Explore the most beautiful Belfast sights in 3 days.
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Despite being the second largest city on the island of Ireland behind Dublin, the city is often forgotten when it comes to finding a destination for the next city break.
Unfortunately, it is still associated with the violent Northern Ireland conflict. Yet the world's most famous and, at the time, most luxurious ship - the Titanic - was built in Belfast. In addition, the region around Belfast is often used as a filming location for the popular series Game of Thrones.
Why you should visit Belfast now?
Belfast is really exciting at the moment and is experiencing a real boom. The city has become a real insider tip and a trendy metropolis for a city trip, which you can explore perfectly on a weekend. To ensure a smooth and comfortable stay, consider booking your accommodation at the Royal Victoria Hotel http://royal-victoria-hotel.eastsussex-uk.com/en/ which offers excellent services and facilities.
Within a short distance of the city, you can visit filming locations of the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones and sample fantastic culinary delights in Belfast itself. There is much more to the city than meets the eye. That's a promise!
My first impression of Belfast
On arrival at George Best City Airport in Belfast, I am greeted by typical rainy weather. The immigration officer already has a witty quip on his lips and says that, in contrast to the photo in my passport, I have lost weight. I gladly accept the compliment!
Only 15 minutes later we arrive at our hotel (Hotel Europa). Right in the centre between historic buildings like the Opera House and one of the oldest pubs, I feel welcome in cosy Belfast!
Directly from the centre you can see the lush green grassy hills outside the city. 
Famous sights and the most visited attractions in Belfast
Belfast is not too big. Most of the sights and attractions are within walking distance. But there is one thing you should not forget: An umbrella or rain jacket for you and a rain cover for your backpack (or bag).
If you're like me and it's your first time in Belfast, I recommend visiting some of the top sights. Here are the highlights of my 4-day Belfast trip:
Titanic Belfast Museum
Did you know that the Titanic was built in Belfast? Belfast is particularly proud of the fact that the "unsinkable" Titanic was built here at the Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff and completed in 1912. "She still sailed here," they will tell you in response to any question about Titanic. Titanic set sail from Belfast on her maiden voyage to Southampton. The rest should be known.
The Titanic Museum is not only an architectural feast for the eyes from the outside, but inside you can also explore the largest exhibition on the Titanic with all your senses. Animations on the walls and on the floor that react through sensors, interactive touch screens, many image, video and audio sequences report in detail and comprehensively from the construction to the sinking. In addition, there is a small "roller coaster ride" at a comfortable speed that shows how workers toiled on the ship.
You can easily spend half a day here. We visited the museum on a Monday morning. Unfortunately it was the first day of a holiday, rainy weather and many visitors. Especially older seniors seem to be captivated by the museum, who push us around recklessly.
Admission: adults £17.50, children under 5 free.
Audio guides in German available for £3.
Opening hours: Summer (June - August): 9am - 7pm, April, May and September: 9am - 6pm and October - March from 10am - 5pm. The museum is open every day except Christmas (24 - 26 December).
Tip for tickets: Be sure to buy tickets online in advance and reserve times.
Link to the Titanic Museum website: Official website
Belfast Titanic Museum: The last news of the Titanic before she sank.
Belfast Titanic is an interactive experience for young and old.
The imposing building of the Titanic Museum
My highlight: Belfast Food Tour
I love food tours to discover cities. On the Belfast Food Tour from Taste & Tour you can get culinary highlights and insider tips right at the beginning of your short trip to Belfast, which will make it easier for you to choose restaurants, cafés and pubs for the rest of your stay. The tour lasts 4 hours and shows you the variety of culinary delights Belfast has to offer.
I don't want to give too much away or the tour will be redundant. Guide Phil loves his job and enthusiastically introduced us to Belfast, Northern Irish cuisine and the delicacies of Belfast and Northern Ireland. Market, manufactures, bars, restaurants and pubs. You can experience all the diversity on this food tour of Belfast. We were also told many stories about Game of Thrones, Mumford and Sons and one or two historical aspects.
Guide Phil loves his job and introduced us to Belfast, Northern Irish cuisine and the delicacies of Belfast and Northern Ireland with great enthusiasm. Black Taxi Street Art Tour
Everywhere in Belfast you will find political murals or graffiti. Each colourful piece of street art tells a story. In West Belfast, the Peace Line separates the areas of the Catholic Northern Irish (Falls Road) from the Protestants (Shankhill Road). A visit to the republican and loyalist districts of Falls and Shankhill is therefore an absolute must see. This is where you will find most of the artwork.
The murals are about the Northern Ireland conflict as well as international freedom fighters and the themes of resistance and protest. Meanwhile, more and more radical murals are being replaced by more peaceful ones to keep the conflict from flaring up.
