06 08 14 Belfast’s Quarters Titanic City HMS Caroline 20 16 Take a Tour Crumlin Road Gaol 22 26 18 Art & Culture Shopping Home of Thrones 24 28 30 A Taste of Belfast Sport & Activities Family Fun 34 36 38 After Dark LGBTQ+ Events & Festivals Belfast Plus Useful Stuff 40 Lisburn and Castlereagh 44 Welcome Centre 41 Ards and North Down 47 Places to Stay 42 Belfast: Gateway City 55 Travel Tips 32 56 Maps & Access City of Music VISITBELFAST.COMVISITBELFAST.COM 3 facebook.com/visitbelfastcity twitter.com/visitbelfast Belfast is now one of the UK’s most vibrant and exciting city break destinations, full of unique attractions, great food and friendly faces. Visit Belfast Explore Belfast from the city centre 9 Donegall Square North right through its eclectic quarters and Belfast BT1 5GB Northern Ireland neighbourhoods, each with something special +44 (0)28 9023 9026 [email protected] to uncover and enjoy, from history to art to Visitor Information music and everything in between. Find time +44 (0)28 9024 6609 www.visitbelfast.com to uncover the heritage behind the city that Designed by McCadden in Belfast built Titanic and many other famed ships. +44 (0)28 9024 2228 Disclaimer Feast on local delicacies from oysters to The information contained in this Guide is given in good faith on the the belly-busting Ulster Fry. You’ll be sure basis of the information submitted to Visit Belfast and McCadden by to find something tasty in our many cafés, the promoters of the venues and services listed. Visit Belfast and pubs and award-winning restaurants. Or hit McCadden cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this the town for a night out. You can cosy up in a guide and accept no responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. traditional pub, enjoy some live music, or hit All liability, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused the dance floor – no matter what you’re after by the reliance on the information contained in this guide, or in – you’ll find it in Belfast. any company, individual or firm mentioned, or in the event of any company, individual or firm ceasing Our guide provides all the information you to trade, is hereby excluded. © Visit Belfast 2020. A selection of images need to make the most of your time in Belfast. supplied courtesy of Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland Limited. Enjoy! VISITBELFAST.COM 5 THEDRAL ANIC CITY CA LINEN TIT CENTRE QUArter QUArter QUArter At the heart of the This historic trading Belfast was once the Steeped in memories city centre is Belfast quarter is a maze of linen capital of the when Belfast was City Hall. Opened in cobblestoned streets world with factories, a world centre of 1906, it hosts a visitor and warehouses that warehouses and grand maritime trade, exhibition that tracks are now home to buildings springing ship-building and the city’s history, offers trendy bars, clubs and up to the south of commerce, the Titanic guided tours of the restaurants. Visitor the Old White Linen Quarter is one of the Council Chambers and attractions include Hall, now the site of World’s largest urban is home to the Titanic the Metropolitan Arts Belfast City Hall. Today waterfront regeneration Memorial Garden. Centre (the MAC), St visitors can enjoy the schemes. Visit or take After exploring the Anne’s Cathedral, the architecture of these a tour of the many shops and stores on NI War Memorial, the old linen mills which Titanic related visitor Donegall Place and Oh Yeah Music Centre house a mix of offices, attractions, be wowed Royal Avenue, or the and the Discover Ulster chic bars and award- by the interactive visitor Victorian St George’s Scots Centre. Full of winning restaurants. centre W5, catch a Market, hunt out the colourful street art, This is a great part of show, concert or ice many cool cafés, this area of town is town to enjoy pre- hockey match at the cosy pubs and tasty buzzing with music, theatre dinner and SSE Arena or discover restaurants hidden in entertainment and fun drinks before catching the fascinating history the entries, streets at night. an entertaining show of World War One and avenues. at the Grand Opera survivor, HMS Caroline. House. TOP TIP TOP TIP TOP TIP TOP TIP As well as sensational Make time for afternoon Be sure to visit Enjoy afternoon tea in shopping at Victoria tea in the luxurious Ireland’s tallest bar, the opulent ‘Drawing Square, don’t miss taking Merchant Hotel to admire the Observatory at the Office Two’ at the Titanic the lift up to the huge the opulent surroundings, Grand Central Hotel, Hotel Belfast, where dome to enjoy 360° huge domed ceiling where you can take in many of the world’s most degree views right across and Ireland’s largest the view and savour the famous ocean liners were the city. chandelier. most masterfully mixed designed. cocktail creations. 