48 HOURS
Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital and largest city, has been drawing the crowds this year after the opening of the Titanic Exhibition. Throw in music, art and culture and you have the perfect short break destination, says Jo Austin
Belfast H
FACTFILE Contact:
Northern Ireland Tourist Office: +44 (0)28 9023 1221 www.discovernorthernireland. com;
www.gotobelfast.com
Getting There: Flight time: Approx 90 minutes. Regular daily flights with Flybe (Belfast City) from LGW, GLA, MAN ,CWL and ABZ, British Airways (Belfast City)from LGW and LHR and easyJet (Belfast Int’l) from BHX, BRS, EDI, GLA, LGW, LPL, LTN, MAN, NCL, SEN and STN
www.ba.com www.flybe.com
Belfast is served by two airports: George Best Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport. Flights into Belfast International Airport might appear a little cheaper but the airport is 18 miles north-west of the city. Getting into town from George Best Belfast City Airport cost £8 by taxi or £3 return on the Airport Express bus to the Belfast Bus Centre adjacent to the Europa Hotel, in the heart of the city.
Visitor Pass:
Explore more of the city and save money by buying a one-, two- or three-day visitor pass costing from £6.50 and including unlimited bus and rail travel plus discounts of tours, attractions and restaurants.
www.translink.co.uk
48hours
aving come through the back of almost three decades of conflict and division, Belfast has emerged a vibrant, multicultural city with plenty to offer the visitor. Think boutique hotels, trendy bars, eateries, traditional Irish pubs, cultural festivals and musical events. Known as the ‘inside out city’, due to its industrial heritage and Harland and Wolff shipyards (birthplace of the Titanic) by the River Lagan, revitalised Belfast combines history with new energy and freshness. The recent visit to Belfast by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth highlighted the beauty of Stormont House and its 365-yard drive through adjoining parkland. The city is full of green open spaces and pedal power is one of the best ways of getting around (
www.belfastcitybiketours.com). To be sure of seeing it all, however, recommend a hop- on-hop-off open-top bus tour with a qualified guide, which takes just 90 minutes for the entire loop. Alternatively, a black taxi tour will show the ‘must see’ sights of the city which inevitably include the many political murals.
what it was like to be a shipbuilder working on Titanic. Visitors can also enjoy a Titanic Walking
Tour (
www.titanicwalk.com) exploring Harland and Wolff’s headquarters and the dock and pump house, once the very ‘beating heart’ of the shipyard. ‘Traditional Irish music’ is one of the city’s big attractions and there is no
“A ‘ride’ takes visitors into the bowels of the shipyard, giving a sense of what it was like to be a stevedore working on the Titanic”
Couples, stag and hen parties and families will all find something to suit their interests in the city but top of the list has to be the world’s largest Titanic-themed visitor experience (
www.titanicbelfast.com). The £77-million centre, which opened this year to mark the centenary of the ship’s sinking, is Belfast’s most ambitious ever project, transforming over 75 hectares of the former shipyard on the River Lagan. Allow at least three hours to wander through this remarkable story of dreams and disaster starting with ‘Boomtown Belfast’ 100 years ago to the Titanic’s journey to the bottom of the ocean. A ‘shipyard ride’ takes visitors into the bowels of the shipyard, giving a sense of
shortage of live music venues and festivals. The Crown Liquor Saloon is a favoured place for lunch and a Guinness. Several international hotel chains, such as Malmaison and Radisson Blu, now feature in Belfast and one of the city’s most enduring landmarks is the Europa Hotel, in the centre of town.
And for those with an eye for literature and the arts, Belfast has several names of fame to claim as its own. It was the inspiration of CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the birthplace of Sir Kenneth Branagh and Liam Neeson and is now home to the magnificent new £18-million arts hub in the form of the Metropolitan Arts Centre.
The Crown Liquor Saloon, a popular Belfast haunt
City Life, the magazine of Belfast City Airport, quizzed a couple of locals on where to go in the city…
Best for nightlife...
“Belfast has so many places to offer but I always have a great night out in Ollies at the Merchant Hotel, Waring Street” KATIE WADDELL, MARKETING STUDENT AT UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
Favourite shop... “For books and miscellaneous items
go to Urban Outfitters in Victoria Square. I have discovered so many funny facts and picked up a few creative presents from rooting around their display stands” ADAM ANNETT, SURVEYOR AT FRAZER KIDD & PARTNERS, BELFAST-BASED ESTATE AGENT
www.belfastcityairport.com
8 September/October 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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