The classics in Belfast

8 places that make the city

The places that make Belfast: Titanic Belfast, Belfast City Hall, Samson and Goliath and more, with what is on there next.

Belfast City Hall

The Portland stone city hall in Donegall Square, which opened its doors on 1 August 1906. Inside there is a visitor exhibition, a coffee shop and guided tours, and its grounds hold the Christmas Market from mid-November.

Samson and Goliath

Outdoors

The two shipyard cranes of Harland & Wolff: Goliath is 96 metres tall and was completed in 1969, Samson is 106 metres and was completed in 1974. Both were scheduled for preservation in 2003 and stand in the Harland & Wolff yard.

Albert Memorial Clock

Outdoors

The clock tower in Queen's Square, built in memory of Prince Albert and designed by William Barre, who also designed the Ulster Hall. It stands on soft, reclaimed ground and leans slightly off the vertical.

Ulster Museum

The museum in the Botanic Gardens, free to enter and open Tuesday to Sunday. Its collections run from art and archaeology to natural history, with the Egyptian mummy Takabuti and treasure from the Armada ship Girona.

Crumlin Road Gaol

A Victorian prison that received its first prisoners in 1846 and closed as a working prison in 1996, now a visitor attraction. Visitors walk through the cells, and an underground tunnel links the gaol to the Crumlin Road Courthouse.

Belfast Castle and Cave Hill

The castle on the Antrim Road at the foot of Cave Hill, with woodland and parkland around it. The council calls it one of the most iconic places from which to view the skyline of Belfast.

When it rains

When it rains
  • Titanic Belfast
  • Belfast City Hall
  • Ulster Museum