Things to see in Belfast

Things to see in Belfast

Belfast has a lot to see and do during a visit. It does have a reputation owing to its turbulent history, though it has become very visitor friendly very quickly. The truth is that the people of the city are very welcoming in the tradition of warm Irish welcomes. They are very adaptable in this city, given the decline and loss of aspects of their industry, most noticeably in shipbuilding. 

Given this decline in production, tourism would seem a good option, and it competes well with other European cities for visitors. 

It has various layers of history, going back as far as the ancient world. The city also sports the history of its industrial age and you can see much of this more modern history by walking along the waterfront and through the city. 

Here are just a few things to see in Belfast, and things to do when passing through. 

1. Things to see in Belfast-The Titanic Museum and Belfast docklands.

The Titanic Museum from the outside looks a bit like a less-elongated version of the Guggenheim Art Museum in Bilbao. It is also placed in a similar setting, a riverside of the post-industrial age, regenerated for tourism and recreation. 

As well as being a renowned feat of engineering at the time of its construction, Titanic was built at a time of great political upheaval. The prospect of independence from Britain countered with the possibility of Ireland's partition was the hot topic of the times. Even hotter they say, was the ship itself, with a coal fire burning prior to and during the voyage of the ship. There is a theory that this fire weakened the ship's structure. This may have aggravated the damage the collision with the iceberg caused. One thing is for sure though, that the ship's entire history was hot and chequered. 

Politics

The political history is touched upon in the museum alongside Titanic's construction and voyage. There is a virtual tour of the old Harland & Wolff shipyard on cable cars within the museum building and kids have a few wee games and activities to complete while on tour. 

Outside the museum, the second part of the tour sits. SS Nomadic is the only surviving ship of the White Star Line, which wasTitanic's shipping company. Nomadic was also designed by Thomas Andrews, who designed both Titanic and her sister ship Olympic and died on Titanic. Nomadic is very much a living memory of shipping history.  

Value for money? 

All in all, the museum might seem pricey enough, but the experience is one you should indulge. The building is fantastic and the exhibition is well put together, and ultimately worth the trip and the price. There is enough to justify a visit of at least two and a half hours in the main building, with various activities and tasks to keep the young ones' interest. The Nomadic part will keep you occupied for at least another hour, so the tour will fill an entire afternoon. 

Nearby attractions. 

Outside the museum, you will find various references to the series Game of Thrones. These come in the form of stained-glass windows along the riverside, alongside other metallic and stone sulptures. The series was made in the nearby Titanic Studios, though the studios unfortunately don't have a tour. 

On up, the HMS Caroline sits. This is the last surviving ship that participated in the Battle of Jutland, a major naval engagement of World War I.

In the background to all of this maritime history, you have the hills surrounding Belfast. They are not particularly high but from the top, you have spectacular views of the coast and inland. So you are in a scenic town. 

2. The Ulster Museum

Museums may not be everybody's thing, but if you have small kids, they can become interesting. Here at Tailtiu, we are family folk who like museums, and the more interactive the museum, the better for kids. While the Titanic Museum has games and trails for young ones, the longer-established Ulster Museum doesn't, but there is still plenty to inspire a young mind. 

Remains of an ancient age. 

Take the animal fossil exhibitions for example. The Irish Elk wasn't specific to Ireland but the largest examples of their fossils found across Europe to date have been in Ireland. Looking at the size and width of the antlers in comparison to modern deer, it must have been a mighty and majestic sight in life, when it lived during the last Ice Age. 

While the elk wasn't exclusive to Ireland, you can thank our Irish peat bogs for preserving the best specimens found yet. The elk lived between here and Lake Baikal in Siberia, so their span was wide.  They figure in the cave art of the Upper Paleolithic peoples of Eurasia, though the scarcity of paintings and even fossils outside of Ireland suggest that their survival was a complicated affair. The size of their antlers would have made matters more complicated. Predators such as prehistoric humans or lions may therefore have found an easy target for prey. 

The Ulster Museum houses other fossils, but they just don't have the same effect on the visitor as the majestic crowns of these beasts from a bygone world of ice and frost. 

The Spanish Armada Exhibition.

On the night of October 26, 1588, the galleass Girona was making its way eastward along the Causeway Coast, toward Catholic Scotland. The Spanish invasion of England had been a disaster; the voyage home a catastrophe. The Spanish lost dozens of ships during the naval battle with the English, and more on the return home around Ireland and Scotland. This carnage was aggravated by the climate of the north Atlantic at the time, which was suffering a mini-Ice Age, with icebergs visible off the west of Ireland.

Girona had repairs done in the western county of Donegal with the help of an Irish chieftain. It now sailed eastward with the crews of three ships, totalling around 1,300 men. Harried by an Atlantic storm, it hit Lacada Point, beside the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, and sunk. Of all on board, only nine were saved by the local McDonnell clan.  You can read more from the actual location here, and see the scenic area where the wreck now rests. 

