Belfast used to be known for all the wrong reasons…but a lot has changed in recent years and it is actually one of the nicest cities to visit for a weekend escape, there are plenty of things to do during your visit and I can assure you that their cosy pub atmosphere will make you fall in love with the city.
Where to stay: stay in the city centre, it’s not very big you can walk everywhere. “The Flint” hotel is very well located for a reasonable price. If you want something more exclusive you can stay at "The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast”.
General advice: obviously no-one is going to Belfast for the weather but I would avoid the coldest months (November, December, January and February). In the summer the weather will be milder however don’t expect shorts and t-shirt weather! Always pack a waterproof jacket or coat with a hood. Belfast is quite windy so you always feel slightly colder than the actual temperature and this also makes umbrellas completely useless!
Day 1: History and pubs
If you are staying near the City Hall, I would recommend to go for a quick coffee and a croissant to “Trait”… delicious!
First thing to do on your first day is to book a black cab tour. I would recommend to do this first thing so you can understand and appreciate from the beginning the complex and the difficult history of Belfast. The black cab tour will take you around the famous murals and to the Catholic and Protestant neighbours where the driver will explain what happened during the troubles. The company we used was “Taxi Tours Belfast” - you can book at belfasttours.com .
We loved the experience and I could not recommend it enough. The tour is private, takes around 1.45min and costs £70 for 2 people. When you finish the tour, you can ask the driver to drop you at St. Anne’s cathedral and from there walk towards the City Hall. You can access parts of the City Hall for free and there is a small exhibition that explains the history of Belfast that is worth seeing.
After this, you can head for lunch to “Harlem Cafe”, note that it’s a super popular place and you might need to queue for a while. At Harlem Cafe you need to order an Ulster fry as this is one of the most famous dishes in Belfast.
Once you finish lunch, head towards the Titanic museum walking alongside the waterfront, the walk will take around 35 minutes. I would recommend to book the tickets to the museum in advance, the cost is £25. It is definitely worth visiting the titanic museum, the exhibition is great and also super interesting to understand what were the causes of the disaster. It took us an hour and half to visit the museum.
After this, head back to the city centre to visit the super cool pubs of the Cathedral Quarter and beyond. You can come back to the city centre either walking, getting an uber or by bus G2.
You need to go to:
- Duke of York, probably the most famous one in all of Belfast
- the Spaniard, a small on but very charming place
- Whites Tavern, my favourite by far! So cosy and nice
- Kelly's Cellars, super authentic classic pub
- Maddens
- Filthy McNastys
For dinner, the recommended restaurant is “Bourne Seafood Bar”- the oysters and the seafood soup were fantastic.
Day 2: Market and university
On you second day, head towards St George’s market. We went early around 10 am and it was already buzzy and lively. In the market you will find food and drinks as well as clothes, souvenirs and art. We decided to grab a coffee and a crepe which was amazing! It took us around an hour to see the whole market.
Once you finish visiting the market, you can take a cab towards the Queen’s university area. Here you can explore the university which is in a beautiful building, and from there walk to the botanic gardens and the Ulster Museum which is next to the university. The entrance to the botanic gardens and the museum are free. We spent around 2 hours wandering around here.
When you arrive to Queen’s university the first thing you will see is the Lanyon building which is the symbol of the university, completed in 1849. His design borrows from the Gothic and Tudor character of the great medieval universities, and in particular from Magdalen College, Oxford.
In the Botanic Gardens you will find tropical plants, giant bird feeders, a rose garden, an alpine garden, mature trees, flower beds and sculptures.
In the Ulster Museum you can see collections of art, natural science and history.
After this, we decided to walk back to the city centre for lunch. The walk took us around 30 min. Before heading back to the airport we had lunch at “Yardbird”, a restaurant with American vibes specialised in cooking chicken. Another great find!
Do you have more days? If you do, rent a car and head towards Giant's Causeway.
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