Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Belfast (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: City Hall, Botanic Gardens, and Titanic Belfast. Also, be sure to include Belfast Zoo in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Belfast (Northern Ireland).
Table of Contents
City Hall
Grand government building with gardens. Belfast City Hall is the civic building of Belfast City Council located in Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It faces North and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre. It is a Grade A listed building.[1]
Address: City Hall Donegall Sq., BT1 5GS Belfast
Botanic Gardens
Lush park with a Victorian glasshouse. Botanic Gardens is a public garden in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Occupying 28 acres (110,000 m2) of south Belfast, the gardens are popular with office workers, students and tourists. They are located on Stranmillis Road in Queen's Quarter, with Queen's University nearby. The Ulster Museum is located at the main entrance.[2]
Address: College Park, BT9 5AB Belfast
Titanic Belfast
Museum about sunken ocean liner. Titanic Belfast is a visitor attraction opened in 2012, a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter where the RMS Titanic was built. It tells the stories of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank during her maiden voyage in 1912, and her sister ships RMS Olympic and HMHS Britannic. The building contains more than 12,000 square metres of floor space, most of which is occupied by a series of galleries, private function rooms and community facilities, plus the addition of Hickson’s Point destination bar in March 2018. On the 22nd of March 2022 it received a special visit from BBC Schools Soloist of the Year in the Senior Category, Eva Rowan and her colleagues in the St.Patrick’s Grammar School Downpatrick Eco Council.[3]
Address: Queen's Road, BT3 9EP Belfast
Belfast Zoo
More than 150 species, mostly endangered. The majority of the animals in Belfast Zoo are in danger in their natural habitat. The zoo carries out important conservation work and takes part in over 90 European and international breeding programmes which help to ensure the survival of many species under threat.
The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).[4]
Address: Antrim Rd, BT36 7PN Newtownabbey
Ulster Museum
Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial archaeology, botany, zoology and geology. It is the largest museum in Northern Ireland, and one of the components of National Museums Northern Ireland.[5]
Address: Stranmillis Road, BT9 5AB Belfast
St George's Market
Market in Belfast, Northern Ireland. St George's Market is the last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan and the Waterfront Hall. Belfast Corporation commissioned the building of St George's Market, which was built in three phases between 1890 and 1896. Before 1890 St George's Market was an open market and most likely contained a slaughterhouse and a meat market. Today it is a thriving market with 300 traders, crafters, musicians, and food vendors.[6]
Address: May Street, BT1 1NN Belfast
Naughton Gallery at Queen's
Art gallery. The Naughton Gallery at Queen's, also known as The Naughton Gallery, is an art gallery and museum at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Opened in 2001, the gallery is named after its benefactors, Martin and Carmel Naughton, who donated £500,000 to the university in 2002. Located on the first floor of the Queen's University's Lanyon building, the gallery displays six exhibitions per year presenting local and international contemporary artists. Among the talks and events organised in conjunction with the exhibitions, the Naughton Gallery occasionally organises screenings with the Queen's Film Theatre, which is also a cultural institution under the auspices of Queen's University.[7]
Beacon of Hope Sculpture
Art of sculpture by Andy Scott. The Beacon of Hope or Thanksgiving Square Beacon is a £300,000 public art metal sculpture by Andy Scott 19.5 metres high constructed in 2007 in Thanksgiving Square in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Other nicknames for the piece include Nuala with the Hula, the Belle on the Ball, the Thing with the Ring, Our Lady of Thanksgiving and the Angel of Thanksgiving. It is currently the second largest public art sculpture in Belfast, after Rise on Broadway Roundabout.[8]
The Big Fish
Sculpture by John Kindness. Bigfish is a printed ceramic mosaic sculpture by John Kindness. The 10-metre-long statue was constructed in 1999 and installed on Donegall Quay in Belfast, Northern Ireland, near the Lagan Lookout and Custom House.
