Explore Belfast and all it has to offer with our Belfast City tour. Highlights include St George’s Market (Friday to Sunday), Queen University, Stormont Parliament Buildings, Belfast Castle, Belfast City Centre/City Hall, Peace Walls, Crumlin Road Goal and Titanic Quarter.
St George’s Market was built between 1890 and 1896. The market has won local and national titles and awards for its fresh, local produce and great atmosphere. St George’s Market is open Friday to Sunday, with its live music and an electric atmosphere, it’s a good weekend destination.
The Friday market dates back to 1604. There are around 200 market stalls selling fruit, vegetables, antiques, books, clothes, hot food, cakes and buns, crafts and a large selection of fresh fish.
The Saturday market has local, continental and specialty foods including meat and fish, cheese, coffee beans, tapas and organic products from around the world. There are also handmade crafts, flowers, plants, local photography, pottery, glass and metal work. Sample the delicious products or relax with a coffee and a newspaper while listening to some of the best local musicians play live.
The Sunday market is a mix of the Friday and Saturday markets with emphasis on local arts and crafts, offering more local craftspeople the opportunity to showcase their talents. You can also enjoy live music and local and continental specialty foods such as spices, chutneys and chocolates. Spend the day browsing through a selection of stalls including scented candles, clothes, handmade jewellery, recycled goods, household goods, antiques, garden plants, souvenirs and health and beauty products.
St George’s Market opening hours:
Friday – 8am to 2pm
Saturday – 9am to 3pm
Sunday – 10am to 4pm
Stop outside Lanyon Building, the centrepiece of Queen’s University estate. Named after it’s architect Sir Charles Lanyon, it opened in 1849. The building itself is a stunning visual building and one where many student, graduates and tourists alike stop and take photographs outside.
Queen’s University own many buildings throughout the city with the main Lanyon Building, McClay Library and Student’s Union all in close proximity to each other. Famous past pupils include Seamus Heaney along with many musicians, politicians, actors, sport stars and media personalities.
Parliament Buildings, often just referred to as Stormont due to it’s location within the Stormont estate. Parliament Buildings is home to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the legislative body for Northern Ireland established under the Belfast Agreement 1998 (Good Friday Agreement).
Built in 1921 at a cost of nearly £1.7 million, it was designed to house the newly formed Government of Northern Ireland and was officially opened on 16th November 1932 by the then Prince of Wales, on behalf of King George V.
You are welcome to come and visit Parliament Buildings Monday to Friday 09:00 to 16:00 to view the Great Hall or visit the gift and coffee shop.
Public tours are available Monday to Friday (excluding public and bank holidays). They are at 11:00AM and 2:00PM and you need to book a ticket.
On Stormont Estate there are beautiful gardens, a variety of walks, fitness and adventure trails, a children’s playground, picnic and barbecue areas, historic buildings and monuments.
The estate also hosts many events throughout the year, including a weekly park run.
Whilst attracting large numbers of visitors, the estate is also important to the local community and is popular for dog walkers, runners and families.
Belfast Castle sits at the foot of Cave Hill and is one of the most iconic locations from which to view the stunning skyline of Belfast.
It is 90 years since the castle and its surrounding estate were gifted to the citizens of Belfast by the Right Honourable The Earl of Shaftesbury on 26 July 1934. The young earl, namely Anthony-Ashley Cooper, a dutiful and proud resident of the North Belfast area, served as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1907, eventually becoming simply Lord Shaftesbury.
Following the gifting of the castle and estate to the city in 1934, Belfast Castle became a visitor attraction for many. Over the years, the venue has played host to many receptions, dances and high teas, while the landscaped gardens were opened to picnickers and day-trippers to enjoy.
Belfast Castle is one of Belfast’s main visitor attractions with over 100,000 visitors per year.
Set on the slopes of Cave Hill Country Park, the castle is a talisman for the city. It has a commanding a view from 120 metres above the heart of Belfast.
With its deeply connected history, a sweeping driveway and beautiful landscaped gardens, the Castle attracts both tourists and local people. Many use the castle’s country park as part of their daily routine.
The castle is renowned for its popular coffee shop and good reputation for food through the years.
The unique venue is home to several rooms suitable for conferences, social events and private functions. It is also popular with tours, cruise passengers and school groups.
Annually the castle hosts a number of large-scale public events, including wedding and event fairs, concerts, seasonal events and community gatherings.
In 1888 Queen Victoria granted Belfast the status of the city and it was agreed that a grand and magnificent building was required to reflect this new status. City Hall opened its doors on the first of August 1906, at a time of unprecedented prosperity and industrial might for the city.
Belfast City Hall, is in Donegall Square, located in the heart of Belfast City Centre. The new City Hall was designed by Alfred Brumwell Thomas in the Baroque Revival style and constructed in Portland stone. The incredible building cost £369,000 to complete, the equivalent around 128 million pounds today but remains an extraordinary beacon of success and civic pride for Belfast.
The peace walls or peace lines are a series of barriers that separate the predominantly Irish Nationalist or Republican Catholic neighbourhoods from the predominantly British Unionist or Loyalist neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban interface/flashpoint areas between the two communities in Belfast and beyond.
The peace walls in Belfast were constructed to reduce tensions in the city between the Nationalist and Loyalist communities. The most prominent of the peace walls in Belfast are found, unsurprisingly, between The Falls Road and The Shankill Road in the West of the city. There are also peace walls in North Belfast, East Belfast, Portadown and Derry. There is said to be over 20 miles of peace walls in Northern Ireland.
Although temporary peace walls existed in the 1920’s and 1930’s, the first peace walls of ‘the troubles’ era were built in 1969 following outbreaks of civil unrest. They were initially built as temporary structures, but due to their effectiveness they have become wider, longer and higher and made permanent.
In more recent years, the peace walls have become locations for tourism in Belfast with tourists being shown the peace walls and many murals throughout the city.
Crumlin Road Goal offers a number of guided and self-guided tours including a ‘Troubles Walking Tour’.
Discover over 150 years of history and follow in the footsteps of over 25,000 prisoners as you make the journey through Northern Ireland’s only remaining Victorian Era prison. The interactive self-guided tour will allow you to explore the building’s colourful past and gain a unique and memorable insight into the daily lives and routines of both prisoners and prison officers over the Gaol’s existence, learning about the Gaol’s history including when women and children were imprisoned, the executions that were carried out, its more recent history and learn about why the decision was taken to close the prison.
As part of your visit, you will have the opportunity to explore different areas of the Gaol including:
You will gain a unique and memorable insight into the daily lives and routines of both prisoners and staff.
Experience the Titanic Museum located beside the Titanic Slipways, the Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and Hamilton Graving Dock – the very place where Titanic was designed, built and launched, Titanic Belfast tells the story of Titanic from her conception, through her construction and launch, to her maiden voyage and subsequent place in history.
There’s no better time to explore the iconic Titanic Belfast building and surrounding Maritime Mile.
From the historic slipways to the last remaining White Star Line vessel – SS Nomadic, it’s unmissable and unforgettable, just like the Titanic herself.
Titanic Belfast operates seasonal opening hours. Check website for hours and prices. Booking tickets in advance is recommended as it often sells out especially during peak spring/summer seasons.
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