- Not to be confused with the Los Angeles district of Hollywood.
Holywood is a town five miles northeast of Belfast. It's historically in County Down, but since 2015 has been governed as part of Ards and North Down District, along with Bangor and Newtownards. With a population of 10,700 in 2021, its main attractions are the Ulster Folk and Transport Museums.
Understand
[edit]The town's name is pronounced "holly" but means "holy" — the monastery of St Laiseran was established early in the 7th century. An Augustinian priory was built in the 12th century, and these are the ruins you see today. In the early 17th century Holywood was rebuilt as a Plantation market town. Its developers and settlers didn't make much money, until the railway arrived in 1848. It became a commuter town, trippers came out from the city for a day at the seaside, and wealthy industrialists and merchants built their mansions here. Traditional industry slumped in the 20th century and fuelled "The Troubles", but Holywood is not an interface between communities and was only lightly afflicted. It has even managed to attract a textile industry in an era when so many Ulster towns have lost theirs.
Get in
[edit]
1 Belfast City Airport 
aka George Best (BHD IATA) is two miles southwest. Take the free shuttle bus or walk to Sydenham station for the Bangor train as below.
For other long-distance routes travel via Belfast city centre: by car follow A2.
Trains from Belfast Grand Central run every 20 min and take 20 min via City Hospital, Botanic (for Queen's University), Lanyon Place, Titanic and Sydenham (for City Airport). They continue from Holywood to Marino (for beach), Cultra (for Transport and Folk Museums), Seahill, Helen's Bay (for Crawfordsburn), Carnalea, Bangor West and Bangor.
2 Holywood railway station is on A2 the bypass, a block northwest of High St. It has ticket machines, and step-free access to the platforms. No toilets.
Ulsterbus 1 & 2 run from Belfast Laganside, taking 25 min via Lanyon Place, and continuing to Cultra, Kilcooley, Crawfordsburn and Bangor. They're hourly M-Sa but only four on Sunday.
Get around
[edit]It's a long straggly town along A2. For the Folk and Transport museums, take the bus or train to Cultra.
Stormont is only 3 miles south but with no direct public transport, you have to go into the city then come out again.
See
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- 1 Holywood Priory is the ruin of a 12th-century Anglo-Norman Augustinian Priory, built over the 7th century monastery at the core of Holy Wood. It affiliated to the Franciscans in the 14th century, was dissolved in 1541 but became the parish church, with the tower added in 1806. Free to explore in daylight hours.
- Martello Tower is 200 yards southeast of the Priory, one of dozens erected around Ireland to watch out for Napoleonic invasion. It's derelict and unsafe.
- The Motte southeast of the Priory is a hummock that in Norman times was fortified by a palisade; there doesn't appear to have been a stone castle here.
- 2 Window on Wildlife is an RSPB-run bird-hide overlooking the lagoon behind the airport.
- 3 Ulster Transport Museum, 153 Bangor Rd, Cultra BT18 0EU (train to Cultra), ☏ +44 28 9042 8428. Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Sa Su 11AM-4PM. Vast collection, with a wing-back De Lorean and two train sheds full of old steam locomotives and buses. Adult £13.20, conc £10.40, child £8.20.
- 4 Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra, Holywood BT18 0EU (train to Cultra), ☏ +44 28 9042 8428. Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Sa Su 11AM-4PM. Open air museum recreating an Ulster town, farms, cottages and country crafts, mostly from the 19th century. (It surrounds Cultra Manor but that's only open for special events.) Allow a couple of hours; it's easily combined with the Transport Museum but they don't do combi tickets. Adult £13.20, conc £10.40, child £8.20.
- 5 Stormont, the seat of government in Northern Ireland, is 3 miles south, see Belfast for details.
- 6 Titanic and the east end of the city are a mile west of the airport, see Belfast.
Do
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- The beach has two sandy strips, Seapark Bay southwest and Farmhill Bay northwest.
- North Down Coastal Path starts at Holywood Esplanade and follows the coast east to Bangor and Orlock Point. It's 16 miles in total, the route is firm going and fairly obvious.
