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CRUISE HOLIDAYS UK

Call Jon Fletcher on: (0161) 408-2161, or e-mail: jfletcher@cruiseandtravelholidays.co.uk

DESTINATIONS

 

Africa

 

Alaska

 

Asia

 

Bahamas

 

Bermuda

 

Canada / New England

 

Caribbean

 

Hawaii

 

Mediterranean

 

Mexican Riviera

 

Northern Europe

      Amsterdam, Holland

 
      
Belfast, Northern Ireland

 
      
Berlin (Warnemunde),

      Germany

 
      
Brussels (Zeebrugge),

      Belgium

 
      
Copenhagen, Denmark

 
      
Cork, Ireland

 
      
Dublin, Ireland

 
      
Edinburgh, Scotland

 
      
Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland

 
      
Helsinki, Finland

 
      
London, England

 
      
Oslo, Norway

 
      
Paris (Le Havre), France

 
      
Riga, Latvia

 
      
St. Petersburg, Russia

 
      
Tallinn, Estonia

 
      
Stockholm, Sweden

 

Panama Canal

 

South America

 

South Pacific

  

Belfast is easily divided into walkable quarters: The City Center spreads out from around the impressive, domed City Hall building and bustling Donegall Square. This is the best place for shopping, particularly along Donegall Place, which extends north from the square, onto Royal Avenue. Bedford Street, which travels south from the Donegall Square, becomes Dublin Road, which, in turn, leads south to the University Quarter, the leafy area around Queen's University. This is where you'll find the Botanic Gardens, art galleries, and museums, as well as a buzzing nightlife scene. Heading north from Donegall Place, it's a short distance to the Cathedral Quarter, which surrounds Donegall Street, and holds, as the name implies, the city's most important cathedrals, as well as many vast Victorian warehouses. Finally there's the Golden Mile -- the area around Great Victoria Street beyond Bradbury Place. It's considered the city's best address for restaurants and pubs, although it's a bit hyperbolically named. As locals say, "It's not a mile and it's not golden. But it's nice enough."

 

It's easiest to start in the center and then branch out from there. Perhaps tour the City Hall, then spend some time shopping for linen and china, then a walk to the Cathedral Quarter to take in the architecture, and finally dinner and drinks on the Golden Mile.

 

The sectarian areas, with the famous IRA and Protestant murals, are just to the west of the city center. The most famous of these are on the Shankill and Falls roads. It's perfectly safe to drive the roads and take photos yourself (locals are quite proud of the murals), or you could take one of the Black Cab tours if you want a guide to explain what it all means.