Botanic Gardens
Originally a private park, the Botanic Gardens took almost 70 years before they were open to the general public.
One of the most popular attractions in the park is the Palm House, built around the turn of the century and one of the first curvilinear glasshouses anywhere. The building was constructed by the Irish glasshouse builder Richard Turner, who later built the iconic Kew and Glasnevin greenhouses.
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum is located on the northwest edge of Belfast’s Botanic Gardens and includes a Jacob Jordaens masterpiece as well as dinosaur skeletons and an Egyptian mummy. For those who enjoy decorative items, you can browse a wide selection of glassware, ceramics, textiles, costumes, and jewelry.
Titanic Belfast
A ship built in Belfast’s docks in the old Harland and Wolff shipyard is the most famous ocean liner in the world. After the decline of shipbuilding in the Belfast Lough, this area was derelict for decades but was completely redeveloped in the 2000s as the Titanic Quarter.
With its impressive design that looks like four ship bows, this museum is the cherry on top. Using multisensory technology, the museum takes you back to Belfast in the 1910s, when the Titanic, Olympic, and Britannic were built and launched.
St Anne’s Cathedral
In the early 20th century, Belfast’s Cathedral was built on the site of the old parish church of St Anne’s, which dates back to 1776. Despite its Neo-Romanesque architecture, the church has many features in common with High Medieval churches, including carved tympanums on the western entrance and carved column capitals in the nave.
Each of the ten capitals in the nave has a different theme and most are by Morris Harding. You can find one of the few remaining elements from the 18th century in the sanctuary of the church: the Good Samaritan window.
Titanic’s Dock and Pump House
A fitting metaphor would be to say that the RMS Titanic was born at Thompson Dry Dock and its attached pump house. This was a vital cog in Harland & Wolff’s machinery, and when you see the immense berth for the ship’s hull in person you realize just how huge this liner was, as well as the Olympic and Britannic.
The dry dock is a huge footprint the Titanic left behind, and you’ll descend 13 meters into it with a guide. A display in the pumphouse shows the Titanic in the dock alongside authentic tools used to construct the ship.
City Hall
One of Belfast’s most recognizable landmarks is the striking neo-baroque City Hall, which opened its doors in 1906. Following the sudden growth of the shipbuilding, rope-making, and linen industries in the period, Queen Victoria was awarded Belfast city status in 1888.
Three hours of free tours are offered every day of the week, showing off the luxurious interiors, which have Brescia, Carrara, and Pavonazzo marble and plenty of stained glass.
Grand Opera House
The Grand Opera House was designed by famed theatre designer Frank Matcham and opened in December 1895. The domes on the facade distinguish this building from UK theatres because they are inspired by oriental architecture. In addition to opera productions, the theatre presents concerts of all kinds, pantomimes, dramatic performances, musicals, and comedy shows.
Cave Hill Country Park
Five caves are located in Belfast’s northern suburbs, over a set of basalt cliffs. In the Second World War, these were used as bomb shelters because they were ancient iron mines.
In addition to having breathtaking views of the city, the Belfast Lough, the Mourne Mountains, Carrickfergus, and the Scottish coast, Cave Hill is covered in heaths, meadows, and moorland.
Stormont Parliament Buildings
This Grade A-listed building in the leafy Stormont Estate houses the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is famous for its nickname, “House on the Hill.”
Located on an axis with the portico and accessed by Prince of Wales Avenue, the ceremonious Neoclassical complex is dominated by a statue of the Irish Unionist politician Lord Carson. 365 feet wide is the building, which is representative of each day of the year. The portico consists of six pillars, one representing each Northern Ireland county.
Crown Liquor Saloon
The Crown Liquor Saloon, a National Trust-owned Grade A-listed building dating back to the 1880s, is an exuberant Victorian gin palace. There is no better place to stop on the Golden Mile than this unmissable stop adorned with highly ornate designs made by the same Italian craftsmen that work on the city’s churches.
In this port city cultural clash, there are wood carvings on the ceiling as well as on the 10 booths (for reserved Victorian drinkers). Although its style is a port city clash, the color scheme and textured columns are reminiscent of Hindu temples.
St Malachy’s Church
This third-oldest Catholic church in Belfast is just a short walk from Belfast City Hall.
It was consecrated in 1844 with Tudor Revival architecture, and its initial capacity was 7,000 worshippers until financial constraints dictated more modest proportions. This does not diminish the beauty of the church, admired for its feather-light fan vaulted ceiling, which is a faithful reproduction of Westminster Abbey’s Henry VII Chapel.
Belfast Zoo
Belfast Zoo sits on 22 leafy hectares, north of Belfast Castle, and is one of Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions.
In addition to giraffes, zebras, tigers, lions, and Asian elephants, there are more than 130 different species in the park. Feedings and talks are available at the zoo, so guests can learn more about chimpanzees, gorillas, meerkats, Gentoo Penguins, California sea lions, and bears, among other animals.
Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park
A natural and landscaped park of over 50 hectares off the M1 near Lisburn in the south. There is no shortage of places to explore in this undulating county, from meadows and forests to riverbanks and gardens. There are also a Japanese Garden, Camellia Trials, and Walled Gardens, and a formal Rose Garden with 40,000 roses each year, as well as Rose Week every July.
Black Mountain
Belfast’s western horizon is filled with the highest peaks in the city, the Divis and Black Mountain. These two mountains are 478 meters and 388 meters high, respectively, and are composed of limestone and basalt.
St George’s Market
There has been a Friday market here since 1604! It was redesigned in 1890 with an iron and glass design and a brick façade. The entire building was restored in 1997. It’s Friday morning when St George’s Market comes alive with nearly 250 stalls offering antiques, books, clothes, fruit and vegetables, along with 23 fishmongers.
Albert Memorial Clock
A handy Wayfinder, this 35-metre neo-Gothic Victorian monument is located on Queens Square by the left bank of the River Lagan. In the late 1860s, Queen Victoria’s consort and husband Prince Albert built a clock tower on land reclaimed from the river. This square is located on land reclaimed from the river.
Streamvale Open Farm
The Dale Farm dairy brand gets its milk from Streamvale, a farm located on the eastern fringe of Belfast. For the summer though, the whole operation is open to the public, so kids get a firsthand look at how a farm works.
Among the attractions are watching cows being milked, watching border collies in action, feeding lambs and goats, and petting chicks, rabbits, and border collie puppies.
