Holiday in Belfast

[catsandchaos]

Hope it's ok to post this here. Would love to visit Belfast in October. Which is the best area to stay in? any recommendations what to see and what to avoid? Thankyou

Make sure you go to Ballintoy Harbour. It is so lovely.

There is a magnificent costal walk between Belfast and Bangor. I think it is around 10 miles. There are several train stops along the route.
I walked about 5 miles on the Bangor side. Stunning scenery, can’t recommend highly enough.

nigreenways.com/uncategorized/holywood-to-bangor-coastal-path/

Giants Causeway also worth a visit.

People are very friendly, it’s genuine. Took an English colleague around town she was so suspicious at first of all the chat, thought people were up to something or hAd some ulterior motive, but once she realised that people are just nice for no reason she chilled the F out, thank Christ!

Will you have a car?

We love the Ards peninsula. Such beautiful places.

I have loved reading this thread! I live in Belfast and it is wonderful to think of people coming here for a holiday. OP, I hope you love it! All the recommendations are fabulous- Houlihans on the Barge is a great restaurant, along with Mourne Seafood Bar and, my favourite, Bert's Jazz Bar. The Cathedral Quarter has loads of bars and restaurants and the black taxi tours are fascinating, even to me as someone who grew up here. Get something booked, hope you have a great stay!

I have loved reading this thread! I live in Belfast and it is wonderful to think of people coming here for a holiday. OP, I hope you love it! All the recommendations are fabulous- Houlihans on the Barge is a great restaurant, along with Mourne Seafood Bar and, my favourite, Bert's Jazz Bar. The Cathedral Quarter has loads of bars and restaurants and the black taxi tours are fascinating, even to me as someone who grew up here. Get something booked, hope you have a great stay!

@Lnix I’m loving reading it too. I live about 45 minutes from Belfast and this thread is making me want to come for a holiday!

[quote UhtredRagnarson]@Lnix I’m loving reading it too. I live about 45 minutes from Belfast and this thread is making me want to come for a holiday! [/quote]
Ha ha, me too! I'm here right now thinking wow I've a few places to visit once lockdown eases!!

Am getting seriously homesick!

Me too. I work in Belfast, and live on the Antrim coast, and I think this causes me to under appreciate both. And then I read threads like this and remember how fortunate we are to have it all on our doorstep. I want to be like a tourist and soak it all up again.

Just hope everything is back open fully by autumn.

Fitzwilliam is a fantastic hotel, is is it’s sister hotel in Dublin. My DH is Irish and we stayed in Belfast a few days last summer. It was a bit of a novelty for him doing tourist stuff. Would recommend Flame Restaurant and we loved the Ulster Folk museum / transport museum.

@sherrystrull

Will you have a car?

We love the Ards peninsula. Such beautiful places.

I live in Ards and never think to send people in this direction, we have Scrabo tower, Mount Stewart, the coast, the ferry over to Strangford, Castleward etc. Though tbf it's nicer in the summer

Northern Ireland is a fantastic place to visit. So much to see and do. Would I book to come here at the moment- not sure, I would maybe sit tight and watch the Northern Ireland news for a couple of week. Tensions are very very high at the moment- the first night of rioting last week started on the Sandy Row which is very close to the city centre/ Europa/ Fitzwilliam hotel 😕

Hello. English living in NI. It's safe. Riots look scary but it's very small areas on very sectarian regions. As long as you dont go wandering about them at night and stay in city centre in evening you will be fine.

If you want a cheapie, the premier inn in titanic quarter is very clean.

Red bus tours from city centre are good - like tours in most citys in Europe.

If you want to head into the country you can do bus tour or hire a car. Everything is very close driving wise.

It's a beautiful place. With lovely people.

We are still on lockdown here so guessing your thinking of summer visit

You can also hire bikes and cycle

Sandy row is close to the city centre, but also about a million miles away from it, if that makes sense. Book away, I wouldn’t worry.

@MissMarks she is saying October. Yes NI is unique that was have unrest. Unless they are planning to wander around sandy row or the markets at night then they will be fine.

Oow and avoid July unless you like bonfires and lots of drunken people

Sorry but ballix to that

Wouldn’t worry about the current riots, I wouldn’t imagine you’d be wandering around the Cloughfern roundabout for any reason... there’s often wee pockets of stuff kicking up, specially around 12July - but it is very, very localised and as someone said Sandy Row is centralise but a million miles away too- basically not somewhere you be going to for any reason. Not the Falls either ,
Except for in one of those tourist friendly black taxi cab tours, which as a local, I hate and think or naff but visitors seem to love them.

OP there are some great recommendations here - hope you have a fab time :)