Two unique cities just two hours apart by train – discover Ireland’s ultimate city break. Spend 48 hours immersed in Belfast’s maritime history as you follow this Titanic trail. The friendliness of the people is what’s most appealing in this small and very walkable city The New York Times Welcome to Belfast’s oldest library, a historic landmark famous for its exhibitions, classes and events. This historic Victorian market sits at the heart of Belfast’s buzzing contemporary food scene.

• The Victorian market opens Friday to Sunday and is the place to go for fresh produce, ‘street-food’ dining, live music and of course shopping for gifts and gadgets.
• Belfast was the home town of former Manchester United player George Best, the 1968 European Footballer of the Year, who died in November 2005.
• From brunches to dinners and food tours that wind through the city’s most flavourful streets, Belfast rewards the curious eater at every turn.
• Her duties include presiding over meetings of the council, receiving distinguished visitors to the city, representing and promoting the city on the national and international stage.
• Grab your mates and tuck into a feast of amazing street food, craft beer, great wines and artisan cocktails.
• If you are short of time, you should start at the top with the major attractions, namely Titanic Belfast museum, a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour and perhaps a small-group tour to learn more about the city’s history.

Here’s the Belfast to-do list we recommend to visiting friends and family!

East Belfast developed from the Queens Bridge (1843), through Ballymacarrett, east along the Newtownards Road and north (along the east shore of the Lough) up the Holywood Road; and from the Albert Bridge (1890) south east out the Cregagh and Castlereagh roads. Home to around 2,500 people, it is the only distinctly nationalist area in the east of the river. From "leafy" avenues of increasingly substantial (and in the course of time "mixed") housing, the Upper Malone broadened out into areas of parkland and villas.

Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter is the city’s buzzing, creative soul, where Belfast’s vibrant cultural life bubbles visibly to the surface. In South Belfast, modernity collides with tradition, creating a vibrant atmosphere enriched by a dynamic cultural scene. Discover iconic landmarks like Belfast Castle, explore wildlife at Belfast Zoo, or delve into the past at Crumlin Road Gaol and Clifton House. West Belfast is a canvas of history and community arts, characterised by vibrant murals that tell the stories of its cultural heritage. From brunches to dinners and food tours that wind through the city’s most flavourful streets, Belfast rewards the curious eater at every turn.

Dublin

In addition to the shipyards and the Short & Harland aircraft factory, the Belfast Blitz severely damaged or destroyed more than half the city’s housing stock, and devastated the old town centre around High Street. Until "troubles" returned at the end of the 1960s, it was not uncommon in Belfast for the Ulster Unionist Party to have its council and parliamentary candidates returned unopposed. Industry drew in a new Catholic population settling largely in the west of the town—refugees from a rural poverty intensified by Belfast’s mechanisation of spinning and weaving and, in the 1840s, by famine. While other Irish towns experienced a loss of manufacturing, from the 1820s Belfast underwent rapid industrial expansion.

Food & Drink

Celebrate local life with a lively year-round calendar of events Discover a wilder, greener side to Belfast with walks, cycles and fabulous local food. Centuries of history combined with memorable experiences – what will you discover first?

The city has a number of community arts, and arts education, centres, among them the Crescent Arts Centre in south Belfast, the Irish-language Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in west Belfast, The Duncairn in north Belfast and, in the east of the city, EastSide Arts. Inspired by the tradition of military tattoos, it features performances from pipe bands, military and civilian musicians, dancers, and cultural groups from Northern Ireland and around the world. It is generally understood as an area around the Falls Road in west Belfast served by the Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich cultural centre.

If you are short of time, you should start at the top with the major attractions, namely Titanic Belfast museum, a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour and perhaps a small-group tour to learn more about the city’s history. Inside, you’ll discover the story of the most famous ship in the world, the people who built her, and its ill-fated journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Discover the top things to do in Belfast this spring, from wandering through blooming parks and discovering nature to enjoying a packed calendar of events and outdoor activities. Other attractions in the park include the recently restored Tropical Ravine, a humid jungle glen built in 1889, rose gardens and public events ranging from live opera broadcasts to pop concerts. The college has over 53,000 students enrolled on full-time and part-time courses, making it one of the largest further education colleges in the UK and the largest in the island of Ireland. In practice, "Inst" provided a grammar education to the town’s Presbyterian families while Anglicans favoured the older Royal Belfast Academy (1785); Catholics, St Malachy’s diocesan college (1833) and Wesleyans, Methodist College Belfast (1865).

Check out the art at CS Lewis Square in East Belfast

We respect your time – no spam, just the good stuff. This one time seed warehouse is one of Belfast’s landmark buildings, just a short walk to Titanic Quarter, Cathedral Quarter, Victoria Square… On the 31st March 1996 Crumlin Road Gaol slammed shut its doors for belfast cabs belfast what many thought would be the final time, but, on the… Belfast is a compact city with an amazing array of activities and attractions for you to enjoy.

The rebel tradesmen and tenant farmers were defeated north of the town at the Battle of Antrim and to the south at the Battle of Ballynahinch. Further emboldened by the French Revolution, a more radical element in the town, the Society of United Irishmen, called for Catholic emancipation and a representative national government. Abolitionist sentiment, however, defeated the proposal of the greatest of the merchant houses, Cunningham and Greg, in 1786 to commission ships for the Middle Passage. From the 1760s, profits from the trade financed improvements in the town’s commercial infrastructure, including the Lagan Canal, new docks and quays, and the construction of the White Linen Hall which together attracted to Belfast the linen trade that had formerly gone through Dublin. The compilers of Ulster-Scots use various transcriptions of local pronunciations of "Belfast" (with which they sometimes are also content) including Bilfawst, Bilfaust or Baelfawst.

Things to Do & Events

On the other hand, Belfast has a high rate of people economically inactive (close to 30%). From the mid to late 19th century, there was a community of central European Jews (among its distinguished members, two-time Lord Mayor Otto Jaffe) and of Italians in Belfast. 7.17% (21,025) of people in the city claimed to have some knowledge of Ulster Scots, whilst 0.75% (2,207) claimed to be able to speak, read, write and understand spoken Ulster Scots. As with many cities, Belfast’s inner city is currently characterised by the elderly, students and single young people, while families tend to live on the periphery.