Agent Report: Belfast Break
Poe Travel was recently on-the-ground in Belfast, and we have all the must-do experiences here to share with you from our latest reconnaissance trip...
The Titanic Museum in Belfast (photo courtesy of Unsplash)
Belfast, and Northern Ireland as a whole, have gone through so many positive changes in the last few decades, something Breana from the Poe Travel team was able to learn firsthand during her recent trip. With very easy connections from all over the UK and Ireland, it’s not a hassle to add on a few days in Belfast to any itinerary, and Breana shared all her recommendations with us to set you daydreaming.
Breana’s Belfast Faves
Grand Central Hotel Belfast
Part of the phenomenal family-run Hastings Hotels, the Grand Central Hotel is one of Belfast’s newest. This swanky, almost art-deco-feeling hotel was only opened in 2018 and is in the Linen Quarter. Its 300 bedrooms provide a calming respite from the city, and the hotel is conveniently located right in the heart of it all. Belfast is a phenomenally walkable city, and the Grand Central will put you within spitting distance of restaurants and classic Irish pubs, only about a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral Quarter, and a quick tram or taxi ride away from the Titanic Museum. The Irish breakfast in their Seahorse Restaurant is swell, and the Observatory bar and restaurant on the 23rd floor features delectable cocktails and jaw-dropping views of the city and surrounding hills. They also have a café for quick snacks or drinks.
Even with all the amenities and luxe accommodations (we stayed in the Amelia Suite on the 18th floor with floor-to-ceiling windows and incredible views), the thing that stuck out the most about this hotel was the superb level of service. Every member of staff we met embodied the term “hospitality.” They all went above and beyond to make sure we not only had an enjoyable stay but also that we saw all the best of the city that they were clearly all passionate about. You could really feel that this was a family-run hotel, and that makes a huge difference.
Game of Thrones Studio Tour
This is Northern Ireland’s newest attraction, and it will make you feel like a real Stark of Winterfell. Located in rural Banbridge (about 30 minutes outside of Belfast city center) where the bulk of the show was actually filmed, the Game of Thrones Studio Tour is a must-visit for fans of the hit HBO series. However, there is plenty for even casual fans (or perhaps even those who haven’t watched the show) to enjoy. If you haven’t seen the show going in, I feel certain you’ll want to see it upon departure. The tour is also a PG-rated experience, so though the show isn’t child-friendly, there is plenty here for the whole family to enjoy at the studio tour, including green screen photo ops, incredible costumes and sets, spectacularly detailed props, and larger-than-life dragon skulls! There is also just a lot to learn about the filmmaking process in general and how something on as large of a scale as Game of Thrones was brought to life.
Poe Travel is also able to put together exclusive private experiences at the Game of Thrones Studio Tour, so no two visits will be the same.
Titanic Museum
I had heard before that this “museum” (for lack of a better word) really doesn’t like to be called a museum, and now I see why! The Titanic Museum is really more of an experience. This self-guided, interactive tour takes you from the Industrial Revolution, which changed Belfast completely, through the building process of Titanic and her sister ships in the Belfast shipyards, to the fateful shipwreck and its aftermath.
It took us about two hours to move through the whole experience, but I could have easily stayed all day. The further into the very intuitive self-guided tour I got, the more emotionally affected I began to feel. Seeing actual artifacts from the ship, including letters from the last port of call from passengers who may or may not have made it to see New York, really brought the catastrophe to life in a way that even James Cameron did not quite achieve. I see why this “museum” is rated up there as one of the best in the world, and a visit to Belfast simply would not be complete without it.
Black Taxi Political Tour
Going into this trip, I didn’t know much about “the Troubles.” I thought this was something that happened in the ‘80s and didn’t affect life too much today. Our incredible private guide, Norman from Taxi Tours Belfast, made me realize just how wrong that assumption was. The line between Catholic and Protestant is still very distinct in Belfast even today, though the civil war in the area was put to rest at the end of the 20th century. While Belfast is now safe to visit, there is still a gate dividing the Catholic and Protestant residential neighborhoods that is shut every night at 10:00 pm.
We did a quick version of this tour, only 90 minutes, but Norman and his team can take you through this piece of modern history much further in-depth than that with totally customizable private experiences. It’s incredible to hear about Norman’s experiences as someone who was really in Belfast during the Troubles. The entire experience was so humbling and truly brought history to life. Plus, getting to sign our names on the Peace Wall in Belfast was something I will never forget.
The Cathedral Quarter
Finally, the Cathedral Quarter is so worth a wander. You don’t even really need to set out with any specific plans in mind. It brought to mind Temple Bar in Dublin, with live music at every turn even on a weekday. The Dirty Onion had a great outdoor space with a bar and talented musicians, and their connected restaurant, Yardbird, is the place to go for delectable chicken dishes. I also particularly loved The Duke of York, a classic pub down a cobbled alley, where the live music was rocking until the wee hours.
If you would like to Go Away to Belfast (or anywhere else in the world), contact us. We will design a customized itinerary full of tailored experiences to set you on your way.