A list of things to do when you live in Elms and your flatmates are away home for the weekend

It’s the weekend and South Belfast is calm. Elms Village is like a ghost-town. All the Northern Irish students have gone off home to get their washing done and have a Sunday dinner. Although, it is not all that quiet – it is a little known fact that Queen’s students do exist on a weekend – they’re from the far away land of Great Britain/the mainland (whichever you prefer). If you’re one of these rare creatures, then this is the guide for you so your weekend isn’t too boring.

Shopping

The weekend is not just a time to do work and washing, why not go into town for a bit of retail therapy (although this will involve fighting the crowds of Belfast’s shoppers). Why not go a bit further afield for your shopping kick – Dublin for example is just over 2 hours away by and sometimes you can get tickets for just a tenner! Here you can soak up the culture of Temple Bar, visit the Guinness factory and fulfil all your shopping desires.

Obligatory photo in front of Temple Bar

Sightseeing

If shopping isn’t really your thing, then why not see some of the country you’re actually studying in. The North Coast is a scenic gem, and not just for those of House Starks, Targaryen and Lannister (if you didn’t get this Game of Thrones reference then you need to get watching!). You’ll find tonnes of coach tours from the city centre for those tourists but why not go your own way and save a bit of money? You can easily get to the beauty spots of the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede by public transport. If you're a GOT fan, make sure to visit the iconic Dark Hedges.

A theme park!! Jks it's just Barry's

While you’re up there why not go to Portrush – the seaside town of Northern Ireland and experience the culinary delights of the Ramore Restaurant Complex? One warning, Portrush contains Northern Ireland’s theme park Barry’s – unfortunately, it’s not quite on par with Alton Towers.

Cavehill walks

If these locations are too far away then there’s some amazing scenery right on Belfast’s doorstep in the form of those big hills that look over the city. There’s loads of walking paths up Cavehill which give you amazing views over Belfast and onto the Irish Sea. There’s one problem though – you need to make sure the weather’s decent enough otherwise you won’t have a chance of seeing any of the scenery!

Climbing Cavehill

If you take up some of these trips then you too can become a Northern Irish native and get out of the sleepy weekend haze of South Belfast.