1Take a Belfast black cab tour with a driver who lived through the Troubles8 visitors
Take a political black cab tour of Belfast; drivers explain the Troubles at murals, memorials and the Peace Wall. · Blog, 2025
Pick a Belfast black taxi guide who grew up in West Belfast for first-hand Troubles perspective. · Blog, 2025
Take a Belfast black taxi tour to understand the divided neighbourhoods, murals and peace walls. · Blog, 2024
Take a Belfast Black Cab Troubles tour with a driver who lived through it; it was a standout. · Blog, 2025
8 visitors here; showing 4 of the 6 who gave detail.
2Allow two to four hours for Titanic Belfast and book a timed ticket6 visitors
Allow plenty of time for Titanic Belfast; it spans four floors, and the sinking-causes and safety-reform section is worth seeking out. · Blog, 2025
Book Titanic Belfast online in advance; a Dublin to Belfast train day trip is feasible but the city is crowded. · Fodor's, 2024
Allow over two hours at Titanic Belfast; the kids' treasure hunt and ship ride kept a six-year-old engaged. · other, 2024
Buy timed tickets ahead for Titanic Belfast and Malahide Castle; arriving late meant rebooking. · Fodor's, 2019
6 visitors here; showing the 4 who gave detail.
3Avoid Belfast around the July 12th bonfires, and note that peace-wall gates close each evening2 visitors
Belfast's peace wall gates lock every evening at 8pm, so plan visits to divided neighbourhoods earlier in the day. · Blog, 2025
Check local rules for divided areas of Belfast, since some gates close at set times each night. · Blog, 2025
4In Belfast, browse St George's Market and drink at the Crown Liquor Saloon2 visitors
In Belfast, browse St George's Market, drink in the Entries, and see the Crown Liquor Saloon, a National Trust pub. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
Hire a Belfast black cab tour and visit St George's Market and the Titanic museum. · Fodor's, 2017
Ireland-wide tips people mentioned here (2)
1No car? Take a Causeway Coast day tour from Belfast or Dublin4 visitors
Book an all-day bus tour from Belfast that follows the coast, stopping at the Dark Hedges and Giant's Causeway. · Blog, 2023
A McCombs coach tour did Giant's Causeway, Dark Hedges and Ballintoy in under a day from Belfast. · Blog, 2018
4 visitors here; showing 2 of the 3 who gave detail.
2Do Belfast as a day trip from Dublin by train. It's about two hours each way3 visitors
Take the early train from Dublin Connolly, about 2.5 hours, to arrive near 10am; a Belfast bus day pass is about 5 pounds. · Blog, 2025
Take the train from Dublin to Belfast for a weekend; Belfast City Hall and Christmas Market are lit up in November. · Blog, 2023
Skip the car in Dublin; do Belfast as a train day trip and take the Black Cab tour. · Rick Steves forum
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Driving (1)
Drive the Antrim coast north of Carrickfergus for small glens; day trips from Belfast suit a rental car better than the city itself. · Rick Steves forum, 2021
Getting around (14)
Belfast Sunday buses are infrequent; missing one meant a 45-minute wait. · Fodor's, 2019
Book Irish Rail tickets online for a guaranteed seat; your name shows above it. Dublin to Belfast from Galway needs a station change. · TripAdvisor, 2023
Bus Belfast to Dublin Airport and rent there instead; one-way cross-border car hire fees are steep. · Rick Steves forum, 2021
Citylink buses did Belfast-Dublin-Galway; hostels stored bags, and an Uber to Dublin Airport was cheaper than the bus. · Blog, 2018
Fly into Belfast City Airport rather than International; he was at his city-centre hotel about 45 minutes after landing. · other, 2024
Fly into Belfast City Airport, not International 30 miles away; the Visitor Pass covers the city airport bus but not the other. · other
Get the Belfast Visitor Pass for public transport and attraction discounts, then take the train to Carrickfergus Castle. · other
Last train to Belfast arrives around midnight and the hostel walk is 30-40 minutes; plan transport. · TripAdvisor, 2022
On the Belfast-Derry train, sit on the right side for ocean views. · TripAdvisor, 2026
Pay a couple of euro extra for flexible Irish Rail tickets; the author caught an earlier Belfast train, and late trains are open seating anyway. · TripAdvisor, 2023
Return a rental at Belfast airport, then take a bus from Belfast Grand Central to the Glasgow ferry port. · Blog, 2024
Trains Dublin to Belfast, Dublin to Galway and Cork to Dublin worked well; connections elsewhere meant backtracking and sparse services. · Rick Steves forum, 2024
Trains were all on time; the Belfast to Dublin run takes about two hours. Pre-book buses and private tours since they sell out. · Rick Steves forum, 2025
Dublin to Galway or Belfast by train or bus costs about 20 euro (~$22), so no car is needed between cities. · Blog, 2023
Food & pubs (5)
At Belfast's Crown Liquor Saloon, eat in the quieter upstairs dining room instead of the packed ground-floor bar. · TripAdvisor, 2019
Belfast: only one pizza shop was open around 1am; eat before late arrivals. · TripAdvisor, 2022
Eat early with children: many Belfast places stopped serving food or turned away kids by about 8pm. · TripAdvisor, 2026
Reserve ahead for dinner at Flame in Belfast; steak and lemon tart praised. · Blog, 2025
Reserve dinners in Belfast; many restaurants stop serving around 9pm or are fully booked. · Fodor's, 2019
Sightseeing (3)
Belfast Titanic Museum was overpriced; Cliffs of Moher crowded with paths closed. · TripAdvisor, 2022
Dublinia suits children, with its Viking experience, and Belfast's private black cab tour pairs well with Titanic Belfast. · other
Walk Cave Hill for views over Belfast and the port. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
Where to stay (3)
Avoid lofted beds with curtains for toddlers (as at room2 hometel, Belfast); bedtime took two hours. Bring a travel cot. · Blog, 2025
Stay at The Harrison Chambers of Distinction in Belfast: friendly staff, good breakfast, rear parking and a pleasant neighbourhood. · Rick Steves forum, 2026
Stay at the Europa in Belfast for its central position. · Fodor's, 2017
Money (3)
Belfast restaurants may add a 12 percent service charge. · TripAdvisor, 2025
Belfast uses pounds sterling, the rest of Ireland euros. · Fodor's, 2024
Booking tours through Tripadvisor gave about 10 percent off, saving around 20 pounds over four days in Belfast. · other, 2023
Other (2)
Base in Dublin, Killarney and Galway and use day trips; Belfast works as a day trip by train. · Fodor's, 2017
The Points in Belfast for evening Irish music; Botanical Backpackers hostel has a good kitchen. · TripAdvisor, 2022