Belfast: Tour the city or surrounding area sites?

[KKB]

I had originally planned to walk the city & see sites recommended by Visit a City (including Titanic exhibit) & do a Black Cab political tour.

Now someone on my cruise has offered a spot on a tour by Belfastcausewaytours.com--seems to be more Game of Thrones locales (never seen it), castle, the Causeways, a few other natural spots & possibly a distillery. 

Obviously these are 2 different days, with very different sites.

Can anyone share their experiences in Belfast?

Thanks!

[crystallake]

When we were in Belfast this past Fall, we did both the black cab tour of the murals and then had the driver drop us off at the Titanic Museum.  All six of us were profoundly affected by they mural tour so I would recommend that.  

 

[ericosmith]

I vote for the Black Cab tour and the Titanic Museum.  Both of them were outstanding.  I wouldn't really call the Black Cab Tour political though.  

[KKB]

13 hours ago, crystallake said:

When we were in Belfast this past Fall, we did both the black cab tour of the murals and then had the driver drop us off at the Titanic Museum.  All six of us were profoundly affected by they mural tour so I would recommend that.  

 

 

8 hours ago, ericosmith said:

I vote for the Black Cab tour and the Titanic Museum.  Both of them were outstanding.  I wouldn't really call the Black Cab Tour political though.  

Thanks for both of your thoughts--that was my original plan. I'm a history buff so it seemed the better fit.

[debsjc]

We hired a car, and explored the coast, and it was really beautiful. My vote would be for the Causeway tour.

[Mrs f.]

16 hours ago, ericosmith said:

I vote for the Black Cab tour and the Titanic Museum.  Both of them were outstanding.  I wouldn't really call the Black Cab Tour political though.  

Is Black Cab the name of the company?  

[tomcherv]

We spent a couple days in Belfast June 2022.  If I had to pick between what you've listed, I'd pick the Causeway tour.  And my wife would tell you the same.

[ericosmith]

6 hours ago, Mrs f. said:

Is Black Cab the name of the company?  

It's typically used as a generic name for any number of companies that run tours in taxis that explore both sides of the wall.  Usually they run between one and two hours and not all the taxis are even black.  Most use your typical London cab.

[Traveling Library]

We went to Titanic Belfast on our own (cab was 10GBP each way). Took the audio tour and spent 5 hours there. It was overwhelming and tiring but worth every moment. This was our 2nd time in Belfast. First time we took a ships tour to sights in the city. It’s important to see the city and the history and impact of The Troubles. 

[Kat915]

The causeway if you like scenic drives and walks. I enjoyed the titanic museum but liked the scenery of the causeway much better. I like history but I did not care for the black cab tour.

[SueMo]

We've been to Belfast three times on cruise stops.  The first time we did the Giant's Causeway trip and had a beautiful day.  The second time we took a Black cab "Troubles"  tour in the morning and walked about town afterwards.  A great tour and day.  The third time we took a cab to the Titanic Museum in the morning and then went to the old gaol after lunch.  Once again, we loved our day there.  Whatever you choose, do it with the thought that it gives you a reason to go back!  Belfast is a terrific port of call.

[yogini06]

On 4/8/2023 at 5:21 AM, SueMo said:

We've been to Belfast three times on cruise stops.  The first time we did the Giant's Causeway trip and had a beautiful day.  The second time we took a Black cab "Troubles"  tour in the morning and walked about town afterwards.  A great tour and day.  The third time we took a cab to the Titanic Museum in the morning and then went to the old gaol after lunch.  Once again, we loved our day there.  Whatever you choose, do it with the thought that it gives you a reason to go back!  Belfast is a terrific port of call.

I also took the Troubles tour.  I agree it was a great tour

[LRDR01]

On 4/6/2023 at 1:27 PM, debsjc said:

We hired a car, and explored the coast, and it was really beautiful. My vote would be for the Causeway tour.

How easy was it to rent a car from the port?  Was it walkable from the port?  Any insight is welcome.

