All it takes is half a day to discover Northern
Ireland’s wondrous capital city—Belfast. Raul Dias shows you how!
By Raul Dias
8am
Start off your Belfast innings with a typical early morning Irish Fry Up breakfast of soda bread, eggs, bacon, sausages and baked beans. The Duke of York Pub in the city’s historic Half Bap area is an iconic spot that serves up one of the best fry ups in the city.
Start off your Belfast innings with a typical early morning Irish Fry Up breakfast of soda bread, eggs, bacon, sausages and baked beans. The Duke of York Pub in the city’s historic Half Bap area is an iconic spot that serves up one of the best fry ups in the city.
9am
Take in the colourful street art and murals that can be seen adorning the walls of buildings that dot the leafy neighbourhood of East Belfast, especially on the corner of Dee St and Newtownards Rd.
Take in the colourful street art and murals that can be seen adorning the walls of buildings that dot the leafy neighbourhood of East Belfast, especially on the corner of Dee St and Newtownards Rd.
11am
Enjoy a little pre-lunch treat by going shopping! The huge Victoria Square Shopping Centre and Castle Court on Royal Avenue are two of Belfast’s best malls to lose yourself in. But for those of you who prefer to go antique hunting, then Donegall Pass is THE place, while Smithfield Market is a haven for bric-a-brac aficionados. For jewellery fiends, look no further than Queen’s Arcade, while the lovers of expensive baubles, art and home décor must make a pilgrimage to Lisburn Road that is also fondly referred to as the Diamond Mile of Belfast.
Enjoy a little pre-lunch treat by going shopping! The huge Victoria Square Shopping Centre and Castle Court on Royal Avenue are two of Belfast’s best malls to lose yourself in. But for those of you who prefer to go antique hunting, then Donegall Pass is THE place, while Smithfield Market is a haven for bric-a-brac aficionados. For jewellery fiends, look no further than Queen’s Arcade, while the lovers of expensive baubles, art and home décor must make a pilgrimage to Lisburn Road that is also fondly referred to as the Diamond Mile of Belfast.
1pm
‘Do’ a leisurely lunch like the locals at the St Georges Market Bar. Stop in here for a pint of ale and chase it with a plate of freshly shucked oysters and finish it all off with a potent shot of the whiskey-laced Irish coffee.
‘Do’ a leisurely lunch like the locals at the St Georges Market Bar. Stop in here for a pint of ale and chase it with a plate of freshly shucked oysters and finish it all off with a potent shot of the whiskey-laced Irish coffee.
2pm
Walk off that lunch by taking a short stroll down to the Titanic Quarter, 10 minutes from the city centre along Queen’s Road for a tryst with Titanic Belfast. This fascinating museum is housed in the former Harland & Wolff shipyard, the exact same place where the seemingly un-sinkable leviathan of a vessel was constructed. The building contains more than 130,000 sq ft of floor space, most of which is occupied by the dry dock where the ship was built, as well as by a series of galleries including a replica of Titanic’s 5th and 6th floor banqueting suite.
Walk off that lunch by taking a short stroll down to the Titanic Quarter, 10 minutes from the city centre along Queen’s Road for a tryst with Titanic Belfast. This fascinating museum is housed in the former Harland & Wolff shipyard, the exact same place where the seemingly un-sinkable leviathan of a vessel was constructed. The building contains more than 130,000 sq ft of floor space, most of which is occupied by the dry dock where the ship was built, as well as by a series of galleries including a replica of Titanic’s 5th and 6th floor banqueting suite.
3pm
Bask in the warm afternoon sun at one of Belfast’s most popular natural attractions. Spread over 28 acres, the lush Botanic Gardens in the south end of the city is the place to take in the beauty of nature, one fecund plant at a time after a hectic day traipsing around the city. Designed by Sir Charles Lanyon and completed in 1840, the gardens today house the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine.
Bask in the warm afternoon sun at one of Belfast’s most popular natural attractions. Spread over 28 acres, the lush Botanic Gardens in the south end of the city is the place to take in the beauty of nature, one fecund plant at a time after a hectic day traipsing around the city. Designed by Sir Charles Lanyon and completed in 1840, the gardens today house the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine.
5pm
One of the best places to get a feel of Belfast’s music pulse is at the Oh Yeah Music Centre that houses The Belfast Music Exhibition which takes you on a unique journey—from Ruby Murray to Snow Patrol, by way of Stiff Little Fingers, Dana and Clodagh Rogers, via The Divine Comedy, Ash and The Undertones. This exhibition tells of the glorious achievements and diverse musical talents that Belfast has produced over the years.
One of the best places to get a feel of Belfast’s music pulse is at the Oh Yeah Music Centre that houses The Belfast Music Exhibition which takes you on a unique journey—from Ruby Murray to Snow Patrol, by way of Stiff Little Fingers, Dana and Clodagh Rogers, via The Divine Comedy, Ash and The Undertones. This exhibition tells of the glorious achievements and diverse musical talents that Belfast has produced over the years.
6pm
This city by the River Lagan puts on a spectacular show as the sun bids adieu. Start your tryst at the stunningly lit up City Hall. This mighty edifice and Northern Ireland’s pride and joy located in the heart of the city centre on Donegall Square first opened its doors on 1 August 1906. Take a tour exploring its inner bowels where local Belfastians register births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships.
This city by the River Lagan puts on a spectacular show as the sun bids adieu. Start your tryst at the stunningly lit up City Hall. This mighty edifice and Northern Ireland’s pride and joy located in the heart of the city centre on Donegall Square first opened its doors on 1 August 1906. Take a tour exploring its inner bowels where local Belfastians register births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships.
8pm
Treat yourself to a Titanic-themed nine course dinner hosted nightly at the stately Rayanne House restaurant and inn, housed in the city’s very own Hollywood neighbourhood. Indulge in a champagne-lubricated meal served on Royal Doulton crockery that is composed of haute cuisine dishes like the exotic salad course of asparagus and watercress with roast squab and the sublime sixth entrée course of pan-seared filet mignon topped with foie gras and truffles among other delicious courses. All this, finally climaxing with the dessert course of spiced peaches in chartreuse jelly and French vanilla ice cream. How’s that for decadence at its best?
Treat yourself to a Titanic-themed nine course dinner hosted nightly at the stately Rayanne House restaurant and inn, housed in the city’s very own Hollywood neighbourhood. Indulge in a champagne-lubricated meal served on Royal Doulton crockery that is composed of haute cuisine dishes like the exotic salad course of asparagus and watercress with roast squab and the sublime sixth entrée course of pan-seared filet mignon topped with foie gras and truffles among other delicious courses. All this, finally climaxing with the dessert course of spiced peaches in chartreuse jelly and French vanilla ice cream. How’s that for decadence at its best?
(An edited version of this column first appeared in the 9th June 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/weekend/12-hours-in-belfast?fbclid=IwAR2YHMVSKszWWD2CcPfB-KpLUw1jAl7Hk7l-dVVRwlfmMeJQ0VbNmhi1Of4)
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