If you ever have been a fan of Titanic and feel yourself relating to the protagonists, you should plan a weekend in Belfast. Northern Ireland’s capital- Belfast, is famous for being the birthplace of the majestic titanic, apart from being an impressively beautiful place.
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The Best 2 Day Belfast Itinerary
A vibrant city in Northern Ireland has grabbed eyes from all over the world with its beautiful offerings for everyone. The rich history of this place is incredibly interesting.
As per the legends, Belfast was occupied during both the Stone and Bronze ages, and the remains of Iron Age forts are discernible on the slopes near the city centre. The modern history of Belfast took place in 1611 when Baron Arthur Chichester was in power. He built the city again and encouraged the citizens.
With various tourist sites combed in Belfast, one can retrieve the soothing feeling of the presence of River Lagan. There are various things to do in Belfast and some of them are included in this itinerary for a weekend in Belfast. If you plan on travelling further around Northern Ireland after your time in Belfast, the Causeway Coastal route has some of the most spectacular views in the country.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Day 1: Titanic Belfast, Botanic Gardens, Belfast Castle, Irish Cuisine in Belfast
Day 2: St George’s Market, Belfast City Hall, Hillsborough Castle & Gardens, Street Art Walking
Where to Stay in Belfast
There is a wide range of accommodations available in Belfast, so you will not be short on options. Here are our top suggestions for the best places to stay in Belfast for any budget.
Luxury – A stay at The Culloden Estate and Spa will be a luxurious break during your trip to Belfast. Located only a 10 minute drive from the city of Belfast, this accommodation has 12 acres of woodland to walk around. You can also expect a hot tub, swimming pool, gym and a fine dining restaurant at the Culloden Estate and Spa.
Book your stay at the The Culloden Estate and Spa here.
Mid-Range – The Warren Belfast is a beautiful accommodation located in a great area in Belfast. Continental breakast is offered.
Book your stay at the Warren Belfast Hotel here.
Budget –Dream Apartments St Thomas Hall is an affordable accommodation that offers self-catering facilities and a washing machine. It has a comfortable lounge area to relax in after a day of exploring the city of Belfast.
Day 1
Titanic Belfast
If you have been fascinated by the majestic ‘Titanic’, visiting Titanic Belfast is surely a treat. This museum is a tourist magnet with intricating details about how the marvel ship was built and how the very idea of making this ship was procured.
Once you walk into this magical place, you would embark on a journey where the feeling of being on that very ship can be felt. The self-guided Titanic Experience tour lasts about an hour and extends over nine galleries. While you walk around, you can be a spectator of the real-life images, luxurious rooms and the whole history.
The Botanic Gardens
One of the serene locations in Belfast is the Botanic Gardens. Free to enter, these gardens welcome everyone with the promise of offering quality time amidst nature.
Located on the South side of the city, these inviting grounds are home to some of the most beautiful gardens. The visitor favourites include the rose garden, palm house, and tropical ravine.
Rose Garden
While visiting here, you can enjoy a bed made of roses- literally! Being surrounded by thousands of roses might take you to a fragrant land. You can find different colours and species of roses here presented in various segments and sectors. Along with the segregation, you would also learn about where it was bred, the year and who discovered it.
It surely is a very floral way of learning!
Palm House
A very unique and spectacular place is the Palm House. Designed as a greenhouse, it has three different rooms wherein it is flooded with warm climate plants.
Although it doesn’t have banners or sign boards to let the visitors know much about them but it surely does not take the limelight away from them!
Tropical Ravine
Probably one of the favourite locations of tourists is the Tropical ravine.
On your entrance, you would be welcomed into a magical world of a plethora of flora. With a wide variety of plants and flowers, this ravine is divided into two sections for tropical plants and temperate plants. There are also audio files and a few games to aid in the plant learning experience.
Belfast Castle
To discover a gem of northern Ireland, pay a visit to Belfast Castle. Built by the Normans in the 12th Century, this marvel is ready to surpass your expectations.
With the changing times, the castle saw renovations and in 1611, Sir Arthur Chichester replaced the old castle with one made of stone and timber, building on the same spot as the original castle.