The Big Fish's image appears on tourism material related to Belfast and Northern Ireland.[9]
Address: 1 Donegall Quay, BT1 3EA Belfast
Belfast Castle
Hilltop landmark with views, built 1870. Belfast Castle is a castle on the slopes of Cavehill Country Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a prominent position 400 feet above sea level. Its location provides unobstructed views over the City of Belfast and Belfast Lough. The current castle is a Victorian structure, built between 1867 and 1870, and is listed as being Grade B+. The main entrance into the Belfast Castle Demesne is now where Innisfayle Park meets Downview Park West, just off the Antrim Road. The original main entrance into the demesne was formerly on the Antrim Road itself, where Strathmore Park now meets the Antrim Road.[10]
Address: Antrim Road, BT15 5GR Belfast
Parliament Buildings
Building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Parliament Buildings, often referred to as Stormont because of its location in the Stormont Estate area of Belfast, is the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for the region. The purpose built building, designed by Arnold Thornely, and constructed by Stewart & Partners, was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1932.
The Executive or government is located at Stormont Castle. In March 1987, the main Parliament Building became a Grade A Listed building.[11]
Address: Stormont Upper Newtownards Road, BT4 3XX Belfast
Dundonald International Ice Bowl
Ice skating rink in Northern Ireland. The Dundonald International Ice Bowl is an ice rink in Dundonald, County Down, Northern Ireland. It was opened in 1986 by Peter Robinson.[12]
Address: 111 Old Dundonald Road, BT16 1XT Dundonald
Waterfront Hall
Building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Belfast Waterfront is a multi-purpose conference and entertainment centre, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGuckin was the project architect.
The hall is located in Lanyon Place, the flagship development of the Laganside Corporation. The development is named after the architect Charles Lanyon. Planning for the building began 1989, with the hall being completed in 1997 for the sum of £32 million. The main circular Auditorium seats 2,241 and is based on the Berlin Philharmonic Hall designed by Hans Scharoun. However the flexible design of the Auditorium allows the stalls seating to be moved to create a larger arena. The smaller adjoining Studio seats 380. The dome of the building is coated in copper. This is so the exterior will eventually turn green and reflect the dome of Belfast City Hall and other Victorian buildings in the city centre. The building also contains bars and a restaurant.[13]
Address: 2 Lanyon Place, BT1 3WH Belfast
Albert Memorial Clock
Iconic 19th-century clock tower. The Albert Memorial Clock is a clock tower situated at Queen's Square in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was completed in 1869 and is one of the best known landmarks of Belfast.[14]
Address: Queen's Square, BT1 3FG Belfast
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich
Art gallery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich is an Irish language cultural centre in The Gaeltacht Quarter and is located on the Falls Road, Belfast. Opened in 1991, the centre underwent renovation in 2010 and was opened the following year by then Irish President Mary McAleese.
The centre is home to an art gallery named after local artist Gerard Dillon, a theatre, restaurant, book shop, offices and conference rooms. In 2011, the centre was estimated to receive over 80,000 visitors per year.[15]
Address: Belfast, 216 Falls Road, Belfast, The Gaeltacht Quarter, Belfast, BT12 6AH
Kingspan Stadium
Stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ravenhill Stadium is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby. With the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.[16]
Address: 134 Mount Merrion Avenue, BT6 0FT Belfast
Milltown Cemetery
Cemetery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Milltown Cemetery is a large cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and the M1 motorway.[17]
Address: Office 12 Milltown Row, BT12 6EU Belfast (Gaeltacht Quarter)
The SSE Arena
Sports complex in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Odyssey Complex is a sports and entertainment complex located within the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The complex originated in 1992 and came into fruition in June 1998. It opened in December 2000, with expansions opening in March and May 2001. The complex consists of: a multipurpose arena, science centre and shopping centre. The shopping centre houses a movie theatre and bowling alley, alongside a selection of restaurants.[18]
Crumlin Road Gaol
Prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland. HMP Belfast, also known as Crumlin Road Gaol, is a former prison situated on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. Since 1996 it is the only remaining Victorian era former prison in Northern Ireland. It is colloquially known as the Crum.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has given it a grade A listed building status because of its architectural and historical significance. The Crumlin Road Courthouse, derelict since it closure, stands opposite the Gaol with a tunnel under the main road connecting the two buildings and used previously to transport the prisoners between both buildings.[19]
Address: Crumlin Road, BT14 6ST Belfast
Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park
Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park is a park in South Belfast, Northern Ireland, covering almost 130 acres and is accessible from the Upper Malone Road. It includes meadows, woodland, riverside fields, formal rose gardens, a walled garden and a Japanese garden, as well as a children's playground, coffee shop, an orienteering course and many walks. It is owned and maintained by Belfast City Council's Parks and Cemeteries Services Section. On 14 July 2010, the park hosted annual International Rose Trials, the highlight of Rose Week, involving judges from around the world.[20]
Address: Upper Malone Road, BT17 9LA Belfast
Shaw's Bridge
Bridge. Shaw's Bridge is the name given to two adjacent bridges across the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The older of the bridges is a historic stone arched bridge, which is open to cyclists and pedestrians. The new bridge is a concrete bridge which carries the A55 road.[21]
Address: River Lagan, BT 8 7 Belfast
Ulster Hall
Building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade A listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences.[22]
Address: 30 Bedford Street, BT2 7FF Belfast
St Anne's Cathedral
Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland. St Anne's Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is a Church of Ireland cathedral in Donegall Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is unusual in serving two separate dioceses. It is the focal point of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.[23]
Address: Donegall Street, BT1 2HB Belfast
Stormont Estate
Building. The Stormont Estate is an estate east of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the site of Northern Ireland's main Parliament Buildings, which is surrounded by woods and parkland, and is often referred in contemporary media as the metonym "Stormont".
