This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Belfast is a city best known for its grand Victorian and Edwardian architecture, edgy street art and home-grown musical talent, ranging from Ruby Murray to Van Morrison. A day here often involves plenty of market mooching, wandering along the Maritime Mile and dining on hearty Irish stew paired with creamy pints of Guinness. Here’s how to take it all in on a perfect 14-hour itinerary.
8am: Breakfast at St George’s Market
Built in the 1890s in the centre of the city, St George’s is one of Belfast’s oldest attractions — its Friday variety market dates back to 1604 — and the city’s last remaining Victorian covered market. While you’ll find everything from rare antiques to handmade clothing here, it’s the food that this place has become best known for. Everyone comes for a Belfast bap from Sandra’s Grill: a fresh, crusty bread roll filled with Irish sausage and bacon, a runny fried egg, oozy cheese, grilled mushrooms and onions.
9am: Explore the Maritime Mile
No visit to Belfast would be complete without exploring the dockyards where the world’s most famous ship was built. Titanic Belfast, a self-guided museum built at half the scale of the original ship, is worth the trip alone for its immersive exhibitions and chance to see the SS Nomadic — the last remaining White Star Line vessel. But also along the mile, there’s the Game of Thrones stained glass window trail, the 33ft-long painted Big Fish sculpture and Titanic Distillers, the city’s first working whiskey distillery to open since the days of prohibition in the US.
11:30am: Mooch around the Oh Yeah Music Centre
Belfast’s music scene straddles many genres, including folk, jazz, pop and metal, and its stories are told at this dedicated music charity, rehearsal area, exhibition space and gig venue in the Cathedral Quarter. Co-founded by Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody, the Oh Yeah promotes Belfast’s musical heritage through its gig posters, rare artefacts and memorabilia — with stars including 1950s crooner Ruby Murray, Troubles-inspired punk band Stiff Little Fingers, pop group Girls Aloud and east Belfast’s very own Van Morrison.
12:30pm: Lunch and a pint at Kelly’s Cellars
There’s no beating Irish pub craic (Gaelic for ‘fun’ or ‘entertainment’) and Kelly’s Cellars has it in spades. This historic pub, located in the city centre, dates back to 1720 and offers just one item on the food menu — a hearty Irish stew, best paired with a creamy pint of Guinness. But get there early, as the stew sells out fast. Saturday lunchtimes include live music in the courtyard, but if you miss it, then there are lively evening renditions of traditional music Tuesday to Sunday.
1:30pm: Visit Crumlin Road Gaol
Crumlin Road Gaol dates back to 1845 and housed prisoners for some 150 years before its eventual closure in 1996. Having re-opened as a tourist attraction in 2012, visitors can now delve into the gruesome history of Northern Ireland’s only remaining Victorian-era prison. Explore the historic hanging cell and prison wings, the underground tunnel to the courthouse and even the graveyard, before a trip to the on-site whiskey distillery.
3pm: Follow the Belfast Traditional Music Trail
The island of Ireland is perhaps known best for its traditional folk music sessions, where locals get together in pubs to perform songs that often date back centuries. You can really get under the skin of this musical genre on the official Belfast Traditional Music Trail, which begins at Maddens Bar with a few pints of Guinness and an introduction to the instruments used in performances, like the uilleann pipes — Ireland’s version of Scottish bagpipes. Think of this as a pub crawl of sorts, which ends with an Irish dance and — you guessed it — more Guinness.
The best musicians from across Northern Ireland play nightly at Bert’s Jazz Bar.
Photograph by Elaine Hill
6pm: Dinner at Bert’s Jazz Bar
Transport yourself to 1930s New York at this brasserie-cum-jazz club at The Merchant Hotel. Bert’s is the city’s only dedicated jazz bar and, between 6pm and 8pm, seven nights a week, you can catch the early jazz session, when the best musicians from Northern Ireland and beyond play classic hits and try out new material. As for the food, it’s French bistro-style dining in a 1 AA Rosette restaurant. The early, three-course set menu offers superb value midweek at £35 per person.
8pm: Cocktails and live music in the Cathedral Quarter
Just behind Bert’s is arguably Belfast’s most lively corner: the Cathedral Quarter. Named after the cathedrals that pepper the area, it’s now a burgeoning arts and entertainment district where visits to quintessential Irish pubs, live music venues and buzzing cocktail bars are the order of the evening. For a whiskey-based cocktail, such as an old fashioned, The Harp Bar has you covered. And if it’s live music you’re after, make sure you head to The Black Box, an intimate space for up-and-coming bands.
Published in the November 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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