Stepping onto Northern Irish soil at the Belfast Cruise Port, you’ll be in a city whose maritime heritage is forever defined by the shadow and splendour of the Titanic – the most famous ship ever built.
And you can see the best of what Belfast has to offer on your own! So in this guide, I’ll share details on how to get from the Belfast Cruise Port to City Centre, including what to expect from the Belfast Cruise Port Shuttle. From iconic landmarks in the Cathedral Quarter to Ulster culinary classics to try, I’ve got a fantastic array of Things to Do Near Belfast Cruise Port below.
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Belfast Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎 Smooth Sailing
If your cruise is calling at Belfast Cruise Port, then you’ll be happy to know that a DIY shore excursion is smooth sailing 😎😎😎😎 and here’s why:
- Port Shuttle To City Centre: Upon disembarking, shuttles whisk you to the Visit Belfast Centre, right in the heart of the city. Impressively, and a first for me, this port shuttle drops you conveniently right outside a state-of-the-art tourist information centre! (And there’s loads of humans to answer questions if you need help. There’s free WiFi but no WCs.)
- Walkable City Centre: From Visit Belfast Centre, most of the attractions are within walking distance. Or staff can show you where to catch the “Glider” (it’s actually a bus painted like a tram) to the Titanic Quarter for Belfast’s #1 tourist attraction – the Titanic Museum.
- Good Bus Network: If you prefer to catch a bus, the Visit Belfast Centre is surrounded by bus stops! Literally. And you can pay by tapping your contactless card onboard the bus, with a day bus pass only costing £4.
Belfast Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need to Know
The Belfast Cruise Port is situated in a working harbour area, about 3 miles (~5 km or a 10-15 minute drive) from the city centre. See details about the Belfast Cruise Port shuttle below.
- Belfast Cruise Port Address: 48 Airport Road West (BT3 9EA)
- Belfast Cruise Port Schedule: Download the Belfast Cruise Port schedule here
- Currency: GBP – note that Belfast is part of Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. So pounds sterling is used. While some shops may accept Euros, everything will be priced in £.
- Language: English
- Official Tourism Websites: VisitBelfast.com
- Transport App: Google Maps; the local bus authority Translink also has a “plan your journey” function
- eSIM for roaming in Northern Ireland: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout
Belfast Cruise Port Map
- On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
- On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
- If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps
Belfast Cruise Port to City Centre: Your Transport Options
1. Belfast Cruise Port Shuttle
The Belfast Harbour (Local Authority) operates the Belfast Cruise Port Shuttle, a non-stop service between the Belfast cruise terminal and the Visit Belfast Centre, at 9 Donegall Square (near Belfast City Hall) in Belfast City Centre – see this marked in my Belfast Cruise Port Map above. The journey takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on traffic. The Visit Belfast Centre is the city’s central tourist information office.
Whether the shuttle is paid or complimentary will depend on your cruise line’s policy. I arrived on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas on a Sunday morning and RC charged US$15 return. Note that there’s no other way to get into Belfast’s City Centre during weekends – see below for buses for weekdays👇. If you’re a couple or a group, consider taking a taxi, as it will likely work out cheaper.
2. Public Bus From Belfast Cruise Port
During weekdays only, it is possible to walk from the cruise terminal out to the main road (about 5 minutes walk) and catch a bus into Belfast City Centre. It’s not the most frequent bus service, but if you time it well, it’s a smooth trip to the City Centre. This bus route does not operate on weekends.
- Bus Route: Bus #94 or #94B – it’s not two different bus routes that you can catch. During different times of the day, it’s known as #94 or #94b. The sign on the bus should say it’s heading towards “City Centre” or “Wellington Place”.
- Bus Stop: See this marked on my Belfast Cruise Port map above. For live departures info, click on this link on Google Maps from your phone. You can tell real-time if the bus is running late.
- Timetable: Click here for Translink’s website and then click “change direction” button. Make sure the page is marked “To City Centre” before you check the timetable.
