Belfast in a Weekend
- How long you need: Two full days are enough to see the main sights comfortably. If you want to add a day trip to the Causeway Coast, plan for three days.
- Getting there: You can fly direct from almost any major UK airport to Belfast City (BHD, which is closer to town) or Belfast International (BFS, which is usually cheaper). If you’re coming from Ireland, the Enterprise train or Aircoach and Dublin Express buses run straight from Dublin.
- Cost: Belfast is noticeably cheaper than a weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland or County Kerry, Ireland. Accommodation, food, and drinks all cost less here.
- Where to stay: Voco Belfast by IHG is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the centre. It offers good value, spacious rooms, but the walls are a bit thin.
- Don’t miss: The Black Cab Political Tour (essential context on the Troubles), Titanic Belfast with SS Nomadic, Belfast City Hall visit, and an evening in Kelly’s Cellars, Madden’s, and Sunflower Public House.
- Getting around: The city centre is easy to walk, but if you want to see the divided neighbourhoods, you’ll need to take a bus, taxi, or join a tour. They are too far to reach comfortably on foot.
- Good to know: Belfast is friendly, welcoming, and safe to visit. Just use the usual city-break common sense after dark and better stay in city center.
Belfast is Northern Ireland’s capital and, for most people in the UK, one of the easiest weekend breaks you can book.
It’s a short flight away, the city centre is compact and walkable, and you’ll find a mix of world-class history, traditional pubs, and genuinely warm people.
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This guide is based on the two days I actually spent in Belfast. I’ll share what I did, in what order, what it cost, and what I’d tell a friend before they go. If you want a short break that’s both interesting and enjoyable, keep reading.
In this article
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Flights to Belfast from UK
How to Get to Belfast
Belfast has two airports, and which one you fly into changes your weekend slightly.
Belfast City Airport (BHD)
City airport is only five minutes from the city centre, so it’s the easiest choice if you want to start exploring right after you arrive.
It’s served by Aer Lingus:
- Birmingham
- Cardiff
- East Midlands
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Leeds Bradford
- Manchester
- Southampton
- plus seasonal routes to the Isle of Man and Newquay
British Airways:
- London Heathrow
- London City
easyJet:
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- London Gatwick
- London Luton
- Manchester
Loganair:
- Aberdeen
- Inverness
Belfast International Airport (BFS)
Belfast International Airport is about 30 minutes from the city and is usually the cheaper option. Airlines like easyJet, Jet2, and Ryanair fly from here.
Ryanair:
- East Midlands
- Edinburgh
- London Stansted
- Manchester
easyJet:
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Leeds Bradford
- Liverpool
- London Gatwick
- London Luton
- London Stansted
- Manchester
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Southampton
Jet2 and TUI also operate from Belfast International Airport, though most of their flights are seasonal or charters.
SAVING TIP
If you’re looking to save money, you could fly out early on day one and come back late on day two, or even do a same-day return. This helps reduce accommodation costs.
I don’t really recommend it, since you’ll be tired and Belfast is worth an overnight stay or two. But if your budget or time is tight, it’s worth considering.
How to Get to Belfast from Dublin
by Public Transport
If you’re already in Ireland, maybe travelling between Dublin, Kerry, and the north, you don’t need to fly. Belfast is an easy addition to any Irish trip.
I did the same, starting my journey from Kerry: train to Dublin and bus to Belfast.
Travel to Belfast from Dublin City Centre
Jet2 and TUI also operate from Belfast International Airport, though most of their flights are seasonal or charters.
By Train: Enterprise
The Enterprise train runs between Dublin Connolly Station and Belfast Grand Central Station. It is the most comfortable option and, since the timetable was expanded, trains run roughly hourly for most of the day.
You’ll find up to 15 trains a day from Monday to Saturday and 8 on Sundays, with the trip taking about 2 hours 10 minutes.
The price: Online fares from Dublin start at €13.99 each way, but the cheapest tickets are limited and become more expensive as they sell out.
A standard adult single at the station costs €30.40, so booking online in advance can save you a lot.
Best for: comfort, plenty of luggage, or simply enjoying a more relaxed journey.
By Coach: Dublin Coach
For a cheaper option, Dublin Coach Route 400 runs directly from Custom House Quay in Dublin city centre to Glengall Street in Belfast.
