United Kingdom / Northern Ireland / BelfastBelfast
Titanic's Shipyard and a City Remade
Northern Ireland's capital: Titanic Belfast on the slipways where the ship was built, the Victorian City Hall, the political murals and peace walls of the Falls and Shankill (best on a black-taxi tour), St George's Market and the Cathedral Quarter. Northern Ireland is in the UK, so a UK visa covers it, but it is on the island of Ireland: get here by an hour's flight from London, Edinburgh or Manchester, or by Stena Line ferry from Cairnryan in Scotland or Liverpool. The Giant's Causeway is 1.5 hours north.
Highlights
- Titanic Belfast
- Black-taxi tour of the murals and peace walls
- City Hall
- St George's Market (Friday to Sunday)
- Crumlin Road Gaol
- Ulster Museum (free)
Things to do
- Titanic Belfast and the Titanic QuarterMorning · 3h 30m
- Black-taxi tour of the murals and peace wallsAfternoon · 1h 30m
- City Hall, Cathedral Quarter and St George's MarketAfternoon · 3h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: May – September
Heads up
The Twelfth: Parades and Closures
Around 12 July Orange Order parades and the bonfires on the night of the 11th close roads across Northern Ireland, and many shops and restaurants shut for the public holiday. Plan around the parade routes, and book rooms early for the holiday week.
- St Patrick's Day — A public holiday in Northern Ireland, with a parade and concerts in Belfast city centre. Pubs fill early.
- The Twelfth — Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland on 12 July, a public holiday, after bonfires on the night of the 11th. Many shops and restaurants close and some roads are shut; the week around it is a busy holiday. Watch respectfully from the side, or plan the Causeway Coast for those days instead.