10 Things to do in Belfast City

This post is based on a visit in August 2024 and everything mentioned was paid for by myself. Please check with venues direct for the most up-to-date info as it can change. 

Belfast is somewhere Harry is considering applying to for Uni next year. Joining a University in Northern Ireland has lots of pros and cons which we have gone through however nothing beats actually visiting a city to get a feel for it. 

Sadly, we were unable to make this year's open day so instead, planned our own extreme day trip on a budget in the summer holidays to check it out. 

It was myself, Steve, Harry (17) and Dee (15) on this trip. We had a brilliant time and found Belfast really easy to navigate with lots of history. It was so interesting! 


Here are our top recommendations for things to do which we either tried ourselves or were recommended to us more than once: 

10 Things to do in Belfast City 

 
Proper Irish Breakfast 

We started our day with a proper Irish Breakast at Maggie Mays. I loved this cafe, everyone was so friendly and welcoming and the food was fantastic. They serve several all-day breakfasts alongside a regular menu. 

My breakfast came with Soda Bread, Fried Bread & Potato Cake (amazing!) and Steve's arrived with three types of Black Pudding which he was equally as chuffed with. 

We just walked in and it wasn't far from the airport bus drop off: https://maggiemaysbelfast.com/

Titanic Museum 

Soooo many people recommended this museum and it has excellent reviews. I would really like to go back and visit at some point but this was a short one day trip for us with the aim of visiting university and getting a feel for the city.

I just felt that spending 3 hours in a museum wasn't the best use of our time on this visit. If you do have space in your itinerary though, lots of people say it's well worth a visit. 

https://www.titanicbelfast.com/


Open Top Bus Tour & Peace Walls 

There are a couple of open top bus tours in Belfast with ticket sellers walking around the city. We'd already decided we were going to do this as there was a stop at the University and a stop at the Peace Walls which we wanted to see. 

These kind of tours do work out pretty pricey (it was around £70 for the four of us) but they are a good way to get an overview of a city I think. We learned quite a bit and were given a good tour as well as being transported to areas of the city we wanted to explore further. 

Head towards the City Hall and you will see lots of sightseeing buses starting their tour in this area. 

The Peace Walls and Gates were incredible to see and I didn't really know too much about them so it was nice to learn more. They are so high! Tourists now sign the walls and leave a message of peace and it's interesting to alight here and read the messages / admire the peace murals. 


I am probably a bit naive but it was very strange driving through the Catholic and Protestant areas and seeing the stark differences, even today. 

Black Cab Tour 

Loads of people recommended a Black Cab Tour and I was very tempted. A cabbie will give you a private tour and history lesson and it's a proper insight from a local. If we had longer in the city, I would have booked a Black Cab Tour and if we go back I will. I was just worried about pre-booking anything on this trip with us just flying in for the day (I was conscious of delays etc). 

https://belfasttours.com/


Crumlin Road Gaol Experience 

We walked past this Goal and it looked fantastic. It has rave reviews too. It's a 5* experience where visitors can follow in the footsteps of over 25,000 prisoners and learn about life in Northern Ireland's only remaining Victorian Prison. 

We ran out of time to visit which I do regret as I love stuff like this. Another time! 

https://www.crumlinroadgaol.com/tours-events/


Botanic Gardens & Ulster Musuem 

After visiting Queen's University (and the student union for a quick pint), we popped into the Botanic Gardens which are free to visit. They're beautiful (if a little warm in August). You'll also find the free Ulster Museum in this area which is packed with info. 

If Harry does end up living in Belfast, I'm sure I'll return to both of these attractions and share a more in-depth review. 

Street Food Markets 

Lots of people recommended St George's Market to us and as we passed, I had a peek inside. It looked fantastic and really reminded me of our own Grainger Market. Sadly though, it's only open on Fri/Sat/Sun and we visited mid-week. 

Instead, we opted for the Common Market which was also great and really reminded me of our own STACK venues with lots of different food and drink food stalls and communal benches. A nice little lunch stop. 

https://commonmarketbelfast.com/

Cathedral Quarter 

The Cathedral Quarter has such a good vibe and is super instagrammable with coloured umbrellas in the air, benches, flowers, street art. We loved this area and stopped for a couple of drinks here. Great for people watching too. 


W5 

W5 is a fantastic science museum which I thought may be better suited to younger kids rather than prospective uni students. It looks brill though with an interactive medical lab, sensory zone, energy and marvelous machines exhibiton and a lost planet play area. 

https://w5online.co.uk/


The Crown Liquor Saloon

Located next to the bus station, this pub is the perfect stop for a drink before heading home. It's the best pub I've ever visited and one of those places you can really feel the history. 

It was originally built to protect visitors from prying eyes in the streets outside. There are several booths and you feel as if you're sitting in your very own spy movie! It is easy to imagine people having secret meetings in the private booths and someone bursting in on them blowing their cover. 

It's a Grade A listed building owned by the National Trust and packed with original features. We loved it so much we ended up staying for tea. 

https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/restaurants/scotlandandnorthernireland/thecrownliquorsaloonbelfast#/

Getting to Belfast from Newcastle 

There are up to 5 flights per day from Newcastle to Belfast operated by Easyjet and Aer Lingus. There are two airports in Belfast - Belfast International is outside of the city centre where as the George Best Airport is much closer. 

We booked an early morning Easyjet flight to Belfast International and although it was scheduled to take 60 minutes, it actually only took us 30 minutes! 

Do check your airline as some do still insist on passports but at time of flying with Easyjet, they just require those over the age of 16 to have some form of ID from this list when flying on a domestic flight such a Newcastle to Belfast, it doesn't have to be a passport: 
https://www.easyjet.com/en/help/boarding-and-flying/travel-documents-and-information

We were actually not asked for ID on either flight but they were checking some. 

It's lush not having to queue to walk through passport control and your exit is straight through the terminal. 

We landed at Belfast International. A taxi to the city is £50-£60 or you can buy standard / return bus tickets in the terminal, at the bus stop outside or from the bus driver. We did this as it was much cheaper. The Airport Bus (number 300) takes around 40 minutes to get into the city and is every 15 minutes during peak times. 

It drops you off at the Europa Bus Station which is the last stop on the route. It's practically impossible to miss your stop / get lost. 

Our flight home was around 9pm. We had walked miles but felt like we packed lots in and definitely got our feel for Belfast. 

I'd definitely recommend as a budget break with kids / teens or if you'd like to take kids on a flight somewhere but don't have a passport. 

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