Belfast Travel Guide & Tourist Information

The city of Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Originally a market town, Belfast quickly developed into an industrial and vibrant city in the nineteenth century. The city remains divided by walls of separation barriers, creating a strong division between Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. The walls have been placed there in order to reduce violence levels between Protestants and Catholics.

Belfast has many attractions to offer visitors to the city and the level of tourism has increased significantly since 2001. A landmark in the area is the Albert Memorial Clock Tower which was built in the early 1960's following the death of Prince Albert. The tower appears slanted and leans over to one side however; construction work is being carried out to correct this occurrence in order for it to stand vertically.

Another historic building that a tourist must visit is Belfast Castle! Built in 1870, the castle is open to the general public and you will find two stylish restaurants within the castle alongside a heritage centre, providing local and historic information. In addition to this, there is also a children's play area. From the castle you will encounter magnificent views of the entire city and visitors can take long walks that lead to the cliff, formally known as Napoleon's Nose.

If you would like to embark upon beautiful garden landscapes then Botanic Garden is the place to be, situated near Queen's University. Made in 1827, Botanic Garden is widely known for its Palm House where the iron and glass hothouse is kept which is in direct partnership with the London Kew Garden and the Dublin Botanic Garden as they all share the same designer, Charles Lanyon. Here you will find a range of tropical plants and rose beds and every year there are brass band's which perform in the summer.

Family fun can be enjoyed at Aunt Sandra's Candy Factory, where visitors get the chance to see and understand how candy was originally made. Once you have entered the sweet shop you will be surrounded by candy scents, sights and sounds as the chocolates are all hand made, using recipes that go back hundreds of years. The sweet shop itself, remains in the same condition as it did when it opened over 50 years ago. Visitors can participate in guided tours and are able to sample test the various varieties of candy, making it an enjoyable experience for both adults and children, especially if you have a sweet tooth.

For shopping, you can visit Westfield (Castle Court) Shopping Centre located in the heart of the city. The indoor shopping centre houses many popular retail stores including Wallis, Debenhams, Tk Maxx, Quicksilver, Dorothy Perkins, Argos, Bay Trading, Gap, New Look, Miss Selfridge, Vero Moda and many more exciting high street brands. To accompany this are also restaurants such as Subway, Bagel Factory, Starbucks, Juiced, Ben & Jerry's, BB's Café Bakery and you can also find food and drink facilities in Debenhams. Westfield Shopping Centre is open every day of the week, although opening hours vary daily.