The Stormont Estate is within the townland of Ballymiscaw.[24]
Address: Upper Newtownards Rd, 3TA Belfast
Windsor Park
Stadium. Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rental fee for the use of the land on behalf of the Northern Ireland national football team. The stadium is usually where the Irish Cup final is played.[25]
Address: Donegall Ave, BT12 6LU Belfast
Giant's Ring
Historical landmark in Northern Ireland. The Giant's Ring is a henge monument at Ballynahatty, near Shaw's Bridge, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was originally preserved by Viscount Dungannon. The inscribed stone tablet on the wall surrounding the site which details Viscount Dungannon's interest was carved by Belfast stonecarver Charles A Thompson about c.1919.
The site is a State Care Historic Monument and has ASAI (Area of Significant Archaeological Interest) status.
The site consists of a circular enclosure, 180 m (590 ft) in diameter and 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) in area, surrounded by a circular earthwork bank 3.5 m (11 ft) high. At least three of the five irregularly spaced gaps in the bank are intentional and possibly original. East of the centre of the enclosure is a small passage tomb with a vestigial passage facing west. There were reports of other tombs outside the enclosure, but there is no trace of these.[26]
Solitude
Stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Solitude is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the oldest football stadium in Ireland, and the home ground of Ireland's oldest football club, Cliftonville. The stadium holds 6,224, but is currently restricted to 2,530 under safety legislation.
The stadium was built in 1890 and has undergone several renovations. In 2002, a new stand was built at one end of the ground to house visiting supporters, and in 2008, a new stand was completed behind the goal at the east end of the ground. A synthetic 3G pitch was installed to replace the previous grass surface in 2010.[27]
Address: Solitude Cliftonville Street, BT14 6LP Belfast
Belfast Cenotaph
Tourist attraction in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Belfast Cenotaph is a war memorial in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in Donegall Square West, to the west of Belfast City Hall. Like the City Hall, it was designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas. The cenotaph was unveiled in 1929. It became a Grade A listed building in 1984.
The memorial includes a central Portland stone monument about 30 feet (9.1 m), with bronze brackets on either side supporting flagpoles. The top of the monument has carved laurel wreaths, symbolising victory and honour. It bears several inscriptions: on the north side: "PRO DEO / ET / PATRIA ERECTED BY / THE CITY / OF / BELFAST / IN MEMORY OF / HER / HEROIC SONS / WHO MADE / THE SUPREME / SACRIFICE / IN / THE GREAT WAR / 1914–1918 THROUGHOUT THE LONG YEARS OF STRUGGLE WHICH / HAVE NOW SO GLORIOUSLY ENDED THE MEN OF ULSTER / HAVE PROVED HOW NOBLY THEY FIGHT AND DIE / GEORGE R.I." and on the south face: "THEY DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO A GREAT CAUSE AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS BY LAND, SEA AND AIR WON UNDYING FAME".
The monument stands on three steps. To the south is an arc of paired Corinthian columns forming a 25 feet (7.6 m) high colonnade. To the north is a sunken garden of remembrance, which since 2011 has been the location for an annual Field of Remembrance. The paving of the garden was renewed in 1993.
