What would you do in Belfast alone?

[BrunchMonster]

I was thinking of doing a city break towards the end of August somewhere, and Belfast is looking high on the list for reasonable Ryanair flights (well, if I can get enough if an underseat bag?!) . It will just be me alone - I wish I had people to travel with, but I just don't, so I am trying to get more used to travelling alone and doing interesting things anyway! If not August, then potentially October is another option to go.

Would three nights be reasonable? I could get there very early on the first day and leave fairly late on the second, as long as I can get a train back home that late on this end. It looks like the Airport Express bus is the best way to the centre?

There are at least 3 Premier inns that come up on my search, a city centre one, a cathedral quarter one, and a Titanic quarter one. Are they are decent locations, and equally nice, or are the newer ones better? (titanic looks newest?).

As I'm alone, I need safe walking to places. And OK places to eat alone without it being too embarrassing, if anyone has any ideas. I'm interested in the Titanic stuff, maybe the jail tour, maybe a black cab tour about the Troubles (that might be too pricey alone - are there equivalents with group tours?), museums, history, theatre, classical music, landscapes - I'd quite like a day trip to the Giant's Causeway, but not sure there's enough time. On the other hand, it's just me going, and I know that when you are sightseeing alone, you end up seeing things a lot more quickly than with a family but also can end up a bit overwhelmed by trying to fill the time.

Any suggestions for good plans to fill three to four days would be appreciated. Which of the tourist things have you enjoyed most? Which things have you combined well in a morning/afternoon?

Thank you, that's really helpful. I think I'd prefer the shorter, busier walk, and will just have to hope for a quiet room if possible! The reviews talk about construction, poor views, noisy streets and corridors etc, but asking for a quiet room might help and the view doesn't bother me as I won't be there during the day. The reviews of cleanliness, run-down-ness, service/friendliness, breakfast etc seem to vary, so that part probably depends on what people were expecting and who dealt with them at the time, although i do hope the reviews that mentioned poor cleaning were unusual cases!

My teenage dds are going on their own. They plan on getting a bus tour to Giants Causeway on one of the days and a city bus tour the other to see the main sites. (Hop on hop off so they can visit the places such as titanic museum.)

They are staying in Premier Inn in the business quarter. I'll look up the name. Going in August

For 3 nights

thanks, that sounds much like what I have planned. I booked the cathedral quarter in the end, given that I'm on my own, but with two of them, the other one is probably nicer hotel, and fine for walking as they won't be alone.

I've got the hop-on hop-off bus in my potential plans, and the Titanic experience - actually thinking of doing that late the first day I get there, as I (maybe naively) thought that it might be less crowded late in the day. Although the bank holiday might mean that is not the case! Also got a couple of walking tours in mind, as well as the Ulster museum and botanic gardens, and the gaol tour.

I'm still undecided about the Giant's causeway coach tour vs doing it myself by train/bus, but there are so many coach tours that I'm sure I can decide at the last minute really. Though if I don't do that, I'm not sure what I'll do instead, as I don't think my other plans will occupy the whole time.

Now I have to hope for no rail strikes, so that I can get too and from the airport here at early/late hours! I'm hoping to get the airport express bus once I get there, but it's hard to find a map of where it actually stops to find the closest one.

Not sure about dinner alone, but I'm sure I'll find somewhere that doesn't feel too weird. It would be nice to still enjoy eating out rather than just finding a takeaway or whatever.

Subbing in as I'm interested too, there's cheap buses there from Glasgow and I love going to new places, always do it alone too.

The airport bus goes into / close to the Europa bus station. Would be about a 20 min walk to your hotel from there.

I'd not do the GC via public transport. It's shit in NI and unreliable.

oh is it? That's a shame. It looked like it might be a viable option to get there before bigger groups, which sounded like it could be a more pleasant experience of visiting it. But the website it pretty awful, I have to say, so that doesn't bode well!! It did looks like there was an all day bus/train ticket for £18.50 return, which would cover the train and the coastal bus back and forth between the various sites, but that would be a bad idea if it's unreliable. I found the timetable, but was hoping there might be an app with real time information or something as well... And if I do attempt it, I suppose I should probably have a taxi number as a back-up to return to the train station and/or a plan in case the trains are cocked up as well

Coppi would be good to eat in alone. Or Pablos for burgers. There's fast food (five guys etc) in Victoria Square. Taylor and Clay is nice. Avoca cafe for lunch. Edo also good. You'll be fine eating alone!

Christ I'm out of touch. The only ones I know are Five Guys and Avoca

Home, Flame and Made in Belfast would be my recommendations OP but they're probably closed

Made in Belfast is closed! As is Flame I think!!

Ah that's a real shame!

thanks for the suggestions that still exist :) I'll look them up

Titanic hotel. Stunning

I think that one will be out of my price range for both staying and eating!!

Actually a lot of places look fairly pricey, so that might be an incentive to have more fast food or informal places or takeaway or wahtever in the evening. But some of those mentioned look really good.

I'd forgotten that whole MN thread a while back that's now in classics, about the whole NI protestant traybakes thing! Might have to see what I can find in some of the cafes - some of them sounded delicious.

