Belfast
History in many forms and a great city to wander around.
GO. Flights to Belfast come in many shapes and sizes, with Ryanair and Easyjet both flying to either Belfast airport multiple times a day. We flew from Manchester to Belfast International, which is only a 45ish minute hop. Whilst Belfast City Airport is closer to the City - Belfast International is easily accessible via either a taxi, or the easy to catch Airport Express (number 300) bus.
We took the first flight and landed quite early, so with no rush took the Airport Bus which took about 35 minutes into the City centre. You can then buy a great value all day travel ticket or multi day ticket (about a tenner for 2 days) giving unlimited travel on all transport in the central zone.
STAY. Belfast is pretty expensive when it comes to hotels - so don’t worry about looking slightly out of the centre on one of the main routes in. I spent ages on this one, as it was so hard to find something under £150 that didn’t look ropey, especially with a 7 year old. We landed on the Ibis Budget City Centre, which in hindsight wasn’t the best choice and we probably wouldn’t stay there again - which is a bit of a surprise for an Ibis as they’re normally quite reliable. This one though was full or revellers, and whilst we accept people are going to have a drink and some fun, it got a bit much when the security started arguing with people in the corridor at 4am. I resisted the urge to go out in my pants and tell them all to shut up.
EAT. We kept it really simple in Belfast, with so much to see and do there wasn’t all that much time to eat! Dinner one night was at the always reliable, and good for kids, Pizza Express - always check for Taste Card offers if you have one. You might also want to look at Bank Accounts that give you free Taste Cards as well as Worldwide Travel Insurance.
A couple of highlights on the food and drink front in Belfast. The Crown Liquor Salon, which is always worth a visit for the insanely ornate interior and surprisingly good food. We spent an hour enjoying the atmosphere here, occupying a booth and relaxing after a busy morning. Don’t go in the bar next door (Fibber Magee I think), they don’t allow kids in - but didn’t tell us until we’d got sat down and he’d started pouring the drinks.
We found another awesome doughnut place to add to Tantrum Doughnuts in Glasgow - Oh Donuts right in the centre of the City provided a little oasis of calm as well as fantastic teas (the Belfast Brew!) and coffee. A great pit stop whilst exploring.
DO. This was a busy 36 hours or so in the Northern Irish city, during which we did a lot of walking. We did get a day bus pass (£5 each, free for the child), which allowed us to get to a couple of locations easier, and hop on a bus when the legs started aching. There is a lot to do, and we focussed on a few things:
Crumlin Road Gaol. This was a fascinating insight into the internment and imprisonment of political prisoners during the Troubles. The old jail has been converted into an interesting museum, which kept both us and our 7 year old interested for a couple of hours. It is walkable from the centre although a bus route also passes close by.
The Peace Wall / Falls Road. From the Gaol you can walk to the Falls Road, transitioning between two distinct parts of Belfast - one protestant, one catholic. This really gave a sense of the city, walking down some streets that have seen their fair share of history. By walking down Agnes and then Northumberland Street we arrived at the Interface Area and Solidarity Wall, and were then able to walk the short distance to the longer Peace Wall. From here, a short hop to the Falls Roads to see the Bobby Sands mural. This area is steeped in very recent and current history, with murals telling a million stories of the Troubles. We grabbed a snack from a Spar and headed on the “Glider” back into the city centre.
Street Art and the City Centre. Belfast’s city centre really does come to life at night - and we spent a good couple of hours searching out some pretty impressive street art and enjoying wandering around the bustling streets of the Cathedral Quarter.
The Titanic Experience. A must see whilst in Belfast, we could have spent longer here diving deeper into the story of every single person on board the Titanic. The museum is very much an experience, with entry to the Nomadic also included, and plenty of interactive activities that tell the story well for children. An engaging, interesting and also thought provoking experience.
Belfast was a great trip - and so close (and often cheap) to get to from many UK mainland airports. A fantastic starter for anyone looking for something different to do for a weekend away.