The memorial was completed in 1927 and officially unveiled by Viscount Allenby on 11 November 1929. No Catholic organisations participated in the formal unveiling ceremony, but veterans from the 16th (Irish) Division laid a wreath after the ceremony ended, and participated the following year.
In addition to the usual Remembrance Sunday services, there are also annual ceremonies to remember the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July. Controversially, the first Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Belfast Alex Maskey laid a wreath on 1 July 2002.
Nearby are memorials the service of Irish regiments in the Boer War and the Korean War memorial, and to US forces who arrived in Northern Ireland in 1942.[28]
St Mary's Church
Catholic church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. St. Mary's Church, Belfast is a Roman Catholic church located in Chapel Lane/Smithfield area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is mother church for the city and a mensal parish and was opened on this site in 1784. At the time, it was the only Roman Catholic church in the then town of Belfast after the relaxation of some of the Penal Laws. The church grounds contain an undistinguished grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.[29]
Address: 2-4 Chapel Ln, BT1 1HH Belfast
St Malachy's Church
Catholic church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Saint Malachy's Church is a Catholic Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Alfred Street, a short distance from Belfast City Hall, though it precedes that building by over 60 years. The Church is the focal point of the local parish community, also Saint Malachy's, one of the 88 parishes in the Diocese of Down and Connor. After Saint Mary's Church in Chapel Lane and St Patrick's Church, Belfast in Donegall Street, Saint Malachy's is the third oldest Catholic Church in the city of Belfast.
In the beginning Saint Malachy's was administered by the priests of Saint Mary's Parish until the Parish of Saint Malachy was created in 1866 and Fr Geoffrey Brennan, a native of Kilkenny, was appointed Administrator. The first Parish Priest of Saint Malachy's, a post created in 1909, was Fr Daniel McCashin.[30]
Address: 24 Alfred St, BT2 8EN Belfast
Dividers Sculpture
Sculpture created in 2002. Dividers is an outdoor sculpture located at Clarendon Dock, on the River Lagan, Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was produced in 2002 by artist Vivien Burnside and is an 8.3m tall set of dividers made of bronze with a stainless steel core. It was funded by Laganside Corporation, Belfast Harbour Commissioners and the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.[31]
St George's Church
Anglican church in Belfast, Northern Ireland. St. George's Church, Belfast is a Church of Ireland church located on High Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the oldest Church of Ireland church in Belfast. It was designed by Irish architect, John Bowden, and opened in 1816. Major refurbishment work was completed in June 2000.[32]
Address: 105 High St, BT1 2AG Belfast
Grand Opera House
Restored Victorian theatre and music venue. The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period, Frank Matcham. It opened on 23 December 1895. According to the Theatres Trust, the "magnificent auditorium is probably the best surviving example in the United Kingdom of the oriental style applied to theatre architecture". The auditorium was restored to its former glory, and the foyer spaces and bars were reimagined and developed as part of a £12.2 million project in 2020/2021, generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The venue hosts musicals, drama, ballet, opera and comedy performances as well as educational events and tours. The Theatre’s annual pantomime, which has been performed since its opening in 1895, remains the most popular show each year. The Theatre’s capacity is 1,058.[33]
Address: Belfast, 2-4 Great Victoria St
The Duncairn
The Duncairn Centre for Arts & Culture opened its doors in 2014 and it is North Belfast’s first purpose built Arts and Culture shared space venue. The Duncairn provides a platform for local and international artists to showcase their work as well as giving audiences and users access to an arts and culture programme of the highest quality. The Duncairn Centre for Cultural and Arts is a hub of creativity where all can have a voice, feel respected and welcomed. It is dedicated to creating a shared space arts facility that will contribute to North Belfast’s cultural, social, political and economic rebirth and, at the same time, showcasing, supporting and developing the work of young emerging local artists. Thanks to its outreach activities, The Centre has become one of North’s Belfast most valuable community resources, supporting vulnerable families though an open and free engagement with the arts.[34]
St Peter's Cathedral
Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Saint Peter's Cathedral, Belfast. is the Roman Catholic cathedral church for the Diocese of Down and Connor, and is therefore the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor. It is located in the Divis Street area of the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland and construction began in the 1860s. It is home to The Down & Connor Schola Cantorum.[35]
Address: St. Peters Square South, BT12 4BU Belfast