Belfast is a 21st Century tourist triumph.
The capital of Northern Ireland, once a byword for strife, has transformed itself.
Now it’s a major visitor attraction, boosted by Game Of Thrones, the Titanic Belfast museum, some monster yellow cranes, new hotels, old pubs and lots of clever cooking…
DAY ONE, MORNING
Stupendous: The Titanic Belfast Museum (above) is a monument to the ill-fated liner
Start your stay with a big fish. The Salmon of Knowledge is a bold ceramic sculpture on Donegall Quay on the River Lagan’s west bank. Based on Irish legend, it celebrates the return of fish to this once polluted waterway. It is one of many bright features of the new Belfast built on the hope flowing from the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended the 30 years of sectarian violence known as The Troubles.
Then cross the Lagan Weir pedestrian bridge and head for the stupendous eight-storey Titanic Belfast museum. It is both a monument to the ill-fated liner, built by Harland and Wolff and launched from this very spot in 1911, and to Belfast’s engineering and maritime heritage.
The museum is the same height as the Titanic’s hull and it is clad in 3,000 glittering aluminium shards in complex geometric patterns. Titanic’s original tender ship SS Nomadic is alongside. You’ll find a hearty welcome if you stop for lunch at the nearby Dock Cafe, run by volunteers of different faiths, and open to all. Everything there has been donated – the memorabilia, the furnishings, even the cutlery and crockery. There’s no price list – instead you pay what you think is appropriate.
AFTERNOON
Take the Wee Tram from Titanic Belfast, past the monster yellow Harland and Wolff cranes Samson and Goliath – a symbol of past industrial might, to the newest attraction, HMS Caroline. This light cruiser, the sole survivor from the Battle of Jutland in the First World War, is permanently moored here. It opened to the public last year after before restored, and includes an exhibition of the epic 1916 battle. Take the cheery little tram back and you’ll pass the studios where they film scenes in the hit fantasy drama Game Of Thrones. They don’t offer tours here, but you might spot stars or the production team in the Cast & Crew cafe, just across Queens Road.
Now for some retail therapy, but with a difference. Two unlikely names are on the plaque marking the opening of the city centre’s Victoria Square shopping centre. The then First Minister Ian Paisley and his deputy, Martin McGuinness – once implacable political enemies – jointly cut the ribbon in 2008.
For an evening drink, seek out the Crown Liquor Saloon in Great Victoria Street. Owned by the National Trust, it has scalloped gas lights, gleaming brass work, coloured glass and cosy snugs.
Across the road are the ornate Grand Opera House and the Europa Hotel, base for the world’s press during the Troubles, and now a stylish city-centre haven.
Then seek out one of the city’s excellent restaurants. Chef Michael Deane is a trailblazer in Belfast cuisine. His string of seven restaurants in the city include the Michelin-starred Eipic.
DAY TWO, MORNING
Restored: Colourful produce on display at St George’s Market (above)
If you are interested in learning about the city’s fascinating history, head for the sparkling Ulster Museum. It is crammed with random wonders, including a 1908 car, Ireland’s most complete dinosaur fossil, Viking brooches and Spanish Armada gold. Stroll through the adjoining Botanical Gardens into the elegant Georgian streets of the University Quarter. A tempting midmorning stop is the Belfast Tea & Coffee Company in Royal Avenue.
To understand the city’s tragic past, and why the peace must prevail, it’s well worth taking either a black cab tour or a double-decker bus tour of Belfast. Guides give an excellent, impartial commentary as you take in key locations such as Stormont Castle, set on a hill above the city, and the Falls Road and Shankill Road, still divided by an huge wall, on which world leaders write prayers of peace.
The rival murals celebrating figures in the struggle are both moving and terrifying for the passions they betray. For lunch, try a snack at a stall in the restored St George’s Market.
AFTERNOON
Cheers: The Crown Liquor Saloon in Great Victoria Street, which boasts cosy snugs
One of the glories of Northern Ireland is its collection of fine country houses, many of them in the care of the National Trust. Head out of the city by bus to Mount Stewart, on the shores of Strangford Lough. It has abundant gardens and that allimportant tea room.
Back in the city, enjoy a drink in the Observatory Bar, the highest in the whole of Ireland. It occupies the 23rd floor of the Grand Central Hotel in Bedford Street. There are grand views over the city and way beyond.
There are more dining options at the three Made in Belfast outlets. The ‘anarchic’ decor and fittings are all second-hand chic, while the food is no-frills ‘basic, rustic peasant food’.