This mural makes me hang my head in shame, hold my head high with pride and wet my pants laughing…read morewhen I see it. As it is down an alleyway next to The Duke Of York I usually encounter it when i'm several sheets to the wind. This is probably the best time to look at it as some of the local celebrities are hard to decipher without a copious amount of booze. The funniest thing to do is either try and work out who all the celebs are or watch tourists do it - there are about ten that I vaguely recognize and very few that the average tourist can spot. You are likely to hear 'Is that one Nadine Coyle or Christine Bleakely?' a few times before the night is out. Loving the fact that there is a summer seat positioned right opposite the main wall so you don't even have to be a standing detective - you can actually sit, with your pint and your smoke and solve the riddle that is this mural. Good Luck!

Really nice art store with a wide selection of items. Unfortunately, I was only searching for a new…read morejournal, but the journal selection was also quite extensive. 3-4 racks. Massive collection of Leuchtturms and Moleskins if that's what you're into. Would recommend. I grabbed one for a friend from a brand I didn't immediately recognize in a niche color. Staff seemed quite friendly additionally.

Absolutely delighted with my Bradbury Art Store delivery; was able to order over the phone and my…read moreWinsor & Newton art supplies were delivered to me the next working day. Canvas and oil paints - looking forward to using them. Excellent quick service, very helpful staff and great selection of quality art materials. This will help me carry on painting during the Coronavirus lockdown - thank you Bradbury Art, much appreciated.

Great artwork of a 33ft long by artist John Kindness. This fish is a ceramic tile and located at…read morethe bank of Lagan River. It's very noticeable and well created. Glad that I visited.

We live laugh love the salmon of knowledge!!! Big Fish was a huge highlight of the trip, even…read morethough we only got to see it at night because of our timing.

I love browsing through art galleries and the Engine Room is the latest small gallery in Belfast I…read morehave stumbled upon. Run by East Belfast Arts Collective, this Gallery has moved from its original location in a mill Engine Room to a street-level showroom just a little further east on the Newtownards Road. Since the Engine Room opened in the mid 1990s it has been according to the gallery "an engine at the core of the development of contemporary art in Belfast." The range of works on show include everything from oils and acrylics to prints, video, sculpture, arte povere, installation art and new technology. The gallery also aim to showcase lesser known local artists alongside more well known artists with international profiles. There are new exhibitions every month.

This is a great Gallery space in the heart of East Belfast. It hosts local, national and…read moreInternational exhibition. The latest exhibition from 1st April 2010 is a solo show by Deirdre Robb. works on display are paintings, installations and expeimental prints

As part of our Northern Ireland tour, we got a 2 hour Belfast Black Cab Tour included, and this was…read morethe first stop our wonderful tour guide, a bloke by the name of Paul, took us to. My brother and I had been to Belfast before and to the Peace Wall area, but this was our first time to the International Peace Wall murals and it was Brilliant learning more about the area and the context with a guide. So firstly, these murals are painted on a boundary wall of the Andrews Flour Mill Factory and its for all the other "struggles" going on in the world. When I visited in March 2019, the murals depicted Catalonia, Syria & Palestine issues. The area surrounding this mural is also of interest and there is an info board which is very helpful. There's a blink and you miss it spite of a Catholic Church, surrounded (protected?) by houses, and also a tall red & white building, awkwardly out of place. This building is the only remnant of a 5-building complex where the top 2 floors were taken over by the UK army and used as their command post. Interesting, fascinating place to visit! Yelp 129/ 2019

The legend of the Titanic lives on because of the famous movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate…read moreWinslet. It is a real story that is held dear in the UK. This is a nice memorial in Belfast. I was really struck by the long list of names in the plaques. I was reading the names one by one and these names seemed so real. There's a also a statue and sign in stone. This is right at City Hall. The legend of the sinking of the Titanic is a sad story that makes you ponder the wonder of human existence.

We were very pleased with the experience. We bought the "white star line" tour and it was worth…read moreevery penny. We got an hour long guided tour that not only gave us information about Titanic, but also about the building and the surrounding property. The exhibit showed every step of the process of shipbuilding in Belfast but I wished it would've shown more from the views of the passengers. What they would've seen on Titanic and her sisters. Overall, I would definately recommend people to go. It shows a part of history that is almost lost.

It's only fair that I review Custom House Square on St Patrick's Day as this is the final…read moredestination for Belfast's Parade and Concert. This is the sort of thing that Custom House Square is renowned for, in recent years it has been the site some of Belfast's biggest concerts including Belsonic which comes around in August. The Square itself has a load of history and used to be Belfast's biggest market place, there is monuments on site to commemorate this rich history and I would highly recommend visiting the square even when there isn't any concerts/festivals on. The Square is easily accessible and open to the public all year round. McHughes Irish bar is looking on to the square so if you fancy a pint after your brief tour this is your place. Custom House Square is a definite 5 stars for me! It is a great open air concert venue, centrally located and is steeped in history, what's not to like?

