54413IRE
Belfast sightseeing
- Any entrances are to be paid by the group.
- Do your city sightseeing of Belfast and then give free time in the centre for lunch and exploring. Drop off/pick up at City Hall, Donegall Square.
- Another lunch option is Dublin, if you focus on arriving early.
- The Hill of Tara, site of the Celtic High Kings of Ireland, makes a fascinating stop between Belfast and Dublin. You can book into the Visitor Centre (in the ex-church on way to site) for film (small charge). Guided tours sometimes available. Visitor centre open late May to late September. There is also a shop, toilets and café near where coach parks.
- Advise group they need Euros for the Republic of Ireland, and Sterling for Northern Ireland.
- If not visiting Tara, a quicker road to Dublin is straight down M1/N1
Note: M1 to Dublin. Tara is off the M3.
Belfast – sightseeing with TM: A City Guide is generally booked but the duties may fall to the TM. Check your vouchers. If you are conducting the tour then plan your route in advance with your driver. Belfast is compact but be sure to have a good map.
Suggested Route/Stops
West Belfast
If your driver is familiar with the route, it is fascinating to drive through the Shankill Road/Falls Road areas of the city to see the Murals, pavement painting, peace wall etc.
Cathedral Quarter
Driving into the city centre you can go via Donegall Street past St. Anne’s Cathedral (Anglican). Started in 1899 but not completed until 1981, Belfast’s Anglican Cathedral is in the neo-Romanesque style. The Unionist leader Edward Carson, seen as one of the architects of partition, is buried here.
The Docks
The Custom House (1850’s, Lanyon), Lagan Weir (completed 1994 for £14mill) and the glass Lagan Lookout, beside he big fish monument are worth a look, by docks on West bank of Lagan.
Falls & Shankill Roads:
If your driver is familiar with the route, it is fascinating to drive through the Shankill Road/Falls Road areas of the city to see the Murals, pavement painting, peace wall etc.
Titanic Quarter
Over on Queen’s island, you can still see one of the dry docks where the Titanic and its sister ship Olympic were built. Good place for a photo. Lots of regeneration in this area now – for example the Odyssey Complex. Samson and Goliath are the two yellow cranes and are visible all over Belfast.
Titanic Experience
The Titanic Experience is seen as one of Europe’s best visitor attractions. The attraction is built in the shape of the ship within the dock yard where the Titanic was constructed. The attraction includes numerous audio visual opportunities and even a ride through recreated dockyards. Timed bookings and it does get very busy. Allow two hours for a visit. Café on site.
Contact: Group Prices Available, refer to website: www.titanicbelfast.com
Newtownards Road
On and around the Newtownards Road in East Belfast is the area associated with CS Lewis and Van Morrison. CS Lewis has a selection of statues associated with the Chronicles of Narnia on CS Lewis square, halfway up the Newtownards Road.
University Area
University road brings you to Belfast’s Queen’s University. They can get out and wander into the courtyards of the main building if they wish. A Student Union shop is opposite the main buildings and is sells college sweatshirts etc. The renovated Ulster Museum and the Botanical Gardens are both within a five minute walk.
Ulster Museum
Botanic Gardens, University District. Free Admission. Closed Mondays.
The national museum and art gallery of Northern Ireland has a good selection of Irish art, craft, textiles, a geological collection, local history exhibition.
Great Victoria Street
Return to the centre via Great Victoria Street. Belfast’s most famous pub, the Crown Liquor Saloon, with rich and exotic Victorian decoration is on the right. Opposite is the Grand Opera House, similarly ornate. Car-bombed in 1990’s this has since been re-built. This road, linking centre with University, is full of restaurants, bars and buzzing nightlife and is known as the Golden Mile.
City Centre
Set down in Donegall Square which surrounds City Hall. City Hall was built in the neo-classical style to commemorate granting of city status to Belfast by Queen Victoria in 1888 (admission free/public tours). This is the hub of Belfast, pedestrian shopping streets radiate off from here and people hang out on the lawns. Give free time and set a meeting point/time. Lots of banks, cafes and shops. City Hall opening hours Mon-Fri: 0830-1700. Sat & Sun:1000-1600 Public & bank holidays: closed.
Stormont
You could drive out to see this dominating building on the outskirts off B170, 5 miles East of City. Built 1932 this is home to Northern Ireland Assembly. You can walk freely in the extensive grounds and take photos of the exterior. Coaches will undergo a security check. Tours available 1100-1400: 028 905 21802
Tourist Information (NITB): Belfast Welcome Centre, 47 Donegall Square Tel:028 9024 6609 Toilets are available within the City Hall, which also has a café. www.visitbelfast.com
County Antrim Attractions (both Giants Causeway & Bushmills are 1.5 hours from Belfast)
Giant’s Causeway – visit
Upon arrival a member of the Causeway staff will greet you at the set down point, with tickets and advise concerning procedure. Keep the whole group together as they will address your group on how the audio guides system works. Then the whole group will enter through the coach park side of the visitor center where they will be handed their audio guides. Make a rendezvous for departure and point out the facilities before the group head off on the way to the Causeway. The entrance includes the museum. It is a half-mile walk along a well-surfaced, if steep, road to the Causeway. Allow at least an hour and a half for the visit. A two-mile circular walk is also possible along the cliff path to the Shepherd’s Steps and back via the Causeway. There are other paths continuing further along the coast taking in more geological formations and viewpoints.
If any passengers cannot manage the descent there is a regular shuttle bus, which has a charge of £1 each way.
The Giants Causeway is a highly unusual geological formation sloping from the foot of cliffs into the sea. In legend it was created by the hero Fionn McCumhaill as a land bridge to Scotland, allegedly to allow him to romance a Scottish giantess on Isle of Staffa. More exactly the 37,000 polygonal columns were the result of volcanic activity 60 million years ago and have since been eroded by the sea.
Bushmills – visit
You will have a pre-booked time for your tour. On arrival set down and make a rendezvous for departure. Lead the group into the distillery where the tour will start with an audio-visual presentation. A guided tour (25 min) follows and the visit finishes in the bar for a free tasting of the whiskey. The tours have a capacity of 18 people and are scheduled to run every 10 minutes so larger groups may have 2 different starting times. Allow at least 1 ½ hours for the visit. There is a bar and coffee shop but booking is essential for lunch.
Bushmills is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, producing a malt and two blends. It was granted its license in 1608 during the reign of King James I (James VI), but distilling on the site by the River Bush is recorded as far back as 1276. St. Columb’s Rill rises in peaty ground and provides a pure supply of water. www.bushmills.com