Spirit of Belfast Tours
This guide is designed to go with you before and during your trip: every place has a description, where it is, and why you should go there (if you should). We’ve split it into six categories so you can jump to what you’re into.
- Free things to see in Belfast: free and close to the centre. The places to see between plans.
- Things to see on your own: these take a bit longer and are a little further out, so you may need a bus or a taxi.
- Belfast with children: plans designed for them, not just places that let them in.
- Belfast at night: where to go out.
- Belfast outdoors: for travellers who like to get out of the city streets. Ireland is called the Emerald Isle for a reason.
- Near Belfast: day trips that don’t need an overnight stay.
Free things to see in Belfast
1. The political murals of West Belfast
If Belfast is known for one thing, it is its tragic political history. Catholic and Protestant neighbours lived separated by walls that still stand. This is the part of the city most affected by the Troubles, and here the residents of the Catholic Falls Road painted their history and their nationalist ideas on the walls around a flour mill.
You’ll find murals about causes from all over the world, from Palestine to Cuba, depending on when you come: they change with whatever is in the news. It’s living art, and the reason many people come to Belfast.
You can easily walk it on your own. If you’d rather go with a guide, join our political walking tour, which covers both Falls Road and Shankill Road.
Where: from the city centre, walk up Falls Road past Divis Tower (you can’t miss it) and the murals appear on your right, around the Andrews Flour mill. Open in Google Maps
2. The Peace Wall
The Peace Wall separates the Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods, and nothing shows the state of the city better. Its gates still close every evening, and it is one of the most controversial things in Belfast: some see it as a symbol of segregation, others say it keeps them safe.
It wasn’t built for tourists: it’s a raw part of Belfast society, and a must if you’re interested in political history. Come on your own or on a guided tour, and bring a pen: visitors from Bill Clinton to Rihanna have left a message here.
Warning: the gates between the two neighbourhoods close every evening. Mind the time or you’ll have a long walk round.
Where: carry on up Falls Road past the murals; at the petrol station and The Leaf pub, take the side street on the left. Open in Google Maps
3. The street art of the Cathedral Quarter and Smithfield
Belfast wants to leave its past behind, but not its murals. This is the most alternative part of the city, full of street art. It includes the bohemian Smithfield area and the bars of Union Street. You’ll find The Sunflower, a pub that still has a security cage from the Troubles at its door, and murals of every kind.
This is a place for you if you want an alternative atmosphere, a pint in a unique bar, or simply a walk taking a thousand photos. It’s where you meet the people of Belfast.
Where: right in the centre. From the Central Library, take the side street on the left and the murals begin. Turn left for Smithfield, right for the bars of Union Street. Open in Google Maps
4. Belfast City Hall
At the end of the 19th century the city fathers were convinced Belfast would reach three million people and needed a city hall to match. Well, we’re a bit over 300,000. Inside there is a free exhibition about the history of Belfast, the Titanic, the Industrial Revolution and how the city has changed. Curiously, it keeps stained-glass windows about the Spanish Civil War that were only removed once, when a German attack was expected in the Second World War.
If you like the Titanic story, you’ll find something here: the Titanic Memorial is in the grounds on the east side. The exhibition will keep you busy for a good while, and it’s my refuge when it pours.
Where: literally the centre of the city. The buses go there, the tourist office is across the road, the cruise shuttles stop there. It’s also where our free walking tour starts.
5. St George’s Market
A mix of tourists and locals where you can find everything: souvenirs, antiques, books, fresh fish, crafts, dozens of places to eat and even paella with chorizo. Please stop telling the owner off: we didn’t design the dish, but the locals love it.
It has been named the best indoor market in the UK. Live music, stalls of every kind and a great atmosphere, and the best part: you don’t get wet. If you like seafood, this is where to find oysters of every size and price.
Warning: the market only opens at the weekend (Friday to Sunday).
Where: 5 minutes from Lanyon Place station, or 10 minutes from City Hall. From the Big Fish, where our tour ends, it’s a 5 to 10 minute walk. Open in Google Maps
6. Queen’s Square
A very photogenic spot: the Albert Clock, the old Custom House and a giant salmon all meet here. In the old days it was a rough area where sailors met professionals of the half-hour kind. Now it’s a concert venue where visitors stroll and enjoy a Guinness on a terrace.
The Albert Clock is a mini Big Ben with a lean, the Big Fish is literally a giant ceramic fish, and from March to October there are usually events. This is where our free walking tour ends, so you can go in peace.
Where: the eastern edge of the city centre, 15 minutes from City Hall. Open in Google Maps
7. St Anne’s Cathedral
What we recommend for free is seeing the cathedral from outside. It was finished in the early 20th century in Victorian Gothic style and is seen as a link between Catholics and Protestants, since it serves both communities.
