Belfast me.
May 11, 2022 7:03 PM Subscribe
Two days in Belfast this July. Where should we stay? What should we see?
My wife and I will be hiking in Northern Ireland this July, ending with two days in Belfast. We’re looking for a centrally located hotel with a certain amount of luxury, but probably not a five-start stay. (We’ll we staying in small town B&Bs during our hiking tour and nice sheets and a comfy room would be a great finishing touch.) And while we’re there, what should we see? Bonus points for the best pub recommendation and suggestions for hearing some Irish music. Thanks.
My wife and I will be hiking in Northern Ireland this July, ending with two days in Belfast. We’re looking for a centrally located hotel with a certain amount of luxury, but probably not a five-start stay. (We’ll we staying in small town B&Bs during our hiking tour and nice sheets and a comfy room would be a great finishing touch.) And while we’re there, what should we see? Bonus points for the best pub recommendation and suggestions for hearing some Irish music. Thanks.
The Crown Bar (Crown Liquor Saloon), if you’re into that sort of thing, is an interesting place to get drunk.
…also, I’ve had more than one acquaintance stay in an AirBnB that was alarmingly near problematic sites from The Troubles by accident. Point being, low-cost spots might be low-cost for a reason.
Not in a “we’re gonna die” sense, more in an “ah shit, our cabbie is clearly Republican and we’ve got our room next to an Orange Hall….shit. Ah fuck, let’s tell him to drop us a couple blocks away and we’ll walk the rest, fuck!” kind of way.
[most recent case being literally five days ago, but in fairness he was US-Irish heritage and might’ve been more sensitive than necessary]
posted by aramaic at 11:15 PM on May 11, 2022
…also, I’ve had more than one acquaintance stay in an AirBnB that was alarmingly near problematic sites from The Troubles by accident. Point being, low-cost spots might be low-cost for a reason.
Not in a “we’re gonna die” sense, more in an “ah shit, our cabbie is clearly Republican and we’ve got our room next to an Orange Hall….shit. Ah fuck, let’s tell him to drop us a couple blocks away and we’ll walk the rest, fuck!” kind of way.
[most recent case being literally five days ago, but in fairness he was US-Irish heritage and might’ve been more sensitive than necessary]
posted by aramaic at 11:15 PM on May 11, 2022
M'daughter here beside me recommends Tara Lodge Hotel near the University for super friendly and informative staff and also rates the Titanic Experience. Check out the Linen Hall Library if you're parched for a tea and scone downtown; also merch.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:20 AM on May 12, 2022
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:20 AM on May 12, 2022
Today RTE reports that Titanic has a hotel adjacent: "venison with braised red cabbage and whiskey blackberries, and halibut with noodles and crab salad" sort of thing.
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:07 AM on May 12, 2022
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:07 AM on May 12, 2022
Pubs worth considering, in no particular order
The Sunflower (live music everyday, Irish trad on Weds and Suns)
Bittles (popular bar, supposed to be best kept Guinness in town. In a flatiron type building)
Madden's (another pub with good Guinness and live music)
The Crown (historic pub, can be touristy, but worth a trip for the beautiful tiling, wooden snugs, gas lighting)
The John Hewitt (lovely pub, owned by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre who receive the bar profits - pretty sure they have regular music sessions too)
Duke of York (amazing whiskey selection, very popular, nice alley location)
Some hotel options based on places that people talk about, but I've not stayed in any myself:
Duke's at Queen's - a friend stayed there recently and found it very comfortable and good value.
Europa Hotel - famous centrally located hotel opposite the Crown Bar. Used to be where all the international media and politicos stayed. Now surpassed by newer fancy hotels.
Ten Square Hotel - apparently decent 4 star place right by City Hall.
Malmaison - solid 4 star boutique hotel towards the river
Bullitt -
If you want to look at options in the more 5 star range, take a look at Grand Central, The Merchant or The Fitzwilliam.
In terms of things to do, apologies I don't have time to gather the links for these, Linen Hall library and Titanic are both good calls. Other options include:
- Queen's University,
- St George's Market,
- the Botanical Gardens (and tropical ravine),
- Ulster museum,
- Crumlin Road Gaol,
- SS Nomadic,
- HMS Caroline and loads more.
If you're interested in the conflict, a black taxi tour can be worth the money. They'll bring you around the various key areas and show you the 'peace walls' and so on. Take what the drivers say with a pinch of salt though.
For a wider but shallower view, the bus tours are reasonable and will bring you over to Stormont (where the NI Assembly should sit if they can ever form a government...). There are also plenty of walking tours, both on conflict history and other issues, though if you've just been hiking you might skip them.
I've been meaning to go to Áras Uí Chonghaile (the James Connolly Visitor Centre), which you might like if you're interested in Irish history or the history of socialism. It's received plenty of good reviews.
