Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · United Kingdom

DownpatrickDún Pádraig

One night is enough: see the cathedral and St Patrick Centre, then use it as a base for Inch Abbey and the coast. Two nights only if you have a car.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
GBP
Best months
May–Sep
avoid Jan–Feb (wet, short days)
Airports
BFS · BHD · DUB
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Neither the UK nor Ireland is part of Schengen: days spent here do not count towards the 90/180-day Schengen limit, and a Schengen visa does not admit you to either country.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗The island of Ireland runs on two currencies: euro in the Republic, pound sterling in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Carry a card that pays in both without fees.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Both islands drive on the left. Speed limits are in miles per hour in the UK (including Northern Ireland) and in kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland.
  • United Kingdom ↗Most visitors who do not need a UK visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; this includes EU nationals. Irish citizens are exempt. Check the UK government site for your passport.
  • United Kingdom ↗The UK is outside the EU and the Schengen area; a Schengen visa is not valid for the UK.
  • United Kingdom ↗Driving is on the left; London has congestion and emissions charges for most vehicles, so do not drive in the city.

Downpatrick is a small County Down town of about 11,500 people, 21 miles south of Belfast, built on its claim to St Patrick's grave. The town centre is walkable in an afternoon; the prehistoric and early Christian sites around it need a car or a bus. Most travellers come for a half-day from Belfast or as a stop on the way to Newcastle and the Mournes.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Downpatrick, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee£3–4.50 (≈ US$4–6)
  • Sit-down mealPub main course£12–20 (≈ US$16–30)
  • Street or quick mealCafe lunch or sandwich£6–12 (≈ US$8–16)
  • BeerPint of beer£5–6.50 (≈ US$7–9)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi across towncheck£5–8 (≈ US$7–11)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week£8–15 (≈ US$11–20)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person£30 (≈ US$40)
  • Mid-range bedB&B or hotel double room, a night, per room£130 (≈ US$180)
  • High-end bedB&B or hotel double room, a night, per room£200 (≈ US$300)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget £45 (≈ US$60) · Mid £80 (≈ US$110) · High £140 (≈ US$190)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

St Patrick's grave at Down CathedralSt Patrick CentreDown County MuseumInch AbbeyBallynoe Stone Circle
Airports
BFS Belfast International (About 40 min by car via A26 and A7; no direct bus to Downpatrick, change in Belfast.) · BHD George Best Belfast City (About 35 min by car; bus 215/515 runs from Belfast Grand Central, not the airport.) · DUB Dublin (About 2 h by car via A1 and A25; allow more in traffic.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Downpatrick: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

8°C

3°C

15 rd

Feb

8°C

3°C

12 rd

Mar

10°C

4°C

13 rd

Apr

12°C

5°C

11 rd

May

15°C

7°C

11 rd

Jun

18°C

10°C

11 rd

Jul

19°C

12°C

12 rd

Aug

19°C

12°C

13 rd

Sep

17°C

10°C

12 rd

Oct

14°C

8°C

14 rd

Nov

10°C

5°C

14 rd

Dec

8°C

3°C

14 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable: cathedral, museum, St Patrick Centre and bus station are all within 10 minutes on foot. Inch Abbey is a 25–30 min walk via the A7 Belfast Road or the heritage railway. Everything else — Saul, Struell Wells, Ballynoe, Ardglass, Rowallane — needs a car, taxi or bus. National Cycleway 99 passes through town and is all on-road.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Inch Abbey

go

Door to door: 30–40 min

Walk 25–30 min via the A7 Belfast Road, or take the heritage railway to Abbey station on running days

Free, open 24 h; ruins on the west bank of the River Quoile.

Saul Church

go

Door to door: About 15 min

Car or taxi, about 10 min east on the A25

1933 church with a replica round tower and a hilltop statue; no bus.

Struell Wells

go

Door to door: About 12 min

Car or taxi, about 8 min southeast

Free, open 24 h; four wells and 17th-century bath houses in a rocky valley.

Ardglass

go

Door to door: About 20 min

Car about 15 min south; bus service is limited

Fishing village with medieval tower houses; Jordan's Castle is the one you can enter.

