Things to do in Bangor
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bangor
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months for the coastal path, beaches and gardens, with August the peak month because of the festival.
Open House Festival runs through August and fills the town best rooms and restaurants.
September is often the best balanced shoulder season month for walkers and golfers.
Winter brings short days and Atlantic weather, good for inn fires and the spa, poor for a beach trip.
What's on
- Open House Festival All of August
A month of music, comedy, food and heritage events across Bangor, much of it free, including Ward Park music.
- Seaside Revival August, dates vary by year
A 1930s themed vintage weekend around the McKee Clock, with classic cars and swing dancing, part of Open House.
- Twelfth of July parades 12 July
Large civic parades take over the town centre, with road closures to plan travel around.
- Christmas switch-on and markets Late November into December
The town Christmas lights switch on and seasonal markets for a winter visit.
Best things to do in Bangor
Bangor Marina
One of the largest marinas in Ireland, with a pier walk, Lough views and the town seafront at its edge.
Bangor Castle Walled Garden
A restored, immaculate walled garden in four sections beside Bangor Castle, and the best rated sight in town.
North Down Museum
A free museum inside Bangor Castle telling 1400 years of Bangor history, from the monastery to the war years.
Bangor Abbey
A working church on the site of the great monastery founded about 558, with a 14th century tower.
Ward Park
Bangor town park with a duck pond, wildfowl, a bandstand and festival music in August.
Pickie Funpark
A seafront funpark with a miniature train, giant pedal swans, splash pad and mini golf for young families.
Ballyholme Beach
Bangor sandy swimming beach, a crescent bay with a promenade, sailing clubs and famous sunsets.
Grey Point Fort
A preserved coastal artillery battery above Belfast Lough, best reached on the coastal path, with limited opening.
Where to stay in Bangor
Seacliff Road and Ballyholme
first visit, seafront base
Sea view guest houses and small hotels on the promenade, with Ballyholme Beach nearby and the centre walkable.
Town centre and marina
train arrivals, eating out, Belfast day trips
The marina front hotel and the budget chain sit minutes from the station, restaurants and the last train home.
Crawfordsburn and the Clandeboye edge
couples, golfers, treat weekends
Woodland and estate stays minutes out of town, with the country park, golf and the hotels own restaurants.
Cultra and Holywood
luxury, Belfast hybrid trips
The five star estate at Cultra, on the same train line, about 20 minutes from Bangor and 15 from Belfast.
Best restaurants in Bangor
Coq & Bull
A seasonal estate brasserie at Clandeboye Lodge, the default celebration dinner for a Bangor stay.
The Old Inn
An acclaimed dining room in a 1614 inn, serving seasonal local cooking five minutes from Bangor.
Underground Dining
Bangor best reviewed restaurant, modern Irish cooking with strong seafood and a full plant based offer.
Yaks Nepalese & Indian Contemporary Restaurant And Takeaway
Nepalese and Indian cooking with one of the deepest local followings in Bangor, at a mid price band.
Tuk Tuk Asian Bistro
A Thai leaning pan Asian bistro rated well above the ordinary high street Asian restaurant.
Donegan's Restaurant
The traditional heart of Bangor eating, Irish classics and a Sunday lunch that is a local institution.
Jamaica Inn
A sea facing pub restaurant at Ballyholme known for seafood chowder and Lough views at lunch.
The Guillemot
The marina side daytime cafe for breakfast, brunch and lunch before or after the coastal path.
Outdoor things to do in Bangor
North Down Coastal Path
A mostly flat, off road coastal path of about 16 km from Bangor to Holywood, through bays, parks and beaches.
Crawfordsburn Country Park
Woodland, a waterfall glen, meadows and a beach west of Bangor, the borough most used outdoor room.
Helen's Bay Beach
A sheltered sandy bay by Helen's Bay station, the local sea swimming and picnic beach under Grey Point.
Bangor Golf Club
Bangor in town golf club since 1903, an 18 hole parkland course walkable from the town hotels.
Clandeboye Golf Club
Two courses outside Bangor, the testing Dufferin heathland layout and the shorter, tighter Ava.
Royal Belfast Golf Club
Ireland oldest golf club, founded 1881, with a Harry Colt course above Belfast Lough at Craigavad.
Mount Stewart House and Gardens
A National Trust house with a famous 1920s formal garden and lake walks, the key day trip from Bangor.
Best hotels in Bangor
Clandeboye Lodge Hotel
Bangor best hotel, a boutique woodland lodge on the Clandeboye Estate with the Coq and Bull brasserie.
The Old Inn
A 1614 inn at the country park gate, with an acclaimed restaurant, fires and a treetop spa.
Culloden Estate and Spa
The only true five star estate hotel on this shore, at Cultra between Holywood and Bangor, not in Bangor itself.
Marine Court Hotel
A three star hotel directly facing Bangor Marina, bought for its sea view rooms and central location.
Hargreaves House
A family run seafront bed and breakfast famous for cooked to order breakfasts and personal hosting.
Shelleven Guest House
A four star Victorian guest house near the coastal path, with sea view rooms and an accessible ground floor room.
The Nines
A seafront boutique hotel with a bistro and bar, booked for its setting, with the most divided reviews in town.
Premier Inn Bangor (Northern Ireland) hotel
The reliable budget base, a short walk from the station, castle and marina, with free parking.
Is Bangor expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | £55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | £100 a person |
| Splurge | £220 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Bangor Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Clandeboye Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Royal Belfast Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Mount Stewart House and Gardens: a few days ahead
- Clandeboye Lodge Hotel: weeks ahead
- The Old Inn: weeks ahead
- Culloden Estate and Spa: weeks ahead
- Hargreaves House: weeks ahead
- Book Underground Dining for evenings, and note it is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
- Book Coq and Bull, The Old Inn and Sunday lunch at Donegan's ahead at weekends.
- Book Royal Belfast and Clandeboye golf ahead, and Hargreaves House and Shelleven early for August.
Is Bangor safe?
- Emergency number 999, and non emergency police 101.
- Belfast Lough is cold all year. Swim with others, check signage and water quality notices, and never swim in the marina.
- The coastal path is unlit and exposed for long stretches, so finish winter walks by mid afternoon.
Bangor travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Queen's Parade and Marine Gardens are a long running regeneration site, so expect hoardings and empty frontages there.
- Bangor Castle is the town hall, not a tourable castle. The garden and museum are the visit.
- The Giant's Causeway is about 90 minutes away, a dedicated driving day, not a Bangor afternoon.
Getting around Bangor: public transport and more
- Trains run about every 30 minutes from Bangor to Belfast, about 33 minutes to Lanyon Place, and serve Helen's Bay, Cultra and Holywood.
- Everything in the town section is walkable, and Ballyholme is a 20 minute seafront walk from the marina.
- Belfast City Airport is about 15 to 20 minutes away by road.
- Use the train back from Helen's Bay or Cultra to walk the coastal path one way.
Who Bangor suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Bangor your trip
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