Belfast travel guide and things to do: 20 reasons to visit

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Belfast travel guide and things to do: 20 reasons to visit

By Lee Tulloch
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GET ON YER BIKE

Belfast is just beginning its love affair with bikes – since April, Coca-Cola Zero has sponsored 300 free bikes throughout the city for a $42 annual fee or $11 three-day casual rate; the first 30 minutes are free. (See belfastbikes.co.uk.) Belfast City Bike Tours offers small group guided tours on comfortable California Cruiser bicycles, which take you to places not easily reached by bus or cab. If the weather's fine, a City Orientation Tour is the best way to discover the lay of the land. See belfastcitybiketours.com.

CRAWL THE PUBS

There's nothing like a Belfast pub – friendly, atmospheric and happily free of the poker machines that blight Australian establishments. It's all about good cheer, conversation, cider, whiskey and stout. Belfast's pubs are many, but the Duke of York, a beautiful mirrored bar down a cobbled lane in the Cathedral Quarter, is one of the friendliest, with Ireland's largest selection of Irish whiskeys. Try the Garrick, dating to 1870, for the best "champ" (mashed potatoes) in town and a huge selection of craft beers. See dukeofyorkbelfast.com and thegarrickbar.com.

**SAIL THE TITANIC

Do everything but sink at the marvellous Titanic Belfast, a dazzling interactive museum on the site of the docks where the ill-fated ship was built. Highlights are many and include a Shipyard Ride, an immersive journey through the various classes and rooms on board, an atmospheric display of the sinking with full sound and lighting, and high-definition footage of the wreckage with learning pods. It's brilliantly conceived and executed. If you can drag yourself away, visit the restored SS Nomadic, the Titanic's tender, which is docked next door. titanicbelfast.com.

UNWRAP A MUMMY

Takabuti, a 2500-year-old Egyptian aristocrat from Thebes, is Belfast's most popular lady, after the Titanic. Unlike many mummies in international collections, she was unwrapped from her shroud in 1835 and her wizened black face is pretty scary. Try to imagine she's undergoing a seaweed facial and she's less of a fright. The Ulster Museum has a number of other terrific attractions, including the gigantic Edmontosaurus dinosaur. Three discovery spaces for hands-on interaction keep kids occupied. See nmni.com.

GET SQUARE

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The public square and buildings around St Anne's Cathedral, which features Ireland's largest Celtic cross, is known as the Cathedral Quarter and each May it hosts an arts festival throughout its cobbled streets, pubs, music venues and galleries. The Metropolitan Arts Centre (The Mac) contains three art galleries, two theatres and cafe. Year-round, it's a magnet for culture vultures, especially those who like street theatre. Stop by bistro Coppi next door to the Mac for a Rhubarb Smash cocktail and some more-ish duck and pomegranate pizzetta or tasty goat cutlets. See coppi.co.uk.

CLIMB THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Not literally, of course. But Belfast's Ulster Hall was the scene of Led Zeppelin's first-ever outing of their rock classic in 1977. The performance venue is also the spiritual home of the city's punk movement, after a cancelled Clash gig in 1977, which started a near riot. If you're more interested in the 19th century than the 20th, Charles Dickens gave public readings there. These days it hosts everything from political party gatherings to the annual Northern Ireland Tattoo Festival. Check the program for concerts, readings and film screenings. See ulsterhall.co.uk.

BEAT YOUR DRUM

The Dirty Onion pub occupies one of Belfast's oldest buildings, a former bonded warehouse for Jameson Whiskey on central Hill Street. It looks funky – and near collapse – from the street, but inside it's a mecca of Irish culture, with traditional music sessions, Monday night Irish conversation classes, Wednesday night harp performances and, on Tuesday evenings, classes in playing the traditional drum, the bodran, with performer Rohan Young. A fun way to get your Gaelic on. See www.thedirtyonion.com.

**GET SNUG AT THE CROWN

The National Trust-owned Crown Liquor saloon is Belfast's most famous pub and justly so. The opulent interiors, dating to 1885, include Italian stained glass windows, ornate tiles and a carved ceiling. The beautiful, long bar is still lit by gas lamps. More fun still are the 10 private booths, or "snugs", where you can drink in privacy or signal you're happy to share your booth by leaving the door open. We suggest you do and stay on your cushioned bench: Belfast's friendly citizens could talk the leg off a chair. See nicholsonspubs.co.uk.

TRY A BELLY BUSTER

At Belfast's St George's market, Ireland's famous bap bread rolls, stuffed with bacon, sausages, black pudding and other cholesterol-inducing meats, can be found at a number of stalls and then taken away to eat at tables in the 19th-century hall, perhaps washed down with some local stout. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the market is a fabulous showcase for local produce – teas, cheeses, artisanal breads and butters, traditional cakes, seafood. The smell of sizzling "fry-ups" permeates the hall. If you're feeling more virtuous, grab a bag of "dulse", salty dried seaweed. See www.belfastcity.gov.uk/markets.

TAKE A CAB TO THE TROUBLES

Belfast has been awarded the safest city in the UK, but it's important to acknowledge "The Troubles" of the late 1960s to 1998, a campaign to end discrimination against the Catholic minority that turned into a bloody civil war between loyalists to the British crown and nationalists/republicans. The division between territories is still marked by a fence topped with barbed wire, but the area is safe for visitors and the political murals on both sides are fascinating and chilling. Take a black cab tour to The Falls Road and The Shankill. See belfasttours.com.

CHASE GHOSTS

The Crumlin Road Gaol, or '"The Crum", as it is known, is a grim edifice that is supposedly Belfast's most haunted building. A working gaol from 1845 to 1996, it was home to poor unfortunates waiting deportation to the colonies in the Victorian era, as well as 20th-century political prisoners such as suffragettes and hunger striker Bobby Sands. Paranormal tours at night take you to the execution chambers where 17 men were hanged and the tunnels that connect it to the courthouse across the road. Spooky. See crumlinroadgaol.com.

