Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland and one of the largest cities in the U.K., is absolutely beautiful.
From its castles to its landscape, there is just so much to see and do. Shore Trips offers several excursions to the area, but when it's time to get off the boat, what should you see?
The Troubles: This is the nickname for the period of difficult time from the late 1960s to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, also called the Belfast Agreement. On your trip to this fascinating city, you need to stop by and see the scrawls on the peace walls and even take a walking tour of the area. It's free to tour the Stormont Parliament Buildings as well. The building was built at 365 feet wide, representing one foot for every day of the year, and has six floors and six pillars at the entrance, which represents one for each county in Northern Ireland.
Titanic Belfast: On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg. More than 1,500 passengers and crew died during the tragedy. The cruiser was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland, so it is appropriate that the Titanic Belfast, the World's Largest Titanic exhibition, is located here. It houses nine interactive galleries where you can see artifacts from the ship, but not the wreck site. Learn what you can about the Titanic and then explore the shipyard and walk the decks of the world's last remaining White Star vessel and RMS Titanic's original tender ship - the SS Nomadic.
[READMORE]READ MORE: The Best of Beijing[/READMORE]
Ulster Museum: Here you can learn all about Northern Ireland's history, which is free admission to visitors. There are hands-on activities and over 12,000 works comprised of drawings, paintings, sculptures, glass, ceramics, silver, furniture, costume and textiles. You can look at exhibits such as The Disasters of War, a series of prints depicting guerrilla warfare, famine and political disillusionment after Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain. There are also historical objects related to the social, economic and political history of Ireland. There are also specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals and rocks from the area.
The City Hall: In 1995, President Bill Clinton made an emotional address to the people of Northern Ireland during his historic visit. According to the history of the City Hall, Belfast was given its charter in 1613 and became known for shipbuilding, rope making, engineering, tobacco and textile industries. The building for City Hall was started in 1898 and finished eight years later. Today, you can participate in a guided tour of the building for free.
Ulster Folk & Transport Museum: When it comes to learning about the history of an area, one of the coolest parts is when you almost get to step back in time and see what it was like. Here at the Museum, you ca do that, by visiting with people who are dressed to resemble the citizens of the time. You, and the kids can climb aboard steam locomotives and look at horse drawn carriages, electric trams, motorbikes, fire-engines and vintage cars.
Topics From This Article to Explore
