Belfast, Northern Ireland – The 15 Best Things to See in Belfast
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, and the largest city in the country. It’s filled with stunning ancient buildings and historical point of interests.
The question is:
What are the best things to see during your stay in Belfast?
Well, that’s exactly what you’re going to see in this guide.
In this travel guide about the best things to see in Belfast, you’ll find in the table of contents below everything that we’ll see. Simply click on the table to expand it, then click on any part you’d like to jump to.
A little bit about Belfast
Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland. Spreading over more than 132 km² (Paris=105 km²), Belfast is the biggest city in Northern Ireland, before Derry/Londonderry. There are around 340,000 inhabitants in Belfast, which is not a very dense city (2.2 million in Paris).
You’ll find below a few interesting facts about Belfast and the history of the city:
- “Belfast” comes from the Irish “Béal Feirsde“, meaning literally “mouth of the ford”
- Belfast has been established as Northern Ireland capital since 1921, when Ireland and Northern Ireland were partitioned by the British Parliament
- the RMS Titanic was built and launched in Belfast
Where is Belfast?
Belfast is located on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland at the mouth of River Lagan.
The city is on 2 different counties, County Antrim (home to the Giant’s Causeway) and County Down.
The 15 Best Things to See in Belfast
I loved exploring Belfast, because it’s literally filled with beautiful buildings and interesting things to see. If you have plenty of time, simply go walk in the streets, and you’ll be sure to discover epic places.
If you are spending a weekend in Belfast (or even less), and want to know the very best things to see in Northern Ireland capital city, here’s the full list of the 15 best things to see:
- Belfast City Hall
- Church House
- Grand Opera House
- John Bell House
- The Crown Liquor Saloon
- The Robinson & Cleaver building
- Bittles Bar
- Victoria Square
- Albert Memorial Clock
- The Merchant Hotel
- Saint Anne’s Cathedral
- The Big Fish
- Titanic Belfast
- Queen’s University
- Belfast Castle
If you’re visiting from Dublin, or straight flying there, you’ll have a wonderful time in Belfast.
Keep reading below for more information about each place, along with photos that will help you decide if you’ll add this place to your list of things to see in Belfast or just skip it.
1- Belfast City Hall
The Belfast City Hall, built in 1906, is the center piece of the city. The beautiful Baroque Revival architecture is 100% worth seeing; the 4 towers, one at each corner, have a very unique green dome, found on other buildings in Belfast.
The gardens are also the perfect spot to enjoy lunch in the city. And if you have time, step back into the City Hall, which is equally beautiful inside.
2- Church House
The Church House is a Presbyterian Church in Beflast, built in 1905. The whole building, built in Gothic style, looks epic and it’s worth at least walking by to see it.
The unique feature of the Church House is its clock tower, which is 40 meters high, and dominated by a green top, just like the City Hall.
Distance from City Hall: 4 minutes walking time
3- Grand Opera House
Belfast Grand Opera House, built in 1895, is an icon in Northern Ireland, and probably the most famous theatre of Northern Ireland. Even if you don’t attend a play, it’s still nice to see the building itself.
Image by Albert Bridge under CC BY-SA 2.0
The interior of the Belfast Grand Opera House is also quite sumptuous: you can see the auditorium below:
You can visit the Opera with a special tour: Belfast Opera Tour
Distance from City Hall: 5 minutes walking time
4- John Bell House
You don’t often associate Belfast with John Bell House, but I think it’s one of my favorite building in Belfast!
Image by @myeuropictures
Distance from City Hall: 5 minutes walking time
5- The Crown Liquor Saloon
Also known as the Crown Bar, the Crown Liquor Saloon is one of the most beautiful traditional Irish pubs.
Image by Suzanne Mischyshyn under CC BY-SA 2.0
Built in 1826, the Pub has since then been renovated multiple times, for a total of over 1 million dollars!
Distance from City Hall: 6 minutes walking time
6- The Robinson & Cleaver building
Right in front of the Belfast City Hall, the Robin & Cleaver building is an iconic building of Belfast, that was recently sold for 21 million dollars.
Distance from City Hall: right in front
7- Bittles Bar
Bittles Bar is the Irish version of the Flatiron building in New-York, built in 1868.
Distance from City Hall: 8 minutes walking time
8- Victoria Square
Right next to Brittles Bar, Victoria Square is a big shopping center with close to 100 stores, over 4 floors. It’s the largest real estate development that has ever happened in Northern Ireland, and among the most expensive, costing more than 525 million dollars.
The modern architecture of the building contrasts sharply with the style of the city. If you’re a fan of architecture, you’ll also love this place, especially the Dome, the massive glass structure.
You can go to the top of the glass dome: there is a viewing platform with a grand view of the city.