 

[debsjc]

4 minutes ago, LRDR01 said:

How easy was it to rent a car from the port?  Was it walkable from the port?  Any insight is welcome.

 

We rented from Sixt who show the cruise terminal as a location, however on the morning of pick-up they emailed to change to to Belfast City Airport pick-up instead,,,,,, which was about 10 minutes in a taxi. Luckily the local tourist information desk at the cruise terminal were really helpful, and called a taxi for us. Sixt took us back to the cruise terminal at the end of the day. I would say I didn't think the customer service from Sixt was great, considering the last minute change, but that car was fine. 

 

 

[LRDR01]

2 minutes ago, debsjc said:

We rented from Sixt who show the cruise terminal as a location, however on the morning of pick-up they emailed to change to to Belfast City Airport pick-up instead,,,,,, which was about 10 minutes in a taxi. Luckily the local tourist information desk at the cruise terminal were really helpful, and called a taxi for us. Sixt took us back to the cruise terminal at the end of the day. I would say I didn't think the customer service from Sixt was great, considering the last minute change, but that car was fine. 

 

 

Thank you for that information.   

[LondonTowner]

5heres loads of things to do in Belfast. Look on VisitBelfast website for ideas.

[pink845]

We are Canadian and not overly crazy about driving on other side of road.  We were considering renting a car as you did, but the insurance on car has changed our mind.  

[MELSMOM47]

We toured the Titanic museum in the morning and took a Troubles Tour in the afternoon. Highly recommend both. We learned so much about the history of Belfast and Northern Ireland. 

[GRBlizz]

Will it be possible to get a wheelchair accessible vehicle for a causeway tour? We'd like to see the country, but hubby in in a chair full time (cannot walk)

[Ashland]

A link for Troubles tour please.

[MELSMOM47]

11 minutes ago, Ashland said:

A link for Troubles tour please.

There are many to choose from on TripAdvisor and aviator. 

[Runaway Parent]

On 4/6/2023 at 3:27 PM, debsjc said:

We hired a car, and explored the coast, and it was really beautiful. My vote would be for the Causeway tour.

This may sound silly, but did you hire a driver or rent a car? (Is hire a car UK version of US rent a car?) I would love to hire a driver! We drove in Scotland…never again! 

[debsjc]

9 hours ago, Runaway Parent said:

This may sound silly, but did you hire a driver or rent a car? (Is hire a car UK version of US rent a car?) I would love to hire a driver! We drove in Scotland…never again! 

 

We rented a car, I drove it :)

[bobolz]

We just got back and when we arrived at Belfast there was a welcome tent that had an information desk and they were very helpful. There is a phone in the tent  that has a direct line to a cab company that offers various tours, but since we were limited on time, we just grabbed one of the 2 cabs that were waiting near the tent and the driver took us around to the murals, the neighborhoods , the Peace wall, and showed us the Crumlin Gaol (he recommended we go next time we were there) showed us pictures and gave us some history of what it was like growing up during “The Troubles”. He also took us to a small museum that was free that had historical information and artifacts. It was a hidden away, but there were other guides that took their clients there. It was very interesting. Our driver was quite a character . It was actually our favorite part of the trip. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by bobolz

[MELSMOM47]

2 hours ago, bobolz said:

We just got back and when we arrived at Belfast there was a welcome tent that had an information desk and they were very helpful. There is a phone in the tent  that has a direct line to a cab company that offers various tours, but since we were limited on time, we just grabbed one of the 2 cabs that were waiting near the tent and the driver took us around to the murals, the neighborhoods , the Peace wall, and showed us the Crumlin Gaol (he recommended we go next time we were there) showed us pictures and gave us some history of what it was like growing up during “The Troubles”. He also took us to a small museum that was free that had historical information and artifacts. It was a hidden away, but there were other guides that took their clients there. It was very interesting. Our driver was quite a character . It was actually our favorite part of the trip. 

Nice. We paid $170 for our two hour planned tour. I’m curious….what was the impromptu cost?