Belfast in 1 Day: all you need to know

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and a city that offers cultural experiences and historical tours, especially with its 2,000 murals that tell the story of one of the most critical conflicts the city experienced, those known as The Troubles.

In a day in Belfast you can stroll through The Entries, a series of narrow streets where the oldest pubs in the city are located; explore the Cathedral Square neighborhood, where some of the most representative buildings are located; and visit Titanic Square, where the Titanic was built and today is one of the most visited museums in the country. Here you will find an itinerary to see the highlights of Belfast in 24 hours.

The first point of this itinerary through Belfast is the Titanic Museum, one of the most visited attractions in the city, which is located about 2.5 kilometers from the center. You can get there by public transport or by tour bus. It will also take you to other iconic attractions in Belfast, and you can buy a pass to use it all day.

The Titanic Museum is located on the site where the ship was built by the Harland and Wolff Company in 1917, so it is considered the "original museum" of the Titanic.

There you can take a self-guided tour of the 6 floors with exhibits, where you will see reconstructions of the ship's rooms and a lot of historical material. In addition, a small vehicle will take you to see a multimedia reconstruction of the shipyard that built the cruise ship. Please note that it is advisable to book your tickets for the Titanic Museum in advance, and it can take between 1.5 and 2 hours to tour the museum, depending on your interest.

Facts and figures of interest

• Location: Science Park - Queens Road, Titanic Quarter, Northern Ireland.
• Hours: from April to October it is open from 9 am to 6 pm and from November to March, from 10 am to 5 pm. Last admission is 1 hour and 40 minutes before closing time in high season, and half an hour before closing time in low season.
• Admission fee: about 30 EUR for adults and about 13 EUR for children and teenagers between 5 and 15 years old. Children under 4 years old enter the museum free of charge.

SS Nomadic

After touring the Titanic Museum, you can walk about 250 meters to the SS Nomadic, the ship that was used to transport passengers to the Titanic and other cruise ships, which today has been converted into a museum. To enter this ship you will not have to pay admission, as it is included in the Titanic Museum ticket.

The ship exhibits the luxury that characterized the ship, as it was designed to be on par with the Titanic. After operating for a time as a floating restaurant in Paris, it was returned to Belfast and restored as it was originally. Touring it can take between half an hour and an hour.

Before leaving the museum, you can explore the square, where you will find the stands that were used to build the Titanic and its twin Olympic, and some exhibits where you can size up the size of these ships. Every day there is a guided tour of this square about the history of the Titanic, usually at 11 am and 1 pm. You can hire at the museum and lasts approximately 1 hour.

About 600 meters from the SS Nomadic are the huge twin cranes Samson and Goliath, which have become a symbol of the city. They originally belonged to Harland and Wolff, the company that built the Titanic. Today they are a sort of gateway to Titanic Quarter, where the Titanic Museum and the SS Nomadic are located. Taking pictures with these iconic cranes in the background will only take a few minutes.

• Location: Donegall Quay, Belfast BT1 3NG, United Kingdom.

If you have a special interest in all things Titanic, you can go to see Titanic Docks the dry dock where the Titanic was last before sailing. It is located 1.5 kilometers from the Titanic Museum and 3 km from the center of Belfast. To get there, you can take public transport, a cab or hop on the city tour bus.

The pier is about 13 meters below ground level and was built especially for large ships like the Titanic. The site is also home to the Pump House, the old pump room that has been converted into the Titanic Distillery, where you can see the pumps that were used to empty the pier of water.

If you decide to visit, I recommend checking the tour schedules so you can better plan what time of day to visit. Tours of the pier last about 60 minutes.

Interesting facts

• Location: Science Park - Queens Road, Titanic Quarter, Northern Ireland.
• Hours: daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
• Admission fee: from 10 EUR per person.

After visiting the Titanic Quarter, you can visit one of the most iconic sculptures of the city: The Big Fish. To get there, you can take a public or tourist bus to the center of Belfast, rent a bike or take a cab to get there faster. The sculpture is located about 1.5 km from the Samson and Goliath cranes. If you decide to walk, you will arrive in about 30 minutes

The Big Fish is a sculpture of about 10 meters long made of ceramics, in which they relate events related to the history and culture of Belfast. Some of the ceramics were decorated by children.

• Location: Donegall Quay, Belfast BT1 3NG, United Kingdom.

200 meters from The Big Fish sculpture you will see Albert Memorial Clock, the clock tower built in honor of Prince Albert, who was Queen Victoria's husband. The Tower, which was completed in 1869, is 113 meters high and is slightly inclined, so the locals often call it the "Tower of Pisa" of Belfast.

• Location: 17 Queen's Square, Belfast BT1 3FF, United Kingdom.

From Albert Memorial Clock, the clock tower, you have to walk 350 meters to see this contemporary style sculpture, which is almost 20 meters tall and made of metal. Beacon of Hope was inspired by Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, Texas, and is located in the square of the same name in Belfast, next to the River Lagan.

• Location: Belfast BT1 3DJ, Thanksgiving Square.