Distance from City Hall: 6 minutes walking time
9- Albert Memorial Clock
Another truly iconic buildings of Belfast, the Albert Memorial Clock – or Albert Clock- built in 1869. After the Irish Flatiron, this is the Irish Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The tower is leaning due to the fact that it’s built on land that was previously the River Farset, a now-lost river. Oh and also because it weighs over 2,000 tons.
Distance from City Hall: 10 minutes walking time
10- The Merchant Hotel
The Merchant Hotel is a stunning looking hotel, that was initially the Ulster Bank headquarters. It’s now a 5 star hotel, that has won titles such as Northern Ireland Accommodation of the Year or Best UK Hotel.
Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board, courtesy of Merchant Hotel, Belfast.
Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board, courtesy of Merchant Hotel, Belfast.
And of course the interior of the hotel is also jaw-dropping, especially the Great Room which is home to the largest chandelier in all of Ireland (made of 2,600 blown out crystal pieces)!
Distance from City Hall: 10 minutes walking time
11- Saint Anne’s Cathedral
Saint Anne’s Cathedral is the cathedral of Belfast, often referred to as Belfast Cathedral. Built in 1904, it’s a Romanesque style marvel.
Image by Rossographer under CC BY-SA 2.0
Make sure to visit the cathedral too; the interior is worth a visit, with the imposing nave, stained glass windows and the biggest pipe organ of Northern Ireland.
Distance from City Hall: 10 minutes walking time
12- The Big Fish, the Salmon of Knowledge
The Big Fish is an icon of Belfast; it’s a ceramic sculpture made in 1999 by John Kindness, measuring 10 meters long (33 feet) and 3 meters high (10 feet).
Image by Leonrid under CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
The fish sculpture is covered of images and texts, narrating the history of Belfast since ancient times. There is also a time capsule inside the fish, full of Belfast history (info, images and poetry).
Distance from City Hall: 12 minutes walking time
13- Titanic Belfast
The Titanic Belfast is a massive museum dedicated to the RMS Titanic, the infamous cruise ship. It was voted Europe’s Best Attraction in 2016, and it’s definitely worth a visit if you stay a few days in the city.
Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board
You can also visit the SS Nomadic, the little sister of the Titanic.
Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board, courtesy of Tourism Ireland
Distance from City Hall: 30 minutes walking time
14- Queen’s University
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) is a prestigious university in Belfast. What’s worth a visit is the Lanyon Building, that you might have already seen; it’s on the 20 pounds Irish bank note.
Image by William Murphy under CC BY-SA 2.0
Distance from City Hall: 20 minutes walking time
15- Belfast Castle
The last item on this list of 15 things to see in Belfast is Belfast Castle. It’s also the furthest from the city center.
Copyright Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Built in 1872 in Scottish style, the Belfast Castle is the property of the city since 1934. It was renovated in the 1980’s, and it’s now entirely free to visit.
Distance from City Hall: 1h10 walking time / 17 minutes drive
Map of the Best Spots in Belfast
To make it easy for you to plan your trip to Belfast, and to visit all the best spots, I have created a free custom map with all the 15 locations.
You can find the map below:
Navigate: Click on the top left logo to open the side panel. You’ll see all of the spots in the itinerary; you can click on any to have more information
Download: To download the map, simply click on the “star” next to the title. It will automatically add the map to your Google Maps. In Google Maps, you will find it under Menu>Your Places>Maps
Where to Stay in Belfast
If you’re visiting Belfast, here are the best options for where to stay based on your budget/travel style:
Budget: Belfast International Youth Hostel. Prices you can beat; bed in a 6 mixed dorm for 16€ per night, in the center of Belfast.
Comfy: easyHotel Belfast. Comfy double room with private bathroom in the center of Belfast (3 minutes walk to the City Hall). One of the cheapest option for comfy stay in the center of Belfast, for around 100€ per night.
Luxury: The Merchant Hotel. The best hotel in the area. A 5 star hotel, voted Best UK Hotel 2011 in the International Hotel Award. If you’re looking for the best of the best, the Merchant Hotel is the one for you.
Visit Northern Ireland
Planning a trip to Northern Ireland? I’ve listed below the main destinations to visit, along with travel times (by car) from Belfast:
Giant’s Causeway: 1h09
Derry/Londonderry: 1h30
Dublin: 2h
Cliffs of Moher: 4h45
Do you have extra days before leaving Northern Ireland? Check out these fantastic places below/
I hope you enjoy your trip to Belfast and Northern Ireland!
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below, I always reply.
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Wow, this is such an interesting and detailed guide! Been to Belfast once but there are so many exciting suggestions. Thanks for sharing
Hi Karan, thank you for your kind comment! Hope you could use this list if you visit Belfast again 😉
Woooow! I can use this list for my itinerary aa im planning to visit Northern Ireland this august.
Hi, thanks for your comment! We’re glad to know this guide will help, enjoy your trip to Northern Ireland! 🙂