We visited Belfast for the first time this past May and had a fantastic experience! In this post, we’re sharing our 4 day itinerary for Belfast, so you can maximize the amount of time you have in the capital of Northern Ireland.
We’re sharing this itinerary in the exact same order we experienced it, but feel free to switch up the order of days to better suit your plans or the forecasted weather for your time in Northern Ireland.
This 4 day itinerary for Belfast is great for first timers visiting the area. If you follow it to a tee, you’ll learn a good deal about the history of Belfast, see the best parts of the city, eat some amazing food, and even take a day trip to the northern coast to see the famed Giant’s Causeway!
This 4 day itinerary for Belfast is designed so that you don’t have to jump around too much each day. You’ll get to thoroughly explore each area before moving on to the next.
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Getting Around Belfast
Your accommodations location will determine how to best get around Belfast, but there are generally 3 main options: Walking, buses, and taxis.
Some parts of the city are very walkable. For example, the historic city center where the Cathedral Quarter and St. George’s Market are located can easily be explored on foot (more on these sites below). The Titanic Quarter is relatively close to these areas as well and can also be traversed on foot.
However, you’ll likely need public transportation at some point during your trip to Belfast. The city has an efficient network of buses called Translink which is easy to navigate. You can easily get between the main attractions in the city center via the Translink if you don’t want to walk.
Thera are also a plethora of taxis available through a few different suppliers. Value Cabs, fonaCab, and Peter Pan Taxis are the most popular options. We mostly used fonaCab though, as they had a user-friendly app to book through, and we found them to be incredibly reliable and professional.
4 Day Itinerary for Belfast
Day 1 – Titanic Quarter
We personally like to hit the ground running as soon as we arrive to a new place – especially when a time zone change is involved. We do our best to push through the jet lag and resist taking naps upon arrival. This helps us adjust to the time zone quickly.
Day 1 will be spent exploring the Titanic Quarter, home to the world’s most comprehensive museum on the Titianic. We spent around 5 hours in this area as we waited to be able to check-in to our accommodations. This is especially easy to do if you’ll be flying into Belfast City Airport, which is only a short Taxi ride away from the Titanic Quarter.
Luggage Storage
We recommend taking the taxi to the Premiere Inn Hotel in the Titanic Quarter if you have any luggage, as the hotel doubles as a luggage storage location. You can reserve your spot in advance through Stasher, an easy to use app that helps you find luggage storage spaces around the world.
Lunch
If you’re wanting a nice hearty meal before you head over to the Titanic Museum, there is a Nando’s in the building right next door to the Premiere Inn. It was lovely walking along the water between the two buildings, especially after our 8 hour flight from the USA!
Our meal at Nando’s Belfast Odyssey was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere was botanical and cheery, and it was very spacious which was great after being cooped up on the plane.
Titanic Belfast
After filing your bellies, head over to the Titanic Belfast by following the waterway toward the museum (you can’t miss it!). Along the way, keep an eye out for the Glass of Thrones art installations which feature scenes from Game of Thrones!
Titanic Belfast is one of the top must-see experiences in Belfast. Belfast is where the Titanic was built and where it departed from for its fateful journey. The museum does an incredible job showing what it was like for local residents who built the Titanic and the key role ship building and industrial work had in Belfast’s history. You can easily spend 2-3 hours exploring this massive museum.
Titanic Belfast includes an indoor ride, suitable for all ages, that takes you on a journey through the shipyard as the ship was built. The museum also has recreations of the staterooms, a virtual tour of all levels of the ship, artifacts that were found in the shipwreck (including the violin that is said to have been played in the ship’s final moments), and photo opportunities along the way.
It is recommended that you book tickets in advance, since it is such a popular tourist stop in the area. If you aren’t too tired after exploring the museum, be sure to pop over to the SS Nomadic, the last White Star Line ship in the world that is located directly next to the museum.