Here you can find a map showing all the murals and their origins.
By the way, the mural tours with the Black Taxi are very ingenious. Here you can learn a lot about the conflict and the political murals. You can book your ticket in advance at Get Your Guide.
This peaceful mural replaced a more provocative one by the Ulster Freedom Fighters.
The original mural here was as follows:
The original Belfast Ulster Freedom Fighters mural at the entrance to Sandy Row has since been painted over.
Other provocative murals are either being torn down or painted over:
Belfast's Conflict Murals are slowly being removed
One well-known painting is The Son of Protagoras in the backyard of the Northern Ireland War Memorial, 21 Talbot Street.
The Son of Protagoras by MTO - a masterpiece in Talbot Street in the backyard of the "Northern Ireland War Memorial".
International Wall - Divis Street, corner of Northumberland Street.
Republican/Nationalist Murals:
Right on the corner hangs the following sign:
A sign that has 2 x Britsh printed on it instead of British Army hangs directly on the corner of the Murals.
Just around the corner you will find Social Murals:
Again and again you will find Belfast's most famous footballers on the murals. Here in Blythe Street:
Murals in Belfast are also about their most famous footballer George Best, like here in Blythe Street.
Next to it is a Unionist mural for Robert Dougan, who was killed by the "enemies":
St George's Market
The market has been on the site in East Bridge Street since 1604. Built between 1890 - 1896, St. George's Market is a minor highlight of my visit. In 2014, St. George's Market was named the best indoor market of the year in the UK by the National Association of British Market Authorities.
Ranked among the best markets in Ireland and the UK, the market is located in the heart of Belfast. You could spend an entire Saturday here. In the bright building of the market, the mood is exuberant and cheerful. No wonder, a band plays Bob Marley's "Everything's gonna be alright" and market visitors bob in time.
The stalls sell local and regional organic products: Tea, apple juice, sausages, cheese, chutneys, jams, fresh fish, bread and of course fruit. I could eat my fill of strawberries.
Tip: Visit the market at the weekend, when additional local traders offer their handicrafts and round off the range.
Address: St George's Market, 12-20 East Bridge Street
Opening hours: Fridays (6am - 3pm), Saturdays (9am - 3pm) and Sundays (10am - 4pm)
St Georges Market - one of Belfast's must-sees and definitely worth a visit!
You can try tea from Suki Tea at the market. The best start to a market day in Belfast if it's raining.
You can also buy fresh fish at St Georges Market.
Rhubarb, strawberries, cider and apple juice - freshly made. Including tasting!
Fresh bread and rolls are also available at St. Georges Market.
St. Georges Market - one of the sights of Belfast and definitely worth a visit!
St. Georges Market on Saturday with live music performing the Bob Marley hit "Everylittle thing's gonna be alright".
City tour in the black taxi (Black Cab)
You can easily explore Belfast on foot or by bus. The city centre is not big and everything is easily accessible. But to get to know the city better, I recommend you take a tour with the Black Cab, a black taxi.
The driver of the traditional black taxi knows all the stories of Belfast - from the Northern Ireland Conflict of Denominations, also called "Troubles", the Peace Line that runs through the whole city and the filming of Game of Thrones that took place not only around Belfast but also in the city at Titanic Studios. An entertaining and very authentic ride.
Are you a fan of the TV series "Game of Thrones"? Then you must visit the original filming locations. Both north and south of Belfast are exciting Game of Thrones filming locations: the Dark Hedges of Ballymoney, an impressive beech avenue and the UNESCO site Giant's Causeway. These giants are about 40,000 basalt columns that drop into the ocean.
Game of Thrones filming location Castle Ward - "Winterfell"
Due to the lack of time on the short trip, we unfortunately only went to Castle Ward near Downpatrick. The castle serves as a film set for Winterfell. Admittedly, it takes a lot of imagination and an approximately 3-minute film at the beginning showing how Winterfell was created thanks to CGI and computer animation.
Thanks to the guidance of Winterfell Tours I was able to put on the helmet of Sandor Clegan ("The Hound" - Bloodhound) and hold the sword "Oathkeeper" (in the original: Oathkeeper ) of Brienne of Tarth. All made of plastic and lighter than the items in the series appear. Bran Stark's original armour was too small for all of us, haha.
Afterwards, we could practice archery like Branat the filming location of season 1or decapitate someone at the tree trunk. These scenes all appear in the first season.
Unfortunately, the two Direwolves Summer and Grey Wind were not present on my visit. If we had had more time, we would have done a bike tour where you get to see more filming locations.
