Titanic Belfast Experience tells the true story of the Titanic

On April 15th, 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Touted as the world’s largest, fastest and most “unsinkable” ship, the dazzling maiden voyage from Southampton to New York quickly turned into a horrific maritime tragedy when the ship struck an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland. James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic further immortalised the story of the “ship of dreams” in the collective consciousness. But while we may know how the ill-fated ocean liner met her end, what do we know about her beginnings? Titanic Belfast is an interactive experience that answers this question by taking visitors through the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the ship’s illustrious origins. The striking Titanic Belfast building, the former Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices where the Titanic was designed, and the surrounding Maritime Mile with its historic slipways are a monumental tribute to the world's most famous ship, situated in the very place where it all began.

The city of Belfast boasts an impressive shipbuilding heritage. Although the first vessel to be built in the Northern Irish capital was recorded in 1663, the golden age of Belfast shipbuilding occurred between 1880 and World War I. This prolific construction period was primarily due to the work of the Harland & Wolff Shipyard, founded in 1861 by Edward Harland and Gustav Wolff. By the early 20th century, Harland & Wolff was at the heart of the world’s shipbuilding industry and responsible for the construction of most of the world’s ocean liners. The most famous of the ships built here was the RMS Titanic, constructed by 3,000 people at an estimated cost of £ 1.5 million (£ 150 million today) between 1909 and 1912.

On April 10th, 1912, the Titanic embarked on her maiden voyage from Southhampton, England, with 1,317 passengers and 900 crew members onboard. The ship was due to reach New York in five days. However, on the night of April 14th, she struck an iceberg and sank two hours and 40 minutes later in the early hours of the 15th, only 1,084 nautical miles from New York City. If you’ve seen the film Titanic, you’ll know that there were icebergs in the area and that the ship may have been travelling too fast. While the film's protagonists Jack and Rose are fictional characters, the real-life stories are even more tragic. There’s Ida Straus, who refused to leave her husband when women and children were boarding lifeboats, reportedly saying, “Isidor, we have been together for all these years. Where you go, I go.” Denis and Mary Mullin, star-crossed lovers who had run away to start a new life together and perished when the ship went down. Twenty-year-old Elin Braf, who became paralysed with fear and couldn’t bring herself to board a lifeboat. The Allison family travelling with their two children and a nanny: the nanny boarded a lifeboat with one child unbeknownst to the mother, who stayed onboard with the other child while searching for the one the nanny had already taken. The mother and remaining child drowned. There were also dozens of passengers who were scheduled to travel on a different ship but, due to coal strikes, were fatefully transferred to the Titanic at the last minute. All told, 1,496 passengers and crew died, including 60 children. 

As a tribute to those whose lives were lost or immeasurably changed by the disaster, the Titanic Belfast visitor attraction was opened in 2012 – the centenary of the sinking. The It occupies a striking building resembling ships’ prows, intended to evoke Belfast’s rich shipbuilding history. Inside, you’ll find an immersive experience dedicated to all things Titanic. From the ship's conception and construction, the passengers and the voyage, to the aftermath, the discovery and the legacy, Titanic Belfast is filled with exhibits that bring history to life. While the exhibition has taken the ethical decision not to display any articles taken from the Titanic wreck site and debris field, there's a host of artefacts on display that paint a picture of the ill-fated ocean liner's last days. You’ll see original White Star Line tableware that would have been used to serve meals to passengers aboard the Titanic; a letter from the ship’s assistant surgeon to his mother that was brought ashore in Ireland at the final stop before the Titanic began her Atlantic crossing; the last first-class luncheon menu from April 14th that survived in the possession of passenger Ruth Dodge; an original deck chair and life jacket recovered from the wreckage; and even the violin of musician Wallace Hartley, who famously played the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” as the ship was sinking. The violin was reportedly recovered in a leather case strapped to Mr. Hartley’s body, discovered ten days after the disaster.

Titanic Belfast takes visitors through nine interpretive galleries on a one-way Titanic experience tour organised chronologically from the design, construction, launch and fitting out of the ship in Belfast. In addition to the many heart-wrenching artefacts, one of the tour highlights is The Shipyard Ride, in which visitors board a small gondola that floats over a scale model of the Harland & Wolff Shipyard as it would have been in the early 1900s. The final three galleries are dedicated to exhibits showcasing the maiden voyage, the sinking and the aftermath, including the discovery of the wreck site in 1985. You can also take a tour of the Titanic Quarter area which includes the slipways, dry docks and the Harland & Wolff Headquarters and Drawing Office. In addition to exhibits about the Titanic, you'll also learn about the sister ships Britannic and Olympic, also built in the Harland & Wolff Shipyards. Although not as famous as the Titanic, these two sisters had eventful lives of their own. The Britannic struck a mine and sank off the coast of Greece in 1916, while the Olympic sailed until 1935, when she was scrapped due to a surplus of ships and a lack of passengers after the Great Depression. The Olympic’s parts were auctioned off, and her first-class lounge can now be found in the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, Northumberland.

You'll find the Titanic Experience only two kilometres away from Belfast City Centre. Although the Titanic Experience in Belfast can be seen on a day trip, why not stay overnight in Belfast for a more leisurely experience? The indoor self-guided Titanic Experience tour costs GBP 24.95 for adults and GBP 11 for children, while the outdoor guided Discovery Tour costs GBP 15 for adults and GBP 10 for children. Tickets must be booked online in advance, so don't plan to just turn up to Titanic Belfast. To organise your day, you may wonder how long the Titanic Belfast Experience lasts. The indoor tour takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours, while the outdoor tour lasts for one hour. Apart from a short break from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, the Titanic Belfast Experience opening hours are daily all year round. For a sweet treat, arrange your visit to coincide with Titanic Experience Afternoon Tea. Complete with finger sandwiches, fresh scones and live jazz, this unique experience takes place in the Titanic Suite next to a replica of the liner's grand staircase.

While the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 was one of the world’s most tragic maritime disasters, the story of the ship’s construction, the memories of the passengers who lost their lives, and the innovations that propelled her rediscovery have all left a legacy that makes Titanic Belfast Experience more than well worth visiting.

Titanic Belfast

1 Olympic Wy, Belfast BT3 9EP, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 2890 766386