Coaches leave every hour from 05:30 to 20:30, every day, and the trip takes just 1 hour 50 minutes.
The price is good too: €10 one way or €20 return.
Best for: budget travellers starting their journey in Dublin city centre.
Book your ticket in advance
How to Get to Belfast from Dublin Airport?
If you are travelling straight from Dublin Airport, there is no need to go into Dublin city first.
Aircoach 705X connects both airport terminals directly with Belfast Grand Central Station.
The trip from the airport usually takes about 1 hour 50 minutes, with frequent departures all day.
The price: Online single fares start at around €12 or £11.
Best for: travelling directly from Dublin Airport.
I checked timetables and fares in July 2026. Prices can change, so it’s best to check the operator’s website before you travel.
Where to Stay in Belfast
I stayed at Voco Belfast by IHG and was pleased with my choice. It gave me the best value for my dates and met my expectations.
The room was a good size with a small work area, which I liked. The bed was comfortable after a long day out.
The only downside was that the walls are a bit thin. One morning I had chatty neighbours and could hear them more than I wanted. It’s something to keep in mind if you’re a light sleeper, but it didn’t spoil my stay.
The hotel is about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the city centre and also from the main train and bus station. It’s close enough that you don’t need a taxi, but far enough to be quiet in the evenings.
For a two-night stay when you’re out exploring most of the day, this balance worked well for me.
If you want to look at more options for different budgets before booking, this map is a good place to start.
Belfast’s city centre is small, so anywhere within a 20-minute walk of Belfast City Hall will put you close to everything in this guide.
Belfast Itinerary 2 Days
Day 1: Black Cab Political Tour, Banquet, and a Traditional Pub Trail
Morning: The Black Cab Political Tour
I’d say this is a must for anyone who wants to really understand Northern Ireland, not just see it.
We booked a Black Cab Political Tour for our first morning because we didn’t know much about Belfast’s recent history and wanted some context before exploring on our own.
Our driver-guide Joe took us to both the Falls Road and Shankill Road areas and explained the Troubles – how the conflict started, how it escalated, and what it was like to live through it.
He made it feel personal, not like a history lecture. He was from Belfast and had lived through some of it, which came through in his stories.
What struck me most is that this isn’t just history. The tension is still there, just beneath the surface. There’s still a gated area between the two communities. The gates close at night and reopen every morning, and
The gates close at night and reopen every morning, and even the police and ambulances have to use the only open gate.
The murals tell their own story, as does what’s around them.
In the Falls Road area, there’s strong visible support for Palestine.
In the loyalist areas, both in Belfast and in smaller unionist towns we passed through later, the support is just as visible for Israel.
In the Catholic area, Irish flags are surprisingly rare; we counted only a couple.
These are the kinds of details that are hard to notice or understand on your own, unless someone from the city explains what you’re seeing and why it matters.
You can technically see the same murals from a Hop-on Hop-off bus, but you’d miss all of this.
Having a local guide who lived through it and knows exactly where to stop and what to point out is what makes this tour worth it.
TOUR RECOMMENDATION
There are several companies offering similar tours, but we picked one that lasted 1,5 hours instead of just 1 hour, which many others offer for the same price.
Our guide Joe was excellent and explained everything clearly. See the tour I recommend …
Lunch: Bankquet
After a fairly heavy morning, we wanted something simple and filling, and found it at Bankquet, a halal Mediterranean and Middle Eastern spot in the city centre.
The portions were generous enough that we skipped dinner entirely that evening.
It was genuinely good value, with well-prepared food and service that was warm without being fussy.
Afternoon: Walking the City Centre
We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking with no fixed plan, which is easy in Belfast because the centre is so compact.
It’s a good way to get your bearings before visiting the more structured attractions the next day, and you notice how different the atmosphere feels once you’re back among the shopfronts and cafés of the centre compared to the neighbourhoods you saw that morning.
Evening: A Traditional Pub Trail
On our first evening, we looked for pubs with real history instead of places just made to look old, and Belfast has plenty of them. We stopped into a few, but two stood out for us.
Kelly’s Cellars
Kelly’s Cellars is, as far as anyone knows, Belfast’s oldest pub. It was built in 1720 and started as a bonded warehouse selling rum, gin, and whiskey.
