Recommendations for Belfast Tour (Troubles, Historical, etc.)

I took a tour with Taxi Trax today and was very satisfied with the experience. I originally wanted to do a walking tour so I hadn't set up a taxi tour before arriving. When I got to the city I decided a taxi tour would be a better experience for
me after 2 weeks of travel and emailed them in mid-evening (on a Sunday) with my peference of tour and pick up time. They confirmed the tour in the morning and the guide was at the door of my guesthouse promptly at the selected time. We went into both the Catholic and protestant areas and he discussed the history, pointed out murals, buildings and other important sites. It was really quite interesting and as unbiased as can be given he grew up in the neighborhoods during the troubles (he said absolutely nothing negative about either side). He asked questions here or there to bring attention to certain places and/or ideas. He was full of information and discussed different topics related to the Troubles with me. The tour was 30£ for 1-3 people (total) for a little less than 2 hours. I did it by myself and felt like the cost was worthwhile.

The contact information is info@taxitrax.com

Thank you much for this very helpful information. Safe continued travels. :-)

Hi AVogan:

I hired Ken Harper in April, 2016, to provide a "black taxi" tour of the Catholic Falls Road district and the Protestant Shankill Road district. You can read my blog of this tour plus my visit to the Crumlin Road Gaol and the Titantic Museum all in one long day.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/georgelondon/3/1461411333/tpod.html

On the following day I took a walking tour of Falls Road lead by a former IRA member who spent twelve years in prison. My blog on this tour follows the one listed above.

This is my advice: Try to get Ken if it is possible. He is a very pleasant fellow and is reasonably unbiased as opposed to Robert the former IRA soldier. [Let me add that it was easier to understand Ken than it was Robert] If you are interested in the murals I would recommend that you pay the tour guide for another hour of his/her time. While there are many murals on Falls Road and Shankill Road there are other pockets of murals near these two roads. The Sinn Fein bookstore on Falls Road has a very interesting map of the area which shows where these pockets of murals are located. I would use the extra hour to visit these areas unless the guide recommends otherwise. I would also recommend that the tour end at the Catholic Milltown cemetery on Falls Road. It is huge, and there are sections which contain the graves of Irish rebels dating back to the 1700s. If you walk back from the cemetery to central Belfast you can drop in at the museum of Irish republicanism which I mention in my blog for day 2. Otherwise you can flag a black taxi to bring you back to the start of the Catholic district if not to central Belfast.

Have a good trip.

Geor(ge) UNC-CH '73

The (free) tour at Belfast City Hall is well worth the time-beautiful building.

I would like to offer a different perspective from Geor regarding tour guides and biases - I did a walking tour in Derry with a gentleman whose father was killed during Bloody Sunday. His tour was biased which he freely admits and it was clear that it comes from his direct experience. He thanked the people from England for attending because he understood his perspective was very critical of the British government and may be difficult for them to hear. For me it was extremely interesting and heart breaking to hear someone speak who was directly effected by the Troubles. We had the pleasure of encountering a woman who was also marching that day and had returned to Derry for the first time in decades. She and our guide reminisced for a few moments about the old neighborhood and it was something you would not receive during a more general tour.

I sought out a more unbiased tour in Belfast to balance out the perspective I received in Derry. Both tours were incredible and well worth the time and money.

I would recommend reading up on the Troubles before taking any tour - I had a general understanding but I think I would've gotten more out of the tours if I had read even more and knew more names of the key people.

Thank you so much, everyone. These are great recommendations. Reading up on the Troubles will be a good use of my airport and flight time. Thank you again.

AVogan, I see you're leaving tomorrow. Have a wonderful time.

Thanks for asking this question. We leave on the 26th and I was about to ask also.