15 Famous Landmarks in Belfast, Northern Ireland (100% worth a visit)

Full List of the 15 Famous Landmarks in Belfast

We’ve breakdown the 15 landmarks in 2 main categories: the buildings in one hand, and all the other types of landmarks including museums and gardens in the other hand.

🏛 Famous buildings in Belfast: 

1. Belfast City Hall
2. Belfast Castle
3. St Anne’s Cathedral
4. Albert Memorial Clock
5. Carrickfergus Castle
6. Stormont (Parliament Buildings)
7. Queen’s University

🏰 Museums & other landmarks in Belfast:

8. Titanic Belfast
9. Ulster Museum
10. Crumlin Road Gaol
11. Giant’s Ring
12. The Botanic Gardens
13. St. George’s Market
14. Belfast murals
15. Cave Hill 

So, here’s the full list of the best 15 landmarks in Belfast. Keep reading below to learn more about each of these landmarks! 👇

Famous Buildings in Belfast

In this part, we’ve gathered all the important buildings you can see in Belfast, ancient or not. Let’s jump right to it!

1. Belfast City Hall

Belfast City Hall is located in the heart of the city and is definitely worth a visit! This huge building is a top meeting place for both locals and tourists in town, and the most famous monument of Belfast.

In 1888, Queen Victoria made Belfast a municipality. To express their joy, the citizens decided to build a City Hall between 1898 and 1906. Built in a neoclassical Renaissance style by architect Alfred Brumwell Thomas, the City Hall is massive covering an area of about 6,000 m2 on Donegal Square.

Today, the City Hall hosts major events, balls, concerts and weddings. It’s also a place of relaxation where employees, tourists and students relax or picnic in the gardens around the City Hall. A giant screen is also installed on the City Hall’s lawns where important sports matches are broadcasted. At Christmas, the Belfast Christmas Market also takes place here in the heart of the city.

2. Belfast Castle

Belfast Castle is located along the Antrim Road on the eastern side of Cave Hill, about 20min drive from Belfast city center. This beautiful monument is a very popular attraction among tourists.

Founded on the site of a 12th-century Norman castle, the current building was built in the 19th century in a typical Scottish style. The castle had been modified and improved during the course of its history, particularly in the 1980s in order to welcome visitors. 

Today, the castle hosts lots of events such as weddings, christenings or balls. When visiting Belfast Castle, visitors can also have a meal in the castle’s restaurant, picnic on the wonderful gardens or hike Cave Hill.

3. St Anne’s Cathedral

Located in the lively Cathedral Quarter just a 10min walk from the City Hall, St. Anne’s Cathedral is one of Belfast’s most important monuments.

Built by Thomas Drew in 1899, this Anglican cathedral features a magnificent white façade and a 40-meter high spire added in 2007. You definitely can’t miss it when strolling in the neighborhood! 

Inside, visitors can see the largest pipe organ in Northern Ireland dating from the early 20th century, as well as beautiful mosaics, historical objects and artworks.

4. Albert Memorial Clock

Located in the heart of the city, the Albert Memorial Clock Tower is arguably the most iconic landmark in Belfast and one of the city’s symbols.

Built in 1865 by the same architect who designed the Ulster Hall, this gothic style tower similar to London’s Big Ben was erected as a tribute to Queen Victoria’s late Prince Consort, Prince Albert.

This 35-meter tower decorated with a statue of Prince Albert has the particularity of leaning because of the marshy ground it was built on. Although it has been consolidated, its inclination has remained for the delight of tourists who love to have fun taking pictures of it. 

5. Carrickfergus Castle

Carrickfergus Castle is located a bit outside of the city, about 25min drive north from Belfast city center. Although the castle itself is very impressive, Carrickfergus is best known for being mentioned in several Irish songs. 

Built in 1177, the castle bears the name of the town where it stands, Carrickfergus, the oldest town in County Antrim that used to be a major center for the textile industry at that time. Though it has been attacked many times in the course of its history, Carrickfergus castle is surprisingly one of Ireland’s best preserved fortresses. 

The best time to visit is during the medieval festival which takes place every year. Visitors can do archery, watch knight fights, falconry demonstration and drink beers, of course. 

6. Stormont (Parliament Buildings)

Located in the east of Belfast, Stormont is the seat of the Assembly and Cabinet of Northern Ireland. It’s an important symbol of the cohabitation between nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland.

Stormont Palace was built in 1932 with the specific aim of hosting the Northern Irish Parliament following the 1920 Government of Ireland Act. Since then, it’s in these buildings that all decisions regarding Northern Ireland are taken.

The building isn’t open to the public because of its major political role. But you can visit it from the outside: built in a neoclassical style with impressive columns, Stormont Palace is an architectural marvel with relentless symmetry that is worth a look.

7. Queen’s University

Located in the heart of the city, a few meters from the Botanical Gardens, Queen’s University is the second oldest university in Ireland after Dublin’s Trinity College.

In fact, the Queen’s University was founded in 1845 to compete with Trinity College. Recognized internationally for the quality of its teaching and learning, the university is also famous for having welcomed prestigious students such as actor Liam Neeson or writer Seamus Heaney.

Today, the Queen’s University welcomes thousands of students from all over the world. You can freely enter the building to visit it, or simply enjoy its gardens over a picnic.