Rowallane Garden

go

Door to door: 25–35 min

Car about 20 min north near Saintfield, or bus from Belfast on the A7

National Trust garden, adult £12, child £6, free for NT members.

Newcastle and the Mournes

overnight

Door to door: About 40 min

Bus 17, about 30 min, or car via A25

Better as a base for the mountains than a rushed return trip.

Strangford and the Ards Peninsula

go

Door to door: About 40 min

Ulsterbus 16 every hour or two, connecting with the ferry

Mansion, ruined castles and a neolithic tomb; ferry crosses to the peninsula.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Town centre (English St / Irish St / Market St)

Walk to the cathedral, museum and pubs. Denvir's is the main hotel; a handful of B&Bs nearby.

St Patrick's Drive / Ballydugan Road

Quieter residential streets 5–10 min walk from the centre; B&Bs and the converted mill.

Out of town (Killough Rd, Crossgar)

Country B&Bs and gardens; you need a car for everything.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
£45–70 (≈ US$60–95) excl. bed
Mid
£70–110 (≈ US$95–150) excl. bed
High
£110 (≈ US$150)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
B&B or hotel double room1 × 1 night × £130£130
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × £80£160
Bus Belfast Grand Central ↔ Downpatrick, both ways2 × £20 · check£40
St Patrick Centre adult ticket2 × £8£16
Rowallane Garden adult ticket2 × £12£24
eSIM, about a week of data2 × £10£20
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge£39
Trip total≈ £215 per person per day, bed included£429≈ US$600

2026 estimate in pounds; travel to Downpatrick excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee£3–4.50 (≈ US$4–6)
Cafe lunch or sandwich£6–12 (≈ US$8–16)
Pub main course£12–20 (≈ US$16–30)
Pint of beer£5–6.50 (≈ US$7–9)
Indian or Chinese takeaway main£8–14 (≈ US$11–19)
Taxi across towncheck£5–8 (≈ US$7–11)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week£8–15 (≈ US$11–20)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

A quiet, low-crime town; the real risks are rural roads with no footpath, thin Sunday buses and wet, dark winter afternoons. Standard UK precautions apply.
  • Many outlying sites are free and open 24 h but have no facilities, lighting or shelter: go in daylight.
  • Sunday buses are thin or absent on several routes (17, 19, 14): check the day before you rely on one.
  • The heritage railway runs only on advertised running days, not daily.
  • Rowallane Garden and some sites close earlier in winter: check before travelling.
  • Rural roads are narrow with no footpath: walk facing traffic and wear something visible.

Emergency numbers

NHS non-urgent
111
Police non-urgent
101

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

DownpatrickDún Pádraig

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • NHS non-urgent111
  • Police non-urgent101

Embassy

No embassies in Downpatrick; the US consulate-general is in Belfast, and most other countries have embassies in London or Dublin.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Bus Belfast Grand Central → Downpatrick: about £10 (≈ US$14) single, 1 h (check)
  • Bus Newry → Downpatrick: about 80 min via Newcastle (check)
  • Taxi across town: £5–8 (≈ US$7–11) (check)

Say or show

  • Hello — Hello (heh-loh)
  • Please — Please (pleez)
  • Thanks — Thank you (thanks)
  • Sorry — Excuse me (sor-ee)
  • Where's the bus station? — Where is the bus station? (wairz thuh bus stay-shun)
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card? (kan eye pay by kard)

English is the everyday language; Irish (Gaeilge) appears on signage but is not needed to get around.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Downpatrick. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Sep · avoid Jan–Feb (wet, short days) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 7 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for BFS and BHD: last bus from Belfast Grand Central, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking cluster map: cathedral, museum, St Patrick Centre, bus station, Market Street pubs.
  3. Place pages with verified hours for Down Cathedral, Down County Museum, St Patrick Centre and Rowallane Garden.
  4. Sunday and winter service fixtures so bus-dependent day trips can go green or be marked skip.

Meanwhile

Back to United Kingdom

Sources