- Bus Tickets: Easiest way to pay for bus fare is on a contactless card – it’s £2.30 per trip but the daily fare is capped at £4, so effectively, your 2nd trip is £1.70 and your 3rd trip is free.
- If you’re a group and want to pay together, let the driver know. The driver can adjust the number of fares to be paid before you tap your card. Tapping your card multiple times for multiple people doesn’t work!
- If you want to benefit from daily cap of £4 per person, everyone needs to tap in with a different card. You can’t pay as a group.
- Where to Get Off: For Belfast City Centre, either get off at “May Street City Hall” (the second last stop) or Wellington Place (the last stop). Both are within walking distance of Visit Belfast Centre at the City Hall.
For your return trip, head back to Wellington Place. The sign on the bus should say that it’s heading towards “Holywood Exchange” (not a typo, just one “l”). See the closest return bus stop to Belfast Cruise Port marked on Belfast Cruise Port map above – note that it’s not opposite the road from where you hopped on the bus to the city centre. It’s slightly further along the road but still only a few minutes walk back.
3. Taxis
Taxis are readily available at Belfast Cruise Port. Expect to pay around £15 to Belfast City Hall one-way. Most taxis take cards (Visa/MC) in Belfast but check with the driver first. Alternatively, Uber is available too.
If you’re heading to the Titanic Museum, then it takes usually less than 10 minutes, as it’s located in the Titanic Quarter, slightly outside the city centre. One-way taxi fares from Belfast Cruise Port to Titanic Museum is around £10-12.
Belfast Cruise Port: Top Things to Do
1. Titanic Museum Belfast
The Titanic Museum is the No. 1 attraction in Belfast and rightly so! Opened in 2012 to mark the centenary of Titanic’s maiden voyage, it’s located on the very site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the RMS Titanic was designed, built and launched.
The building itself is instantly recognisable. Its four pointed hulls, each 38m (~125 feet) high, the same height as Titanic’s hull, was designed to evoke ships’ prows and the White Star Line logo.
The exterior is clad in 3,000 individual silver anodised aluminium shards, many uniquely shaped, which create a stunning visual effect, reflecting light and the surrounding water.
- How to Get There:
- From Belfast Cruise Port: Quickest & easiest way is to catch a taxi directly from Belfast Cruise Port. It should take less than 10 minutes and cost around £10-12. The Belfast Port Shuttle takes you to the city centre, so you’ll then need to find the Glider bus service running to the Titanic Quarter, which is more of a hassle.
- From Belfast City Centre: If you’re sightseeing in Belfast first, then either walk there (about 30 minutes, ~1.5 miles) or catch the Glider service to the Titanic Quarter.
- Time Needed: There’s genuinely loads to see and I spent 3 hours there. I could easily have spent even more time there, if I hadn’t planned something else for my afternoon. Budget extra time if you’d like to visit SS Nomadic.
- Opening Hours: Hours change seasonally but during summer months, daily from 8:30am to 7:30pm.
- Tickets: £26.95 adults, £13 kids aged 5-15 and free for kids under 5 for timed tickets. Admission to SS Nomadic is included. There’s an option to purchase “any-time entry tickets” for extra.
- Pre-Booking Highly Recommended: If you’re interested in visiting the Titanic Museum, I would definitely recommend pre-booking your ticket. On my cruise, ALL tickets were sold out before hand, in October! This included the cruise line’s own excursion tours to the museum, as well as entry tickets for independent visitors sold by the museum
- I also spoke to cruisers who tried to queue outside the museum for tickets but eventually couldn’t get in. Sometimes, the museum sells “late saver” tickets one hour before closing but this is usually too late a time slot for most cruisers to get back to port on time. It also doesn’t give you much time to see the exhibitions.
- My Experience: I would say that it’s by far the best Titanic related experience I’ve been to, significantly better and more comprehensive than the SeaCity Museum in Southampton and Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool, the port of registry for the White Star Line. The crowd control was good and the timed tickets did mean that I got to see everything without feeling like I was being pushed around or elbowed at every turn. If you’re not sure about booking timed tickets, book a time slot slightly later. If you arrive early, you can go see the SS Nomadic first.
2. Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall is located in Donegall Square, right opposite the Visit Belfast centre where you would have been dropped off if you had caught the Belfast port shuttle.
After Queen Victoria granted Belfast the status of a city in 1888, the decision was made to construct a grand and impressive City Hall. It cost £369,000 to complete, a colossal sum at the time, equivalent to around £128 million. Today, it serves as the home of Belfast City Council.
What’s Free to Visit: The City Hall building itself with the ground floor exhibition about Belfast’s past and present, the City Hall grounds and the gift shop is free to enter.
Don’t miss the Titanic Memorial Gardens, located on the east side of the City Hall grounds. The garden incorporates the original Titanic Monument, which depicts an allegorical female figure of Death or Fate over a drowned sailor supported by mermaids. There’s also a 9-metre long plinth inscribed with the names of all 1,512 passengers and crew who died on the sinking of RMS Titanic.
What’s Paid Entry: There’s guided public tours that last about an hour and provide access to areas not usually open to the public, such as the Council Chamber and the Great Hall.
- How to Get There: Belfast City Hall is opposite the Visit Belfast Centre, or the port shuttle drop off point.
- Opening Hours: 9:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm weekends. City Hall grounds are open longer – typically from 7am to 7pm. Double-check opening hours here.
- Guided Tours: £6 for adults, free for kids. See here for tour times. Tickets are sold on a first-come, first served basis.
3. St George’s Market
If you’re visiting Belfast on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, then head to St George’s Market for live music, diverse range of traders and delicious food.
The beautiful red-brick building was built in 1890 but there’s been a market on the current site since 1604. With Roman-style arches, distinctive cast-iron pillars supporting a glass and slate roof, the market is a good example of Victorian market architecture.
Today, you’ll find a variety market on Fridays (including. hot food options), a food and arts & crafts market on Saturdays and an antique and arts & crafts market on Sundays though you’ll still see some speciality food stores. The market is free to enter and browse.
- How to Get There: 10 minutes walk from Visit Belfast Centre
- Opening Hours: 8am to 2pm Fridays, 9am to 3pm Saturdays and 10am to 3pm. Double check hours for holidays.
4. Cathedral Quarter
The Cathedral Quarter is a historic area in Belfast that has transformed into a buzzing hub of arts, hospitality and entertainment.
Conveniently located just 10 minutes walk north of the Visit Belfast Centre, the area takes its name from St Anne’s Cathedral and was traditionally Belfast’s trade and warehousing district, linked to the prosperous linen and shipbuilding industries.
You’ll find some of Belfast’s oldest buildings and thoroughfares here, with many 19th century warehouses beautifully repurposed. Also, you can walk through the network of narrow, cobbled streets and alleyways, known as “courts” or “entries”. These courts create a maze-like feel and are full of character and hidden gems!
What to See in the Cathedral Quarter
If you’d like to walk around the Cathedral Quarter, here’s a few highlights and landmarks to see – see these marked in my Belfast Cruise Port map above:
- St Anne’s Cathedral (Belfast Cathedral): St Anne’s Cathedral’s beautiful mosaics contain over 150,000 glass pieces. The “Spire of Hope”, a 40-metre (~130 feet) stainless steel spire was added in 2007.
- Opening Hours: 10:30am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, 12:30pm to 3:30pm on Sunday. Check more details here.
- Tickets: £5 self-guided tours and £8 guided tour. Free for kids up to 16.
- Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC Belfast): Modern arts venue, with most galleries free to visit. Closed Mondays; galleries usually open 11am to 5pm – double check hours here.
- Street Art: You’ll find lots of impressive murals along Talbot Street, Hill Street and Commercial Court.
- Commercial Court (Umbrella Street): this cobbled alleyway is famous for its colourful umbrellas strung overhead and the vibrant murals adorning the walls of the Duke of York pub.
- Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum: Free museum about the story of Northern Ireland during WWII, including the Belfast Blitz and the Ulster Home Guard. Open 10am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday, 12 noon to 4pm Saturday. Double-check hours here.
