What to Do

Our dynamic capital city combines a unique blend of the past and future and offers heritage, culture, shopping, entertainment, renowned arts festivals and more. All this within a short journey of some of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes, affirming Belfast as a favourite destination for cruise passengers.

Northern Ireland is a compact region of differing traditions, with one shared common element - a genuine welcome for visitors. The scenery is truly breathtaking with an unsurpassed mix of landscape as mountain blends into sea and windswept moors become lush pastures. 

Spend a while amid the Victorian and Edwardian buildings of Belfast. Visitors are often surprised by how much there is to see and do in our compact and vibrant city. Choose from a variety of museums, art galleries, fine theatres and events to suit everyone. If shopping is on the agenda, then Belfast City centre is the ideal destination where an unrivalled concentration of leading international chains mixes with an excellent selection of local retailers selling the finest traditional gifts and goods.

Critical acclaim

The renowned Lonely Planet guidebook listed Belfast as ‘a City on the Rise’ and summed the city up best as ‘hip, historical and happening’.

Lonely Planet also recently confirmed Ireland as the world’s friendliest destination, and the people of Belfast - warm, genuine, funny and hospitable - are the city’s greatest visitor attraction. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that Belfast was voted third most popular city in the United Kingdom by readers of the Observer and Guardian newspapers.

Another leading travel guide publisher, Frommer’s, has also named Belfast in its top 12 world holiday destinations to visit in 2009, recognising the city’s renaissance and sophistication, already attracting visitors in their millions.