The SS Nomadic is included in your ticket to the Titanic Museum. It is a nice way to round out the experience, as first and second class passengers of the Titanic would have boarded the SS Nomadic on embarkation day to be tendered over to the Titanic. It is often called the “mini Titanic”, as it has been restored to its full glory and painted in its original colors which match those of the Titanic.
Coffee and a Sweet Treat
After exploring the Titanic, head over to The Dock Cafe for a pick me up in the form of coffee, tea, and pastries. This quaint cafe has cozy seating throughout and operates on a donation box basis. This means you pay whatever you feel is appropriate. Our pastries from here were delicious!
Day 2 – Historical City Tour, Traditional Food, & C.S. Lewis Square
Day 2 of this 4 day itinerary of Belfast will be spent seeing more of the city and learning of its complex past. It ends at a park full of whimsy and a hopping eatery.
Historical City Tour
The best way to get a good understanding of the history (and thus the culture), is to take a guided tour of Belfast! We took a 3 hour bike tour of the city using Belfast Bike Tours and had a really enjoyable experience.
The tour takes you through the Titanic and Cathedral Quarters, over streets lined with stunning street art, and to the Peace walls which still stand today as an ever-present reminder of the deep divide which existed between Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods during The Troubles and still persist in some areas to this day.
The bike tour is a great way to learn about the history of Belfast and see some of the city’s most interesting landmarks. We recommend this tour for anyone who is regularly active, as there are some hills involved.
Amanda, who regularly rides bikes, absolutely loved the tour. Kayla, who hadn’t ridden a bike in over 10 years, was quite winded and sore afterward. While the tour company was incredibly accommodating to Kayla’s 2 year old, the ride was a little too long (and chilly in May) for little ones.
Belfast Bike Tours end at a space called MayWe, a new cultural events center that offers a place where all feel welcome. The large space was bustling during our visit with a few workshops going on, a kids play space, a cafe, and quiet work spaces.
It was the perfect space to warm up after our long bike ride in the chilly weather and the staff were very kind in making us feel at home and explaining all their amenities!
If bicycles aren’t your thing, Black Taxi Tours are another great way to learn about the city’s history. While we didn’t experience this tour ourself, you’ll find them recommended on a number of travel sites, including the Visit Belfast tourism website.
Lunch
No matter what kind of tour you take though, you’re bound to be hungry by the end of it! We had a fantastic lunch at McHugh’s, whose bar dates back to 1711 and is the oldest surviving building in Belfast!
The downstairs area is a traditional Irish bar, with the upstairs housing a restaurant serving up delicious traditional food. McHugh’s is known for being one of the best places to eat in Belfast and offers live music and traditional dancing on select nights!
While you’re in the area of McHugh’s, you’ll get a chance to snap some pics with 2 iconic Belfast landmarks: Albert Memorial Clock and The Big Fish. Albert Memorial Clock is a clock tower modeled after Big Ben which dates back to the 1860s. The Big Fish is exactly that – a large fish made of a blue tiled mosaic that depicts the history of Belfast.
C.S. Lewis Square
After lunch, grab a taxi and head over to C.S. Lewis Square. The famous author of The Chronicles of Narnia series was from Belfast, and there is a fantastic little park dedicated to him on the outskirts of town. Throughout the park, there are several large metal statues from C.S. Lewis’s most famous work, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
Kayla’s daughter was SO EXCITED to see Aslan and the other characters from the book, since they’d read it in preparation for the trip.
Get A Unique Souvenir
While we were in the area, we couldn’t resist stopping in Monday’s Child, the first permanent jewelry vendor in Ireland. We got the cutest matching welded anklets to commemorate our trip and friendship. There were other groups of besties making matching charm bracelets while we were there.
If you’re wanting to do something memorable on your girl’s trip to Belfast, but don’t want to commit to something as permanent as a tattoo, this is a fantastic option!
Dinner
For dinner, head over to Bullhouse East. Just a couple of blocks away from CS Lewis Park, Bullhouse East is Belfast’s first permanent taproom and has absolutely delicious stone fired pizzas. Check out their social media page to stay in the loop on special events going on during your visit. This cool hangout spot is both kid-friendly and dog-friendly!