I have found a website that tracks buses, which would help if I decide to try to go to the coast myself so that I could get there really early - well not really early, wouldn't be before about 9.30 I think is the earliest bus though plenty of early trains, but maybe before all the coach tours arrive. But not sure that's worth the reliability of a coach tour or the views on the drive up there.

Titanic Hotel's Bar & Grill makes amazing tasting food, so make that a treat and go at least once! The Goliath burger is incredible! You won't regret this one!

Then explore some of the rooms, e.g. Thomas Andrews' office (designer of Titanic).

The restaurant is pretty expensive (separate to Bar & Grill), very fancy and limited menu when we tried it years ago (not much for a vegetarian at that time).

Traybakes can also be bought at shops such as Centra. Very easy to make your own Fifteens though!

Fifteens, that's the name of one of the ones people were discussing on that amazing thread.
I don't need to make them, in fact I shouldn't be eating anything like that, but I just remember fascinated that it was such a 'thing' in Northern Ireland, and that it was divided along religious lines!

I'll have a look at the grill part of the titanic hotel, maybe that bit would be affordable, especially if I save by doing the cheaper museums and tours and public transport...!

The Cathedral Quarter is right at the heart of everything and only a short walk to Victoria Square and the city centre. I think you can do a tour of the City Hall where the council meet. It has a really buzzy vibe! I'd recommend a bevy in the Dirty Onion (you can eat there too upstairs) and you have to have a cocktail in the Merchant!

Queen's is beautiful at night with all the lights on if you get a chance. There's restaurants and cafes on the Stranmillis Road if you go up to see the uni, do the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens.

Villa Italia is a lovely restaurant, not too pricey, and walking distance from Queen's. There's also plenty of eateries in Botanic Avenue, which is down at the back of the uni.

If you did consider driving, Belfast isn't a huge city and isn't too difficult to negotiate. You could drive the Antrim Coastal route which is just stunning, with beautiful little villages like Carnlough and Cushendun. Maybe there is a bus tour that goes that way, I don't know?

Another suggestion is the Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle. That's always on the August Monday bank holiday and Tuesday, and you could sample dulse and yellow man! It's got a lovely beach it was recently voted the best beach in NI. My own favourite is the West Strand in Portrush, closely followed by the East Strand, with the ladies' bathing beach, and The Arcadia overlooking it. There are some highly regarded restaurants in Portrush such as the Ramore and Harry's Shack but you would need to book in advance. 50 Degrees North overlooks the East Strand.

Finally - you have to experience an Ulster fry!! Potato bread (aka fadge!), soda bread, fried eggs, black pudding, sausage, bacon and sometimes other goodies too.

I don't think anyone would look at you twice now on the Falls or the Shankill. It's incredible to see how closely they all live to each other - you will know exactly which area you are in by the flags/street markings/mural! - and you go straight from one into the other and back again!

Enjoy!

OP take the train to Helens bay if you are going there. The drive is a bit stressful with the flyovers. Quite short slip lanes and you kind of need to know which lane to be in.

Enjoy your trip!
A very safe city and v friendly

Thank you for the further ideas!

I'm definitely not driving now, have booked flight and hotel, and I'd arrange things differently if I drove - but am considering it for another holiday, less city-based, as it looks beautiful! I'm not a confident driver at all in new places, but it would probably be good to practice that some day.

But trains are great, and bus is OK if I understand how to buy/use/validate tickets, how to signal the bus to stop to get on/off, when the right stop is, as that seems to be different in every city, and in such a friendly place, I'm sure the drivers will help.

If I do end up doing the public transport route of train to Coleraine and then coastal bus, the bus does actually go to Ballycastle, and it's possible that I could be there one one of the days of the fair - presumably after I got on and off the bus to see the Giant's Causeway and the rope bridge. I looked at the photos of it and the thousands of people there were quite something for a tiny place.!! I wonder if that would also make the other tourist sites on the coast super-busy that day, though. Is Ballycastle worth a little wander on the day or two after the fair anyway, if I do end up doing the bus journey?

Looking forward to it!

I don't think traybakes are actually divided along religious or political lines. Certainly not these days.

My background is Catholic and I certainly enjoy them! Like you, I shouldn't be eating things like that though.

You can also get gift vouchers for Titanic Hotel, so could always request someone gifts you that for birthday/Christmas/etc in future?

They probably aren't really a religious thing, but I just kept remembering this thread from a while back (along with that episode of Derry girls as well, with the random religious differences pointed out!!)

Which is the tastiest Protestant traybake? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/3527870-Which-is-the-tastiest-Protestant-traybake

I must go through that thread again and see which places are recommended for getting them, apart from village bake sales or funerals, which might be a little hard to come across as a tourist

The Derry Girls episode with the blackboard is satire which is also how the "Protestant" traybakes thing is treated today:

https://theulsterfry.com/world-news/protestants-make-the-best-traybakes-admits-pope/

The Ulster Fry is total satire. Funny too!

The religious bit might be satire, but the existence of the traybakes at all is still pleasing! The thread here had a lot of recommendations for cafes, but not so many in central Belfast, but I'll have another read.