We went to a lot of amazing places on our British Isles cruise but our day Belfast, Northern Ireland was probably our favorite of them all. I think this was a surprise to us and also comes as a surprise to a lot of people. Belfast is not a city that you hear a lot about, and to some people it still represents a dangerous and violent period in British Isles history.
What we found in Belfast was a charming little city with friendly people that was easy to navigate in and travel through. There is plenty to see in and around Belfast.
How We Got Around in Belfast
We arrived at Belfast via cruise ship, so we came into the port. It is worth watching from a deck as you sail into Belfast because it is located at the innermost part of the Belfast Lough so there is a lot to see on both sides as you sail in.
From the port our cruise line operated shuttles in conjunction with the local transportation service to the center of the city. Once there we went into the visitor center and got information from the people there on where to go and how to get there.
Belfast has a good transit system made up of bright pink double decker busses. From outside the visitor center or across the street at city hall you can catch buses to most places. Visitors can get a day pass for the busses for just 6 pounds 50 pence. Remember that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom so you use British currency here. That can be a little confusing if you have just been visiting Ireland and using Euros.
When we left the city of Belfast itself to visit Carrickfergus Castle we took one of the Northern Ireland Translink trains. These are the best way to get to other places in Northern Ireland.
A Note on the Giants Causeway: If you search for things to do near Belfast you are likely to be directed to the Giants Causeway which is one of the wonders of the natural world. Be aware that if you visit the Causeway it will likely take the whole day from Belfast. Because of this and the expense of getting there we did not visit the Causeway, but it does look like an amazing place to see if you can.
What We Did in Belfast
There is a lot you can do in Belfast and the surrounding area, and we had only one day so we had to pick and choose.
The first thing we did was go to the Titanic Belfast Museum. As part of its checkered history Belfast was the birthplace of the Titanic and its sister ships. Due the tragic demise of the Titanic the city has not talked much about its role in the ship’s creation until recently, but they now have an amazing museum dedicated to its history and memory. Read more about it in our full post.
You could easily spend a whole day at the Titanic museum because it is quite large, but we wanted to see some other things so we only spent a few hours there and then we took the bus to the train station and caught a train to Carrickfergus Castle.
Carrickfergus Castle is an amazingly well preserved little castle on the shore of Belfast Lough. The train only takes about 20-30 minutes to get there so we had plenty of time to explore the castle. You can read more about that adventure in our full post on it.
When we got back in to Belfast we then took a bus over to C.S. Lewis Square which was recently opened in honor of the author C.S. Lewis. This was a fun little place to visit and even though it is a little out of the way we recommend it for fans of the C.S. Lewis books. You can read more about it in our full post.
After visiting the square we took a bus back to the city center. As we were coming back it was getting a little late and it started pouring rain (it had been threatening all day). Because of the lateness and the rain we decided to just head back to the ship at that point, but there was a lot more in Belfast that we could have done if we had time.
Were We Safe in Belfast?
This is a question that a lot of people have because if you have heard of Belfast at all in the U.S. it is probably in relation to the radical Christian terrorist attacks that have place there in the past. Belfast as the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland can be a hotbed of political activity. This mostly relates to the issue of whether Protestant Northern Ireland should be part of the United Kingdom, or part of Catholic Ireland.
My understanding is that there is very little rioting that occurs in Belfast anymore and certainly we felt completely safe the entire we were there. We stayed in major parts of the city and everyone we met was very nice. Even though we happened to be in Belfast when Brexit talks were beginning and that could have ignited problems we did not have any issues or see any while we were there.
Sum Up
Belfast is an awesome city to visit even if you only have one day there. We highly recommend that you visit while you are in the British Isles.