Day 3 – Day Trip to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge & The Giant’s Causeway
No trip to Northern Ireland is complete without a visit to its dramatic coast that is draped with jaw dropping cliffs, unusual stone precipices, and beautiful views of the ocean.
We wrote a whole post on our Day Trip from Belfast to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and the Giant’s Causeway, but we’ve also put the highlights below:
The most popular day trip option to see these natural phenomenons is one that primarily focuses on the Giant’s Causeway. There are plenty of tours like this one, that will transport you from Belfast to the Causeway and back again.
We opted for renting a car though so we could also stop at Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (closed to tour groups). It was one of our favorite parts of our 2 week trip through Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales! In fact, it was Amanda’s favorite day of the whole trip!
About the Route
The scenic route from Belfast to the Causeway is known as the Causeway Coastal Route or the Antrim Coast Road. It takes approximately 2 hours to traverse each way. There is a more direct route that goes straight through Northern Ireland, but the views along it has a scenery of rolling hills dotted with sheep than the coast.
We recommend taking the Coastal Route to the Giant’s Causeway and the more direct route on the way back to get the best of both worlds.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Reservations are required for Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, as they only allow a small number of people on the bridge at a time. Near the car park is a cafe with restrooms in a separate space below. You’ll want to stop and go before you begin your trek, as there are no other toilets along the way!
The walk to the bridge is a leisurely 30ish minute walk, though there are several stairs along the way (no problem going down, but tiring on the way back up!). There are several photo ops along the way of the beautiful rugged coastline and benches if you need a wee rest.
We were blown away by the incredible views from the bridge and the cliff it connects to. Crossing the bridge was an adrenaline rush, but we felt completely safe walking across it. Kayla’s 2 year old even crossed “the wiggly bridge”!
We would definitely recommend adding the rope bridge as a stop on the way to the Giant’s Causeway. We actually liked it more in the end than the Causeway!
The Giant’s Causeway
From the rope bridge, it’s only around a 15 minute drive to the Giant’s Causeway. As you get closer to the Causeway, you’ll see signs for parking. We opted to park in one of the advertised lots, but discovered afterward that we could have parked at the visitor center and been a little closer.
There are 3 ways you can experience the Giant’s Causeway: An accessible short trail to a viewpoint, a 25 minute walk to the Causeway along a paved path (with one flight of stairs leading to the pathway), and a 35 minute walk to the Causeway along a non-paved path with stairs toward the end.
We opted for the paved path which put us level with the shoreline for most of the trek. As you approach the areas with the famous hexagonal stones, you’ll have a rocky beach on one side and enormous hills looming over you on the other. It was easy to imagine that giants might be living among the hills!
We had a fun time looking at the stones with their unusual shape, and Kayla’s daughter had fun jumping in the muddy puddles pretending she was Peppa Pig. A lot of the stones did have standing water on them, so it’s advisable that you wear shoes with good treads to prevent slipping.
While visitors are mostly left to roam at their own free will, it is a wild natural landscape. We saw a few people being scolded by staff for trying to take pics in areas that were more dangerous.
By the time we were finished with the Giant’s Causeway, it was time to head back to Belfast. We wanted to avoid driving after dark since it was our first time driving in the UK!
The Giant’s Causeway is said to have been built by 2 giants – one who resided in Ireland and another who lived in Scotland. They bridged the space between them with the Giant’s Causeway so they could settle once and for all who was the better giant. If you have kids, read to them The Tall Tale of the Giant’s Causeway before your trip, so they can know the funny story surrounding the place they’re visiting!
Day 4 – St. George’s Market, the Cathedral Quarter, and Traditional Irish Dancing
The last day of this 4 day itinerary for Belfast is spent exploring the historic city center a bit more and ends with dinner and a show!
Breakfast & Shopping at St. George’s Market
St. George’s Market is open Friday through Sunday and is a MUST if your schedule allows for it. Here you will be able to eat a traditional Belfast Bap for breakfast as well as other tasty food and find unique, locally made souvenirs that don’t feel touristy.
