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I’ve recently returned from a trip through Northern Ireland and was based in Belfast for six nights ahead of a journey along the Coastal Causeway, winding up in Derry-Londonderry.

Excited to dive into Northern Ireland’s capital city, Tourism Ireland booked me in for a guided tour in a classic London black cab. My tour guide for the morning, Billy Scott, has led tours since 2006, and is Blue Badge-certified.

This translates to the UK’s top award for tourist guiding, making Billy the ideal candidate to show me around.

[Writing a message in fat black marker on the Belfast Peace Wall]

Through prose, story-telling, and historical facts during the three-hour tour, Billy is at the top of his game as tour guide. His encyclopedic recounting of major (and minor) events throughout Belfast’s history is mind-blowing.

We work our way through several neighbourhoods, including stops at Van Morrison’s childhood home, C.S. Lewis Park, the Peace Wall, and the Titanic Quarter, before he drops me off at my hotel near City Hall.

Belfast City Hall
The permanent visitor exhibition at Belfast City Hall opened in 2017 and is located on the ground floor east wing of this stunning building. Even if you’re short on time to book a group or self-discovery tour, it’s worth just walking inside to admire the gorgeous black and white floor tiling and ornate details, designed by Alfred Brummell and completed in 1906.

Here you can learn about Belfast’s past and present through a series of 15 rooms, while admiring the Baroque Revival style architecture. Belfast was granted city status by Queen Victoria in 1888.

Linen Hall Library aka The Belfast Library and Society for Promoting Public Knowledge

In the second half of the eighteenth century, Belfast was commonly referred to as the “Athens of the North” due to the scientific and literary achievements of certain members of its society.

Founded in May 1788, Linen Hall is Belfast’s oldest library as well as the last subscription-based library in Ireland. Its famed Irish and Local Studies Collection ranges from Early Belfast and Ulster printed books to the over 350,000 items in the Northern Ireland Political Collection, forming a masterful archive of the Troubles, peace process, and beyond.

Next to the charming library cafe on the second floor is a set of doors that leads to the Vertical Gallery, its walls filled with a rotating collection of political posters showcasing themes of social and political unrest throughout Ireland.

As a charity, the Linen Hall Library is funded by memberships. Open to both visitors and locals alike, perusing books here is free, however for loans (and to view the Political Collection), a membership is required.

[Terri Hooley’s record label Good Vibrations was once based here]

Oh Yeah! A Punk Rock Walking Tour
Explore the story of punk music through the streets of Belfast with Creative Tours Belfast’s Dolores Vischer, a punk music lover who’s been part of the scene right from the start.

Through a guided two-and-a-half hour walking tour (with a break in your choice of café or pub), I gained an fondness for the city’s best-known bands, including The Outcasts, Rudi, The Undertones, Stiff Little Fingers, Ruefrex, Victim, and Ash.

[Terri Hooley mural]

This tour offers a great opportunity to view many spots where the action took place, with entertaining stories of punk bands then and now along the way. There is a strong connection between Terri Hooley and his former Good Vibrations record shop/music label and putting Belfast on the musical map.

Hooley’s label released Rudi’s first single, Big Time and was responsible for getting The Undertones first single, Teenage Kicks, played on John Peel’s BBC radio show.

Belfast is one of 75 UNESCO Cities of Music in the world, and the third in the UK, following Glasgow and Liverpool. At each stop, Dolores taps into her curated Spotify list to play a tune to match (a handout with each stop and a link to the playlist is provided).

As we stop outside Ulster Hall, Dolores plays a snippet of White Riot by The Clash, since this is where the band had arranged to play a gig in October 1977. When the venue learned about the band, they cancelled the show at the last minute as they did not want to pay the insurance to cover them.

This in turn provoked the infamous mini riot of Bedford Street. Undeterred, The Clash returned a few weeks later to play at Queen’s University. Aside from hosting many great shows from bands such as Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Stranglers and Green Day, Ulster Hall is also site of the 1980 Good Vibrations Punk and New Wave Festival.

If you book this tour, try to catch the film Good Vibrations before you head out, as it provides a great introduction!

[Oh Yeah!]

The Oh Yeah Music Centre opened in 2007 as a place to showcase up and coming talent as well as to exhibit band memorabilia and history, from Stiff Little Fingers’ first pressing of Inflammable Material, released by Rough Trade in 1978, to Gary Moore’s guitar.

A small group of locals – Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, close friend Davy Matchett and music writer Stuart Bailie – were determined to start a hub for the Belfast music scene, inspired by Derry’s Nerve Centre. After much lobbying and fundraising, the building was secured, with volunteers on hand to prepare for its opening less than two years later.

Fun fact: Stiff Little Fingers self-released first single was on their own label, Rigid Digits. The Centre is named after the Ash song of the same name.

Buzzcocks and The Undertones ticket stubs are on display, as well as lots of Rory Gallagher items, all assembled into large glass boxes in the room. A timeline along the wall traces the history of Belfast in music too.

Dolores is a supporter of local bands and her passion shows through in spades. I highly recommend this tour, offered both privately or as a group.

Titanic Belfast
Every aspect of Titanic Experience building is nautically-themed, from the quartet of ship bows on the exterior to the anchor chains that line the entranceway. Entering the lobby, I’m greeted with ticket windows featuring rough-sawn pier planking, made to resemble large portholes.

Through four stories of exhibitions, the story of Belfast and its connection to Harland and Wolff, the company that put the city’s shipping industry on the map, can be found here. Check out my Titanic Experience and hotel stay here.

St. George’s Market
Weekends at St. George’s Market are a must! Built between 1890 and 1896, this is one Belfast’s oldest attractions. Even before it opened, there’s been a weekly market held here since 1604.

[The traditional Belfast Bap!]

In 1997, the market received a £4.5m revamp, and continues to charm locals and tourists alike with a wonderful assortment of produce, crafts, tasty local treats, used vinyl and CDs, plus Belfast-centric souvenirs.

Queen’s Quarter
Opened in the mid 1800’s as Queen’s College, Belfast, Queen’s University Belfast is both a public research university and a member of the prestigious Russel Group, an association of 24 public research universities in the UK. In 1810, this gorgeous building served as the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.

Next to the University, you’ll find the Botanic Gardens, a lovely meeting place beaming with Victorian heritage. It opened in 1828, and in 1895, was designated as a public park. The Palm House, designed by Charles Layton, is one of the earliest examples of a curvilinear cast iron glasshouse (closed at the moment due to recent storm damage).

Within the park is a second glasshouse, the Tropical Ravine, the only example of its kind left in Northern Ireland.

Ulster Museum
Within the Botanic Gardens is the Ulster Museum (the largest in Northern Ireland). Laid out in a spiral formation, the top floor includes works by local, national, and international artists, from the 16th century to modern paintings, fashion, prints, sculpture, silverware and furniture.

Art, history, nature, discovery spaces, plus a detailed history of Ireland’s political conflict (The Troubles), detailed through numerous panels and exhibits (many items donated by the public) all make for an afternoon of discovery for all ages. The Ulster Museum shop and Wynne & Pym café on the ground floor complete the museum’s footprint.

Cathedral Quarter
While it may be the oldest part of the city, the Cathedral Quarter has experienced a renaissance over the past two decades with the addition of pubs, restaurants, cafés, clubs, and hotels dotted along its streets.

Named after Belfast Cathedral (aka St. Anne’s Cathedral), the area is also a creative hub with several arts and cultural organizations headquartered here. Together with some of Belfast’s oldest buildings and streets, we highly recommend the Cathedral Quarter for exploring.