Northern Ireland Belfast 3 days

I'd recommend a Black Cab murals tour, regardless. It's not a general, "see Belfast" tour. It has a specific focus--the history of the Troubles, the "Peace Wall," and the murals. It's very good.

I sent you a private message with information, since this thread took a turn.

To revert a bit to your question, and add some context the Black Cab Tour will focus on 'The Troubles' whereas the Hop on Hop Off bus is more of a general tour of the City, with 'The Troubles' as one aspect of that.

Belfast was a grand and proud city before The Troubles, yet has somehow (maybe, inevitably) become defined by that period of it's history. The Hoho is more about the wider history of the City.

As a Brit, I see 'The Troubles' maybe differently to someone from overseas. It was a very difficult period in UK history (constantly spilling over to the UK mainland). Both sides (Loyalist and Republican) were as bad as each other, two wrongs don't make a right. The British Army and the RUC were also in totally invidious positions. Yes, it is perfectly possible (even likely) that they too made grievous mistakes. The fact that the police service is now the PSNI, not the RUC (the word UIster having it's own significant overtones) is itself a huge step forward in creating a better society.

I went to Northern Ireland at the height of events, and the transformation now is impossible to describe.

I would never do a Black Cab Tour (irrespective of the price) because I am inevitably going to get a one sided view (with everyone's very best intentions, but in a deeply Sectarian society)- I don't see how I can get an impartial tour.

I know you say you have ambulatory difficulties, but to slowly walk somewhere like the Shankill Road is a deeply sobering experience in my view. The murals are just one part of it. To see the individual and numerous little memorials to the lives lost (and read up on the respective bombings and such like) is not in my view something to do lightly.

I'm sure that to do that, as a private (not even a small group tour) would be very instructive.

It would be wrong, totally and utterly wrong, to forget the huge tragedy of all of that but to me a HoHo tour will give a wider brief of the city.

With 3 days there, I think you can do both if you really feel the need to. My advice would be do the Black Cab tour first, then lighten the tone to a more touristic one afterwards.

Spot on Stuart.

I wouldn't entertain taking a black cab tour of Belfast either. My personal view is that they're vultures profiting from hate, death and misery in the name of making it into a tourist attraction. I could see myself getting into an argument with a black cab tour guide from either side.

What you have to bear in mind is that Northern Ireland is still a deeply divided society along sectarian lines. The Good Friday Agreement didn't magically make that go away.

The Belfast council estates you'd be going on to to see the murals aren't run by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. They're controlled by paramilitary organisations. In order for these black cab tours to function safely I'd wonder what deals are cut with the paramilitaries to allow drivers from either side safe passage. The murals are just one way that the IRA, UVF and UDA maintain the message that they're still in control. I can't support that or romanticise it in any way.

For the record, I was born in 1974 and went to rough Catholic schools in Hamilton, just south of Glasgow. There was no sectarianism in my house, but growing up I was surrounded by it. I said something similar last time this came up, but I saw enough sectarian graffiti spray painted on walls and carved into the school desks I sat at to last me a lifetime. I'm certainly not going to pay someone to drive me around to look at artless wonky-faced depictions of King Billy or Bobby Sands.

I'd concur that walking to the best of your abilities is probably the best way to take it in. The hoho bus next after that. Even as a tourist, I'd be minding what colours I chose to wear if I wanted to wet my whistle in the pubs of the Shankill or Falls Road.

Personally, I would try both the black cab and hop on/off bus as they do give very different perspectives. (I have done both.). Something I haven't done is walk around Shankhill or Falls Road myself- it's very safe these days but I'm not sure how I'd feel about doing that.

I will also just add that it can sometimes be hard to detect bias one way or another if you're not actually from one of the communities.

I looked into black cabs briefly for a second trip to Belfast, and I think we can still walk as necessary, mostly to the Peace Wall. Some of the cabs provide a choice of viewpoint. I opted to skip them for the second time.

We took the bus to CS Lewis Square and walked across town to Crumlin Gaol and being Charles' Coronation Day, it was a stark contrast between the street parties/bunting and the totally quiet spots, all while walking along twenty foot fencing.

Stephen McPhilemy (ex-RS guide, native of Derry, then Donegal) had our group take a black cab tour on the tour he put together of Northern Ireland. It was eye opening. I'd highly recommend it.

(I noticed the mural featured in the company linked would raise the hair on some folks back-- but that may have been chance and BB's said they gave a great tour and BB comments are thoughtful and excellent. In another picture they had the derry girls-- now that is a mural I love! Tour of Derry of course not Belfast.)

But the what is most important right now is this: where can a fellow have a nice drink to celebrate St Patricks day! I'm thinking Dingle!

Happy travels.