If you visit Belfast on a Friday or on the weekend, you can wander around this former 19th century market. It is about 400 meters from the Beacon of Hope sculpture, which you can do on foot (5 minutes), or by bike if you have rented one.

In St George's Market you can find fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and fish, as well as books, clothes and antiques. You will also be able to have hot meals typical of Northern Ireland for lunch, at a price of around 5 euros per plate. If you are interested in tasting the traditional foods of this country, you can also join a gastronomic tour and know the best restaurants to eat in the city, accompanied by a local expert.

Interesting facts

• Location: 12 East Bridge St, Belfast BT1 3NQ, United Kingdom.
• Hours: Fridays from 8 am to 2 pm, Saturdays from 9 am to 3 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm.
• Admission: free of charge.

Belfast City Hall is about 700 meters from the Albert Memorial Clock. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Belfast, Renaissance and Baroque style, which was inaugurated in 1906. It is made of white Portland stone and is notable for its central dome of 53 meters and the statue of Queen Victoria at the entrance. In the gardens there is a monument dedicated to the victims of the Titanic.

City Hall Square is often a gathering place for locals, as well as for public events and demonstrations. If you have time, you can join a free 45-minute guided tour inside this building, which is usually given in English. One particular thing you can do during your visit is to sit on the council seats.

As an option, you can walk about 150 meters to The Linen Hall, the oldest library in Belfast, which was founded in 1788. There is a café and exhibits related to the history and culture of the city can be seen.

Interesting facts

• Location: Donegall Square N, Belfast BT1 5GS, United Kingdom.
• Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Guided tours are offered Monday to Friday at 11am, 2pm and 3pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm.
• Entrance fee: free of charge.

From City Hall, you have one kilometer to Divis Tower, where you can start your tour to see the murals of Belfast, in the direction of Falls St. To see these murals is to enter into the critical historical events that marked the city for 3 decades, in relation to the conflict known as The Troubles.

There are about 2,000 murals that relate these events and that you can hardly see in one day, although you can see enough if you spend several hours. However, it is one of the essential tours of this city and one of the most recommended city tours of Belfast.

One of the most visited murals is the Peace Wall, located in Cuper Way, where tourists can write their messages of peace. The most famous ones are on the Falls Road, where the Garden of Remembrance is located, and on the Shankill Road. The International Wall at Divis St and Northumberland St is one of the most iconic, as well as the metal gates, which separated the Catholic and Unionist neighborhoods.

A practical option that will allow you to see the murals of Belfast in less time is to take a cab tour, with a local guide who knows the history. These tours usually take about an hour, so it is ideal for short stays in Belfast or if you prefer not to spend so much time on this tour.

After visiting the murals, you can return to Cathedral Square to explore The Entries, a series of 8 narrow lanes between High St and Ann St, noted for having the best pubs in Belfast. The alleys, such as Pottinger's Entry, Joy's Entry, Winecellar Entry and Crown Entry, come alive after sunset, making it the ideal place to end your day in this city.

Among the pubs you can't miss in The Entries are:

• White's Tabern, the oldest pub in the city, which obtained its license in 1680. It is located at 2-4 Winecellar Entry.
• The Crown Liquor Saloon, Victorian in style, which opened in 1826. The funny thing is that you have to step on the crown made of mosaic tiles to enter. It's located in County Antrim, 46 Great Victoria St., in the heart of the county.
• Kelly's Cellar, one of the oldest in the city, which opened in 1720. It is of historical importance to the town because it used to be the meeting place of the Society of United Irishmen, who led the 1798 rebellion against the British government. Address: 30-32 Bank Street.
• The Duke of York, one of the most photographed pubs in the city, located in the oldest part of Belfast. Address: 7-11 Commercial Ct.

Another option to explore the city at night is to join a mobile pub crawl, which will take you around the most representative sites of the Cathedral Quarter and emblematic pubs such as The Dirty Onion. This pub is housed in an old building dating back to 1780, and often hosts live music concerts.

This is the tour that I propose for your 1 day stay in the Irish capital but, if you decide to extend your stay to 3 days in Belfast, I leave below a list of other interesting places in the city:

• Queen's University, one of the most emblematic buildings in Belfast. There you can see exhibitions, visit the lecture hall, the Great Hall lecture hall and the gardens, where the War Memorial and the statue of Galileo, among others.

• The Botanical Garden, a green space ideal for a walk or a picnic, which opened its doors in 1895. It is located near Queen's University.

• The https://www.ulstermuseum.org/, the most important museum in Ireland, where you can learn about the history of the city, as well as zoology, natural sciences, botany, ecology, among others. It is located near the Botanical Garden and admission is free.

• The Cathedral of Santa Ana, of romantic style, which began to be built in 1899. It is located in Cathedral Square. It is said to contain the largest Celtic cross in Ireland.

• Opera House, the most important theater in Belfast, noted for its oriental architecture. It is located in the Cathedral Square neighborhood.

You can also go to the Giant's Causeway from Belfast, where you can see about 40 thousand hexagonal basalt formations. In addition, tours are often combined with a visit to the sets of the Game of Thrones series.