Its beauty grew with time and made it more enticing and royal than it could ever be.
There is another version of its history!
In 1870, for the third Marquess of Donegall, the castle was built. It supported a Scottish Baronial style made fashionable by Queen Victoria’s Balmoral.
Its history might have many renditions but at present, it is now used mostly for weddings and other functions.
To maintain this treasure, most of the castle is closed to public access.
Another fun fact associated with this castle is that the castle’s residents will experience good fortune only as long as a white cat lives there. The importance of feline power can be found here with bushes cut in their shapes and mosaics can be found.
Irish Cuisine in Belfast
When in Northern Ireland, it is a must to relish the local dishes along with the global-favourite Irish coffee. According to the locals, every visitor should try out their hands at the following delicacies:
- Ulster Fry
- Boxty
- Belfast Bap
- Irish Coffee
- Seafood
- Irish Gin and Beer
The variety of food offers a range for the tourists’ taste scales a rollercoaster ride. Once they have a bite of any of these, they get to taste authentic Belfast.
Day 2
St George’s Market
The title of one of the oldest tourist attractions in Ireland goes to St George’s Market. A famous market area in UK and Ireland, it is home to fresh, local produce with a great atmosphere. Its popularity also has another point to it. It is the last surviving Victorian-covered market in Belfast.
The market has a rich history of its own. Although today it’s a covered market, it wasn’t always like that. Before 1890, the market had its charm with it being right under the sky with nothing to cover. This was another addition to its beauty. Some say during that time, the market had a slaughterhouse and traded well in meat.
Today, the market is divided into three days- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This created a balance and feasible for the traders to enjoy their own time here.
On Fridays, it is a Variety Market wherein they sell everything from books to fruits. Whereas on Saturdays, it is a City Food and Craft Market which offers the best from the culinary world to the visitors. During this time, they don’t restrict themselves just to food rather they also sell handmade crafts, flowers, plants and local photography, pottery, glass and metal work.
As for Sundays, the market deals in a mixture of the Friday and Saturday markets and offers the best of these two!
Belfast City Hall
Belfast is a unique beauty, but it wasn’t always like that. The city gained its title in 1906 and to celebrate such success, Belfast City Hall was designed by the architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas and completed in Portland stone in 1906.
The city hall is definitely one of the major tourist attractions in Belfast, but apart from being an attraction, the place holds a key to the historical changes this city has seen.
When visitors come here, they get to enjoy the beauty of this place. City hall’s interiors are made from different types of marble like Carrara, Pavonazzo and Brescia to name a few. These extensive choices show how expensive it would look. Apart from the interiors, the hall is home to some of the finest artworks in the world. These aren’t just showpieces rather they commemorate essential aspects of the country’s history.
Paintings, busts, statues and stained glass windows all tell a story. The two most intriguing commemorations are the stained glass windows featuring King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria, who were on the throne when the City Hall was opened.
Apart from this, there is a marble sculpture of Fredrick Richard Chichester. The last Earl of Donegall and patron of arts is seen on his deathbed accompanied by his mother.
This rich collection portrays the authentic history of the country and how well preserved it is to date!
Hillsborough Castle & Gardens
Unfold the royal touch of Ireland with a visit to Hillsborough Castle & Gardens. For over 300 years, Hillsborough castle has shifted from being a royal residence to a political stay. This castle has witnessed pivotal moments in history and still stands to be a part of it. This magnificent sight has been a part of maintaining the peace for over 40 years as it is home to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since the 1970s.
The castle has gorgeous gardens that were constructed in the 1760s and have been a spectacle to explore. These include ornamental grounds, peaceful woodland, meandering waterways and picturesque glens along with a variety of trees and rare plants.
Every season, these grounds present a different side of nature and a pleasing vibe to the senses.
Apart from being a tourist attraction, the castle is still a working royal and political residence. It fulfils its role as a place of recognition, entertainment, and celebration; lending elegance and style to a range of events, incentive events, product launches, awards ceremonies and gala dinners.