Salvage and exhibition.

The wreck was salvaged in 1967 by a Belgian team and much of the loot now sits here in the Ulster Museum. 

Here in the exhibition, you have examples of armaments and treasures brought up from the watery depths. 

Other exhibits

The museum hosts various other exhibits, including an ancient Egyptian mummy known as Takabuti. There is an exhibition on the armed conflict in the north of Ireland, a conflict happily put in the past.

Not quite Belfast, Derry actually, but in the museum here!

The series Derry Girls is a tale of a group of teenagers growing up in the city of Derry in the 1990s. This was around the time of the signing of the peace agreements which would eventually bring the armed conflict to an end. Much of the humour centres on the politics of the north of Ireland and in one famous scene, a group of Protestant children sit down with the Catholic protagonists of the show to discuss similarities and differences between each other. The results of this comedic discussion can be seen on this blackboard, now on display in the museum. 

Derry Girls is a bit of a cultural phenomenon here in Ireland, and abroad. It also has famous international fans, such as director Martin Scorcese, who has mentioned it in interviews. 

All in all? 

All in all, there is enough of a variety to see here in the museum, with a little of the old, the older and the really old to see. The museum has existed in some form since the early 1800s, with the current location dating from 1929, with an extension added in 1972. 

You can see more of the museum at its website here. 

3. Political Mural Tours

Belfast has a reputation owing to the conflict that gripped the north of Ireland until the end of the 1990s, and de-escalated into the beginning of the 21st Century. 

Much of the history can be seen on the walls of the residential neighbourhoods of Belfast, with the two main traditions, the green and orange, representing their repective views in wall art. 

There are various themes to the murals, from the glorification of the political or militant participants of the conflict, to more cultural representations. There tends to be a lot of international solidarity on the Catholic-nationalist-republican side, and it isn't uncommon to see figures such as Nelson Mandela or Malcolm X on a gable wall mural. More and more, local stars and celebrities are being depicted in these paintings with less political themes. While maybe seeming macabre, they provide visual insights into a culture looking increasingly toward the future without forgetting its past. 

If you want to see these murals with a bit of an explanation, many of the taxis in town run tours of the murals. You can have a look at this link at some of the offers, and this type of taxi tour also extends out of the city to the north coast, on the theme of Game of Thrones. As we've said, the people here are industrious and tourism is now a dynamic industry locally, with the taxis helping put on a show to visitors. 

4. Crumlin Road Gaol and McConnell's Whiskey tours

Sticking to the subject of banditry and lawlessness, we head to the old town jailhouse, now also a distillery. 'The Crum', or Crumlin Road Prison closed down about 25 years ago, but there is enough history there to go on the tour and learn a thing or two. The prison connected to the court house across the street via an underground tunnel, with prisoners brought to their hearings and trials through here. The prison was also the scene of the last execution in all of Ireland, in 1961. 

On a happier note, part of the prison is now being used by McConnell's, a local distillery, for the production of whiskey. You can read about the brew here on their website and it is a fine Irish whiskey. Just go easy on the strong stuff! 

5. The Cathedral Quarter and beyond; Belfast pubs and hospitality

Belfast city centre has undergone a positive change with the arrival in tourism. The area around Saint Anne's Cathedral has especially become a bit of a social hub. The cathedral quarter, as it is called, has lots of bars and restaurants to choose from. There are quaint wee cobbled alleyways, containing a variety of bars, connecting the larger shopping streets. Bars like the Duke of York and the John Hewitt are nice for a visit and a little beyond the area and close to Castle Court shopping centre, bars like Kelly's Cellars and Madden's are good for a pint. 

Families should beware though. At times, the bars are not so accomodating for kids, so check for bars that serve food as you can normally bring kids here. There are plenty of bars like this which accomodate the younger tourists, and you can get a bite to eat. Parents can avail of a few pints too. 

Things to see in Belfast...and beyond

Belfast is a great launchpad for the north coast of Ireland. As we have mentioned, there are tours there from the city on the theme of the Game of Thrones series. Ireland's north-east coast is spectacular, so there is a reason why film makers like the locations there. You can check out our article on the north coast here as well as the northeastern Glens of Antrim here. These areas are accessible from Belfast by bus or train though car hire is highly desirable, especially with the Antrim Glens. 

Things to see in Belfast-what is our recommendation? 

Belfast has a lot of accomodation available through all of the normal booking websites. I am from the north Antrim area and whenever I pass through the city on the way back to my overseas home, I use Dublin Airport, which is 2 hours away. I therefore break the journey up by staying in Belfast, which is my preferred city. It is also cheaper on the whole in the north of Ireland, so you should factor that thought in if you are a visitor to Ireland. 

All in all, it has everything really, from history to social life and a friendly vibe. It has that Irish friendliness and hospitality, so those from out of town will fit right in.