Museums & Other Famous Landmarks in Belfast

In this second part, we’ve gathered all the other types of landmarks that are major in Belfast, including museums and natural landmarks. Let’s discover 8 of them! 

8. Titanic Belfast

Located in the Titanic Quarter along the River Lagan, the Titanic Belfast is the largest museum in the world dedicated to the famous liner, the Titanic. The museum is housed in an impressive steel building, shaped like the bow of a ship. 

Opened in 2012 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the liner’s sinking, this museum offers a comprehensive and unique tour of the Titanic through 9 galleries, from its conception in the early 1900s here in Belfast, to its tragic sank off the coast of Newfoundland.  

Whether you’re a Titanic fan or not, this museum is an absolute must-do in Belfast. It’s actually the city’s most popular attraction with more than 450,000 visitors every year. 

9. Ulster Museum

Opened in 1833, the Ulster Museum is best known as the largest museum in Belfast and exhibits a wonderful collection spread over more than 8,000 square meters.  

Even if you’re not very fond of museums, the Ulster Museum in Belfast is a free visit (like all the national museums in the United Kingdom) and is even very nice. It houses permanent exhibitions that can be seen all year round, but also temporary exhibitions.

The Ulster museum is located in the heart of the Botanical Garden only few meters from the Queen’s University, one more reason to stop by!

10. Crumlin Road Gaol

Crumlin Road Gaol is located in the north of Belfast and is infamous for having been one of the saddest institutions of its time due to the extremely poor conditions of detention.  

schnoogg / CC BY-NC-ND

Inspired by London’s Pentonville Prison, Crumlin Road Gaol was built in order to replace Carrickfergus Prison in 1843. It opened 3 years later in  1846 with 106 prisoners transferred from Carrickfergus Prison. Crumlin Road Gaol is Ireland’s first prison that was built in a way to avoid any contact between prisoners, and operated until recently in 1996. 

The prison 45min-tour included the prisoners’ cells, the toilets, the kitchen, the governor’s office, the punishment room and the hanging room. You can also discover the tunnel that connects Crumlin Road Gaol to the Court of Justice, located across the road. 

11. Giant’s Ring

Giant’s Ring is located south of Belfast city center, about 20min drive. It’s a megalithic archaeological site dating from 3000 BC. 

The site forms a circle of 200m in diameter delimited by a fence and includes in its center a dolmen and a huge tree that the Irish call “The Guardian”. The tree is said to date from the Neolithic period. 

All these elements together give the site a mysterious and magical atmosphere. The tradition is to walk 3 times around the ring counter-clockwise to bring luck.

12. The Botanic Gardens

Located in the south of Belfast on an area of 28 hectares, the Botanic Gardens is a stunning park where visitors can discover plants from all over the world.

The Botanic Gardens project began in 1828 as a private garden with hundreds of trees and plants. In 1840, the impressive greenhouse, the Palm House, was built in an art nouveau style. A second greenhouse was added in 1889, the Tropical Ravine House, and the garden opened to the public in 1895.

The Botanic Gardens is the perfect spot for a relaxing break in the middle of the city. After discovering the greenhouses, you can stroll through the outdoor gardens where you can also see unique plant species.

13. St. George’s Market

Located just a few meters from Victoria Square in the city center, St George’s Market is the perfect place to discover local food and a must in Belfast.

Michael Wilkinson / CC BY-NC

Built in the late 19th century, this covered market is the last remaining Victorian covered market in Belfast. Open every weekend from Friday to Sunday, St George’s Market has more than 150 stalls selling all kinds of products, including pure local products such as shark, belly-buster and black pudding.

You can have lunch here, or at least taste the local delicacies on the spot as a corner has been arranged with tables and chairs inside the market. 

14. Belfast murals

Murals are one of the most famous pieces of Northern Irish heritage. There are more than 2,000 of them throughout the country, with the largest concentration in Belfast.

These frescoes are the most visible sign of the virtual border between the two main communities of Ireland: on one side the Protestants loyal to the Crown of England, and on the other the Catholics favorable to the union with the Republic of Ireland. Real propaganda tools during the Troubles (1968-1998), they are now an open book on the recent history of the country.

Many local companies offer Belfast mural tours to make you discover them, with the useful comments of a guide. Of course, you can also discover them on your own if you prefer.

15. Cave Hill 

It’s impossible to miss Cave Hill when visiting Belfast. Not only because the 368-meter high hill stands out in the center of the city, but also because it’s a must if you want to enjoy a breathtaking view of Belfast Bay.

The hiking trails start from Belfast Castle, which is easily reached by bus from the city center. There are 3 main trails on Belfast Hill, suitable for different levels of walkers: the Castle Trail and the Estate Trail for all levels, and the Cave Hill Trail for more experienced hikers.

If you can, don’t hesitate to take the Cave Hill Trail leading to McArt’s Fort, an old prehistoric circular fort overlooking the ocean. Also, Cave Hill has 3 caves that you can explore with a guide after your hike. 

Map of the Famous Belfast Landmarks

To get the free map of this top 15 Belfast landmarks, simply click on the image below to open it in Google Maps. Then click on the “star” icon to save it to your own maps.

Want to discover more landmarks and places in Northern Ireland? Check these posts 👇: 

• Famous Landmarks in Northern Ireland
• Game of Thrones Filming Locations in Northern Ireland
• Famous Landmarks in Ireland

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