Iconic Pubs in the Cathedral Quarter
The Cathedral Quarter is absolutely jam-packed with traditional pubs, trendy bars and restaurants. If you’d like to visit a traditional Belfast pub, here’s a few which are considered iconic by locals – see all of these marked in my Belfast Cruise Port Map:
- The Duke of York: Nestled in Commercial Court, this famous Belfast pub is known for its incredible collection of original mirror and memorabilia, vast collection of Irish whiskeys and live traditional music.
- The Dirty Onion: Housed in one of Belfast’s oldest buildings (circa 1780), this pub is famous for its large beer garden. (Yardbird is the upstairs rotisserie chicken restaurant!)
- White’s Tavern: Claims to be Belfast’s oldest tavern, established in 1630! It’s a historic pub experience with a modern beer garden
5. Crumlin Road Gaol
Crumlin Road Gaol (often referred to as “The Crum“) is a Victorian-era prison which operated for 150 years before it closed in 1996. It’s directly connected to the Crumlin Road Courthouse (located across the road) via an underground tunnel. Prisoners were transferred securely for trial that way.
“The Crum” has a reputation for being one of the most haunted buildings in Northern Ireland. So if you’re visiting a couple of weeks before and after Halloween, there’s normally ghost hunts 👻😱 organised as part of their guided tours!
- How to Get There: Catch Bus #11E or #11F from Belfast City Hall; pay with a contactless card. Get off at either “Agnes Street” or “Mater Hospital” – Crumlin Gaol is located in between these two stops. Otherwise, it’s about a 25 minute walk from Visit Belfast Centre.
- Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 5:30pm with last admission at 4pm
- Tickets: £14.50 adults, £8 kids aged 5-15 years, £13 seniors & students.
6. Ulster Museum & Botanic Gardens
The Ulster Museum covers History, Art and Natural Sciences and there’s loads to interest everyone from:
- The Egyptian Collection: The most famous item is Takabuti, the 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy unwrapped in Belfast in 1835. The gallery explores ancient Egyptian life and death rituals.
- Spanish Armada Treasures: Remarkable artefacts recovered from the wreck of the Spanish Armada galleon, the Girona, which sank off the Antrim coast in 1588.
- Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life: Ulster Museum houses Ireland’s only dinosaur bones. See impressive skeletons of the extinct Giant Irish Elk
The Ulster Museum is also the permanent home of the magnificant Game of Thrones Tapestry. This 87-metre long, linen-woven, and hand-embroidered tapestry depicts the epic story of all eight seasons of the hit HBO series. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, do check the museum’s website for when it’s on display! (It’s not always on display – get an online look here.)
- How to Get There: It’s about a mile’s walk from Belfast City Centre, taking about 20-25 minutes. Alternatively, catch bus #8a, #8b, #8c or #8d from Howard Street – across the other side of Belfast City Hall if you’re at Visit Belfast centre.
- Opening Hours: Closed Mondays. Open 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday
- Free entry – no tickets and no pre-booking required
An added bonus is that the Ulster Museum is located within Belfast’s historic Botanic Gardens. Much of the original Victoria layout and character when the gardens were established in 1828 has been preserved.
There’s two Victorian glasshouses to see: The Great Palm House was completed in 1840 and hosts a wonderful collection of tropical plants. The Tropical Ravine House was built later with a balcony overlooking a lush, tropical landscape.
7. Black Cab Tour of Peace Walls & Murals
If you’re a history buff, or is interested is recent Belfast history about “The Troubles” – the conflict between Nationalist Catholic and Unionist Protestant neighbourhoods, then the Black Cab Tour is for you!
A typical tour will take you to see the famous political murals on Falls Road and Shankill Road. The Peace Walls, used to minimise inter-communal violence, with some reaching up to 25 feet high are still there today.
- Duration: Typical pre-booked tours are anywhere between 60 minutes to 2 hours.