St. George’s Market is the place to go if you want to treat yourself or buy a gift for someone else. We both found souvenirs at the market for ourselves that we adore. Kayla bought an antique vesta case in the shape of a book from an antique vendor, and Amanda found a gorgeous necklace made from hand-pressed locally grown flowers!
City Hall
A lot of City Halls are boring, but not the one in Belfast! The inside of Belfast City Hall features a stunning domed ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows. You can also learn a little bit about the city and sit in a throne-like chair for a photo op. Be sure to ask about their free guided tours if you want to delve a little deeper into the city’s history!
If you’re lucky, there will be a market going on in the space surrounding the building. We just happened to be there during the Spring Continental Market, which featured numerous vendors selling yummy snacks and interesting goods.
Cathedral Quarter
If you do a city tour on Day 1, it will likely stop through the Cathedral Quarter, but today you’ll get to spend more time wandering through the area. As cliché as it sounds, the best thing to do is get lost in the network of streets lined with pubs and street art.
If you’re all about the Instagrammable pics, you’ll want to stop on the umbrella street – a pedestrian street lined with pubs and topped with neon umbrellas. After passing through the cobbled street, we also happened upon a graffiti contest nearby which was fun to see. The whole area is popping off, so you won’t find yourself without something to eat, do, or see!
Since we ate lunch at the market by City Hall, we didn’t get to eat at any of the places we had on our list. But here are a few places we heard great things about that are in the Cathedral Quarter:
- The Duke of York – Irish pub on umbrella street that is considered a Belfast institution.
- Dirty Onion and Yardbird – The Dirty Onion offers food, drink, and entertainment 7 days a week. The Yardbird is located above The Dirty Onion and serves up mouthwatering rotisserie chicken.
- Common Market – Bar and street food market with international flavors and a buzzing atmosphere.
Rhythms and Tales of Belfast Dinner Show
We wanted to hear some live traditional music and see Irish dancing during our trip, but had a hard time finding a place that would be suitable for a toddler. We found the Rhythms and Tales of Belfast dinner show last minute, and reserved our places even though we couldn’t find a lot of info on it. It was the BEST decision!
Rhythms and Tales of Belfast is a show where you are served an Irish inspired dinner followed by traditional music and Irish dancing. Through storytelling, you learn the history behind the songs and dances and in turn learn more about the history of Belfast in general.
The show is intimately set in Culturlaan, the Irish language center in the heart of Belfast. It is not a hokey touristy event. Everyone involved has a genuine passion for authentically sharing the local culture and identity, which we appreciated.
Rhythms and Tales of Belfast was a truly spectacular way to end our trip in Belfast. The food was delicious. The music was fabulous. And the dancing was an absolute joy to watch. We didn’t want the night to end!
Have anything we should add to our 4 day itinerary for Belfast? Let us know in the comments below so we can add it to our itinerary for our next visit!
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Belfast is on my bucket list. This is a great and informative post
What a great itinerary! Belfast has been on my list for awhile and thumbs was great!
This is amazing. I haven’t been here yet but I saved it so I can use ti when I do visit!
Great mix of active adventures and city explorations. We haven’t made it to Belfast on our various Ireland trips. Looks like a great spot to add to our list.
I’ve wanted to visit Ireland for so long now! I’m saving this for my future trip planning.
This is a great itinerary. You have food, you have outdoors, you have tours, you have it all! I especially loved the rope bridge! How cool is that.
I love the Irish dancing so much – it would be great to attend Rhythms and Tales of Belfast! Actually, ever since my last trip to the Emeral Isle I was dreaming to return – hopefully, can make it there soon. Thanks for sharing!
this looks like such an awesome itinerary for Belfast – although i think i could spend months here and still never be bored, the landscape is a BEAUTY!
What an epic itinerary. i like the idea of doing a bike tour in the city to see all the interesting landmarks. And that rope bridge looks amazing.
Loved all of this information. It seems to have included everything.