Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. For a long time, Belfast was synonymous with murder, terror, hatred and destruction. The Northern Ireland conflict, which was primarily a dispute between the Irish Catholic Republicans and the Protestant Union, had claimed many lives.
For some time now there has been silence and the city is becoming more and more interesting for tourists. Belfast has a lot of sights to offer to its visitors.
Donegall Square is an absolute must. The square is in the center of Belfast. The city’s mighty town hall is located on it. Other buildings surround Donegall Square. These include numerous banking houses, the Line Hall Library, the Ten Square Hotel and the Scottish Provident Building. Great Victoria Street is also worth seeing. There are numerous architectural masterpieces to marvel at in the street, such as the Grand Opera House, the Europa Hotel and the Liquor Salon. Belfast has other impressive streets and buildings to offer, such as the Peace Lines, Royal Avenue, Shankill Road, Golden Mile, etc. There are plenty of impressive structures to visit in Belfast. We recommend the here
Albert Memorial Clock Tower. It’s on the High Street. The bell tower was built in 1865 in honor of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert.
The Aurora Building, also known as the Belfast Tower, is also worth a detour. The gigantic structure is supposed to shape the cityscape of Belfast, but at the moment the impressive building is still in the drafting phase. It is planned that the building will be 109 meters high and have 37 floors. The Aurora Building is slated to be the tallest building in Northern Ireland. Belfast City Hall is something special. It stands right between the commercial and business districts of the city, right on Donegall Square. The imposing building was erected between 1898 and 1906. There is a copy of Belfast’s town hall in Durban, South Africa. The town hall was built entirely from Portland stone in the classical Renaissance style. The tower is decorated on all four corners. The green dome rounds off the magnificent picture of the town hall. Inside the magnificent building there is a lot to see, such as the Port-Cochere, the huge entrance, the stairs, the reception room or the Great Hall.
If you are on vacation in Belfast, you should not miss the Crown Liquor Saloon. This one is on Great Victoria Street and is the most famous pub in Northern Ireland. The Crown Liquor Saloon was opened by Felix O’Hanlon under the name The Railway Tavern. After his son Michael Flanagan took over the restaurant, he had it renovated in 1885. During this time the pub got its current name. The building is well worth a visit not only for the fantastic interior, but also for the magnificent Victorian-style architecture of the building. The interior of the building and its ten adjoining rooms are distinctive.
Other historic buildings in the city are the Line Hall Library, the Obel Tower, Belfast Castle, Windsor House, etc.
You don’t have to neglect the culture in Belfast, as there are a number of museums in the city. One of the most famous museums in Belfast is the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. It is located just outside the capital of Northern Ireland. The popular tourist attraction has an extensive collection to offer its visitors, which is so large that it takes more than a day to see it all. One of the most famous exhibits in the museum is an original from the cult car brand DeLorean. This car is best known for the film “Back to the Future”. Among other things, the museum has a replica of an old Irish village.
Another museum worth visiting is the Ulster Museum. In the museum you can get an excellent insight into the genesis of the Northern Ireland conflict, which arose from the different political, social and religious backgrounds of the groups.
The art also plays an important role in Belfast. In the city there are several theaters and opera houses where you can devote many evenings to music. That would be the Grand Opera House, the Lyric Players Theater, the Odyssey Center etc.
In Belfast there are also some sacred buildings to visit. There is the Clonard Monastery, a Catholic church with a monastery. The church was built in 1911 and the monastery in 1890. The Solemn Novena takes place here every June. This festival regularly attracts more than ten thousand visitors. In 1941, people in the church had taken refuge from the Belfast Blitz.
Other ancient religious buildings in Belfast are St. Annes Cathedrale and St. Peters Cathedral. Both originated at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
In and around Belfast there are several parks, cemeteries, gardens and zoos that are well worth seeing, where you can relax after a long sightseeing tour. But there are also bodies of water, lakes and rivers in abundance in Belfast. Here you can picnic, walk or swim.
