If You've been there (or live there) send some suggestions please. We definitely will do the Titanic Museum and I want to take one, maybe two Game of Thrones tours. Definitely the studio tour and an outdoor tour up to the coast. Giants Causeway for sure. And if you know any local pubs so we can hang out with the local guys and gals, let me know. Would love to knock back a couple of cold ones with new friends. Thanks, everyone!
Posted by
Calgary
1652 posts
I'd highly recommend the murals tour with https://cabtoursbelfast.com/
There are other taxi tours with similar routes, but one of those stood us up and left us scrambling. Paddy Cambell's came through for us, and the tour was excellent.
We took a private Game of Thrones tour with https://glenaraelitetravel.com/game-of-thrones-tour-2/ (Note that we paid extra for them to pick us up and drop us off in Belfast, but we wanted a private tour.) It was absolutely wonderful. Our tour did not go to Winterfell, but it did go to the Giant's Causeway. That was fine with us, because we weren't so focused on GOT as much as using it as a theme to tour the area.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1835 posts
Have you thought about the Ulster Folk Museum at Cultra just outside Belfast? It is easliy reached by bus or train For anyone interested in social history or how our grandparents lived, thsis is a must. buildings and houses from around Norther Ireland have been reassembled here . There is a town with old shops, bank, houses etc and also farms which you can wander through and talk to the ciostumed interpreters about what it was like to live and work in them. IT is a real step back into the past.
Posted by
OP
Wilmington, NC
166 posts
That is a great suggestion, thank you! Will definitely look into this. Where do you suggest for our stay? We were thinking about the Titanic Guest Boutique.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
606 posts
We were in Belfast three nights last Spring. I'm a price shopper (Scottish blood) for lodging, and I found that Ten Square Hotel was the least expensive and actually quite nice and a short walk to everything. We went to McHugh's Bar three times, but we visit Ireland with trad music on the top of our todo list. We thought the Titanic Experience was well done, enjoyed Crumlin Gaol, and had a great meal at Mourne's. Had a great time chatting with a gardener at the National Botanic Gardens, and the Ulster Museum was exhaustingly detailed. We also took a bus to CS Lewis Square and walked back, experiencing a bit of the leftovers from the Troubles, walking along the wire fences. It happened to be the weekend of the Coronation, so the divisions were a little more pronounced, as the Unionists were street partying and the Republicans were just drinking in the pubs.
Posted by
OP
Wilmington, NC
166 posts
Mourne's and McHughs bar look awesome. Will have to stop by while we are there. Thank you for the suggestions.
Posted by
Washington
121 posts
I also highly recommend the James Connolly Vistors Center: https://arasuichonghaile.com/
Posted by
3 posts
The Lyric Theatre is great, and they regularly host new work and work specific to Ireland/Ulster. It's right next to the beautiful Botanic gardens, which are always worth a walk through. On that end of town you also have the Ulster Museum, which is excellent and has a wonderful exhibit on the Troubles.
The hop on/hop off bus, while touristy, is inexpensive and can give you a great lay of the land.
Great food at the St. George's Market and at the Mourne Seafood Bar. The Garrick Bar is a warm and welcoming pub with good food, the Crown is a great time, and Maddens is tiny, has live music most (all?) nights, and is such a wonderful slice of Belfast.
If I had four days, I'd use one of them to take a train to Derry to walk the walls and visit the Bloody Sunday Museum, maybe take a walking tour of the Bogside and murals.
Posted by
OP
Wilmington, NC
166 posts
Excellent suggestions. Thank you. The pubs look really fun. Which would you say has local live music? Hopefully somewhere not full of tourists, but with mostly local people and Irish music? I will look into the buses and getting around the city. I'm sure we will use a taxi/cab or two getting around. Do I need to keep some cash on hand to pay? Or, can you pay by credit card after the ride?
Posted by
3 posts
Both Maddens and Kelly's Cellars are known for live music, and both will have some locals. I would guess that Kelly's Cellars attracts more tourists because it's bigger and a bit more centrally located. You'd probably have check their websites to see if there is music every night; or ask a local when you're there. Both are very well known.
I'd be shocked if taxis don't all take credit cards, but I haven't been to Belfast since 2019, and I don't recall for sure.
Posted by
Land of La
8672 posts
GOT cast and crew used to hang out at Mchugh’s and enjoyed sea food chowder and bowls of mussels at Mournes by Kelly Cellar’s.
Games of Thrones had stages and production offices at Titanic Studios.
Can’t say what it’s like now but I enjoyed the Spaniard pub for a pint of Guinness.
Good meander is through St George’s market.
Be sure to see the Peace Wall murals as well as visit Crumlin Road Gaol.