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Belfast

Travoley
Belfast
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Belfast Travel Guide

  • About Belfast
Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, and once the most troubled city in Europe, the last two decades have wrought an extraordinary transformation in Belfast and have seen it become one of the UK’s most interesting and likeable cities.
Much of the credit goes to the upmarket developments that have seen down-at-heel docks turned into the glittering Titanic Quarter, and a miserable stretch of 1970s city centre blocks flattened and reconstructed as the hugely popular Victoria Shopping Centre.Yet for all the progress, the 18th-century municipal and university buildings still remain, and the yellow Harland and Wolff cranes continue to glower across the skyline.The magnificent Belfast Lough, a lengthy sea inlet that stretches in towards the docks, remains a focal point for the city. As does the cheerful St George’s covered market, a bustling hive of activity where visitors can snap up everything from sea salt to cheese shaped like the Giant’s Causeway.Food has played a large part in the renaissance of Belfast, and there’s no shortage of places to eat well, whether you’re in the market for an Ulster fry (like a full English but with added white pudding) or fancy something a little more upmarket. Hotels have played a similar role, not least the ultra-luxurious Malmaison and the central Merchant, the latter offering mouth-watering punch bowls that cost an eye-watering £135.However, much more of Belfast retains an old-fashioned charm. Look out for the red brick buildings of Queen’s University, the picturesque Ulster Museum and the gorgeous Botanical Gardens that back onto it.Yes, it is a city that has had problems in the past, and underlying sectarian tensions still occasionally spill over into violence. But it’s also a modern, outward-looking city too and one that’s only too happy to show visitors its scars. Neighbourhood tours can take you past the Loyalist and IRA graffiti that were once a staple of the nightly news bulletins.For all that, it’s a truly friendly place that welcomes everyone, no matter what they believe or where they come from, and achievements don’t come much bigger than that.
  • Belfast History
While the recent history of Belfast might be more familiar, the city has its fascinating roots in the Iron Age. For centuries, Belfast was a sprawling village perched next to the marshy confluence of two rivers, but the real making of the city came in the 17th century when King James I decided to resettle a mixed group of protestant Scots and English in Ulster.Thanks to burgeoning trade with the rest of the UK, as well as a spike in transatlantic merchandise, less than a century later, Belfast had become a maritime city to be reckoned with, and boasted an array of sea-faring industries, including sail-making and brewing.1791 brought shipbuilders to the city, and the resulting boom resulted in funds for some of the city’s most imposing civic architecture, including the Queen’s Bridge and Ulster House.But with the boom came the roots of modern problems, with sectarianism gaining a foothold in the 19th century as the deprivation of the potato famine fuelled Catholic nationalism in the rest of Ireland.Determined to remain part of the Union, Belfast had become home to the Ulster Volunteer Force by 1912. This continued after the Irish War of Independence when the six counties of Northern Ireland chose to remain British and the province came into being, with Belfast as its capital.War in 1939 saw many volunteer to depart to battle the Nazis, while the city itself suffered several bombing raids. But worse was to come during the post-war period when declining industry and increasingly sectarian politics sparked an episode now known as The Troubles. Violent clashes, bombs and the malign influence of the IRA turned the city into a byword for conflict.Following a peace deal in 1998, known as the Good Friday Agreement, Belfast is now a much calmer place that is finally emerging from the shadows of its past.
  • Did you know?
The ill-fated Titanic was built in Belfast. John Wood Dunlop invented the rubber tyre in the city. Led Zeppelin first debuted Stairway to Heaven live at Belfast’s Ulster Hall.
  • Weather in Belfast
Belfast has a temperate climate with a small range of temperatures.Summer months see warmth, but rarely heat, with temperatures that tend to peak around 19°C (66°F). However, it’s always good to be prepared for a shower.Meanwhile, winter temperatures remain around 3°C (36°F). The peak tourist season runs from May to September, but Belfast is a year- round city with plenty of indoor interest to keep tourists toasty in the colder months.

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