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More than a quarter-century of internal strife has seriously affected tourism in Northern Ireland. Though this was understandable in the dark days of the late 1960s and early 1970s, wanton violence was never a serious threat to visitors. In 1995, following the declaration of the first IRA ceasefire, the numbers of  visitors from abroad jumped dramatically. Although the numbers fell in 1996 after hostilities resumed, ratification in 1998 of the Good Friday Agreement provided a dose of positive international press, and tourism figures are once again rising.
Northern Ireland has plenty going for it: the Causeway Coast road, the Glens of Antrim, the old walls of Derry, cosmopolitan Belfast. But even with the coming of peace and the end of military roadblocks, the signs of the Troubles can't be ignored: the street murals in Belfast and Derry, shuttered shopfronts, deserted fortified police-stations, and the occasional armoured car and circling helicopter are still as much a part of Northern Ireland as green fields and smoke-filled pubs.
BELFAST
Had the Troubles never happened, the capital of Northern Ireland would simply be a big, rather ugly industrial city, pleasantly situated and with some impressive Victorian architecture. As it is, Belfast (Beal Feirste) has been deformed by violence for nearly 30 years, and until recently its residents were forced to incorporate bomb threats and army checkpoints into their daily routines.
Yet if your only view of the city has been through the media's lens, you may be surprised to find that Belfast is actually busy and bustling, livelier and far more cheerful than its grim reputation leads visitors to expect.
Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
Belfast's biggest tourist attraction (9042 8428) is 11km north-east of the centre beside the Bangor road (A2) near Holywood. The 30 buildings on this 60-hectare site range from city terrace-homes to thatched farm-cottages. A bridge crosses the A2 to the Transport Museum, where you can see various Ulster-related vehicles including a prototype of the Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft.
THE BELFAST-DERRY COASTAL ROAD
Ireland isn't short of fine stretches of coast, but the Causeway Coast from Portstewart in County Derry to Ballycastle in County Antrim, and the Antrim Coast from Ballycastle to Belfast, are magnificent.
From late May to late September, Ulster-bus's Antrim Coaster bus No 252 operates between Belfast and Coleraine (four hours), topping at all the main tourist sights. Also, its open-topped Bushmills Bus (No 177) is a double-decker that runs from the Giant's Causeway to Coleraine in July and August. The trip takes just over an hour. Bus No 162 runs year-round along the Antrim coast between Larne and Cushendun.
Ballycastle
Ballycastle, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea, is a quiet harbour town and a natural base for exploring the coasts to the west or south.
The welcoming IHH/IHO Castle Hostel (2076 2337, 62 Quay Rd), just past the Marine Hotel, charges 9 € a night. The IHO Ballycastle Backpackers (2076 3612, 4 North St), near the waterfront and main bus stop, charges 7 €.
Carrick-a-Rede Island
Open from May to mid-September, but closed any time the wind is too strong, the 20m rope bridge connecting Carrick-a-Rede Island to the mainland is a heart-stopper, swaying some 25m above the furious sea. The island is the site of a salmon fishery and a nesting ground for gulls and fulmars. You can cross the bridge free, but the National Trust car park costs 2.5 €; it's a 1.25km walk from there to the bridge.
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