Belfast travel guide

Belfast Tourism | Belfast Guide

You're Going to Love Belfast

With a population of 274,770, Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom by the number of inhabitants. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country.

Where to Eat in Belfast

City Centre is the neighbourhood with the most restaurants in Belfast. These include popular favourites such as Hell Cat Maggies (2 Donegall Square West), Nico's Pizzeria Restaurant (54 Lisburn Rd) and Bank Square Brasserie (56-58 Berry Street). If you’re looking for affordable options, Top Blade (St Anne's Square) and EDŌ (3 Capital House Upper Queen Street) are great picks. Families with children usually love to dine at Binkys (Old Dundonald Rd), while couples can enjoy the romantic atmosphere of Jospers at Ten Square (Ten Square Hotel), in City Centre. For delicious green meals, The Bowery (701-703 Lisburn Road) and Margot (18 Donegall Square East) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Belfast.

When to visit Belfast

Belfast in January
Estimated hotel price
C$ 126
1 night at 3-star hotel
Belfast in January
Estimated hotel price
C$ 126
1 night at 3-star hotel

Looking for warm weather? Then head to Belfast in July, when the average temperature is 16 °C, and the highest can go up to 20 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 2 °C, with an average temperature of 5 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in October, when precipitation is around 90 mm. In contrast, April is usually the driest month of the year in Belfast, with an average rainfall of 50 mm.

Data provided by weatherbase
Temperatures
Temperatures
Average
Celcius (°C)
Data provided by weatherbase

How to Get to Belfast

Plane

Belfast is served by 2 airports: Belfast City Airport (BHD) and Belfast Intl Airport (BFS). The closest to downtown Belfast is Belfast City Airport, which is located 4 km from the city centre. Further away is Belfast Intl Airport, 20 km from the centre of Belfast.

Train

Located 0.8 km from the city centre, Belfast Central Railway Station is the busiest station in Belfast. Another popular train station is Belfast Great Victoria Street, located 0.5 km from the centre.

Car

Another option to get to Belfast is to pick up a car rental from Edinburgh, which is about 229 km from Belfast. You’ll find branches of GREEN MOTION and Easirent, among others, in Edinburgh.

Bus

The most popular bus station is Belfast Belfast Stena Terminal, located 5 km from downtown Belfast. Belfast Albert Quay is also a commonly used station, and is 1.9 km from the city centre.

Airports near Belfast

Airlines serving Belfast

Lufthansa
Good (2,619 reviews)
KLM
Good (407 reviews)
British Airways
Good (1,771 reviews)
Delta
Good (3,401 reviews)
Iberia
Good (1,047 reviews)
Air France
Good (508 reviews)
Qatar Airways
Good (1,471 reviews)
Ryanair
Good (2,102 reviews)
Aer Lingus
Good (489 reviews)
Malaysia Airlines
Good (81 reviews)
easyJet
Good (750 reviews)
Japan Airlines
Excellent (584 reviews)
Qantas Airways
Good (238 reviews)
American Airlines
Good (4,769 reviews)
Virgin Atlantic
Good (401 reviews)
Kenya Airways
Good (55 reviews)
Jet2
Excellent (44 reviews)
Loganair
Excellent (6 reviews)
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Where to stay in Belfast

From 5-star hotels such as the The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast to great affordable options like the Hampton by Hilton Belfast City Centre, Belfast offers a range of accommodations for every taste. Average rates range from around C$ 137 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to C$ 221 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Lagan Backpackers and Belfast City Backpacker Hostel.

Where to stay in popular areas of Belfast

Most booked hotels in Belfast

Shelleven Guest House
Excellent (9.3, Excellent reviews)
C$ 127+
The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast
Excellent (9, Excellent reviews)
C$ 239+
Clandeboye Lodge Hotel
Excellent (9, Excellent reviews)
C$ 233+
The Old Inn Crawfordsburn
Excellent (9, Excellent reviews)
C$ 258+
Europa Hotel
Excellent (8.6, Excellent reviews)
C$ 180+
Ennislare Guest House
Excellent (8.3, Excellent reviews)
C$ 117+
See all hotels

Renting a car in Belfast

You’re likely to save money by renting your car at the airport: locations in the city are, on average, 17% more expensive than at Belfast City.

Expect to pay C$ 2.45 per litre in Belfast (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between C$ 29.29 and C$ 39.05. The most frequently booked car type in Belfast is Economy (Class Economy Car or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Mini rental cars (Class Mini Car or similar) are, on average, 71% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.