More generally I'd just spend my time eating, drinking and having a good time. Maybe a nice meal at Mourne Seafood Bar? Coffee at Established Coffee? There are a lot of good places these days, far better than when I was growing up in NI.
posted by knapah at 1:24 AM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
The Sunflower (live music everyday, Irish trad on Weds and Suns)
Bittles (popular bar, supposed to be best kept Guinness in town. In a flatiron type building)
Madden's (another pub with good Guinness and live music)
The Crown (historic pub, can be touristy, but worth a trip for the beautiful tiling, wooden snugs, gas lighting)
The John Hewitt (lovely pub, owned by the Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre who receive the bar profits - pretty sure they have regular music sessions too)
Duke of York (amazing whiskey selection, very popular, nice alley location)
Some hotel options based on places that people talk about, but I've not stayed in any myself:
Duke's at Queen's - a friend stayed there recently and found it very comfortable and good value.
Europa Hotel - famous centrally located hotel opposite the Crown Bar. Used to be where all the international media and politicos stayed. Now surpassed by newer fancy hotels.
Ten Square Hotel - apparently decent 4 star place right by City Hall.
Malmaison - solid 4 star boutique hotel towards the river
Bullitt -
If you want to look at options in the more 5 star range, take a look at Grand Central, The Merchant or The Fitzwilliam.
In terms of things to do, apologies I don't have time to gather the links for these, Linen Hall library and Titanic are both good calls. Other options include:
- Queen's University,
- St George's Market,
- the Botanical Gardens (and tropical ravine),
- Ulster museum,
- Crumlin Road Gaol,
- SS Nomadic,
- HMS Caroline and loads more.
If you're interested in the conflict, a black taxi tour can be worth the money. They'll bring you around the various key areas and show you the 'peace walls' and so on. Take what the drivers say with a pinch of salt though.
For a wider but shallower view, the bus tours are reasonable and will bring you over to Stormont (where the NI Assembly should sit if they can ever form a government...). There are also plenty of walking tours, both on conflict history and other issues, though if you've just been hiking you might skip them.
I've been meaning to go to Áras Uí Chonghaile (the James Connolly Visitor Centre), which you might like if you're interested in Irish history or the history of socialism. It's received plenty of good reviews.
More generally I'd just spend my time eating, drinking and having a good time. Maybe a nice meal at Mourne Seafood Bar? Coffee at Established Coffee? There are a lot of good places these days, far better than when I was growing up in NI.
posted by knapah at 1:24 AM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
Also, although you probably have your hiking itinerary planned, if you haven't, take a look at the walking opportunities in the Mourne Mountains. My home turf.
posted by knapah at 1:41 AM on May 12, 2022
posted by knapah at 1:41 AM on May 12, 2022
If you are going to be in Northern Ireland around 12 - 13 July, you may already be aware that those two days are public holidays here and form the climax of what is known locally as 'marching season', ie the period when various Orange Lodges march to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne. While the Orange Order has tried to rebrand the Twelfth Holiday as more of a 'family fun day out' in recent years, the atmosphere around some of the marches can be tense, depending on the wider political climate and the exact location of specific marches. It can be annoying trying to travel around NI by road over the 12-13 July as the marches often disrupt traffic. Otherwise in the month of July, NI can feel quiet as the schools break up for the summer holidays at the start of the month and a lot of people are off work / on holiday abroad for a big chunk of the month. Apologies if you already know all of this.
The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is worth a visit - it is located just outside the city in Cultra, Holywood, and can be reached from the city centre by public transport. It's an outdoor museum which has a lot of historical buildings from around the province which have been relocated to the folk park, so you can wander round and go into the kinds of places people lived and worked in from the 18th century on. They often have people demonstrating traditional crafts too. I really like it, and it's easy to spend half a day there.
The Titanic Belfast museum is also good, as others have said above. The museum's focus is (naturally enough) on the building of the Titanic in Belfast and the wider context of the shipbuilding industry in the city.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 4:35 AM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum is worth a visit - it is located just outside the city in Cultra, Holywood, and can be reached from the city centre by public transport. It's an outdoor museum which has a lot of historical buildings from around the province which have been relocated to the folk park, so you can wander round and go into the kinds of places people lived and worked in from the 18th century on. They often have people demonstrating traditional crafts too. I really like it, and it's easy to spend half a day there.
The Titanic Belfast museum is also good, as others have said above. The museum's focus is (naturally enough) on the building of the Titanic in Belfast and the wider context of the shipbuilding industry in the city.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 4:35 AM on May 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
If you're interested in the conflict, a black taxi tour can be worth the money. They'll bring you around the various key areas and show you the 'peace walls' and so on. Take what the drivers say with a pinch of salt though.
My parents took a bus tour of Belfast a couple of years ago. Since a bus is bigger than a cab, there was room for space for a guide from each side. They say it made for an interesting conversation, because both viewpoints were presented and there was more/better context for all the sites they passed.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:41 AM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
My parents took a bus tour of Belfast a couple of years ago. Since a bus is bigger than a cab, there was room for space for a guide from each side. They say it made for an interesting conversation, because both viewpoints were presented and there was more/better context for all the sites they passed.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:41 AM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just realised I left the stub for the Bullitt hotel in my answer. I meant to remove that as when I went to their website I found out it's currently closed due to fire damage.
posted by knapah at 9:32 AM on May 12, 2022
posted by knapah at 9:32 AM on May 12, 2022
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posted by brachiopod at 7:33 PM on May 11, 2022 [1 favorite]