Things to do with kids across Ireland — all 32 counties

Titanic Quarter is the easiest part of Belfast for a mixed-age day out: big indoor attractions, wide flat walkways for buggies and scooters, and enough space that toddlers and teenagers can both be busy without either being bored.

The Cathedral Quarter suits families who want a short, city-centre outing rather than a full day: cobbled streets, murals, cafés with room for buggies, and museums and libraries a few minutes' walk apart.

Botanic and Stranmillis are the go-to areas for a free family afternoon in south Belfast — a big park, a free museum and a riverside towpath, all within a short walk of each other.

East Belfast is where families go when they want green space without leaving the city — the slopes of the Castlereagh hills, the C.S. Lewis trail, and parks big enough that a 3-year-old and a 13-year-old can both find their own level.

North Belfast is the outdoors option: Cave Hill towering over the city, a castle with an adventure playground, and a zoo — a combination that keeps a wide age spread happy for a full day.

Derry's Walled City packs a lot into a small area: a complete circuit of 17th-century walls, museums, and a short walk between everything — ideal when you're managing a toddler's nap and a teenager's attention span on the same day.

The Waterside and Ebrington are Derry's easiest side of the river for families: a huge open square, riverside paths and a big park, all reachable on foot from the Peace Bridge.

Creggan is where Derry families go for outdoor activity close to home — a country park built around reservoirs, with trails, water sports for older children and easy paths for the youngest.

Shantallow and the wider Northside are residential Derry — this page is for the everyday outings rather than the big day out: parks, greenways and leisure facilities within a short journey of home.

Culmore and the Foyle shore just north of Derry give families shoreline walks, wildlife and big skies — the sort of outing where a toddler collects shells while an older child looks for birds through binoculars.

Lisburn city centre is compact enough that a mixed-age group can move between a park, a museum and a soft play stop without a long walk or a second car journey — handy when one child tires quickly and another wants a full day.

Hillsborough is a village outing rather than a city day: a big forest park with a lake loop, a historic main street and cafés with space for buggies. It suits families who want one long walk with plenty to look at.

Bangor seafront gives you a marina, a play park and a coastal path in one flat stretch, which is exactly what you want when a toddler needs the playground and an older child wants a proper walk with a view.

Ballyholme is the calmer, beachier side of Bangor — a long sandy bay, a coastal path toward Groomsport and much less crowding than the main seafront, which suits families who want space rather than attractions.

Newry works well as a base for a mixed-age day: a canal towpath and parks in the city itself, with the Mournes and the coast close enough that you can pick the outing to match the youngest child's stamina.

Warrenpoint is a seaside town on the lough with a promenade, a big central park and the Mournes behind it — an easy half-day where toddlers get a playground and older children get a real coastal walk.

Coleraine is the practical base for the north coast: a riverside town with parks and indoor options, and beaches and cliff walks fifteen minutes away when everyone has the energy for them.

Portstewart gives you a promenade, a harbour and a two-mile strand in one small town, so a mixed-age group can do sandcastles, rock pools and a long beach walk without moving the car twice.

Armagh packs a planetarium, a big walled park and two cathedrals into a small city, so a mixed-age group can swap between an indoor show for the older ones and open green space for toddlers without a long drive between stops.

Just outside Armagh, Navan Fort gives you a big grassy hill and an indoor visitor experience in the same visit — the sort of place where a 4-year-old rolls down the slope and a 12-year-old actually listens to the story.

Portadown works well as a base for a mixed-age afternoon: a riverside park in the middle of town, a big lakes complex minutes away, and indoor play and leisure options if the weather turns.

Craigavon Lakes is one of the easiest mixed-age days in the county: watersports and a pump track for teens, a huge playground and flat lakeside loop for the youngest, all in one car park.

Ballymena suits families who want everything within one short walk or drive: a central park, a free museum and gallery, and a large leisure complex that covers a wet afternoon for every age at once.

The Glens of Antrim give you a proper outdoors day within half an hour of Ballymena — waterfall boardwalks for confident walkers, and shorter loops and a beach if you have a buggy or a tired toddler.

Enniskillen sits on an island between two lakes, which makes it unusually easy for mixed ages: a castle and museum indoors, a big island park outdoors, and boat trips for anyone old enough to sit still for an hour.

Castle Archdale is the classic Fermanagh family day: forest paths, a marina, bike hire and a small farm, so older children can cycle a loop while younger ones stay near the play area and animals.

Omagh is a good middle-of-Tyrone stop for a mixed-age group: riverside walks and a big park in town, plus the Ulster American Folk Park a few minutes out for a proper half-day.

Gortin Glen, fifteen minutes from Omagh, is built for families with a wide age spread: a big adventure playground and forest drive at the bottom, and longer mountain trails for anyone who wants a real walk.

