Belfast - Post Report Question and Answers

So many! Off the typical tourist track (you can read about those in any guidebook), Crawfordsburn Beach is great for families on a sunny day. The John Hewitt pub has the best music, Kelly's Cellars has regular Irish music (so does Maddens, but it is also quite Republican!), The Spainard is a really tiny pub but also really good, and White's is my favorite for the traditional Irish pub feel. Every spring bank holiday weekend there is a Festival of Fools, where street performers from around the world converge on Belfast and put on shows for free. Every Christmas there is a Continental Market selling German/Dutch/Polish/French/etc food, Christmas trinkets, and so forth, which is quite festive and fun. Queen's Film Theatre has a fantastic selection of classic, foreign, and art films, with reasonably priced tickets. Avoca, an Irish chain, serves the best scones in town. The Botanic Gardens are by far the best city park, although the Lagan Meadows are great for long walks or bike rides. Hiking up Cave Hill will give you the best view over the city. Kids love Belfast Zoo, and I think there's an indoor water park in Lisburn for them as well. Sawyers is a great foodie store. There's a great second-hand bookstore on North Street. Trains to Dublin are cheap as long as you buy tickets three or so days in advance. The best thing in Belfast is St George's Market, an indoor market open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It has live music on Saturday mornings and stalls with local crafts and goods as well as food and dessert stalls -- it's a great place to go shopping for unique birthday presents for the family back in the States. Also great for your weekly grocery shopping! - Nov 2014

There is a lot of natural beauty and a ton of historical sights. You can easily keep yourself busy ever weekend (and you would have to, if you really wanted to see everything). - Aug 2007