Martin and the team will take you on an historic and extremely informative journey through Belfast's best-known areas including the Peace Walls, political murals, Titanic Quarter, Queen's Quarter and the city centre.
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West Belfast & Shankill
Open-top buses take a whirlwind tour along both roads pointing out wall murals, memorials and other 'Troubles'-related sights. Passengers are also invited to hop off and see at close hand what each community has to offer. Many don't bother, perhaps unaware of what's out there, which is a real shame because there's a lot more to West Belfast than meets the transitory eye.
With both sides making such a concerted effort to attract visitors to their part of the city, it's worth taking time out from the main attractions to explore these vibrant communities and everything they have to offer. So hop off, meet the locals and go explore West Belfast's Shankill and Falls Roads. It could be the best day out you'll have.
Belfast | Sightseeing | West Belfast & Shankill
Irish language plays a pivotal role in this centre for culture and arts. Housed in a former Presbyterian church, and named after two
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216 Falls Rd
Run by the Ulster Wildlife Trust, this award-winning 19-hectare wetland site is a great spot for bird watching, pond dipping or simply escaping the city, and is one of only three Local Nature Reserves in NI.
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438 Falls Rd
Complete with bell and cast iron fountains, this Victorian cemetery was opened in 1869 as Belfast's first cross-denominational burial ground.
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Falls Rd
Built in 1911 in early French Gothic-style, and boasting a 6m-wide stained-glass rose window, this imposing church and monastery is home to the Redemptorists.
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Clonard Gardens, off Falls Rd.
These indepth tours give the Republican viewpoint as trained guides from the political ex-prisoner community take tourists on an in-depth journey of their area.
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West Belfast evolved as country people moved to the city to work in its 32 mills. Though many have gone, this imposing 19th century linen mill remains, and today houses an art gallery with regular exhibitions from local artists' studios.
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5-7 Conway St
Open 10:00 - 17:00,
Sat Closed,
Sun Closed.
Open 10:00 - 17:00,
Sat Closed,
Sun Closed.
To really get under the skin of this vibrant community, drop into this tourism office for information on tours, events, accommodation and attractions.
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212 Falls Rd
Open 09:30 - 17:00,
Sat Closed,
Sun Closed.
Open 09:30 - 17:00,
Sat Closed,
Sun Closed.
Bi-lingual street signs and fluttering Irish flags are the first things visitors often notice when they walk along the Falls. Many murals depict scenes from the Irish Famine or the Nationalist side of the modern political conflict.
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This 1872 Roman Catholic cemetery is a must-see in anyone's modern history tour of Belfast. Its entrance features a Victorian Romanesque gateway and large Celtic cross adorned with Biblical scenes.
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546 Falls Rd
Since the onset of the Troubles in 1971, Nationalist and Loyalist communities throughout Northern Ireland have been divided by Peace Walls.
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This cross-community arts initiative brings together over forty public works of art spread across this diverse area.
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Plague victims and paupers in unmarked mass graves are among the many people buried at this ancient site, next to the shamrock-shaped St.
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Shankill Rd
The Shankill dates back to the Stone Age, making it the oldest settlement in Belfast. Shankill Road was named in 1831 after the Gaelic Sean Cill meaning Old Church.
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Opened in 2001, this community-lead arts and culture project is a handy stop if you're looking for info about the Shankill Road.
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331 Shankill Rd
Open 08:00 - 22:00,
Sat Closed,
Sun Closed.
Open 08:00 - 22:00,
Sat Closed,
Sun Closed.
While Belfast city centre’s large-scale public art dominates the creative landscape, in the West of the city communities are unleashing their own inner muses and developing some truly unique and personal pieces.
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Upper Springfield Development Trust, Top of the Rock, 685 Springfield Rd
The familiar London-style Hackney cabs arrived in West Belfast at the height of the Troubles and provided an invaluable hop-on, hop-off service when regular schedules were severely disrupted.
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35 King St. (behind CastleCourt)