are used to show different perspectives, making this a thoughtful place to spend time rather than a simple timeline of events.
Some of the material deals with difficult subjects, so this is one gallery you may want to explore at a slower pace.
Spend Time with the Art
The museum also has substantial art collections, ranging from older European and Irish paintings to modern and contemporary work.
Temporary exhibitions regularly change what is on display, so there is often something new even if you have visited before.
Because the art galleries sit alongside history and science, you can easily spend as much or as little time here as you like.
Combine It with Botanic Gardens
The location makes the museum easy to turn into a longer day out.
Botanic Gardens is right beside the building, so when the weather is good you can step outside for a walk, see the Palm House or simply take a break from the galleries.
Queen’s University and the cafés around the surrounding university quarter are also close by.
A Few Useful Tips
Ulster Museum is at Stranmillis Road, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB.
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm and is closed on Mondays.
Admission to the permanent museum collections is free.
Allow around two to three hours for a good visit, although you could stay much longer if you explore most of the galleries.
Some temporary exhibitions may have a separate admission charge, so check what is running if there is a particular exhibition you want to see.
The museum is a good wet-weather choice and works particularly well with a walk through Botanic Gardens before or afterwards.
Groups of 15 or more need to arrange their visit with the museum in advance.
Stay in Belfast: Find accommodation for exploring Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens and the wider city.