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. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything Belfast has to offer.

Where to Eat in Belfast

City Centre is the neighborhood with the most restaurants in Belfast. These include popular favorites such as Nico's Pizzeria Restaurant (54 Lisburn Rd), Bank Square Brasserie (56-58 Berry Street) and Jumon Belfast (Unit 6 McAuley House Fountain Street). If you’re looking for affordable options, Coppi (Unit 2 Saint Anne's Square) and 2Taps Winebar (Cotton Court 30-42 Waring St) are great picks. 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.

Most popular restaurants in Belfast

Irish
Wonderful (122 reviews)
European
Wonderful (22 reviews)
Irish
Wonderful (122 reviews)
European
Wonderful (22 reviews)

When to visit Belfast

Belfast in January
Estimated hotel price
$120
1 night at 3-star hotel
Belfast in January
Estimated hotel price
$120
1 night at 3-star hotel

Looking for warm weather? Then head to Belfast in July, when the average temperature is 60.8 °F, and the highest can go up to 68 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 35.6 °F, with an average temperature of 41 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in October, when precipitation is around 3.5″. In contrast, April is usually the driest month of the year in Belfast, with an average rainfall of 2″.

Data provided by weatherbase
Temperatures
Temperatures
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 3 miles from the city center. Further away is Belfast Intl Airport, 12 miles from the center of Belfast.

Train

Located 0.5 miles from the city center, Belfast Central Railway Station is the busiest station in Belfast. Another popular train station is Belfast Great Victoria Street, located 0.3 miles from the center.

Car

Another option to get to Belfast is to pick up a car rental from Edinburgh, which is about 142 miles from Belfast. You’ll find branches of GREEN MOTION and Hertz, among others, in Edinburgh.

Bus

The most popular bus station is Belfast Belfast Stena Terminal, located 3 miles from downtown Belfast. Belfast Albert Quay is also a commonly used station, and is 1.2 miles from the city center.

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 3 miles from the city center. Further away is Belfast Intl Airport, 12 miles from the center of Belfast.

Train

Located 0.5 miles from the city center, Belfast Central Railway Station is the busiest station in Belfast. Another popular train station is Belfast Great Victoria Street, located 0.3 miles from the center.

Car

Another option to get to Belfast is to pick up a car rental from Edinburgh, which is about 142 miles from Belfast. You’ll find branches of GREEN MOTION and Hertz, among others, in Edinburgh.

Bus

The most popular bus station is Belfast Belfast Stena Terminal, located 3 miles from downtown Belfast. Belfast Albert Quay is also a commonly used station, and is 1.2 miles from the city center.

Airports near Belfast

Airlines serving Belfast

Lufthansa
Good (4,042 reviews)
KLM
Good (759 reviews)
Delta
Good (4,474 reviews)
British Airways
Good (3,820 reviews)
Air France
Good (898 reviews)
Qatar Airways
Good (2,411 reviews)
Iberia
Good (1,472 reviews)
Malaysia Airlines
Good (149 reviews)
Ryanair
Good (3,390 reviews)
Japan Airlines
Excellent (883 reviews)
Aer Lingus
Good (749 reviews)
easyJet
Good (1,376 reviews)
Qantas Airways
Good (456 reviews)
American Airlines
Good (5,548 reviews)
Virgin Atlantic
Good (532 reviews)
Kenya Airways
Good (127 reviews)
Jet2
Excellent (77 reviews)
Loganair
Excellent (13 reviews)
Neos Air
Excellent (33 reviews)
Show more

Where to stay in Belfast

Average rates range from around $111 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $192 and up for a 5-star experience.

Where to stay in popular areas of Belfast

Most booked hotels in Belfast

The Old Inn Crawfordsburn
Excellent (9.1, 447 reviews)
$226+
The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast
Excellent (9, 4538 reviews)
$177+
Europa Hotel
Excellent (8.6, 4846 reviews)
$107+
Culloden Estate & Spa
Excellent (8.6, 900 reviews)
$217+
Corr's Corner Hotel
Excellent (8.4, 1056 reviews)
$123+
Dunsilly Hotel
Excellent (8.4, 714 reviews)
$116+

Renting a car in Belfast

Renting a car in Belfast costs $41 per day, on average, or $124 if you want to rent if for 3 days. Budget, Sixt and Hertz are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Belfast is the Budget branch at Belfast International Airport, which is 12 miles from the city center.

It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 19% cheaper than airport locations in Belfast.

Expect to pay $7.12 per gallon in Belfast (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $85.40 and $113.87. The most frequently booked car type in Belfast is Economy (Opel Corsa or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Compact rental cars (MG ZS or similar) are, on average, 76% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.

Renting a car in Belfast costs $41 per day, on average, or $124 if you want to rent if for 3 days. Budget, Sixt and Hertz are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Belfast is the Budget branch at Belfast International Airport, which is 12 miles from the city center.

It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 19% cheaper than airport locations in Belfast.

Expect to pay $7.12 per gallon in Belfast (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $85.40 and $113.87. The most frequently booked car type in Belfast is Economy (Opel Corsa or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Compact rental cars (MG ZS or similar) are, on average, 76% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.