I loved Belfast.

I studied abroad in Dublin for a summer back in 2004, and we went to Belfast for a long weekend as part of that course. I thought it was much warmer and friendlier than Dublin was, and there are things to see there. It's been nearly twenty years so I can't give any great recommendations on things to do, especially because my trip was a law school trip and it focused on the UK/Irish legal systems, meaning that our excursions were to observe courts and visit Stormont, the legislative seat for Northern Ireland.

I really enjoyed being in the city and there are some cool spots to check out, including the Crown Pub, a 19th century saloon with the original gas lamps. The Europa Hotel, across the street, has the unfortunate moniker of being the most bombed hotel in the world, having been bombed 36 times during the Troubles.

My thought would to stay a couple of nights there and make it a base of operations for a trip to the northern coast. It will be pretty dreary there in January, but I honestly don't think it will be much different from the rest of the island at that point.