City Guide Belfast, Northern Ireland

A city with a dark history, and not much else

He majority of the natives from Belfast try to avoid talking about its dark past, but without that dark past there is really nothing to see in the city of Belfast. The pubs are full of mostly older people at night, which is fine since most have live entertainment, but the bars are spread out oddly and some are very shady establishments. Also, the city centre is a ghost town after like 8 p.m. once the shops close down there is no one to be seen anywhere. Overall I was somewhat disappointed.

Insider Tip:Make sure to book a trip or drive yourself to the giants causeway, it truly is an amazing thing to see in person and is only a little ways away from Belfast.

Very small city... You can see everything in a day. Good to stay here if you are making a day trip to Giant's Causeway (which was awesome!).

Insider Tip:If you go visit the Peace wall on Falls Rd, be sure to know exactly where you are going... Tension is high in that neighbourhood, don't just walk around looking lost and asking people on the Protestant side for directions to Falls Rd. It just isn't done, and you could get in trouble. I felt very uneasy.

Beautiful, friendly and full of character.

While not as chock-full of history as Berlin or Prague, we did learn a lot while we were here. The stories are living memories, which adds quite a bit of character wandering around certain neighbourhoods. The people are incredibly friendly and it's a lovely city to wander around in. Very student-oriented in certain parts which is nice for younger travelers.

There isn't a ton of stuff to do in Belfast, but the good news is that most of it is free! Unfortunately both the City Hall and the Ulster Museum are closed until late 2008 for renovation. Belfast is very walkable, but if you have to take the bus, a day ticket is cheaper than 2 one-way tickets.

Insider Tip:It's definitely worth riding the bus up to Belfast Castle. From there you can hike up to the top of Napoleon's Nose, where there are great views of the city.

Belfast

Great small city with everything close by. Nice shopping centres. The only negative thing is the weather! but who cares?;)

Insider Tip:Fly to Belfast City Airport, and take a bus into town. Cheap and not far away!