- Queens Leisure Complex is by Holywood railway station. Gym and various fitness classes, it doesn't have a pool.
- 1 Holywood Golf Club, Nuns Walk BT18 9LE, ☏ +44 28 9042 3135. Course on the woodland slopes of the Holywood hills. The front nine are relatively easy and might be played as a quick after-work game, the back nine will demand your attention. This is the home course of Rory McIlroy, born locally. White tees 6027 yards, par 70.
- 2 Royal Belfast Golf Club, Station Rd, Cultra BT18 0BP, ☏ +44 28 9042 8165. It claims to be the oldest golf club in Ireland, founded in 1881, but it had two other locations before coming here in 1914, and the present course was laid out in 1925. It's a challenging course on the slopes above Belfast Lough. Blue tees are 6306 yards, par 70.
- Others are Helen's Bay towards Bangor, Knock near Stormont, and Shandon Park off A55.
- May Day celebrations are held in town centre.
- Holywood Music Festival is in November.
Buy
[edit]- Centra at 101 High St is open M-Sa 6AM-9PM, Su 7AM-8PM.
- Tesco Express at 101 High St is open daily 7AM-10PM.
- Holywood Exchange is a large retail park a mile southwest of town next to City Airport.
- Knocknagoney is the retail strip facing the Exchange across the A2. Tesco has fuel as cheap as any you'll find around the city.
Eat
[edit]- Lynchpin is a vegetarian restaurant at the top of High St, open W-Sa 8AM-4PM.
- Indian Ocean at 149 High St is open daily 5-10PM.
- Bay Tree, 118 High Street BT18 9HW, ☏ +44 28 9042 1419. M-Sa 9AM-4PM, Su 10AM-3PM. Coffee shop, good menu selection but you have to try their cinnamon scones.
- Coffee Yard, 102 High St BT18 9HW, ☏ +44 28 9042 7210. M-Sa 8AM-4PM. Cafe with small art gallery and shop.
- Tulsi at 51 High St is open daily 4:30-10PM.
- Noble, 27 Church Rd BT18 9BU, ☏ +44 28 9042 5655. Th-Sa noon-3PM, 5-10PM, Su 1-6PM. Restaurant serving Continental favorites, gets great reviews.
Drink
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- Ned's Bar (The Maypole), 55 High St BT18 9AB. M-Sa 11:30AM-11PM; Su noon-3PM, 7-10PM. Remarkable little pub next to the town maypole, it's only had three proprietors since it first opened in 1857.
- Monroe is a cocktail bar at 62 High St, open Th-M.
- The Dirty Duck, 2 Kinnegar Rd BT18 9JN (by Holywood station), ☏ +44 28 9059 6666. M-Th noon-11PM, F-Su noon-1AM. Popular seafront pub, serves food, has live music and pub quiz. On a fine day the beer garden has a great view over the estuary.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Rayanne House, 60 Demesne Rd BT18 9EX, ☏ +44 28 9042 5859. Quirky B&B, richly decorated. No dogs. B&B double £120.
- 2 Gweebarra, 48 Station Rd, Cultra BT10 0BP, ☏ +44 7703 348081. Smart B&B near Royal Belfast Golf Club. B&B double £130.
- 3 Culloden Estate and Spa, Banger Rd, Holywood BT18 0EX (by Cultra station), ☏ +44 28 9042 1135. Upscale spa hotel in Baronial style, often hosts weddings and similar events, in pleasant grounds. B&B double £260.
- See also Belfast#Sleep for nearby accommodation in the Titanic Quarter.
Connect
[edit]As of Oct 2025, Holywood and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from EE, O2 and Three.
Go next
[edit]
- Belfast attractions start just a couple of miles west in the Titanic Quarter. The city deserves several days to explore.
- Bangor a few miles east is a pleasant Victorian seaside town.
- Antrim coast: don't just rush to the touristy Giant's Causeway, take the scenic route through Carrickfergus and the Glens.
- Hollywood spelled with two L's of course is in County Wicklow, south of Dublin.