Really fascinating and a bit heartbreaking. Great interactive walk through. A must for history buffs. Very informative not only about the troubles but also how prisoners were treated in Victorian times. A real eye opener.

This is really cool to explore. While like any museum there’s a lot of blocked of areas, you do get quite a fairly big roam of the place, seeing the old secret tunnels, being allowed in a lot of the dungeons and cells and just seeing the workings of the building. Places you can’t go in have models or videos that help clear up the story. You can really feel the history being in here and it’s just a great place to be in. All that being said, it is somewhat empty less of a museum with artefacts and more of a showcase of an old building with a deep past.

We opted for a tour guided tour and whoa, we were so very very impressed. I doubt there is anyone in NI who knows more about the history of the gaol than our tour guide Harry. The tour itself was extremely informative, flowed effortlessly around the site and great, great fun. We were a family of 6 - 2 children from ages 25-11. Everyone loved the day. Will look forward to returning!!

If you want a guided tour check when these are available. However the tour itself you do does have lots of interactive sections and lots to see and read. Highly informative. Lots of walking but well worth it. Can be accessed by the hop on hop off bus stop 18 which is almost at the end of the tour about an hour in.

Insightful trip and very interactive with holograms and video clips of various things. Definitely worth a visit if you like history. A lovely restaurant within the grounds as well. Has a taxi phone line in reception which was useful for us. Bus lines run closely to prison as well.

We really enjoyed our visit. Opposite Crumlin gaol is the old courthouse - it’s derelict but it’s worth getting a photo due to its links with the gaol. When you enter there are some boards giving you a timeline, we’d recommend reading them first as they give you a bit of the history of the gaol- however there is a constant message telling you to follow the arrows which can get annoying! We were able to only walk a short way down the tunnel which is linked to the old courthouse. The whole gaol is very atmospheric and there are plenty of options to hear about the prisoners and what life was like for them. In the room about the troubles there is a brilliant animated video of the history of the troubles which gives a very quick but comprehensive summary of this period of history. In the final room you can see where prisoners prepared for execution and you’re also able to walk outside to their unmarked graves. We learnt a lot on our visit and would definitely recommend. We had lunch in the Cuffs restaurant which was good value for money; had friendly staff; and great food.

I have a fascination with old prisons so absolutely loved the visit to the Crumlin Road Gaol. You could easily spend a few hours here. The gift shop was underwhelming aside from the choice of books and the woman working in the shop clearly couldn’t care less that we were there but we really enjoyed our visit. Very interesting!

We visited The Gaol on our last day in Belfast before catching the flight home and glad we did. It's an interesting self tour of the jail and all it's history. Only thing I'd say is wear layers as it is cold in the cells. Friendly staff and helpful to keep our suitcases for us whilst we walked around. The food in the cuff&grill was absolutely delicious. Very friendly helpful staff too and also good portions. Definitely worth a visit.

Visiting Belfast, this was a “must do” on our list of places to go to and it’s really easy to get to by bus or on foot from the city centre. The building is as foreboding as you would expect and we opted for the self guided tour which is on timed visits of every 10 minutes. We just walked in as it was so quiet. You are directed through the gaol by numerous arrows and can take as little or as long over each area as you wish. There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of things to read and buttons to press for videos as well as holograms telling you about the history of the place. There were only a dozen or so of us in so these were easily accessed but I would guess when it’s busier, it would be a struggle. There is also timed access to certain areas, too, like the circle. The history is brutal and this is added to by the bone seeping cold in there. So when it says to wrap up warm, do, it’s freezing. The tunnel, leading to the beautiful but now derelict Court House, is fascinating, and the condemned cell and “hanging room” may be not for the faint hearted but an essential part of the experience. The little film about the origin of The Troubles was the best explanation we had over our 5 day stay, plus it was funny, too. The exhibits did remind me a little of “death by PowerPoint” in my previous working life and after a while you do get saturated by information that does appear to repeat itself. However, we would both recommend the gaol but don’t go in a T-shirt, it really is very, very cold. The walk back into the city is all down hill and only takes about 30 minutes. We had a peek into St. Patrick’s Church (stunning) and Belfast Cathedral (disappoint) on the way back. A Guinness and some Irish Stew at The Dark Horse in the Cathedral Quarter will warm you up a treat, too. We had a great morning.

Wow, I remember seeing the prisoners on the roof tops from the 80’s. So this isn’t ancient history that you can’t relate to. Really well laid out with videos in cells. Although not many people were executed it’s chilling to see this area. Only accessed one wing and didn’t go upstairs so lots of unopened areas incl the hospital.