Look for the largest Celtic cross in Ireland, the giant spire (the Spire of Hope, suspiciously similar to Dublin’s) and the memorial to the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, right in front of the cathedral. You can go inside, but that’s no longer free.
Where: next to the bars of the Cathedral Quarter, 15 minutes straight on from City Hall. Walk: it’s the easiest way. Open in Google Maps
8. Europa Hotel
The most bombed hotel in the world, and that’s not an exaggeration: it holds a Guinness World Record. Inside there is a free exhibition about the hotel itself. Celebrities, politicians and journalists stayed here in the most dangerous years. The front rooms were cheaper than the back ones, because that’s where the bombs usually went off. Don’t worry, today it is perfectly safe.
Nothing tells the story of Belfast better than this hotel. On one Sunday a year, brave souls abseil down its front for charity. There’s usually one dressed as Spider-Man.
Where: 10 minutes from City Hall, next to the Europa Buscentre. Across the road is the Crown Liquor Saloon, a Victorian pub with 19th-century snugs that people fight to book. Open in Google Maps
9. Oh Yeah Music Centre
A museum of Belfast’s music history. Heard of Snow Patrol? Van Morrison? All from Northern Ireland. The whole history of rock and punk in Belfast is here, in a small room, with a bar inside and regular gigs.
It’s a tribute to the musicians who, guitar in hand, made Belfast a UNESCO City of Music. If you want one place in Belfast about music, this is it.
Where: right in the Cathedral Quarter. It’s free and you can see it in under an hour. Open in Google Maps
10. The free walking tour of Belfast
OK, we’re cheating a little: it isn’t free so much as pay-what-you-like, and since we’re going to give you a first-class tour, you’ll want to show it. In 2 hours 15 minutes we cover the heart of the city: history, politics, society, myths, legends and rock and roll legends.
It’s a quick and easy way to get your first feel for the city. We walk the whole centre and give you tips on what to do with the rest of your time.
Where: we meet at the front gates of City Hall. Impossible to miss. Book your place for £1 →
Things to see on your own
Fitting everything that might interest you into one tour is impossible, so here are the places to see on your own, no excuses.
11. Stormont, the Parliament Buildings
One of the most impressive sights in Northern Ireland. There are free guided tours that take you inside, up to the Assembly chamber, with views over the grounds. The building sits at the top of a hill with a theatrical approach: a completely unnecessary climb that makes the place look even grander. Like the White House.
My favourite moment of the tour is when they show you how one of the rooms was designed so that a whisper at one column carries to the other. I couldn’t believe it.
Where: at the far end of East Belfast. Go by bus or taxi; for a group of four a taxi is cheaper and easier. Open in Google Maps
12. Crumlin Road Gaol
A Victorian prison that held IRA prisoners, now a museum that shows how hard life was for inmates in Victorian times and during the Troubles.
From the outside you wouldn’t say it was a prison. The guided tour is striking to say the least: the prison is kept almost as it was, gallows included. We won’t go into detail because there’s a surprise that won’t leave you indifferent. They also host events: Halloween shows, musicals and even weddings.
Where: next to West Belfast, 10 minutes’ walk from St Anne’s Cathedral, or £5 by taxi from City Hall. Open in Google Maps
13. Queen’s University
A well-regarded university, and all of life in south Belfast revolves around it. The campus is full of gardens and the Ulster Museum is right there.
The university area is perfect for a stroll when the weather is good. You can walk through the quad and from there explore the area, the Botanic Gardens or the Ulster Museum. They all go together.
Where: the centre of south Belfast. Buses go from City Hall or from the street opposite the bus station. Open in Google Maps
14. Botanic Gardens
A beautifully kept public park with natural landscapes and non-native plants in conservation. It has several areas, a mini funfair with a Ferris wheel and food stalls, and several glasshouses with tropical plants. If it turns cold while you’re walking, it’s the perfect refuge.
On one side the Palm House, with tropical and even aquatic plants; on the other the gardens themselves; and the Tropical Ravine, a glasshouse that recreates a jungle with waterfalls and vegetation.
Where: next to the university. Literally one minute. Open in Google Maps
15. Ulster Museum
A free museum where you can lose a whole morning. Several floors: Irish history, natural history, the Troubles, Northern Irish culture. It’s big, so give yourself time.
It’s also perfect with children: there are dragons at the entrance and it’s very interactive. And the whole area around it, with the food stalls in the gardens and the Ferris wheel, will keep the little ones happy. And you.
Where: in the Botanic Gardens, a minute from the university. Open in Google Maps
16. The Game of Thrones stained-glass trail
Game of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland and the actors lived in Belfast, so you could bump into one in the pub. One of the tributes left behind is a series of six stained-glass windows around the city: four for the great houses (Baratheon, Lannister, Targaryen and Stark), one for the White Walkers and good old Hodor, and the Iron Throne. Yes, you can sit on it.
