Things to do in Belfast

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and its largest city. Situated on the banks of the River Lagan, it is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom and the second-largest in Ireland.

Belfast played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. When granted city status in 1888, it was already a major centre of linen, tobacco and rope production. Shipbuilding was also a key industry. For a brief time, Belfast was the world-leading producer of ocean liners, also building the RMS Titanic.

Following the partition of Ireland in 1921, Belfast became the seat of government for Northern Ireland. Belfast is still a port with commercial and industrial docks. Belfast today is noted for its aerospace and military missile industries.

Belfast has over 40 public parks. One of the most popular is the Botanic Gardens in the Queen’s Quarter. Built in the 1830s, the Botanic Gardens Palm House is one of the earliest examples of a cast-iron glasshouse. Other attractions in the park include rose gardens and live music events.

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, to the south of the city centre, attracts thousands of visitors each year to its International Rose Garden. Its’ 128 acres feature a Japanese garden, a walled garden, and the Golden Crown Fountain, commissioned in 2002.

Belfast Zoo is one of the few local government-funded zoos in the United Kingdom. and Ireland. The zoo is one of the top visitor attractions in Northern Ireland, receiving more than 295,000 visitors a year.

Most animal exhibits are classified as ‘at risk’ species due to the loss of their natural habitats. The zoo houses more than 1,200 animals of 140 species and carries out important conservation work and takes part in European and international breeding programmes which help to ensure the survival of many species under threat.

Belfast is home to many notable museums which proudly display the city’s heritage. HMP Belfast, also known as Crumlin Road Gaol, and known colloquially known as the Crum, is a former prison situated on Crumlin Road in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. Since 1996 it is the only remaining Victorian-era prison in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland War Memorial was opened in 2007 in Talbot Street and replaced an earlier building called Memorial House which was bombed during the Blitz in 1941. It contains the Home Front Exhibition and the first national memorial to the hundreds killed in the Belfast blitz.

The 1999 Heineken Cup champions Ulster Rugby play at Ravenhill Stadium in the south of the city.

Belfast has been home to the Stormont cricket ground since 1949 and was the venue for the Irish cricket team’s first-ever One Day International against England in 2006.

Belfast is home to one of the biggest British ice hockey clubs, the Belfast Giants. The Giants were founded in 2000 and play at the Odyssey Arena, where crowds normally range from 4,000 to 7,000.