Belfast - Taxi tour of the city

Where to start!

Having spent six years living in N.Ireland when I was at school, (Londonderry, Coleraine & Kilkeel), I only remember visiting Belfast a couple of times, and just for a day. I really hadn't much of a memory of it at all other than it had more shops than the towns I lived in. So when Beflast Tourist Information and bmi baby invited myself and Nicky Getgood over for a weekend I wasn't really sure what to expect.

Normally before I visit a new place I'll do a bit of research first and try and get a feel for things and what there is to do, but I deliberately avoided doing that this time around. I was really looking forward to going and I wanted whatever Belfast had to offer to be a surprise.

And it was a surprise! I have returned home absolutely charmed by the city.

Our journey to Belfast started early with a 4am wake up call to catch the 7am flight from Birmingham with bmibaby. I made sure to make the acquaintance of our bmibaby pilots, Dave & Marcus!

There were a ton of school children on the flight who where going to school in Belfast for the day. Marcus even posed with the kids after the flight.

Arriving at the airport

After about a 30 minute bus journey from Belfast International Airport, we arrived in the city. Our hotel was quite near the street where we got off the bus, but we took a few wrong turns before finding our way with our unruly suitcases (my suitcase was too heavy and kept keeling over, and Nicky's had a mind of it's own and kept steering her off course!). At about 10am we arrived at Ramada Encore and we had a warm welcome from Fiona Ure from Belfast Tourist Information.

Fiona took charge and made sure our rooms where ready and we were checked in. I was glad to get rid of the suitcase and my hand luggage which was rather heavy with 3 cameras and a laptop - always be prepared, isn't that what they say?!

The Ramada Encore opened in April this year and has a contemporary feel to it. It has 169 rooms, a bar and restaurant, and serves a mean Ulster Fry. My room was bright and spacious, large flat screen tv, internet connection (essential!), wooden floors and very, very comfy bed!

Once we had cast off our luggage Fiona took us to a nearby cafe for refreshments (cake!). A big map of Belfast was placed over the table as we tried to get our bearings for the weekend ahead. My tiredness evaporated as excitement about the weekend took over.

Our first adventure of the weekend was a Belfast Taxi Tour.

Fiona Ure, Our taxi tour guide and Nicky Getgood

We took the Political History Mural Tour with the added bonus of Belfast Castle. From the taxi tour's website:

Visit the largest outdoor art gallery in the world and view the many wall murals throughout the Shankill & Falls Roads. Get into the heart of the areas that bore the brunt of the conflict. Starting from the city centre we travel through the Loyalist Lower Shankill Rd with some photo’s opportunities of the many wall murals in this area then we progress onto the world famous "peaceline" which divides the Falls and Shankill Roads. The tour then carries on into the Nationalist Falls Road you will again have the opportunity to take photographs of the murals and a brief stop at the souvenir shop, lastly off to the international wall murals which are constantly evolving and reflecting topics from all over the world. We then drop you back to the city centre. The duration of the tour is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes but can be customised to suit you. Belfast is a growing vibrant City, with a wealth of cultural diversity, something for everyone Day & Night so why not book now to avoid disappointment ( We can collect you from city centre hotel or guest house).

Belfast Castle is set high in the hills of Cave Hill Country Park (great for walks and picnics) and has wonderful views over the city and the River Lagan.

Visit the cat garden and see how many cats you can spot! no dogs allowed ;)

Belfast Castle seems to be primarily a host to weddings, conferences and functions. It's a magnificent building that is almost 140 years old with a lot of character and it's easy to see why it's a favourite venue for weddings. It also has a restaurant that is open to the public, though advanced booking is recommended.

There is also a Visitors Centre which provides tons of information on the history of the area which is free.

The next part of our taxi tour took us to a housing estate to see the political murals. These murals are painted onto the ends of residents houses. I am not sure how much say the residents have about this, and apparently the murals lower the value of their homes.

The history of the troubles in N.Ireland can't really be ignored. Having lived in N.Ireland I have seen my fair share of the turbulence am delighted that the country is now in more peaceful times.

The murals depict a story, a part of history and I think they are pieces of art in their own right.

I noticed in the distance a man working on one of the walls. At first I thought he was one of the artists and went over to say hello and have a chat. I must admit to being a little disappointed to see that one of the murals was being boarded over and replaced by pictures of smilling happy children. A much nicer, friendlier subject I guess.

I don't know if this is a 'one off' or if all the murals will be covered over this way eventually.

I'd seen some bikers standing around looking at the murals. They were over visiting from Holland and wanted to make sure they included the murals on their travels. They were heading off to the Giants Causeway and to Londonderry next on their tour.

The taxi tour then made it's way to the Shankill Road, where once again murals lined the road. Our guide was very informative and told us all about the historical and political events of the area.

It was certainly worth taking the tour. I learnt a bit more about the country I used to live in and as the tour took us more into the suburbs of the city I felt we got the bigger picture, more so than if we had just stayed right in the city centre.

It was nearing lunch time and our driver kindly dropped us off at The Crown Bar on Victoria Street. It's a must see! It says it's the most beautiful bar in the world, and I would agree with that! It's like stepping back in time. The bar is 160 years old and has been restored and nothing has been changed. There is a bar area with some seating and most delightful of all are the 10 snugs that you can get cosy in. With a tiled floor and every piece of glass painted and etched, it really has an enchanting feel about it. They really do not make pubs like this anymore!

The service was good and the food great. Sticking with the Irish theme, Nicky had a pint of Guinness and a beef and Guinness pie, and I had Magners with champ (mash potatoes with spring onions) for lunch.

Having been up for about 10 hours at this point and with only 2.5hours sleep the night before behind me, I felt tiredness creep up on me. I headed back to the hotel to catch an hours zzzz's and left Nicky with a Guinness and some new friends she made at the bar!

The hours sleep did me the world of good and we were all set for our Friday night out in Belfast.....!