The City of Belfast – things to see and do

At first glance, Belfast is a modern city. Not particularly pretty, in my opinion.
At second glance, however, Belfast offers many really great sights and also has its own charm…

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Intro

It was winter. A cold, wet and uncomfortable winter. We had just passed Belfast on our tour to or from Scotland and had booked two nights there. We mainly wanted to visit the Titanic exhibition, because that’s what Belfast is known for. I also always find ships exciting – even sunken ones.

By chance, we had booked accommodation near Queen’s University. So we walked from our neighbourhood somewhere in the city centre to the university and had a look at it
WOW – such a great building! In fact, a great building complex – and completely open!

Queens University Belfast (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

A little further on is the botanical garden. Winter wasn’t the best time of year for it, but it was still nice to explore the garden. Just lovely! And the famous and much photographed Victorian Palm House was really beautiful – and nice and warm!

The next day we went to the Titanic exhibition: a large, modern, silver building in the middle of the harbour – where the shipyards used to be and where you can still visit the docks today. Among other things, the Titanic was built here – but also many other ships, most of which did not sink tragically!

Belfast City Hall (photo: Bella on Google Maps)

In short: I can only warmly recommend the Titanic exhibition to everyone – we thought it was absolutely fantastic! By the way, I wrote a separate article about the shipping history of Belfast, which you can find here: https://ireland-insider.com/belfast-and-the-big-ships/.

I like historic old towns. Modern industrial cities are less my thing. But as I explored the city centre further, the industrial and harbour city of Belfast revealed a surprising number of really beautiful classic buildings. and it also has many other great places to explore: Sightseeing, cultural or outdoor activities – there’s plenty of choice to suit different tastes.

And that’s exactly what we’ll get to now…

Albert Memorial Clocktower Belfast (photo: Gaz Drone Photography on Google Maps)

Sightseeing

Titanic Belfast: Certainly one of the most important attractions – experience the history of the Titanic in Belfast harbour. See: https://titanicbelfast.com.

SS Nomadic: Historic ship and last ship of the White Star Line, to which the Titanic also belonged. Can be visited in the harbour next to the Titanic exhibition. See: https://www.titanicbelfast.com/explore/ss-nomadic/.

HMS Caroline: A Royal Navy ship from the First World War, now a floating museum. Not far from the Titanic Belfast. See: https://www.nmrn.org.uk/visit-us/hms-caroline.

W5: Interactive, family-friendly, museum of technology and science. Also in the harbour. See: https://w5online.co.uk.

SS-Nomadic Belfast (photo: Samrat Choudhury on Google Maps)

Albert Memorial Clocktower: Tall, chic clock tower from 1865 in the centre of the city.

Belfast Castle: Castle on a hill on the edge of the city, with wonderful views over the city. There are gardens, a café and a restaurant. See: https://www.belfastcastle.co.uk.

Crumlin Road Gaol: A historic prison that you can visit on a guided or self-guided tour. Here you can also book a Black Taxi tour to interesting places of the Troubles (former unrest in Northern Ireland), or do this as a self-guided tour on foot. https://crumlinroadgaol.com.

Belfast City Hall: City Hall with marvellous architecture from 1906. You can download an app and take a self-guided tour. City Hill is surrounded by gardens, including the Titanic Memorial Garden, which you can also visit on this occasion. See: https://visitbelfast.com/partners/belfast-city-hall/.

St Anne’s Cathedral: Impressive cathedral in the heart of the city. It is also worth exploring the Cathedral Quarter around the cathedral, which is known as a cultural and nightlife district. See: https://www.belfastcathedral.org.

Ulster Museum: The Ulster Museum houses several collections in the fields of art, science and history. From dinosaurs to the picture gallery. See: https://www.ulstermuseum.org/visit.

Queen`s University: Historic university and beautiful buildings from 1845. You can take a campus tour, or like us, just walk around – beautiful either way. See: https://www.qub.ac.uk/about/Visit-Us/.

Inside Queens University Belfast (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

Botanic Gardens: You’ve probably already seen the Victorian greenhouse in pictures, it’s a favourite photo motif. The surrounding park is also beautiful. The Botanic Gardens are right next to Queens University, so you can easily combine the two.

Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum: Here you can see the history of Northern Ireland during the Second World War. See: https://www.niwarmemorial.org.

The White House: This great house is from 1569 and today a museum that explains the history of the wars between Jacobites and Williamites and also a lot about the history of the house. It is located a little out of town, on the shores of Belfast Lough. See: http://www.thewhitehouseindalaradia.co.uk.

White House Museum near Belfast (photo: Rachel Lemon on Google Maps)

Music and Culture

Ulster Museum: Mentioned here again because of its art exhibitions. See: https://www.ulstermuseum.org.

Grand Opera House: Victorian splendour and modern additions – and of course music and theatre. See: https://www.goh.co.uk.

MAC Belfast: Experience contemporary art and performances at this modern arts centre. See: https://themaclive.com

Grand Opera House Belfast (photo: Grand Opera House on Google Maps)

Oh Yeah Music Centre: Immerse yourself in Belfast’s music history. Events, live music, walking tours and much more. See: https://www.ohyeahbelfast.com.

