This list of places to see in Belfast, will help you prepare a trip to the capital of Northern Ireland, a city that has been reborn after long years of armed conflicts and riots between supporters of independence and unionists, until it becomes a quiet place full of attractions for the Turist.
The city center with numerous traditional pubs and a fantastic town hall, is one of the areas of Belfast that concentrate more tourists, next to the western part of the city where there are murals that refer to the conflict in addition to the port, where it stands out the impressive museum Titanic Belfast.
Based on the experience of the time we spent in Belfast during our 10-day trip to Ireland, we have made this list of what we believe are the 10 places to visit in Belfast essential. We start!
1. Route of the murals
The worst years of the armed conflict between the unionists and the Republicans can be seen reflected in the form of murals on the streets of Shankill Road and Falls Road, two areas located west of the city and separated by a wall, which have become one of the most essential places to see in Belfast and interesting.
The murals can be visited for free and we recommend you download this internet map to not miss any important among the more than 2000 murals that are scattered throughout these two neighborhoods.
If your route begins in the Catholic and Republican neighborhood of Falls Road, you cannot miss the most famous murals such as those of the International Wall and the one dedicated to Bobby Sands, an IRA prisoner who died in a hunger strike in 1984.
Once you have traveled all this street you can cross the Wall of Peace that divided the two neighborhoods until you reach the Protestant and unionist part of Shankill Road, where you will see murals related to the United Kingdom and its fighters.
A popular way to make this visit is to hire a black taxi whose drivers act as guides and explain the whole story while they stop at the best known murals.
Another very interesting option to not miss any important mural and know the history of the conflict is to book this tour with a guide in Spanish, in which a former prisoner of each side will tell you about his experience during these difficult years.
Belfast murals
2. Belfast City Hall
In the Donegal Square, located in the center of the city, is the huge City Hall building, another of the places to visit in Belfast more attractive This Edwardian-style building was built at the end of the 19th century and stands out for the green domes and the white stone of its walls.
Keep in mind that to visit its interior you will have to check the schedules of the free guided tours on this official website.
Other interesting places in the center are the Spiers Mall and Conference Center, with an architecture similar to that of the town hall, the Albert Memorial Gothic clock, The Entries alleys located on High Street, the neoclassical Custom House building and the sculpture of the "Big Fish".
A great option to not miss anything in this area and learn about the history of each monument is to book this free tour with a guide in Spanish. Free!
Belfast City Hall
3. Harland and Wolff Shipyards
In the shipyards Harland and Wolff was built between 1909 and 1912 the largest and most luxurious ship in the world, the mythical RMS Titanic that during its maiden voyage to New York, crashed into an iceberg and sank, killing more than 1500 people among which there were some of the richest people in the world and immigrants looking for a better life in the United States.
Not long ago, the city of Belfast, after years of abandonment, regained these shipyards from memory by modernizing the surrounding neighborhood and building several tourist attractions dedicated to this ocean liner. Among them, the Titanic Museum stands out, which contains the largest exhibition of the RMS Titanic, which allows you to interactively review, throughout 9 rooms throughout its history, from construction to its discovery at the bottom of the sea.
We recommend you book your ticket here in advance so as not to run out of seats and avoid queues, especially if you plan to visit it on a weekend or a holiday.
Another more interesting option to learn more about the history of the Titanic is to book this guided tour in Spanish.
In this modern neighborhood that is the museum and is known as the Titanic Quarter, it also has other must-see places in Belfast like the yellow cranes and the old Harland & Wolff offices, the Pump House, the first world war ship HMS Caroline and the SS Nomadic, a steamboat that was used to transport passengers and supplies to the Titanic.
Museum visiting hours: every day from 9am to 7pm from June to August. From April to May and September it closes one hour earlier and the other months open from 10am to 5pm. The last entry allowed is 1 hour and 40 minutes before closing time.
Titanic Museum, one of the places to see in Belfast
4. Historic pubs
Another of the Top things to do in Belfast, is to take a good look in one of the historic pubs of the city, among which The Crown Liquor Saloon, Victorian style, built in the late nineteenth century. This traditional pub falls in love with its wooden decoration carved by Italian artisans, private sections, gas lamps, stained glass and tiles, which make it one of the most beautiful places in the world and one of the places to see in Belfast essential.
Another of the most famous is White's Tavern, known as the oldest tavern in Belfast, having its origins in 1630. In this place you can feel the history in its brick walls obscured by the smoke of the chimney while enjoying a good stew Irish accompanied by a Guinness and live music.
If you have more time you can go to other traditional pubs such as The Perch, Kelly's Cellar, McHugh, Robinson's Bar or Duke of York.
Remember that in Northern Ireland, the legal currency is the pound sterling and in some tourist pubs may accept euros, although this is not something safe or mandatory.
As always for these cases we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
Pubs
5. Queen's University Belfast, one of the best places to see in Belfast
Located in the university district, south of the city, Queen's University is another jewel what to see in Belfast. Founded in 1845 and opened in 1849, this university stands out for the beautiful Victorian central building called Lanyon, reminiscent of the Harry Potter Hogwarts College.
