The Northern Ireland peace process has brought about a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting Belfast. As with most European cities, the main attractions in Belfast itself are easy to walk to, so what about places to visit beyond the city?

Why hire a car in Belfast?

• Limited lines — look at any major city in England or central Scotland, and you will usually see a network of rail lines fanning out, including local and long-distance services. There are only four railway lines heading out of Belfast, two of which only provide suburban connections to Larne and Bangor respectively. A regional service operates as far as Derry (Londonderry), whereas the enterprise service continues down to Dublin.
• Giants Causeway — this is surely the most impressive natural feature on the Emerald Isle, and is only a short drive from Belfast. However, bus trips are available, so there is no need to get a hire car just to visit Giants Causeway.
• Inland — the railway routes in Northern Ireland generally stay close to the coast, so to go anywhere inland, especially to visit the various points of interest around Lough Neah, you will need a rental car, or you will have to rely on slow bus services.
• Blue Stack mountains — head across into Co Donegal for some superb scenery on Ireland’s Northwest coast, again, well beyond the reach of scheduled services.
• Poor public transport — although Northern Ireland has seen a lot of investment in recent years, little of this has gone on to public transport services, apart from upgrades to the railway fleet (Translink). No new lines have been built, and unlike many cities in northern England, there is no form of tram in Belfast. The city remains car dependent, and it has relatively few good routes to explore by bike.

Why not?

• There are few reasons not to get a hire car in Belfast, unless you just want to stay in Belfast itself, or perhaps take the train to Derry (Londonderry).
• Coastal routes — the train hugs the coast in many areas, offering some good scenic views, especially between Coleraine and Derry (Londonderry), and South of Newry most of the way to Dublin.
• Celtic cousins — instead of just visiting Northern Ireland, why not combine the trip to Belfast with a visit to Glasgow, or even tack on Edinburgh and Dublin at each end? This is an easy rail trip, with plenty of flights available from throughout Europe at either end if you extend to the Scottish and Irish capitals. The train south of Ayr towards Stranraer is particularly scenic, and you also get to include a short ferry crossing on the Irish Sea.

Conclusion — public transport options in and around Belfast are relatively limited, and the best attractions are landscapes rather than cities. This makes our verdict lean heavily towards recommending getting a hire car.

Verdict — yes (strong)

Note — it is easy to pick up a hire car at either Belfast International or Belfast George Best city airport. If you don’t plan on getting a hire car, you’re better off flying into Belfast city airport, which is much closer to central Belfast. You can even take a short walk to nearby Sydenham station to start early rail journeys within Northern Ireland, although for just getting to the city centre, it is quicker to take a taxi or shuttle bus. Belfast city airport is a wider network of domestic flights from the rest of the UK, whereas Belfast International has more flights from mainland Europe.

• The area around Billund is great fishing territory, and this is best accessed by car.
• Billund has no railway station, so if you don’t rent a car, you will have to take a bus to get anywhere.
• Buses from Billund are generally slow and irregular.
• Legoland might be Billund’s most famous attraction, but that will probably only keep you occupied for a day. Even though there are other summer attractions in Billund, a rental car is going to make it much easier to explore the rest of the Jutland peninsular.
• Rent a car in Billund and drive to other cities in Western Denmark, such as Aalborg, Arhus, Esbjerg and Odense.
• Visit nearby Vejle, and enjoy its stunning modern architecture and shopping facilities, which include a great mix of old and new.
• Rent a car to access the many golf courses which are available around Billund.
• A car is ideal to explore the coastal areas in the West of Jutland, including Ringkobing Fjord and Nissum Fjord – although these fjords are shallow, and nothing like as spectacular as the fjords in Norway.
• Enjoy the white sandy beaches on Denmark’s west coast.
• Visit the Jelling Stones, and learn about the legend of Harald Bluetooth. Bluetooth is strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a nation state and making warring tribes speak to each other, hence the origin of the Bluetooth mobile networking system.
• Flights to Billund are often much cheaper than flights to Copenhagen, as Billund is a major Ryanair base, and Copenhagen airport has traditionally been associated with high cost airlines, especially as Ryanair no longer operate flights into nearby Malmö, Sweden.
• Billund might not be much of an alternative to Copenhagen for a short weekend break, but flying into Billund as an alternative to Copenhagen and picking up a rental car at Billund airport will certainly give you many more options for exploring Denmark as a whole, rather than just the capital city.
• The drive from Billund to Copenhagen is 261 km, and should take just under three hours. This will include a trip across the fantastic great Belt link. If you are visiting Billund to appreciate Danish toy design, you might aswell appreciate Danish bridge design at the same time.
• Driving in Denmark is generally trouble-free — the roads are well engineered, spotlessly maintained, and traffic jams are rare.
• Hiring a car in Billund and driving to Copenhagen will probably be cheaper than taking a bus (to Vejle) and train, and you won’t have the hassle of changing.
• If you are arriving from outside Europe, and visiting the West of Denmark, save time by avoiding Copenhagen airport and flying to Billund via Amsterdam with KLM.
• English is widely spoken, so you should not have a problem with road signs or getting directions.