Street Art Walking Tour
Belfast is best explored on foot. While exploring every corner of this beautiful city, you might come across a lot of murals and graffiti art. These impressive artworks portray the rich talent of the city and how strong the ideas of people are.
Street art has found a way here and is now gained the attention and appreciation that it definitely deserves. With your weekend in Belfast, you would get to enjoy every bit of the city with the serene views and these beautiful artworks.
How to Prepare for your Trip to Belfast
Before you set off on your way to Belfast, there are a number of things you will need to get organised to ensure a smooth and enjoyable journey. These include what to pack, where to stay and what is the best insurance for your trip to Northern Ireland. All of this is discussed in detail below.
How to Get to Belfast
When you arrive in Belfast, you will most likely arrive at either the ferry terminal or the airport (unless you are travelling from Ireland).
Where to Stay in Belfast
There is a wide range of accommodations available in Belfast, so you will not be short on options. Here are our top suggestions for the best places to stay in Belfast for any budget.
Luxury – A stay at The Culloden Estate and Spa will be a luxurious break during your trip to Belfast. Located only a 10 minute drive from the city of Belfast, this accommodation has 12 acres of woodland to walk around. You can also expect a hot tub, swimming pool, gym and a fine dining restaurant at the Culloden Estate and Spa.
Book your stay at the The Culloden Estate and Spa here.
Mid-Range – The Warren Belfast is a beautiful accommodation located in a great area in Belfast. Continental breakast is offered.
Book your stay at the Warren Belfast Hotel here.
Budget –Dream Apartments St Thomas Hall is an affordable accommodation that offers self-catering facilities and a washing machine. It has a comfortable lounge area to relax in after a day of exploring the city of Belfast.
What to Pack for Your Trip to Belfast
When it comes to packing for a trip to Belfast there is one item of clothing that you are going to need all year round: a waterproof. It rains in Belfast on average 250 days a year, meaning that during your trip to Belfast you can expect rain at some point. Due to this, the number one item on your packing list is a good waterproof jacket.
Second to that, another item to not leave home without is a good pair of warm and, if possible, waterproof boots. A lot of the best sights on Skye require a bit of walking to reach them and the conditions underfoot can become very muddy. You do not want to ruin a good pair of white trainers so pack some sturdy boots.
You will definitely need a hat and gloves during the winter months as the wind chill can be bitter.
Given the beautiful sightsthat you are no doubt going to see around Belfast, we highly recommend packing a good camera for your trip. If you want to read more about the cameras we use and why we love them, check out the link below.
You can read what else we keep in our camera bag over here.
Photography Equipment
Main Photography Camera – Sony A7iii Mirrorless Camera
Main Lens – Sony FE 16-35 mm f/2.8 GM
Zoom Lens – Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8
Camera Stand – Neewer Portable 177cm
Vlogging Camera – Sony HX90v
Action Camera – GoPro Hero 8 Black
Drone Camera – DJI Mavic Pro 2
Camera Bag – Lowepro Flipside 300 AW
What is the Best Travel Insurance for Belfast
I know travel insurance is the least enjoyable thing to purchase and look at when you’re planning a trip, however, you wouldn’t want to be without it in the event that something happened. Accidents can happen anywhere and the extortionate medical bills will ruin your trip if you are not covered.
To ensure you have a stress-free trip with no worries about potential medical bills, make sure you cover yourself when you travel. We can recommend using SafetyWing, a backpacker-friendly and cheap insurance company that provides good coverage and support. It is also nomad-friendly, unlike most other insurance companies, meaning you do not need to worry about being out of your home country for too long.
Get a quote for your travel insurance right here and get covered!
So there you have it, all of the best things to do along the Belfast, including castles, food and art. If you have visited the Belfast recently, let us know what you thought of the sights listed above, or if you have any suggestions let us know in the comments below.
Also, remember to share this with your friends and family that you are going to share this amazing experience with. Sharing is caring and we want to ensure that everyone is fully prepared to maximise their experience completing this stunning walk.
If you are planning a Scotland trip soon then check out our other Northern Ireland content right here. Come and find us on social media to see where we are currently exploring. Tag us in your photos from your stay and we will share them with the rest of our community of explorers and backpackers.
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