The capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast, is one of the country’s most historical and intriguing places. Here you’ll find the magnificent Victorian style Grand Opera House, along with the neo-renaissance City Hall. The city has a lively university population, which also adds spice to Belfast at night.
The pick of the sites has to be the City Hall, located in Donegall Square. The building is very extensive, with a lavishly decorated interior. The Victorian style Grand Opera House shows operas, musicals and plays. Around the corner from the opera house is another Victorian masterpiece, the Crown Liquor Saloon. For a glimpse of history, visit Fernhill House Museum, with its displays depicting the turbulent history of the area, or the Ulster Folk Museum which showcases rural Ireland of a bygone era.
If you are exploring the city on foot, you might want to start at Donegall Place and Royal Avenue, where you’ll find the chief shopping attractions. Further northeast, are the Cathedral Quarter and the Entries, with their pedestrian walkways, plus a scattering of lively pubs and good restaurants, all with a jovial atmosphere. If you need a break, seek out Grovelands, a tranquil city park.
A good time to visit Belfast would be in November, when the city hosts the Belfast Craft Village. The event takes place in the Victorian St Georges Market, which dates back to 1896.
Outside of the city lie several lovely estates and parks, the most notable being Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, the Barnett Demesne Park and Belvoir Forest Park. While exploring magnificent County Antrim, don’t miss The Giant’s Causeway. The site is made up of 37,000 black basalt columns deposited along the best known stretch of Antrim’s coast.
The road network in Northern Ireland is extensive, though roads can be narrow and winding. Dublin is two hours away on the A 26, which runs north-south, while the A 6 heads west to Derry. Coach and train connections within Ireland are very efficient, with numerous bus connections to the Irish Republic. Two airports service Belfast, with both international and domestic connections, as well as various cities in Britain. Belfast International Airport is located about 40 minutes away from Belfast’s city centre. Ferries and high-speed catamarans link Northern Ireland to Britain.
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