Our Place in Space

VISITOR NOTICE: The bottom section of the space trail (past B Galleries) and gate that takes you onto the coastal path from the museum grounds is closed until further notice for improvement works.

A sculpture of the Earth beside a wall painted in a dark navy colour with multicoloured stars painted over the top to look like space. A parent with his back to the camera wearing a backpack is looking at the Earth sculpture alongside a young boy who is on his knees on the ground and hands on the sculpture getting a real close up look!

Date

Permanent

Age group

All

Embark on a celestial stroll from the blazing Sun to mystifying Mars — all on the grounds of the Ulster Transport Museum!

The full Our Place in Space trail, which took you all the way from Ulster Transport Museum to Bangor, has come to an end. However...there's some exciting news for all you space explorers. The inner planets that live on our site, which includes the Sun all the way to Mars, are remaining at the Transport Museum for you to enjoy!

Currently, there is no access to the coastal path from the bottom of our site as we make some improvements to the area. However, you can still voyage on into space using the Our Place in Space app when you're on the trail within museum grounds.

By Car

You can use our free car park, which is just a short walk from the museum entrance. You can find directions to the museum here .

By Train

You can reach us from Belfast using the Bangor to Portadown line. Disembark at Cultra station and it's a short walk to the museum. Please note that the main route to the museum site from this train stop is not accessibility friendly. Plan your journey on Translink’s website here.

By Bus

The museum is also serviced by bus with a stop next to the car park. Plan your journey on Translink’s website here.

There are two main buildings, the 'A Galleries' and the 'B Galleries'.

In the 'A Galleries' you will find a fascinating collection of steam engines, cars, buses and trams from the mid-19th century to the present day. Tickets can be pre-booked, or you can pay on arrival.

In the ‘B Galleries’ you will find space-themed surprises and activities, all part of the trail experience, as well as museum displays featuring racing cars and our iconic DeLorean.

Please note, the museum is closed on Mondays.

Get the trail App

You can download the Our Place in Space App to enhance your experience of the inner planets. See how far you have travelled, learn some really cool facts about space, add your own star to the Universe and even meet a few of Oliver Jeffers' characters out exploring too!

Our Place in Space was commissioned by Belfast City Council. Led by Nerve Centre, the project was a collaboration between Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, National Museums NI, NI Science Festival, Big Motive, Taunt, Microsoft, Jeffers & Sons, Dumbworld, Live Music Now and Little Inventors.

Our Place in Space was originally conceived through a research and development project and presented as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, co-commissioned by Belfast City Council. UNBOXED was designed to celebrate creativity and innovation, with funding from the Northern Ireland Executive, UK Government, Scottish Government and Welsh Government.