If you have read some of my other entries, you'll know that I have a Christmas family tradition each year, where I go on a European city break with my mum, dad and partner, do a spot of Christmas market shopping, visit some well known tourist attractions, and sample the local bars and restaurants. Well 2017 was no different, except this year we were pushed for time and our budget was tight so we decided to stay in the UK. We were debating for a long time between Edinburgh, Belfast and Bristol, but to save me the long drive, and as my Mum has always wanted to see the titanic museum, we chose Belfast. It was a quick and easy 40 minute flight, which is a lot shorter than what we were all used to, so it was a breath of fresh air for us all. None of us had been to Belfast before, but it is a place that all 4 of us want to go back to, and here's why..
One thing that you definitely need to do if you visit Belfast is the Titanic Experience. It's very insightful and tells you the story of the Titanic from the original plans to it's final moments. There are also interactive exhibitions and videos and an attraction ride, all included in the price of the ticket. Adult tickets cost £18. There is so much to see and do here, so allow at least half a day. The building itself is also in the shape of the Titanic and is a photographer's paradise! There is a cafe/bar and souvenir shop there which are a little pricey, but I think this is the same with most big tourist attractions. I chose to visit in the morning and went to the cafe for breakfast before hand. Yes it was quite expensive, but I can honestly say that it was one of the nicest full English breakfasts I've ever had.
The whole point of my trip to Belfast, was to do a spot of Christmas shopping. I went to the Christmas market on a Saturday night and it was stupidly busy! Most of the things sold on the stalls were exactly what you'd find at any other European Christmas market, but it's still well worth a visit. After all, Christmas is an excuse to eat your body weight in chocolate, and this is the perfect place to do it! (The massive hot dogs were pretty decent too!) The market is very easy find, it's held right outside of the City Hall which is easily accessible by public transport, and is on pretty much every bus route.
Another tourist attraction that I really wanted to visit was Crumlin Prison. It was in use during the times of "The Troubles" and has since shut down and reopened to the public. It has many of it's original features and gives you a real in sight to what life was like for prisoners during the times of the troubles. Tickets are £12 per adult if bought on the door or £9 if booked online in advance. This price includes a guided tour of the Prison which lasts around an hour. My tour guide was called Rory. He kept the tour lighthearted but still very informative. In my opinion this is well worth the price and is a must for anyone visiting Belfast. I always think you gain more out of a city break if you learn about the culture of the city and it's people whilst you're there. You'll find that you go home with many more stories to tell and this is the main reason for me recommending a lot of places so highly.
On the Sunday morning I chose to visit Belfast Castle. It is a little out of the centre, but it's easily accessible by public buses. Route number 1 takes you closest. Once you get off the bus, it's around a 15 minute walk to the castle, but brace yourself as it's all uphill and most of it is a very steep climb! Once you get to the castle, it is very pretty to look at from the outside, and the views are lovely, however there's not much to see inside which was a bit of an anti climax after the gruelling walk up to it! It's a nice place to have lunch though, and they usually offer a traditional home made Sunday roast. However this isn't available around Christmas time, as they cash in and offer a Christmas dinner instead, which is the same thing ... but for £55 per person! Anyway, back to the point, would I recommend visiting Belfast castle? Yes and No, depending on what you are looking for. If you want an enchanting, fairy tale inspired castle, then you would be very disappointed, but if like me, you like pretty views, Instagram worthy buildings and some decent food, then yes go for it! If you have a bit of spare time and you want to get out of the manic city centre, then why not take a visit.
During my time in Belfast, one major thing stood out to me for all the right reasons, and that was how friendly the people were! Everywhere I went, I was greeted with a smile, a friendly hello and people trying to be helpful. I knew that if I was looking for something, I could ask any passerby and was always offered helped. I have never met such friendly, happy people. There was one lovely gent that deserves a shout out. He was a local bus driver who knew all of Belfast like the back of his hand! Over the 2 days I was there, I got on his bus 3 times, and each time he remembered me and my family. He offered advise on where to go, what to see, how to get there, and the cheapest way to do it. He also purposely waited for us for 2 minutes at the bus stop, as he saw us walking down the hill towards him after leaving the castle! I can honestly say that I never expected to meet such a kindhearted person who actually made my weekend that little bit better. So thank you for your kind hospitality, and I hope that one day our paths cross again, and I can repay the favour. The people and the atmosphere alone, are a reason to visit Belfast. If you want a decent, busy, local Irish pub with great food, a friendly atmosphere, upbeat Irish music and typical Irish banter, then Belfast is the place for you. If you want somewhere a bit more calm and reserved, then I would suggest staying away from the pubs, as they are all very busy, all day, everyday.
So one thing I like to do in all of my posts is to remain as non-bias as possible and explore every angle. Price factor always has an effect on whether people are likely to visit a place or not. In short, Belfast is a capital city in the UK, so of course prices are naturally going to be higher than other places in Europe. However activities and tourist attractions are quite cheap and good value for money and public transport is very cheap if you plan ahead and buy a day ticket. We payed £3 each which included all buses in Belfast. All tourist attractions are on a bus route so it's very easy to get around. Food and drink prices vary dramatically depending on where you are in the city. If you go to a tourist attraction, then of course food and drink prices are bound to be higher, but if you go to a traditional Irish pub, then you can expect to pay usual UK city prices. Slightly lower than London, but slightly higher than Coventry. In terms of getting to Belfast, I flew from Birmingham with Flybe, which took 40 minutes and was £111 return. I thought this was a bit pricey considering the flight time, the lack of checked luggage, the fact that it was a tiny propeller plane, and the fact that I payed £36 for a return flight to Bratislava and got the same service and more. I opted to stay in an airbnb just outside of the centre, it had 2 double bedrooms and cost £48 per person for 2 nights. This was the first time I had used airbnb, but I will definitely do this on every city break in the future. It is much cheaper than staying in a hotel, and has some of your home comforts that you won't find in a hotel or hostel. So the weekend cost me £159 which isn't too bad for a city break, but I know there are cheaper travel deals outside of the UK.
So, all in all, would I recommend Belfast? 100%. The people, the atmosphere, the history, the attractions, the food, I could go on all day. I loved everything about Belfast. You don't have to travel far out of the city centre for some amazing views! The only slight negative I have is that if you just want to relax and wind down a little bit over the weekend but still go out and enjoy yourself, this can be quite difficult as the nightlife is busy and rowdy. Well to be honest it can be like that from 10am, but it can get a bit out of hand at night. So maybe for a family with young children, it might be harder to find something suitable, but overall it's such a lovely, friendly place that you just cannot over look. In the near future I will be writing a comparison piece between Belfast and Dublin so if you're still unsure whether Belfast ticks all the boxes for you, then give it a read and see what you think.
