Buildings and walls throughout the city are adorned with murals that reflect the city’s social, cultural, and political traditions and history. The city is the shopping, retail, educational, commercial, entertainment, and service centre for Northern Ireland and the seat of many of its largest businesses and hospitals. By the 17th century, the town was a busy port with small shipbuilding interests, which became firmly established after William Ritchie founded a shipyard (1791) and a graving (dry) dock (1796). Look out for meat from Hillstown Farm Shop, prebiotic foods from Amberline Preserves and mushrooms from Spore Shore. A bronze statue of Queen Victoria is accompanied by figures representing education and Belfast’s textile and shipbuilding industries, and a memorial to the Titanic lists the names of the more than 1500 people who died when the boat sank in the North Atlantic.

Explore Queen’s Quarter and the Lisburn Road

Next to the former the Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices (now an hotel), stands the "cultural nucleus to Titanic Quarter", Titanic Belfast (2012) whose interactive galleries tell the liner’s ill-fated story. East Belfast developed from the Queens Bridge (1843), through Ballymacarrett, east along the Newtownards Road and north (along the east shore of the Lough) up the Holywood Road; and from the Albert Bridge (1890) south east out the Cregagh and Castlereagh roads. Home to around 2,500 people, it is the only distinctly nationalist area in the east of the river.

Vendors are mostly the craftspeople, bakers, fishers and farmers who grew, caught or created what they are selling, and they are happy to chat about their wares. Though the market, situated in a Victorian building, is a mainstay of the Belfast townscape, the goods on offer are cyclical. The kitchen is partially open to the dining floor, creating a sense of theater within its urbane confines, while the mixologists pay as much attention to detail for the cocktails as the chefs exercise toward the food.

Explore the Causeway Coastline

• The rebel tradesmen and tenant farmers were defeated north of the town at the Battle of Antrim and to the south at the Battle of Ballynahinch.
• On the east side, a branch of the Ulster Bank is built behind the classical portico of a former Methodist church dating from 1846.
• If hills aren’t really your thing, you can still enjoy Cave Hill Country Park which surrounds the castle and is a popular place for Belfast folk to take a walk.
• Titanic Quarter has historic and state-of-the-art Titanic and maritime visitor attractions, hotels, sporting activities and tours for the whole family to enjoy.
• W5 is an award-winning science and discovery centre, located in the Odyssey complex at the gateway…

Other attractions in the park include the recently restored Tropical Ravine, a humid jungle glen built in 1889, rose gardens and public events ranging from live opera broadcasts to pop concerts. The college has over 53,000 students enrolled on full-time and part-time courses, making it one of the largest further education colleges in the UK and the largest in the island of Ireland. In practice, "Inst" provided a grammar education to the town’s Presbyterian families while Anglicans favoured the older Royal Belfast Academy (1785); Catholics, St Malachy’s diocesan college (1833) and Wesleyans, Methodist College Belfast (1865). After such a busy day of sights, sounds and the finest food, you’ll need the finest place to stay.

Crumlin Road Gaol

In the Titanic Quarter you’ll find the Titanic Hotel, a deluxe boutique hotel offering a unique maritime experience in its Harland & Wolff inspired rooms. The nearby Muddlers Club has become something of a Belfast institution as famous for its theatrical open kitchen as its mouth-watering food. Today, it’s full of Belfast’s young and those in the know out for a night of craic and fine food. Sunday includes the lot and even throws in music from local bands.

Popular Locations

In recent years Harland & Wolff, which at peak production in the Second World War had employed around 35,000 people, has had a workforce of no more than two or three hundred refurbishing oil rigs and fabricating off-shore wind turbines. It is a group, encompassing homemakers, full-time carers, students and retirees, that in Belfast has been swollen by the exceptionally large proportion of the population (27%) with long-term health problems or disabilities (and who, in Northern Ireland generally, are less likely to be employed than in other UK regions). On the other hand, Belfast has a high rate of people economically inactive (close to 30%). From the mid to late 19th century, there was a community of central European Jews (among its distinguished members, two-time Lord Mayor Otto Jaffe) and of Italians in Belfast. 7.17% (21,025) of people in the city claimed to have some knowledge of Ulster Scots, whilst 0.75% (2,207) claimed to be able to speak, read, write and understand spoken Ulster Scots.

Experience life on the inside at Crumlin Road Gaol

If hills aren’t really your thing, you can still enjoy Cave Hill Country Park which surrounds the castle and is a popular place for Belfast folk to take a walk. The Belfast landmark, Cave Hill, rises up behind the castle and if you are up for a walk, we highly recommend taking the time to walk to the top of Cave Hill for spectacular views over Belfast Lough and towards the Mournes – on a clear day. Belfast Castle is a relatively modern building, having been built by the third Marquis of Donegall in 1862 in what was his deer park. You’ll also find plenty of entertainment at theatres/events such as Monday Night Comedy, Belfast MAC or the Belfast Empire Music Hall. Popular pubs include The Duke of York, The John Hewitt, The Spaniard, The Dirty Onion, McHughes, The Deer’s Head and Whites in or near the Cathedral Quarter. 53-55 Crumlin Road, BT14 6ST – Crumlin Road Gaol was built in 1849 and has had many prisoners pass through its doors including Éamon de Valera, Martin McGuinness, Michael Stone and Bobby Sands.

The SCENEic Route

Get out in the fresh air and enjoy a relaxing walk with the family in Belfast, and beyond this… One of the great things about Belfast is that within a short drive from the city you can discover a… Take a day trip and discover the stunning city cabs belfast parks, enchanting woodland and coastal scenery in Belfast… Whether you’re looking for quirky bars, traditional shops or delicious food, Belfast has an… Find something for all the family to enjoy with our picks for family fun attractions in both Ards…