Game of Thrones Tours from Belfast
If you are in Belfast without a car, you can book several other Game of Thrones tours from Belfast. Unfortunately, all but the one above do not include a visit to Castle Ward.
In reality, there is only one tower in Castle Ward (as Winterfell). The archway is also much smaller than you might think on TV.In the first episode someone was decapitated at the inconspicuous piece of wood lying around...
Titanic Studios in Belfast - scenes from Game of Thrones were also filmed hereThe Mask of the Bloodhound and the Sword of Brianne - original objects from the filming in Castle Ward (Winterfell) near Belfast
Belfast City Hall - the city hall in the heart of the city centre
The imposing neo-classical City Hall was built in 1909 and is located in Donegal Square, right in the centre of Belfast. Here you can take a free tour or visit a special exhibition on the history of Northern Ireland. The building can be seen from afar and shines beautifully, especially at night.
Free Belfast City Hall tours: Monday - Friday: 11am, 2pm and 3pm. Saturday and Sunday: 12pm, 2pm and 3pm. The tour lasts approximately one hour.
There are free guided tours inside Belfast City Hall.
Belfast City Hall is one of the city's most important landmarks.
From a distance you can see Belfast City Hall, one of Belfast's most famous landmarks.
Mount Stewart
Just 15 minutes outside Belfast is the stately home of Mount Stewart. In addition to the manor house, you can admire a true garden paradise, which was designed by the wife of the house, Lady Edith. Today, the garden is one of the most famous and beautiful in Great Britain and Ireland.
Mount Stewart - Manor House with Garden Paradise Queens University
Queens University dates partly from Tudor times and is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Northern Ireland! Architecturally really worth seeing in my opinion! When we stop at the university, it is graduation day. Over 25,000 students are studying here. No wonder there is a lot going on here. That's why we don't visit the inside. Nevertheless, when we see the building, we feel like we've been transported to Hogwarts in a Harry Potter film.
Albert Memorial Clock Tower
The 34.4 m high Albert Memorial Clock Tower is an important sight in Belfast. You will find it in Queen's Square on the High Street. This tower and bell was built in 1865 in honour of Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's husband).
The Albert Memorial Clock Tower in Belfast St Anne's Cathedral
St Anne's Cathedral is often just called Belfast Cathedral. It is the main church of the Anglican Church of Ireland in the heart of Belfast. Even though it has no steeple. Instead, St Anne's Cathedral has the 40 m long "Spire of Hope", a steel spire.
St Anne's Cathedral, or Belfast Cathedral, is a Church of Ireland cathedral. The "Spire of Hope" is 40 m long 
Crumlin Road Goal
If you have time, you should visit the former Crumlin Road Goal prison. One of the most visited sights in Belfast.
Freedom fighters, feminists and criminals have been incarcerated here. It is said that their souls still walk through the cells today. The tour of the prison is super entertaining and exciting.
For ghost and scary fans, I recommend the scary tour in the evening!
You can book the 11 am tour here the spooky tour here
Belfast Botanic Garden
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the Botanic Gardens myself. However, I was so impressed by the gardens in Edinburgh and Glasgow that I think this one is at least as worth seeing. At least it looks like it from the photos.
There is a palm house with a tropical forest and many rare exotic plant species and trees. Once founded under the name of the private Royal Belfast Botanical Gardens and only open to the public on Sundays. Since 1895 the park has been open to all.
Belfast Castle
The magnificent Belfast Castle once burnt down and was completely rebuilt. Due to its "new" location on Cave Hill, you can always see it from the city. We didn't visit the interior, but the grounds and the castle from the outside are worth a detour from the city centre. While you're here, you should also visit Cave Hill and enjoy the view!
More travel tips for Belfast
Getting to Belfast
Booking flights to Belfast
There are no direct flights from Germany to Belfast. You have several options: Either you fly via Dublin with Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, Ryanair or Germanwings. From here you can get to Belfast by bus or train within 2 hours. Or you fly like me with KLM via Amsterdam.
Booking tips for cheap flights
From the airport to the city centre
There are two airports in Belfast: Belfast International Airport and the small George Best City Airport.
From George Best City Airport to the city
The best way to get from Belfast to the city centre is to take the Airporter: the number 3 bus runs regularly between the bus station and the airport. A single ticket costs £2. Round trip only £3
The best way to get around the city is by bus. In addition to an "Airporter", Line 3 runs regularly between these two points. A one-way ticket costs £2 and a return ticket costs £3.
Discover Belfast and get from A to B
You can easily explore Belfast on foot. Alternatively, you can take the Black Cabs for a city tour. For Game of Thrones tours, you can buy tickets from Belfast from a variety of suppliers. You will be picked up directly at your accommodation.