It also has real revolutionary history: the Society of United Irishmen met here while planning the 1798 Rising, and local legend says Henry Joy McCracken hid behind the bar when soldiers came looking for him.
The vaulted ceiling and worn bar top make it easy to believe.
Worth knowing: there’s a restaurant on the pub’s upper floor, and my partner ate there before I’d even arrived in Belfast – a proper pub roast, generous and genuinely tasty. If you’re after more than a pint here, don’t skip it.
Madden’s Bar
Madden’s Bar is where we ended the night, and it’s the one I’d recommend for the music.
It’s probably Belfast’s best-known spot for traditional Irish sessions, with musicians gathering most evenings to play fiddles, flutes, and bodhráns in a room that’s welcomed players for over 50 years.
There’s even a snug where a local podcast on traditional music is recorded. If you want a real, unfiltered dose of live Irish music on your trip, this is the place.
Day 2: Belfast City Hall, Common Market, and Titanic Belfast
Morning: Belfast City Hall
We started day two at Belfast City Hall, right in the middle of Donegall Square and impossible to miss.
Locals affectionately call it “the Wedding Cake” because of its tiered Baroque Revival design.
It was completed in 1906 in Portland stone, built after Queen Victoria granted Belfast city status in 1888 to recognise its booming industry at the time.
Out front, a statue of Victoria is flanked by bronze figures representing the textile and shipbuilding trades that built the city, with a child at the back symbolising education.
Free
general entry
£4
Visitor exhibition, children are free
£6
Guided Public Tours, children are free
We booked the guided tour, which costs a small fee (6£ per adult) and takes you through rooms not usually open to the public, including the Irish-oak panelled Council Chamber and a Rotunda with Italian and Greek marble.
Guided tours run Monday to Friday at 11 am, 2 pm, and 3 pm, and Saturdays at 2 pm and 3 pm, with tickets bought on the day at the reception desk. I
t’s a good, low-effort way to spend forty-five minutes to an hour, and it fits well with what you learned on the Black Cab Tour the day before, since a lot of the city’s industrial and political history comes together here.
Afternoon: Titanic Belfast and SS Nomadic
We spent the afternoon at Titanic Belfast, and even though it’s recommended in almost every guidebook and tourist leaflet, I can say it’s worth the hype.
The museum is huge and takes you through the whole story, not just the sinking, but also how the ship was built. You get a real sense of how hard the shipyard workers’ lives were, who they were, and where they came from, along with the stark contrast between the luxury for first-class passengers and the much more basic conditions for those travelling in steerage, most of whom were hoping for a better life in America.
I’d recommend adding the SS Nomadic ticket, which is included with standard admission. It’s the finishing touch: a real, walkable ship from that era, with plenty of original period details still intact.
BOOK YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE
Book Titanic Belfast & SS Nomadic COMBO ticket here and enjoy the visit like we did.
Before Your Evening Flight: Sunflower Public House
With a late flight home, we had just enough time for one last stop: Sunflower Public House in the Cathedral Quarter.
The first thing you notice is the metal security cage around the front door. It’s a leftover from the Troubles, installed for protection and deliberately kept as a piece of the city’s social history.
Inside, it’s an unpretentious corner pub with live music most nights, no gimmicks or theme, just a proper local spot.
It’s a good, low-key way to end the trip before heading to the airport.
Practical Tips for Your Belfast Weekend
Belfast’s city centre is compact so that you can walk between almost everything, and it’s genuinely lovely to wander.
But if you want to go beyond the centre and see the neighbourhoods where the divide between the two communities is still visible, like the areas covered on the Black Cab Tour, you’ll need a bus, taxi, or another form of transport.
They’re too far to walk comfortably unless you’re a serious walker, but they’re easy to reach by public transport.
One thing that stood out to me is that Belfast is noticeably cheaper than a weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland or County Kerry, Ireland. Accommodation, meals out, and pints all cost less than I’m used to paying, which makes it an easy weekend to justify, even on a tighter budget.
People were friendly everywhere, and I never felt unwelcome. Still, like any city, Belfast has some rougher edges and people who’ve clearly had a harder time. Use the same basic street sense you would anywhere after dark, and stick to well-lit, busy areas in the evening.