Newcastle is the strongest single mixed-age day in County Down: a long sandy beach and promenade, a huge coastal park with a play area, and mountain forest trails all within a mile of each other.

Downpatrick suits a shorter mixed-age outing: a heritage railway and cathedral hill for the older ones, a free visitor centre and park for the youngest, and the Mournes and coast twenty minutes away when you want more.

Carlow is a small county that suits a mixed-age day out well: a big park and a free garden in the town, gentle river walks, and the Blackstairs Mountains on the doorstep for older children who want a proper climb.

Cavan is lake and forest country — ideal for families who like outdoor days that don't cost anything, with forest parks, shoreline walks and a proper cave system for older children.

Clare gives you some of Ireland's biggest family sights — the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and long Atlantic beaches — plus a lively town in Ennis, so a day out can mix one wow moment with easy free stops.

Cork is the biggest county in Ireland, but for families it centres on the city — a free gallery, the English Market and riverside walks — with beaches, Fota Wildlife Park and harbour towns within an hour's drive.

Donegal is big-sky country: huge sandy beaches, Glenveagh National Park and sea cliffs. It suits families who like outdoor days — with enough castles and indoor stops to rescue a wet one.

Dublin gives families the widest choice in Ireland: a free zoo, free national museums, huge parks and DART-accessible seaside towns — enough to fill a week, let alone a day.

Galway mixes a lively walkable city with Connemara's beaches and mountains. The promenade at Salthill alone keeps a mixed-age group happy, and the National Aquarium is the indoor ace card.

Kerry is Ireland's postcard county: Killarney National Park's lakes and trails, Dingle's harbour and aquarium, and beaches like Inch Strand. Outdoor days dominate, with Killarney town as the rainy-day base.

Kildare is horse country with a family-friendly streak: the free Irish National Stud gardens, the Curragh's open plains and canal walks — plus Lullymore's discovery park as the all-weather centrepiece.

Kilkenny is one of Ireland's most walkable small cities — a castle with a huge free park, a medieval mile of sights, and craft workshops — all close enough together for short legs.

Laois is a quiet county that rewards families who like space: the Slieve Bloom mountains, the Rock of Dunamase's free-to-climb ruins and Emo Court's parkland — low-cost days with room to breathe.

Leitrim is small, quiet and watery — canal and lakeshore walks around Carrick-on-Shannon, waterfalls at Glencar, and a slow pace that suits families who want nature without the crowds.

Limerick gives families a castle on the river, a free museum and a hunt museum for older children — with Curraghchase Forest Park and the Ballyhoura mountains close by for outdoor days.

Longford is one of Ireland's smallest counties — a gentle day-out place of canal towpaths, bog boardwalks and the Corlea Trackway's remarkable preserved ancient road.

Louth packs a lot into Ireland's smallest county: Carlingford's medieval streets and adventure activities, Dundalk's museums, and the Cooley mountains and beaches in between.

Mayo is Atlantic Ireland at its best for families: Westport's house and adventure trails, the Great Western Greenway for traffic-free cycling, and Achill's enormous beaches.

Meath is heritage central: Newgrange and the Boyne Valley for older children, Emerald Park as the county's big family draw, and Trim's huge castle as the all-ages crowd-pleaser.

Monaghan is drumlin country — gentle hills, lakes and forest parks. Rossmore Park outside the town is the family standout, with the county museum and leisure centre as indoor cover.

Offaly's family days centre on water and bog: the Grand Canal greenway through Tullamore, Lough Boora's sculpture trails, and Clonmacnoise's ancient monastery by the Shannon.

Roscommon's family highlights cluster around Lough Key Forest Park — one of Ireland's best adventure parks — with Strokestown's famine museum and quiet lakeshore walks filling out the county.

Sligo gives families Yeats country: Benbulben looming over everything, Strandhill's surf and dunes, and Lough Gill's wooded islands — dramatic scenery with genuinely free ways into it.

Tipperary is a big inland county with two headline family sights — the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle — plus the Galtee and Knockmealdown mountains for older children and river walks everywhere else.

Waterford pairs Ireland's oldest city — Vikings, a free museum quarter and city walls — with the Waterford Greenway and the Copper Coast's beaches for outdoor days.

Westmeath is lakeland: Belvedere House's gardens and fairy trails near Mullingar, the Royal Canal greenway, and Athlone's castle and the Shannon at the county's western edge.

Wexford is Ireland's sunny south-east: long beaches at Curracloe and Rosslare, the Irish National Heritage Park's hands-on history, and Hook Lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula.

Wicklow, the garden of Ireland, is Dublin's adventure backyard: Glendalough's lakeside walks, Powerscourt's gardens and waterfall, and the beaches at Brittas Bay — the county most Dublin families already love.