Why not?

• You are in Denmark. Public transport is well integrated, walking and cycling is a pleasure!
• There is no need at all to hire a car just to visit Legoland — Billund airport was primarily built to serve the Lego company, and is just a short bus or taxi ride from Legoland.
• Easy bus connections are available to nearby Vejle from both Billund town centre and Billund airport, taking around 45 minutes. Cost (as of November 2009) 65 Danish kroner (approximately £9).
• From Vejle, regular trains are available to Odense and Copenhagen, and also up to Arhus and Aalborg.
• Why not spend a little bit of time in Billund itself, and see how a toy has influenced the real life town. Billund is easily walkable.
• As is the case throughout Scandinavia, there are plenty of cycle paths to explore radiating out from Billund.
• If you are interested in city environments, take the bus & train to Odense, and explore the famous system of linked parks that the city offers. This is naturally best done on foot or better still on a bike – so leave the hire car at the airport!

Useful facts:

• Population: 6,000
• Station: no
• High Speed Rail: no
• Metro: no
• Tram: no
• Cycle scheme: no
• Ferry / water trips: no
• Useful info: Visit Billund
• Legoland: http://www.legoland.dk
• Billund airport: http://www.billund-airport.com/
• Danish Railways (and bus info from Billund to Vejle)
• See our partner website, Flightmapping.com for advice on finding flights to Billund and the rest of Denmark from the UK.

VERDICT YES

Simply because hiring a car at Billund airport is going to give you the widest flexibility to see different destinations, unless you really are just here to visit Legoland.

1. A hire car will give you access to visit many more places in South West England. If you are flying in for a slightly longer break, then Bristol’s network of flight routes makes it the best arrival point for exploring Devon and Cornwall, as well as nearby Avon and Somerset.
2. Public transport to and from Bristol airport really isn’t that great — apart from the half hourly express bus service to Bristol city centre, and a link with Weston-super-Mare, very few other public transport options are available. To get anywhere else, you will need to connect via Bristol Temple Meads station, or Bristol bus station first. There is no direct coach link from Bristol airport to Bath.
3. Getting from Bristol airport to Cardiff by public transport is a nuisance, and there is no view to appreciate if you take the train through the Severn Tunnel. You can enjoy a much more dramatic view from either of the Severn Road Bridges. Note — if you are doing a driving tour into South Wales from Bristol, you can avoid paying the toll by driving out through Ross on Wye, and back over the Severn Bridges, as it is free to travel from Wales back into England — of course, we don’t recommend this diversion just to avoid the toll fee, but if you are heading in this direction anyway, this is the best way to go.
4. A car will make it much easier to enjoy nearby Cheddar Caves and Gorge and Wookey Hole Caves.

Why use public transport in Bristol?

1. Bristol was rated by Dorling Kindersley as one of the world’s top 10 city to visit in 2009 — so there is plenty to see in the city itself, without needing to venture out much further.
2. Bristol is a superb city to walk around, there is no need to even use buses to enjoy most of what the city has to offer.
3. Our top recommendation would be to walk out to Brunel’s Clifton suspension Bridge, and enjoy the stunning views this affords. Although you can drive across the bridge, you can appreciate it much more (and avoid the toll of course) by walking across.
4. Don’t forget to visit the Clifton Observatory and caves when visiting the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
5. Beautiful Bath is just a short hop from Bristol, and this is an easy and enjoyable train ride.
6. Better still, why not cycle between Bristol and Bath, and enjoy the first cycle route set up by Sustrans.

Further information:

• Bristol airport
• Visit Bristol