COUNTY ANTRIM

Belfast City (Beal Feirste) is the capital of Northern Ireland and is located in County Antrim. The city offers easy access with a choice of two airports. Located in the city at Belfast Lough is Belfast Harbour Airport, Belfast International Airport is 12 miles west of the city. At Belfast Port, harbour ferries arrive from Scotland and the U.K. History and politics play a major role in the fabric of Belfast, where the culture that has evolved here is different than other parts of Northern Ireland. It is rich in a diversity of cultures in art, music, dance, sports, shopping, attractions and historical sites. Once you are in Belfast, take advantage of what it has to offer, with a city tour bus or Black Taxi tours.

• City Hall is located on Donegall Square. It dominates the area with its magnificent architecture of classical renaissance style with fine Portland stone exterior and Italian marble interior. It was completed in 1903.
• Ulster Museum is noted for its Irish antiquities, Ulster history and displays of art, The Early Ireland Gallery (10,000 BC to 1,500 BC), and treasures from the Armada shipwreck, Girona.
• Linen Hall Library, located on Donegal Square, was established in 1788. It houses an Irish collection of over 20,000 volumes and a Robert Burns collection.
• Crown Liquor Saloon is the most famous pub in Belfast. The building is of Victorian architecture, with the outside covered in thousands of colorful tiles. The inside décor has stained and painted glass, carved oak screens and mahogany furniture.
• Grand Opera House offers a variety of musical programs.
• The Botanic Gardens, the rose gardens and herbaceous borders were established in 1920. Two greenhouses dominate the gardens. The Palm House has a conservatory containing tropical plants like coffee, sugar, and banana plants. The Tropical Ravine has a high walkway that provides a great viewpoint.
• Queen's University dates from 1849 and offers a Visitor Center with historical exhibitions. The architecture is something to be noted.
• St. Anne's Cathedral, an Anglican Church, was built between 1899 and 1927. It incorporates part of the original building. There are beautiful mosaics within the church.
• The Golden Mile has restaurants, galleries, entertainment venues, and pubs.
• Culturlann Macadam O'Fiaich, on the Falls Road, is Belfast's main Irish language arts center. There are many murals painted on the buildings that depict the plight of Irish Catholics from An Gorta Mor to the 21st Century.
• Fernhill House: The People's Museum tells the history of the Protestants in the Shankill District. The murals painted on the buildings depict their story over the past 30 years.
• Belfast Zoo houses 40 endangered species of animals. It has won national and international acclaim for rare animal breeding.
• Belfast Castle was built in 1870 and was the former home of the Donegall family. It offers a spectacular view of the city. There is a heritage center, antique shop, and children's play area on the premise.