It's hard to remember what Custom House Square used to look like (and indeed, I fail to recall the…read moredetails myself), but it's had such a dramatic makeover that nobody really cares. In 2005, this area (which is located just beside Laganside Bus Station) was completely transformed to include a series of little fountains, each spurting water in a range of sequences, an large open space which has been used for the likes of concerts such as Belsonic, and has incorporated the sculptures such as the Calder's Fountain and Speaker's Corner that Suzi notes in her review. If you're ever there during the day, you'll spot a few skaters who use this area to their advantage, as well as a few tourists who are interested in the Albert Clock, the nearby Lagan Lookout or the Big Fish. It's a pleasant area to just sit and watch the world go by, and there's a few signs providing information about the Custom House and the various statues. There are also a number of apartments for sale / to let just beside the square which have been newly built, as well as a few slightly older sky risers. During the recent Belsonic festival, one landlord rented out a couple of apartments to those who were unable to buy a ticket for the concert, allowing them the best view in the house. Those lucky people... Definitely a great little place of historic interest which is a mere 5 minute walk from the city centre. McHugh's is just across from it, so you can always stop off for a drink / meal while you're visiting.

My first visit, 07/09/2017, introduced me to a gallery I've heard much about. It lived up to it's…read morereputation. Brimming with challenging, contemporary art tackling the big issues of our time, Catalyst is not for the faint-hearted. This uber-cool, industrial, warehouse suits the art it showcases (installation, conceptual, screen etc) and the radical art on display perfectly suits the space. Numerous artists were represented, but I was especially drawn to American/ Metis artist Dylan A T Miner's red wall hangings, called "Gesture of Solidarity". Miner deals with indigenous/ colonial themes and his banners dominated the gallery, catching the eye, demanding attention and investigation. Fantastic work. Catalyst is volunteer run/ nonprofit and as well as serving up fascinating experimental art, it runs a range of events, screenings and activities such as the Anarchist Bookfair. Quite possibly one of the most exciting art spaces in Belfast. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get round to visiting...

Always a great show pushing the boundaries of there practice. Check it out on Late Night Art. It's…read morethe first Thursday of the month!

History and modern clash here in the Cathedral Quarter which is in the shadow of Belfast's Saint…read moreAnne's Cathedral. I spent most of my time along Hill Street but there's more. The narrow cobblestone alleyways are lined with classic pubs, fashionable bars and a spectrum of restaurants for different tastes and budgets. Many of the walls here are covered with street art, either sanctioned or unsanctioned. This makes for a colorful (colourful?) tour as you stumble from one drinking establishment to the next. Thankfully, my hotel was not too far away from Hill Street so I didn't have to stumble too far after enjoying drinks in the Dirty Onion and the Dark Horse the Garrick bar and the Duke of York. Lots of traditional Irish music, some whiskey, some Guinness and more. Don't miss the Yardbird which smelled amazing with their rotisserie chicken cooking. [Review 1994 of 2024 - 896 in United Kingdom - 23016 overall]

It has become a trend of modern times to quarter off cities into distinct areas. A technique to…read moreimprove the tourist experience and enhance city environments for locals. Some commentators criticise this, pointing to gentrification as a side effect of such urban planning. However, Belfast as a city emerging from decades of turmoil due to The Troubles, needed urban improvement more than any other UK city. The Cathedral Quarter has given Belfast an area to be proud of and I personally think it's brilliant. With cobbled streets, the continental feel of St Anne's Square, street art, The MAC, Black Box, Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast Print Workshop, Duke of York, 2Taps, Coppi, The Merchant and many more pubs, restaurants, independent shops and galleries the Cathedral Quarter brings a long awaited vibrancy to Belfast. It's my favourite area in Belfast to hang out and relax with friends and family. An area buzzing with people, music and culture which makes me proud of my city. Also don't miss it on Culture Night which is an event occurring annually in September. On this one night, the best night of the year for Culture Vultures, Cathedral Quarter abounds with live art, music, performance, dance, fire, colour and entertainment that will make you glad to be alive. You would be a fool to miss it - and bring the kids as it's family friendly up until 9pm.

We visited the Ulster Museum after we had done quite a few other attractions and decided to only…read morefocus on one of the displays, namely the section dedicated to the Troubles. Extremely informative and well-presented.

Great museum with a wide variety of things- like a national museum. So many genres, and we got…read moreextra lucky that there was an exhibit of current artists with art for sale. That exhibit was gigantic and impressive. Only downside of the museum was no acoustical/ absorption to buffer the screeching children. It was well worth a visit if you have spare time in Belfast.