The Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens & Palm House alone can fill a full family day, and both are free.
The live music scene is genuinely strong — Lavery's, The Belfast Empire Music Hall and Limelight Belfast all have free-entry nights. For young children, The Wee Playhouse is a favourite, and King Pins Belfast works well on a rainy day.
The best days out near Belfast
Paramotoring Ireland
Public Angling Estate (NI government waters)
Shaw's Lake Fishery
Ulster Way
Linen Hall Library
Belfast City Hall
Queen's Arcade
VR Here Belfast
King Pins Belfast
Voodoo Belfast
Spires Mall
Lazer Quest Belfast
2 Royal Avenue
Ulster Hall
Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing
Victoria Square
White's Tavern
Escape Belfast
Madden's Bar
ClueQuest Belfast
Thunder Ridge Paintball (Belfast area)
The Crown Liquor Saloon
Grand Opera House Belfast
Belfast Superbowl
Bullitt Hotel Bar
GoT To Escape
CastleCourt Shopping Centre
Ormeau Brewery
The Spaniard
The Spa at The Merchant Hotel
Limelight Belfast
The Duke of York
The Black Box
NI War Memorial Museum
Albert Memorial Clock
St George’s Market
St Anne's Cathedral (Belfast Cathedral)
Oh Yeah Music Centre
Timescape Live Escape Games
The Belfast Barge
ICC Belfast (Waterfront Hall)
The Big Fish
The Telegraph Building
Lady of the Lagan
Jump Lanes Belfast
The MAC Belfast
Jawbox Spirits (Echlinville-distilled, Belfast)
Bridges Urban Sports Park
What's on near Belfast
- 1JulPond dippingCastle Espie
- 1JulExhibition by Diarmuid Delargy RUA REArtisAnn Gallery
- 3JulVision — Comber LibraryComber Library
- 4JulDragonfly crafts with Boom StudiosCastle Espie
- 5JulCourtyard sessionsCastle Espie
- 6JulNature Through Our Eyes Alphabetography — Holywood LibraryHolywood Library
Days out in Belfast — your questions
What are the best days out in Belfast?
Top picks include the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens & Palm House — both free and excellent for families. Belfast City Hall is worth a visit for heritage fans, and the Grand Opera House Belfast is a great choice for an evening out. For something more casual, Lavery's and The Belfast Empire Music Hall both have a brilliant atmosphere.
What free things are there to do in Belfast?
Plenty. The Ulster Museum is free and one of the city's best attractions. Botanic Gardens & Palm House is free too, with lovely outdoor space. The Game of Thrones Tapestry at the Ulster Museum costs nothing to see. Lavery's, Limelight Belfast and The Belfast Empire Music Hall all have free-entry nights as well.
Where can you go on a rainy day near Belfast?
King Pins Belfast is a reliable pick — bowling works for most ages. The Ulster Museum is free and can easily take up a couple of hours. Queen's Film Theatre and The Avenue Cinema Belfast are both good cinema options if you need to get out of the wet.
What's good for young children near Belfast?
The Wee Playhouse is the top pick for small children near Belfast. Botanic Gardens & Palm House gives toddlers and little ones space to roam for free. King Pins Belfast is great for slightly older kids. The Ulster Museum is family-friendly and free to enter.
More about Belfast
Belfast is the city that built the Titanic. The great ship was launched from the Harland & Wolff yard in 1911, at the time the largest afloat, and the two huge yellow cranes that still stand over the yard, Samson and Goliath, became the city's landmark. At its height Belfast built up to a quarter of all the ships in the United Kingdom.
The city also led the world in linen, which is how it earned the nickname "Linenopolis." Its grand City Hall, finished in 1906, has a dome reaching 173 feet, and the Victorian Botanic Gardens and their beautiful Palm House opened back in 1852. The author C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, was born here.
Rising over the north of the city is Cave Hill, a 368-metre basalt escarpment you can see from almost anywhere in Belfast. Today around 350,000 people live in the city, with more than 700,000 across the wider area.