WHISKEY GALORE

There's no shortage of opportunities to taste the thrice-distilled, smooth Irish style of whiskey in Belfast, but a visit to the world's oldest licensed distillery, Old Bushmills, a little over one hour drive north of the city, is a must for whiskey aficionados. Guided tours daily. There's a 12-year-old Distillery Reserve available for visitors only; labels can be personalised. The Bushmills Inn is a four-star lodge dating to the 17th century, if you'd like to spend the night and travel on to the nearby UNESCO-listed geographical wonder, the Giant's Causeway. See bushmills.com.

NOT THE TITANIC

When the sun peaks out, locals head to the Belfast Barge for lunch at Holohan's Cafe inside the barge. Moored on the River Lagan, which is important to Belfast's trade and shipbuilding industries, the barge is also a maritime museum and event venue with jazz concerts, film screenings, comedy and a Blues Festival in May. The cafe serves traditional Irish food with a modern twist.

SHOP CRAFTILY

Given the fine quality of Irish crafts, there are surprisingly few places to shop for them. You won't find many of them in the new $850 million Victoria Square shopping centre, which carries the big international brands. But it's only a few minutes walk from there to High Street and the Wicker Man, a small boutique crammed with knits, tableware, pewter, jewellery, linens and other souvenirs made by more than 150 craft workers throughout Ireland. Revolving exhibitions support local artists and craftsmen. See thewickerman.co.uk.

SLEEP IN THE BEST HOUSE

Although he played for Manchester United, legendary Belfast-born footballer George Best is the city's great sporting hero and its airport is named after him. Soccer tragics are now able to sleep in the house where George grew up, at 16 Burren Way in the Cregagh​ Estate, for $127 a night, through Airbnb. The simple three-bedroom red brick house, built in 1949, is full of Best memorabilia and takes five guests. At the airport, pick up the George Best Trail guide, detailing places relevant to Best's childhood. See georgebesthouse.com.

FIND GOOD VIBRATIONS

Terri Hooley is Belfast's "Godfather of Punk", the man who optimistically opened Good Vibrations record store, later a record label, in 1977 at the height of the sectarian bombings. The cultural icon is immortalised in the movie Good Vibrations and if you want to know the insider story of the city's music scene, Terri conducts an Alternate Walking Tour of Belfast on the first Saturday of each month. The tour must be booked in advance. Tickets are available by emailing avalonbelfast@gmail.com. $11.

**FOLLOW A FOODIE

Lawyer Caroline Wilson started the Belfast Cookbook Club and she's an enthusiastic, charming guide for discovering the city's best foodie haunts, street food and produce. Our tour started at St George's Market, where we feasted on local cheese, breads and sausages and continued in pubs, cafes and restaurants, sampling everything from craft beers to Irish gin and the fine chocolates produced by Dierdre McCanny at Co Couture, where you can satisfy your inner chocolatier with a chocolate masterclass. See cocouture.co.uk. Caroline's passion for yummy food is infectious; bring a hearty appetite. See belfastfoodtour.com.

EAT WELL

There's a real energy to Belfast's restaurant scene, with a number of fine restaurants popping up over the city and a strong commitment to the produce of local artisanal producers. You'll eat well here, from celebrity chef Michael Deane's Deanes Meat Locker, which specialises in succulent steaks sourced from one of Britain's top butchers, Hannan's, to Niall McKenna's the Bar + Grill at James Street South (belfastbargrill.co.uk) and the high-end restaurant Ox, housed in a minimalist quay-side shopfront, which offers seasonal menus bursting with freshness and colour. Ox owners Stephen Toman​ and Alain Kerloc'h​ have recently opened a lovely wine bar, Cave, next door, with cheese and wine pairings in a delightful room decorated with old school furniture from Corpus Christi College. See oxbelfast.com.

DON'T MISS COCKTAIL HOUR

Belfast's glamorous five-star hotel, the Merchant Hotel, is a lavish restoration of an ornate 1850s bank. Even if you're not staying there, visit the sumptuous cocktail bar for a Finn McCool or any one of the dozens of cocktails found in the lounge's enticing Bar Book. If you don't fancy a tipple, scones and tea served are by a blazing fire until 12pm. Downstairs, the jazz is hot or cool, depending on your tastes, in the plush red velvet environs of Bert's Jazz Bar and bistro, Belfast's only dedicated jazz bar restaurant. See themerchanthotel.com.

RAVE OF THRONES

Belfast is Game of Thrones Central, with filming of the hit TV series taking several months of the year at the HBO lot at Titanic Studios. If you're a fan and you're lucky, you'll be in town on one of the Saturday or Sunday nights when resident DJ Kristian Nairn, also known as Hodor in the series, plays house music at Soviet-themed gay bar, the Kremlin Club. The almost seven-foot-tall Nairn has been DJing here for 12 years, but his fame as the gentle Hodor now takes him all over the world. Last year he hosted Rave of Thrones events in Australia: costumes compulsory. See kremlin-belfast.com.

**Star picks

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

ireland.com

STAYING THERE

The five-star Merchant House hotel is perfectly located in the vibrant Cathedral District of Belfast, a short walk away from many attractions. The ornate 19th-century bank was extravagantly extended in 2011: guests now have a choice of staying in the plush Victorian wing (rooms from $340) or the chic Art Deco wing (rooms starting at $381). Suites from $530.See themerchanthotel.com

GETTING THERE

British Airways flies daily to Belfast from London Heathrow. See britishairways.com.

The writer travelled as a guest of British Airways and Tourism Ireland.

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