Belfast in 1 Day: all you need to know

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and a city that offers cultural experiences and historical tours, especially with its 2,000 murals that tell the story of one of the most critical conflicts the city experienced, those known as The Troubles.

In a day in Belfast you can stroll through The Entries, a series of narrow streets with the city's oldest pubs; explore Cathedral Square, home to some of the city's most iconic buildings; and visit Titanic Square, where the Titanic was built and is now one of the country's most visited museums. Here's an itinerary to see the highlights of Belfast in 24 hours.

The first stop on this Belfast itinerary is the Titanic Museum, one of the city's most visited attractions, which is located about 2.5 kilometres from the city centre. You can get there by public transport or by tour bus. The bus will also take you to other iconic Belfast attractions, and you can buy an all-day pass.

The Titanic Museum is located on the site where the ship was built by the Harland and Wolff Company in 1917, and is therefore considered the 'original museum' of the Titanic.

You can take a self-guided tour of the 6 floors of exhibits, where you will see reconstructions of the ship's rooms and lots of historical material. In addition, a small vehicle will take you through a multimedia reconstruction of the shipyard that built the cruise ship. Please note that it is advisable to book tickets for the Titanic Museum in advance, and it can take between 1.5 and 2 hours to tour the museum, depending on your interest.

Useful facts

• Location: Science Park - Queens Road, Titanic Quarter, Northern Ireland.
• Opening hours: April to October 9am-6pm, November to March 10am-5pm. Last admission is 1 hour and 40 minutes before closing time in high season, and half an hour before closing time in low season.
• Admission fee: about 30 EUR for adults and about 13 EUR for children and adolescents between 5 and 15 years old. Children under the age of 4 are free of charge.

SS Nomadic

After touring the Titanic Museum, you can walk about 250 metres to the SS Nomadic, the ship that was used to transport passengers to the Titanic and other cruise ships, and which has now been converted to a museum. There is no entrance fee to enter this ship, as it is included in the Titanic Museum ticket.

The ship exhibits the luxury that characterised the ship, as it was designed to be on par with the Titanic. After operating for a time as a floating restaurant in Paris, it was returned to Belfast and restored to its original state. A tour of the museum can take between half an hour and an hour.

Before leaving the museum, you can explore the square, which houses the stands used to build the Titanic and its twin, the Olympic, and exhibits where you can get a sense of the size of the ships. Every day there is a guided tour of the square about the history of the Titanic, usually at 11am and 1pm. You can hire a tour at the museum and it lasts approximately 1 hour.

About 600 metres from the SS Nomadic are the huge twin cranes Samson and Goliath, which have become a symbol of the city. They originally belonged to Harland and Wolff, the company that built the Titanic. Today they are a sort of gateway to the Titanic Quarter, where you'll find the Titanic Museum and the SS Nomadic. Taking photos with these iconic cranes in the background will only take a few minutes.

• Location: Donegall Quay, Belfast BT1 3NG, UK.

If you have a special interest in all things Titanic, you can go and see the Titanic Docks , the dry dock where the Titanic was last docked before she sailed. It is located 1.5 kilometres from the Titanic Museum and 3 km from the centre of Belfast. To get there, you can take public transport, a taxi or hop on the city tour bus.

The pier is about 13 metres below ground level and was built especially for large ships such as the Titanic. The site is also home to the Pump House, the old pump room that has been converted into the Titanic Distillery, where you can see the pumps that were used to empty the pier of water.

If you decide to visit, I recommend you check the tour schedules so you can better plan what time of day to visit. Tours of the pier last about 60 minutes.

Useful information

• Location: Science Park - Queens Road, Titanic Quarter, Northern Ireland.
• Opening hours: daily from 10am to 5pm.
• Entry fee: from 10 EUR per person.

After exploring the Titanic Quarter, you can visit one of the city's most iconic sculptures: The Big Fish. To get there, you can take a public or tourist bus to Belfast city centre, hire a bike or take a taxi to get there faster. The sculpture is about 1.5 km from the Samson and Goliath Cranes. If you decide to walk, it will take you about 30 minutes

The Big Fish is a 10 metre long ceramic sculpture, which depicts events related to the history and culture of Belfast. Some of the pottery was decorated by children.

• Location: Donegall Quay, Belfast BT1 3NG, UK.

200 metres from The Big Fish sculpture you will see Albert Memorial Clock, the clock tower built in honour of Prince Albert, who was Queen Victoria's husband. The tower, which was completed in 1869, is 113 metres high and is slightly leaning, which is why locals often refer to it as Belfast's 'Tower of Pisa'.

• Location: 17 Queen's Square, Belfast BT1 3FF, UK.

From Albert Memorial Clock, the clock tower, you have to walk 350 metres to see this contemporary-style sculpture, which is almost 20 metres high and made of metal. Beacon of Hope was inspired by Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, Texas, and stands in the square of the same name in Belfast, next to the River Lagan.

• Location: Belfast BT1 3DJ, Thanksgiving Square.

