How do I describe Belfast? It’s my hometown, and I’ve never stayed too far from it even though on occasions I’ve wanted nothing more than to leave the whole country behind for at least a few years. I think I will eventually and hopefully sooner rather than later. The reasons for that may be obvious, but there’s also a lot going for this city, and hopefully by the time I’ve finished you’ll want to come and visit us. Perhaps one word of warning – it’s best not to visit in July. We have our “street theatre” during July which has been known to be disruptive…

You can fly into Belfast from the UK mainland from a number of airports. The main carriers into Northern Ireland fly into one of two airports. Belfast International Airport (or Aldergrove to the locals) is about 20 miles out of the city. If you are not hiring a car, a bus can take you to the centre of the city and this runs every thirty minutes from around 0630 to 2300 approximately, or you could take a taxi. The bus journey is about thirty minutes. If you fly into Aldergrove, the airlines you are likely to be using are: British Airways, EasyJet or Go.

If you are bringing your own car across from the mainland, you’ll be arriving by ferry (unless you’re James Bond, in which case, we’ve been expecting you) and the main ferry terminals are based at the mouth of the river Lagan on the doorstep of the city centre. You’ll probably be coming here by SeaCat from Scotland, or Norse Irish Merchant from Liverpool. If you are coming from Troon or Fleetwood, then you’ll be using P&O Ferries who use Larne as their port and this is a few miles outside Belfast. You’ll need to get a train or bus into Belfast.

OK, before you go off to do any sight seeing, pub-crawling or whatever takes your fancy, it’s best to get somewhere to stay, eh? Well, there are lots of city centre hotels and B&B’s, and since the outbreak of peace in the mid-1990’s, more and more have opened to cater for the increase in tourism. No matter what your preference or price range, you’ll find somewhere to suit. A few names and phone numbers to remember:

Europa Hotel
Great Victoria Street
(028) 9032 7000

Wellington Park Hotel
21 Malone Road
(028) 9038 1111

Eglantine Guest House
21 Eglantine Avenue
(028) 9066 7585

Speaking of the local tourist office, there’s one in the city centre (47 Donegall Place 028 9024 6609) plus one at each airport. If you are thinking of going on to other parts of Ireland from Belfast, you could also use the Irish Tourist Board (or Bord Failte) who can give you details of what to do in the Republic of Ireland (or Eire, or simply “Down South”). They are also in the centre of Belfast at 53 Castle Street and can be contacted on (028) 9032 7888. If you want to do some “homework” before you arrive, then take a look at www.discovernorthernireland.com, which is the official web site of the NI Tourist Board.

Getting around Belfast is not a problem – we have a fairly decent local bus service (Citybus) that will take you practically any part of the city you wish, and if not, a taxi will do the job. For those of you wishing to look around Northern Ireland and not just Belfast, then you’ll find out train service sadly lacking in destinations. The province wide Ulsterbus service is better though. For details on Citybus, Ulsterbus and Northern Ireland Railways services and timetables, go to www.translink.co.uk. The current price for a single, adult trip on Citybus is £1, and the buses are generally of a good standard.

Over the last few years, lots of small cafes and restaurants have opened up as the citizens of Belfast become “posher” and more cultured (i.e. they raise their little finger whilst swigging Guinness). Whether you’re a posh restaurant type of person, or someone who’s happy sitting in a pub scoffing pub grub, you’ll find plenty of places in the city centre, and along the Golden Mile towards the university offering quality food.

I don’t think there’s any point in my listing the numerous selection of pubs etc. but I can point you towards www.wheretotonight.com, which is as good a guide to pubs and eating out in Northern Ireland, as you’ll ever get. Although, saying that, you should pop into The Crown Liquor Salon, opposite the Europa Hotel. It’s a National trust property now, but still open for business, so go in have a drink and soak in some atmosphere.

I always have a problem with this one when dealing with visitors because I’m not a big traveller myself. Most times I go travelling, it’s usually to see people rather than places, and so I know very little about things to do. Off the top of my head, I suggest the following (and more details can be gained from the tourist office):

Recently, the taxi drivers have started offering Black Taxi Tours around the city that deal primarily with the “Troubles”, and if you’re interested in that part of our history, then friends have reliably informed me that these are very interesting.

You may also want to look at the Stormont Buildings on the outskirts of Belfast. They’re set into some huge grounds, and people often spend their Sundays talking a walk (or *ugh!* running) around the grounds. You can’t actually get in, but it’s a pleasant walk.

The university also has a visitor’s centre which you may want to pay a visit to.

Around October and November, Belfast has its’ own festival at Queens covering all sorts of entertainment – films, comedy, music and dance. This is incredibly popular, and if you’re planning on being here for the festival, it’s advisable to book any tickets early, especially for the more popular music and comedy acts.

Belfast is being invested in quite heavily by a number of people and corporations. This can be seen by the amount of large chains that have decided that Belfast is now a city to be seen in. names like Hilton Hotels, Hard Rock Café, Warner Cinemas and IMAX cinemas have all recently opened here. We have our own ice hockey team (Belfast Giants) to take part ion the National Hockey League.

If you’re spending more than a few days in Belfast, you’re probably going to want a change of scenery. Outside Belfast and across the province there are other interesting sights to investigate, and I’m only going to mention some of them in passing.

A museum dedicated to the journey made by millions of Irish people across the Atlantic to America and shows the type of ships that were used, clothing from the period etc.

The oldest legal distillery in the world – if you like a tipple, then you should definitely visit Bushmills. Tours operate all year round, although times vary due to season.

Nothing more really than a huge stone structure caused by an erupting volcano pouring lava into the sea, which cooled and formed many thousands of hexagonal columns. Very impressive in scale, though.

Derry is another city in Northern Ireland which provides a lot of history to investigate, although perhaps somewhere to base yourself for a day or two rather than a day trip from Belfast.

If you’re of a scientific bent, there’s lots to see and do here. Both a planetarium and observatory which offer lots of attractions such as the Star Theatre and the Eartharium which lets you zoom into Belfast or Armagh using spy satellite pictures.

Ferries:
www.stenaline.com
www.p-and-o.com
www.seacat.co.uk

I know that I’ve mentioned street names etc. in making some points above, and while you’re sat at home in front of your computer, it’s all a bit, well, pointless really. But! Print out this opinion, and settle down with a Belfast street map, and hopefully, the opinion with become twice as useful (UU?). The phone numbers are national ones – the “028” is the code for Northern Ireland and the 8-digit code is the actual phone number. All are correct at time of posting, but can be confirmed at www.bt.com and follow the directory enquiries link.