- Pre-Booked Tours: 60-minute Tours start about 5 minutes walk from Visit Belfast centre, outside the Jurys Inn Belfast
- My Experience: I did an “ad hoc” Black Cab tour, with a driver who offered to drive us around for an hour for a set fee. So if you’re interested it’s possible to negotiate with any black cab at a taxi stand in the city centre
Alternatively, you may prefer to go on a walking tour instead to hear about the history and see the walls and murals but note that the walk covers 4 km (~2.5 miles).
8. Belfast Castle
Belfast Castle, with panoramic views over Belfast Lough and the city itself, was originally commissioned as a new residence for the 3rd Marquess of Donegall (George Hamilton Chichester) and the Chichester family lived in the castle until 1930s, when it was given to the City of Belfast for public use.
The castle estate is part of the larger Cave Hill Country Park and there’s lots of walking trails, with a Visitor Centre. For cat lovers, don’t miss the “Cat Garden”! Legend has it that good fortune comes to those who visit Belfast Castle as long as a cat resides there, so there’s nine artistic representations of cats hidden within the garden for visitors to find.
Entry to the Belfast Castle Estate, its gardens and the Visitor Centre is free.
- How to Get There: Easiest way is to take bus #1 from Upper Queen Street in Belfast City Centre.
- Opening Hours: Generally at least 9am to 6pm but I would recommend checking online first, as sometimes the castle can be closed for private functions, so only the grounds and the Visitor Centre is open.
Belfast Cruise Port: What to Eat
If you’re on a British Isles cruise, Belfast is probably not your only stop in the Emerald Isle, but Northern Ireland does have a few distinctive specialties to try out!
1. Ulster Fry
The Ulster Fry is the undisputed king of Northern Irish breakfasts and not just for breakfast either! Pubs all over Belfast will serve it all day. It’s also easy to find in St George’s Market if you’re visiting on Friday, Saturday and Sunday when the market is open.
With bacon, sausages, fried eggs, black pudding, what sets it apart from an English or an Irish breakfast is that an Ulster fry usually includes both potato bread farls and soda bread farls. The griddled bread sets it apart.
(Potato Bread Farls are flatbreads made with mashed potatoes, flour and butter, cooked on a griddle. Soda bread uses bicarbonate of soda as a leavening agent instead of yeast, and uses buttermilk, so it has a dense texture than yeasted bread.)
2. Belfast Bap & Vegetable Roll
The Belfast Bap is a large, crusty bread roll, generously filled with Ulster fry ingredients.
The “Vegetable Roll“, despite its name, is not vegetarian! It’s a seasoned beef sausage, flavoured with leek and onion, shaped into a roll, then sliced and fried or grilled. It’s uniquely Northern Irish! Sometimes you’ll find it as part of an Ulster fry and sometimes stuffed in a Belfast bap!
You can find both in stalls in St George’s Market.
3. Pastie / “Chippy Pastie”
Unlike a British-style Cornish pasty, the Northern Irish pastie is usually a round, battered and deep-fried patty made from minced meat and onions. Find it in a fish and chip shop.
4. Other Irish Classics
There’s a few classics which are common in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. If you’re not visiting Irish ports, then you can also try:
- Irish Stew: Normally a winter menu item, it’s a lamb or mutton stew with potatoes, onions, carrot and other root vegetables. It’s a pub grub staple!
- Boxty: A traditional Irish potato pancake, served with Ulster fry or simply with butter. Another pub classic!
- Irish Whiskey: Bushmills is one of the oldest licensed distilleries in the world but you’ll find a wide selection of Irish brands in pubs in the Cathedral Quarter, including global names like (Jameson, Teeling, Powers, Tullamore D.E.W.)
- Local Craft Beers and Ciders: Best thing is to ask what’s available in a pub in the Cathedral Quarter as the range of stouts tend to be ever changing! Boundary and Hilden Brewing Co are well known brands. Also find local brewers with stalls in St George’s Market!
Featured Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash
If you’re going on a British Isles cruise soon and will be calling on Belfast, I hope that this DIY shore excursion guide for Belfast Cruise Port has given you lots of ideas on how to spend your port day there. Have a great cruise, as always!
And if this post has been helpful to you, please do share with your fellow cruisers in your roll call groups. I’d really appreciate it! Thank you :-)