If you're visiting Belfast on a Friday or at the weekend, you can wander around this old 19th century market. It's about 400 metres from the Beacon of Hope sculpture, which you can do on foot (5 minutes), or by bike if you've hired one.

St George's Market is a great place to find fresh produce such as fruit, vegetables and fish, as well as books, clothes and antiques. You can also get a hot meal for lunch, typical of Northern Ireland, at around 5 euros per plate. If you're interested in trying traditional Northern Irish food, you can also join a food tour and discover the best restaurants to eat in the city, accompanied by a local expert.

Interesting facts

• Location: 12 East Bridge St, Belfast BT1 3NQ, UK.
• Opening hours: Fridays from 8am to 2pm, Saturdays from 9am to 3pm and Sundays from 10am to 3pm.
• Admission: free.

Belfast City Hall is about 700 metres from the Albert Memorial Clock. It is one of Belfast's most beautiful Renaissance and Baroque buildings and was opened in 1906. It is made of white Portland stone and is notable for its 53-metre central dome and the statue of Queen Victoria at the entrance. In the gardens there is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Titanic.

The Town Hall Square is often a meeting place for locals, as well as for public events and demonstrations. If you have time, you can join a free 45-minute guided tour of the inside of this building, which is usually given in English. One particular thing you can do during your visit is to sit on the council seats.

As an optional extra, you can walk about 150 metres to The Linen Hall, Belfast's oldest library, which was founded in 1788. There is a café here and exhibitions relating to the city's history and culture can be seen.

Interesting facts

• Location: Donegall Square N, Belfast BT1 5GS, UK.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.30am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm. Guided tours are offered Monday to Friday at 11am, 2pm and 3pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm.
• Entrance fee: free of charge.

From the City Hall, you have one kilometre to Divis Tower, where you can start your tour to see the Belfast murals, in the direction of Falls St. To see these murals is to enter into the critical historical events that marked the city for 3 decades, in relation to the conflict known as The Troubles.

There are about 2,000 murals that relate these events and that you can hardly see in one day, although you can see a lot if you spend several hours. However, it is one of the essential tours of this city and one of the most recommended city tours in Belfast.

One of the most visited murals is the Peace Wall, located in Cuper Way, where tourists can write their messages of peace. The most famous are on the Falls Road, where the Garden of Remembrance is located, and on the Shankill Road. The International Wall at Divis St and Northumberland St is one of the most iconic, as are the metal gates, which separated the Catholic and Unionist neighbourhoods.

A practical option that will allow you to see Belfast' s murals in less time is to take a taxi tour, with a local guide who knows the history. These tours usually take about an hour, so it's ideal for short stays in Belfast or if you prefer not to spend so much time on the tour.

After visiting the murals, you can return to Cathedral Square to explore The Entries, a series of 8 narrow lanes between High St and Ann St, noted for having the best pubs in Belfast. The laneways, such as Pottinger's Entry, Joy's Entry, Winecellar Entry and Crown Entry, come alive after sunset, making it the ideal place to end your day in Belfast.

Among the pubs you can't miss in The Entries are:

• White's Tabern, the city's oldest pub, which was licensed in 1680. It is located at 2-4 Winecellar Entry.
• The Crown Liquor Saloon, Victorian in style, which opened in 1826. The funny thing is that you have to step on the mosaic crown to get in. It's located in County Antrim, 46 Great Victoria St., in the County Antrim.
• Kelly's Cellar, one of the oldest in the town, opened in 1720. It is of historical importance to the town as it used to be the meeting place of the Society of United Irishmen, who led the 1798 rebellion against British rule. Address: 30-32 Bank Street.
• The Duke of York, one of the city's most photographed pubs, is located in the oldest part of Belfast. Address: 7-11 Commercial Ct.

Another option for exploring the city by night is to join a mobile pub c rawl, which will take you around the Cathedral Quarter's most iconic sites and iconic pubs such as The Dirty Onion. This pub is housed in an old building dating back to 1780 and often hosts live music concerts.

This is the tour I propose for your 1 day stay in the Irish capital but, in case you decide to extend your stay to 3 days in Belfast, I leave you below a list of other interesting places in the city:

• Queen's University, one of Belfast's most iconic buildings. There you can see exhibitions, visit the lecture theatre, the Great Hall lecture room and the gardens, where you can see the War Memorial and the statue of Galileo, among others.

• The Botanic Gardens, a green space ideal for a stroll or picnic, opened in 1895. It is located near Queen's University.

• The https://www.ulstermuseum.org/, the most important museum in Ireland, where you can learn about the history of the city, as well as zoology, natural sciences, botany, ecology, among others. It is located near the Botanic Gardens and admission is free.

• St. Anne's Cathedral, in the Romanesque style, which began to be built in 1899. It is located in Cathedral Square. It is said to contain the largest Celtic cross in Ireland.

• Opera House, Belfast's most important theatre, noted for its oriental architecture. It is located in Cathedral Square.

You can also go to the Giant's Causeway from Belfast, where you can see some 40,000 hexagonal basalt formations. Tours are often combined with a visit to the sets of the Game of Thrones series.