The trail runs through the harbour and the Titanic Quarter, so it’s a great thing to do after our walking tour: we finish next to the first window.
Where: start at the AC Hotel (1, Battle of the Bastards). Cross the bridge by the Big Fish (2, Melisandre and the Baratheons), follow the river towards the Titanic museum and the Odyssey (3, Daenerys and her dragon), cross the bridge by the SS Nomadic (4, Hodor), reach the slipways beyond Titanic Belfast (5, the Iron Throne) and finish at HMS Caroline (6, the Lannisters). About half an hour. Open in Google Maps
17. Belfast Castle
Let’s call things by their name: this isn’t a castle, it’s a 19th-century mansion in Scottish Baronial style, built for the 3rd Marquess of Donegall. The style consisted of building palaces that looked like castles.
The mansion and its gardens are lovely, it’s free to visit, and since it sits on the hillside the views are superb. With children, the Cave Hill Adventurous Playground is next door.
Where: in the hills to the north of the city. It’s some way from the centre and you’ll need transport. Open in Google Maps
18. Clifton House
One of those places you’d never find unless someone told you. It was a poorhouse run by the Belfast Charitable Society, aristocrats who believed they should use part of their wealth to help the poorest. Many Irish rebel, feminist and revolutionary movements had members from this society.
They run tours on changing themes linked to those members. It’s a place for your second visit to Belfast, more popular with Irish visitors than foreign ones, but if you’re into social history it’s worth a look.
Where: 5 minutes straight on from the Celtic cross at the cathedral, past St Patrick’s Church and the bars of Union Street. Open in Google Maps
19. C.S. Lewis Square
Did you know the author of The Chronicles of Narnia was from Belfast? East Belfast wants to make it clear, with a garden square full of references to Narnia and his other books: seven themed areas, one per book, with sculptures of the characters.
Any Narnia fan will love it, and it’s completely free. One of those hidden gems that won’t appeal to everyone, but to those it appeals to, a lot.
Where: in East Belfast, halfway to Stormont. Go by transport; there’s a shopping centre next door with easy parking. Open in Google Maps
Belfast with children
If you jumped straight here: from the section above, add the Ulster Museum, the Botanic Gardens and Belfast Castle. And if they’ve read Narnia, your children will want C.S. Lewis Square.
20. Aunt Sandra’s and Old Time Favourites
Old Time Favourites is the oldest sweet shop in Ireland: a tiny shop crammed with plastic jars of sweets, chocolate and treats, with options for diabetics, coeliacs and vegans, and the look of decades ago.
Of all the places I’ve suggested as a guide, this is the one children have always loved most. They behave all the way there hoping for sweets, and when they arrive they’re so overwhelmed they don’t know what to ask for. Adults, for the record, buy more for themselves than for the kids. Try the fudge, but don’t bite it.
Where: in the middle of the street-art area, with a giant mural of a sweet jar on the house. Open in Google Maps
21. Titanic Belfast
The biggest investment in a tourist attraction Belfast has ever made. Outside, a building as tall as the Titanic that symbolises the ship hitting the iceberg. Inside, more an interpretation centre than a museum: few relics beyond some lifejackets, but a very well done interactive experience about the ship.
It’s for fans, and it’s on the children’s list because you can let them roam safely. There’s a small ride that tells the story of the shipyard workers that kids love. Around it is the Titanic Quarter, where the ship was launched: you can see the slipways, go aboard the SS Nomadic (included in the ticket) or hunt for the Game of Thrones windows.
Where: in the Titanic Quarter. Cross the bridge at the harbour, turn left and walk 15 minutes, or take a bus from the harbour. Open in Google Maps
22. W5
The science museum you wish you’d had as a child, with a cinema thrown in. The name comes from the five questions: Who, What, Where, When and Why. Science labs, sensory spaces, laser mazes, interactive graffiti, optical illusions and an area where children learn how film special effects work.
If I had to choose one place in Belfast for children, it would be this one. Every detail is designed so children have fun and parents enjoy it too.
Where: 5 minutes from the harbour and 5 from Titanic Belfast, in the Odyssey. Buses from City Hall and from the harbour. Open in Google Maps
Belfast at night
We have a full post on the best pubs in Belfast, but here are three highlights:
23. Maddens Bar
A very traditional Irish pub, popular with locals. Once closely linked to politics, now the mecca of traditional musicians in Belfast. It’s what an Irish pub should be: live music played by amateurs, first-class Guinness, a cheerful atmosphere and the best craic. Moderate prices, a terrace where someone will sit down and talk to you whoever you are, and an inside you should enter instrument in hand if you can play.