Belfast International Arts Festival: Jährliches Kulturfestival im Herbst, mit Theater, Musik, Kunst und Literatuir an vielen Orten in Belfast. Siehe: https://belfastinternationalartsfestival.com.

Live Musik im Pub: Oh mein Gott, es gibt so viele Pubs in Belfast, wo du Musik hören kannst – einfach mal umhören :-).

Food and Drink

Linen Quarter: Former linen weavers’ quarter next to City Hall. Today a strolling paradise with shops, boutiques, cafés, restaurants and bars – you are sure to find what you are looking for here.

St. George’s Market: A wide variety of specialities in a Victorian market hall. See: https://visitbelfast.com/partners/st-georges-market/.

Crown Liquor Saloon: Beautifully preserved Victorian pub, not far from City Hall.

Crown Liquor Bar in Belfast (photo: Philip Moynagh on Google Maps)

Mourne Seafood Bar: Fresh seafood can be found here – see: https://www.mourneseafood.com/restaurants/belfast/.

Established Coffee: Great café with its own coffee varieties. See: https://established.coffee/pages/the-cafe.

Tours and Outdoor Activities

Peace Wall Belfast: Here you will find wall art that you can explore yourself with an app – walk and be amazed – see: https://visitbelfast.com/partners/ar-peace-wall-app/.

Black Cab Tours: Learn more about the city’s colourful history on a taxi tour – see: https://belfasttours.com.

Belfast River Lagan (photo: Alby Set on Google Maps)

Belfast City Sightseeing Tour: Explore the highlights of the city on a hop-on hop-off bus. See: https://city-sightseeing.com/en/116/belfast/247/hop-on-hop-off-belfast.

Belfast Food Tour: Discover the city’s culinary scene. See: https://tasteandtour.co.uk/book-tour/1715/belfast-food-tour.

Cave Hill Country Park: Cave Hill is a hill with a cave and the remains of an old ring fort to the west of the town. There are several hiking trails where you can stretch your legs. From the top you have a great view of Belfast and the coast. See: https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/cavehill.

Inside Victorian Glasshouse at Botanic Garden Belfast (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

Lagan Valley Regional Park: Walk along the Lagan River in the south of Belfast. See: https://www.laganvalley.co.uk/places-to-visit.

Various parks: Belfast has plenty of parks in the city centre where you can stretch your legs – for example Ormeau Park – see: https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/things-to-do/parks-and-open-spaces/a-z-parks/ormeau-park,

Belfast City Bike Tours: Here you can take a guided bike tour through Belfast – with bike hire. See: https://belfastcitybiketours.com.

Botanic Garden Belfast (photo: Alby Set on Google Maps)

Belfast Bikes has over 50 stations with more than 400 bikes for hire in Belfast – see: https://www.belfastbikes.co.uk/en/belfast/.

Umoveebikes: You can also hire an e-bike in the harbour for the whole day and explore Belfast on your own. See: https://umoveebikes.com/e-bike-rentals/.

AhoyBelfast is a provider of leisurely boat tours in Belfast Harbour. See: https://www.ahoybelfast.com/gallery.

Belfast City Sightseeing: Tour of Belfast by double-decker bus. See: https://belfastcitysightseeing.com/belfast-city-sightseeing-tour/.

Belfast Peace Wall (photo: Arif Sariyldiz on Google Maps)

More Activities

Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum: Lisburn is located south of Belfast. The Regency was once a major centre for linen production. Here you can find out more about this and the history of Lisburn. See: https://www.lisburnmuseum.com.

Hillsborough Castle and Garden: This is a residence of the British royal family. You can visit the state rooms and the large gardens and parks. Hillsborough light a good distance south of Belfast. See: https://www.hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-castle/visit/#gs.fo5ba3.

Stormont Parliament Buildings: Visit the seat of Northern Ireland’s government just outside, east of Belfast. See: https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/visit-and-learning/visit/

Hillsborough Castle near Belfast (photo: Colm McMenamy on Google Maps)

Belfast Zoo: Discover over 120 species of animals at this zoo. https://www.belfastzoo.co.uk.

Victoria Square Shopping Centre: Go shopping and enjoy the view from the glass dome.

Antrim Castle Gardens: Antrim is a small town, west of Belfast, on Lough Neagh. There is a beautiful castle to visit, or rather the castle gardens. – see: https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/antrim-castle-gardens-and-clotworthy-house-p704051.

Game of Thrones Studio Tour: In the town of Banbridge, south of Belfast, a GoT experience with original props from the filming was created in old film studios. See: https://gameofthronestours.com.

Game of Thrones Tours: Bus tour to the film locations of the series. See: https://gameofthronestours.com.

GoT Studio Tour near Belfast (photo: Robert Tumilson on Google Maps)

Conclusion

Belfast is cool, even in winter or in the rain. There is simply too much to do, see and experience here. You will definitely fly home with lots of interesting impressions – that’s a promise.

The city is a perfect stop on a round trip, but you can also fly here for a weekend, just like to Dublin.

With this in mind, I hope you enjoy exploring Belfast!