Alternatively, you can hire a car and explore the Belfast area on your own.
Eating out in Belfast? My favourite places
Food in Belfast is really good. No matter where I ate, it was always a great treat! I never associated Belfast with food, which changes after this trip. Even a month after the trip, I'm still raving to everyone about the good restaurants we visited.
Here's a small selection of highlights and tips:
Belfast Food Tour
Definitely take a food tour (see above). It's absolutely worth it and I spent half a day eating my way through Belfast. In addition to the market, you'll visit one or two insider tips for restaurants. This means you don't have to search for good places to eat for the rest of your city trip, because you'll get enough tips for good restaurants during the tour.
Deanes Love Fish
Deanes Love Fish is currently one of the most popular restaurants in Belfast. Without a reservation you have no chance of getting a seat here. I order a salmon and a side of kale salad. We order mussels and Thai crab salad as starters for everyone.
The atmosphere is very pleasant, the restaurant is brightly decorated and cosy. Absolute tip for a dinner in Belfast.
One of my favourite places in Belfast for good food: Deanes Love Fish! Here is a selection of my dishes
James St. South
James St. South is no longer an insider tip for locals either. Here we also ordered small starters for everyone: asparagus with chorizo, salmon, ham with parmesan and for the main course a County of Antrim fillet of beef and mushrooms.
The atmosphere is quite relaxed, which is not what you expect at first impression when you enter the upmarket restaurant. You quickly strike up a conversation with the people sitting next to you, who naturally want to know what draws us Germans to Belfast.
Eating in Belfast: You should pay a visit to St. James South!
Berts Jazz Bar at The Merchant Hotel
In the best hotel of the city "The Merchant" there is a quite famous Jazz Bar in the annex which offers live music every night. Here you can dine deliciously in red velvet armchairs while listening to jazz and soul musicians.
The starter (again for everyone) consists of baked camembert, salted caramel popcorn, olives and a glass of Chilean red wine. For the main course, I choose the Irish beef with chips again. It tastes delicious. Afterwards I'm full, but I'm quickly persuaded to have the chocolate fondue with fruit (I love strawberries).
Belfast food tip: Berts Jazz Bar in The Merchant Hotel - enjoy delicious food with good jazz music!
Pubs and nightlife in the Cathedral Quarter
The dirty Onion - Yardbird
The Dirty Onion is in Belfast's oldest building. Irish music is played here every night. The outdoor area is called Yardbird and serves, among other things, excellent grilled chicken.
Address: The Dirty Onion / Yardbird, 3 Hill Street
The entrance to Belfast's Oldest Building 
Belfast's Oldest Building also has a small outdoor area - inside there is live music.
The John Hewitt
There are some excellent and recommendable pubs in the Cathedral Quarter. A traditional Irish pub is "The John Hewitt". The bar is named after a famous Irish poet. Here you can get drinks, good but simple food and above all live music from jazz to Irish music and Ulster Scots folk.
Not only did Mumford & Sons have their very first gig here, you can also get the excellent Jawbox Gin produced by the boss himself.
The John Hewitt - one of the most cosy pubs in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. 
The John Hewitt also serves the great tasting Jawbox Gin - the first in Ireland.
The Duke of York Pub
One of the most popular pubs in Belfast is located at the Commercial Court and also in the Cathedral Quater: The Duke of York Pub.
Address: Crown Liquor Saloon, Great Victoria Street
The Duke of York
The bar of the Duke of York
Crown Liquor Saloon
Probably the most famous pub in Belfast is the Crown Liquor Saloon. Coincidentally, the pub is right across the street from our hotel. Of course, I pay the pub a visit on the first evening. To try Guinness, which according to the Northern Irish tastes so different and of course better than the British version. They are right, the Northern Irish Guiness is not so bitter, I like it.
It's easy to strike up a conversation with locals while "sláinte" - toasting. The atmosphere and interior design with individual wooden "booths" is unique.
My first Guiness in Northern Ireland - tasty!
The Crown Liquor Parlour during the day - there's always something going on here at night. No wonder the pub is in every travel guide...
Shopping in Belfast
Co Couture - Chocolate for chocoholics
Chocolate at Co Couture is one of the best in the world. I convince myself of this during an extensive tasting. Hot chocolate, cocoa bars, pralines, ... The best thing about the production: all these delicacies are made on site from the raw cocoa bean without additives.
Sawers - Northern Ireland's Oldest Supermarket
This supermarket is a real culinary treasure trove! Delicious looking counters with sausages, cheeses and fresh bread. On the shelves culinary local products, but also international delicacies are not neglected. Here you will find everything that makes your mouth water!