6 VISITBELFAST.COM ACHT T QUEEN’S GAEL THE QUARTER QUARTER EASTSIDE SHANKILL Home to Queen’s The focus of Irish Once the beating heart Straddling North University Belfast, the language, music of the city’s industrial and West Belfast, area is abound with and culture is in the past with thousands the Shankill is home tranquil parks and west of the city. Many of people employed to a wide collection gardens. Come face visitors come to see in linen mills, rope of painted murals to face with dinosaurs, the area’s famous factories, engineering depicting the social get up close with an political murals and works and shipyards, and political history Egyptian mummy, or peace wall but there’s EastSide is now thriving of the area. Places of marvel at some of the plenty more to discover. once again but this interest include the best Irish art, there’s An Chultúrlann, the time as a hub of culture Old Shankill Graveyard, plenty to enjoy and Quarter’s culture and and creativity. Make dating back to the 14th loads to love at the arts centre, contains the EastSide Visitor century, the Shankill Ulster Museum. Stroll an excellent restaurant, Centre your first stop, Memorial Park and the through the Victorian gift shop, theatre and with information on ancient Bullaun Stone. Palm House in Botanic gallery. Explore Clonard key attractions in east St Matthew’s Church, Gardens, take in an Monastery or enjoy the Belfast and famous built in 1872, is nearby art-house movie at QFT, three mile Divis Summit people who lived in and is known as the relax in one of the many Trail, a specifically the area including CS Shankill Shamrock due cool coffee shops or designed loop walk on Lewis, George Best and to its unique design and enjoy great live music Divis Mountain with Van Morrison. distinctive shape. or stand-up comedy at spectacular views the Empire Music Hall. over Belfast. TOP TIP TOP TIP TOP TIP TOP TIP The neighbouring Don’t miss the James Rediscover The Stop at Cupar Way to Lisburn Road offers Connolly Visitor Centre Chronicles of Narnia with see the murals, graffiti the ultimate designer (Áras Uí Chonghaile) which a walk through CS Lewis and short messages of shopping experience offers a thought provoking Square, featuring seven peace and hope left by dotted with a selection insight into his life, politics bronze sculptures from thousands of visitors to of cafés, artisan delis, and the impact he had on ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Peace Wall. salons and wine bars. the history of the island The Wardrobe’. of Ireland. For locations, check out our handy map on page 58. VISITBELFAST.COM 7 Belfast’s Titanic Quarter is steeped in the rich history and tradition of the city’s shipbuilding heritage – much of which now stands on reclaimed land built on top of the very shipyards where these ships were built and launched. TITANIC CITY 8 VISITBELFAST.COM Alongside the Titanic and Olympic design innovations that led to the slipways and the impressive Edwardian creation of RMS Titanic. Pass through Dock and Pumphouse, sit high tech the original Harland & Wolff gates to developments including the Titanic continue their journey to the shipyard Exhibition Centre, Public Records Office and take the dark ride that uses special of NI, and the internationally acclaimed effects, animations and full-scale Titanic Studios, home to the Game of reconstructions to recreate the reality of Thrones film set. shipbuilding in the early 1900s. Get an The jewel in the Quarter’s crown, eagle’s eye view of the actual slipways however, is Titanic Belfast, which has on which both the Titanic and the welcomed over 5 million visitors from Olympic once rested and experience the over 145 countries since it opened excitement of launch day in 1911. View in 2012. This architectural triumph the life size plan of Titanic’s Promenade houses the world’s largest Titanic visitor Deck, outlining where the liner’s experience, featuring nine interpretive lifeboats and funnels and benches on and interactive galleries that explore board would have been. the sights, sounds, smells and stories Then it’s all aboard to experience of Titanic, as well as the city and people an eclectic range of exhibits, models, who made her. interactive databases and elaborate Step back in time and learn about computer generated imagery which the thriving industries and exciting illustrate the ship’s opulent fit-out VISITBELFAST.COM 9 including exact replicas of the cabins, and journeys through the dining areas, the ship’s engine rooms, working interiors and deck promenade, where you can see and hear the ocean and feel the engines rumbling.