It is worth approaching the sunset and take a walk through the gardens, then enter the interior where there is a beautiful cloister and large rooms such as the library.
If you have little time in the city it may be a good option to book the Belfast tourist bus, with comments recorded in Spanish about the most important places in the city such as Queen's University.
Our recommended hotel in Belfast
Our recommended accommodation in Belfast is the Ibis Belfast City Center, located a 10-minute walk from the cathedral and town hall. In addition to the excellent location, the hotel facilities are clean, the staff is friendly, has a 24-hour reception and has paid parking in front of the hotel.
6. Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden, located next to Queen's University, is one of the green lungs of the city that is filled with locals on sunny days that you can reach by touring Botanic Avenue, full of coffee shops and bookstores, from the center.
Once in the park you can enjoy a pleasant and quiet walk along its paths while squirrels watch you and breathe fresh air in one of the most beautiful places in the city.
In addition to a pond and a rose garden, the park's most interesting place is the Casa de las Palmeras greenhouse, one of the first built with curvilinear architecture and which has numerous plants from different parts of the world inside.
The visit to the Botanical Garden can be completed with the free entrance to the Ulster Museum, one of the most important in Ireland and another of the places to see in Belfast. In this museum you can review the Northern Ireland Conflict, learn about the history of the Girona Frigate, one of the Invincible Navy ships, see dinosaur skeletons and even an Egyptian mummy's sarcophagus.
Museum visiting hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
Botanical Garden
7. Santa Ana Cathedral
Santa Ana Cathedral, built in the early twentieth century and located in the lively Cathedral Quarter neighborhood, is another of the places to visit in Belfast.
One of the peculiarities that makes this cathedral unique is that it serves two different dioceses, in addition to having excellent acoustics that makes it perfect for holding concerts. In addition to this, it is also worth entering inside to see its excellent mosaics, carvings, a Celtic cross, a huge pipe organ and the monument to the unionist Edward Carson.
The exterior of the cathedral stands out for the porch, the sculpted pediment, and the so-called Aguja de la Esperanza that is illuminated at night.
In addition to visiting the cathedral, we recommend you enjoy the nightlife of this neighborhood with numerous pubs and urban art in the form of graffiti.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. Sundays from 1pm to 3pm.
8. Belfast Castle
Belfast Castle, located in the magnificent natural environment of Cave Hill and with good views of the city, is another of the places to see in Belfast. This sandstone building was built in 1870 on the outskirts of the city by the Marquis de Donegal, it is currently owned by the town hall and in addition to seeing the outside, which has a nice staircase at the back, you can enter for free inside and walk through its well-kept gardens.
And although the building looks more like a Scottish mansion than a castle, it is worth traveling by bus or car the 6 kilometers that separate it from the city center.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 10pm. On Sundays it closes at 6pm.
Castle, one of the places to visit in Belfast
9. St. George's Market
The St. George's Market, built in 1890, is the only Victorian covered market that is preserved in the city and another of the must-see places in Belfast. Built in red brick, this market impresses with its glass roof and the quality products of its stalls, which have placed it as one of the best in the United Kingdom.
On Fridays the St. George's Market opens from 6 in the morning to 2 at noon and brings together more than 200 stalls selling all kinds of clothing items, antiques and food products, among which stand out the fish stalls.
On Saturday from 9 to 15:30, in the market you can find good food and plant products, in addition to being able to listen to live music. While on Sunday from 10 to 16, the market is perfect for eating, listening to music and looking for some local crafts.
10. Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway, declared a World Heritage Site and one of the most incredible places to see in Ireland, is the best excursion to do in Belfast.
This landscape that looks like another planet has its origin 60 million years ago with the formation of spectacular basalt columns as a result of the rapid cooling of the lava from a nearby crater.
To reach this area located 60 miles from Belfast, on the north coast of Northern Ireland, you can rent a car or take a bus towards Coleraine with which to make a journey of an hour and a half.
If you do not want to drive on the left or want to know in addition to the Giant's Causeway, other impressive places located in this area such as Dunluce Castle and the Carrick-a-Rede suspension bridge, we recommend you book this guided tour in Spanish or this two day tour, which includes all these wonders and places to see in Belfast.
Giant's Causeway
How to get to Belfast
To get to Belfast, the most comfortable and fastest option is by plane landing at Belfast International Airport, one of the two airports that the city has. From this airport you can take the Express 300 bus service that will leave you in Belfast in less than half an hour.
If you land at Dublin airport, you can take the 705X bus from the Aircoach company, which will leave you in the center of Belfast, in less than 2 hours. From the Connolly station in Dublin you also have daily trains that travel to Belfast Central Station in just over two hours. Another option is to take one of the 4 bus companies (Aircoach, Translink Ulsterbus, Bus Eireann and Dublin Coach), which make the journey from Dublin to Belfast.
If you have only one day and you stay in Dublin, a very interesting option is to book this excursion to Belfast and the Giant's Causeway with a guide in Spanish or this one that also includes the Titanic Museum.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to see in Belfast essential, add yours in the comments.