Where: 5 minutes from City Hall. Open in Google Maps
24. The Cathedral Quarter
The most fashionable area for a night out. On one side Commercial Court with the Duke of York and the Harp Bar, beautifully decorated pubs with hired musicians, where in a more class-ridden Belfast the wealthy used to drink. On the other, the Dirty Onion and the Thirsty Goat, with loud live music and a big crowd.
It’s Belfast’s answer to Temple Bar, with the big difference that it isn’t gentrified: most of the people you’ll meet were born and raised in Belfast. Ask anyone for their favourite bar and they’ll name one of these. Nobody names just one.
Where: 10 minutes from City Hall and 5 from the harbour. Walk. Open in Google Maps
25. The Observatory
At the top of the Grand Central Hotel is the Observatory, a piano bar with the whole city at your feet. Famous for its cocktails, its calm, elegant atmosphere and its prices. Not for being cheap: this is where Joe Biden stayed when he came to Belfast.
“If I ever fall out with my boyfriend, he knows where to take me to apologise,” a Belfast neighbour told me. Romantic, quiet, perfect for a date. Go late: the city is still lit up and there are fewer people.
Where: 5 minutes from City Hall. It’s the building with the giant seahorse. Open in Google Maps
Belfast outdoors
We also have a post on outdoor things to do in Belfast. Here are the two essentials.
26. Cave Hill
Cave Hill, as the name says, is a hill with several caves along the way. There are trails of different lengths; the best known is Napoleon’s Path, which leads to the summit, known as Napoleon’s Nose. Jonathan Swift is said to have been inspired by its shape for the sleeping giant in Gulliver’s Travels.
It’s Belfast’s hike. Bring something to eat and drink, because the walk always takes longer than planned. Facing east, it’s also the place to watch the sunrise over the city and Belfast Lough; a group of Basques who came on one of our tours did exactly that.
Where: at the northern edge of Belfast. Use transport. Open in Google Maps
27. Lagan Meadows
A park that looks like a forest. Walk along the towpath or go into the leafier parts and you’ll feel you’ve left Belfast. It’s a popular cycle route: you can rent a Belfast Bike for about £1 an hour, or a kayak at Belfast Boat Club.
At the end, Cutters Wharf is a pub with a terrace on the riverbank. They serve food and it’s a fantastic place to relax after the walk.
Where: south-west Belfast, 5 minutes from the Botanic Gardens by car. The route starts at Belfast Boat Club. Open in Google Maps
Near Belfast: day trips in Northern Ireland
28. The Giant’s Causeway
The flagship of Northern Ireland, so famous it appears in The Simpsons. Hexagonal basalt columns formed 50 to 60 million years ago, when lava flowed into the sea and cooled quickly, cracking into these unique shapes.
It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, and there are walks of several levels along the cliffs; the easiest goes along the top and down to the stones in under an hour. Game of Thrones fans: several filming locations are nearby, including the Iron Islands beach where Theon Greyjoy was baptised. The coastal route also has Carrickfergus Castle and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.
Where: head north from Belfast until you hit the sea. The inland road is quicker; the coast road takes an hour and a half longer but the scenery is worth it. Park at the hotel next to the visitor centre: £10, refunded as credit if you buy something. Open in Google Maps
29. The Gobbins
A cliff-path walk you do with the site’s own guides: tunnels cut into the rock, suspension bridges over gaps in the cliffs and steep stairs up to viewpoints. More active and adventurous than the Causeway, and you need a basic level of fitness. Book in advance, wear proper shoes, and note it only opens at certain times of year because of the weather.
Of all the people from my tours who have gone, none came back disappointed. Spectacular views, a very dynamic route and very professional guides.
Where: take the coast road out of Belfast to Whitehead and follow the easternmost road north. Open in Google Maps
30. Game of Thrones Studio Tour
An exhibition with the props, sets and costumes used in the series, and an interactive experience that, for fans like me, is unmissable. It starts with a reconstruction of the Wall, whose gates open to let you through, and goes on through themed rooms: the North, King’s Landing, the weapons, the White Walkers.
You could spend the whole day. The guides are extras from the series and are happy to tell you about their experience. It’s one of the places I’ve enjoyed most since I’ve lived in Northern Ireland.
Where: south of Belfast, at Banbridge. If you don’t have a car, there are themed shuttle buses from Belfast. Open in Google Maps
A final summary
If you’ve got this far, thank you for your time. Everything above is what Belfast has to offer; here are the five options visitors choose most:
- The Giant’s Causeway: the star of Northern Ireland and the most visited.
- The free walking tour: most people’s first contact with the city.
- The political murals: the reason many people come to Belfast.
- Titanic Belfast: the families’ favourite.
- The Cathedral Quarter: where locals and visitors go out at night.
Want to see it with a local guide? Our free walking tour of Belfast runs every day from City Hall. You book your place for £1 and pay what you like at the end.
