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First-time visitors whose visions of Belfast have been shaped by the decades of sectarian “Troubles” will be pleasantly surprised. Political friction does remain, but today Belfast is a proud, handsome capital city of half a million moving on with life. The knowledgeable drivers of the Black Taxi Tours offer insight into Belfast past and present, with a drive by the politically charged murals of the Falls Road and Shankill Road. The city’s renewal is apparent at the riverfront docklands, where Titanic Belfast, a major exhibition center recounting the story of the ill-fated liner, opened for the centennial of the sinking at the old Harland & Wolff shipyard, the largest shipyard in the world when Titanic was completed here in 1912.
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and by far its largest city. The area is home to nearly half a million people, nearly a third of Northern Ireland's population. Although religious strife has been a part of the city's history since the 19th century, the city is as much known for its beauty and its industry. In fact, the city is well-known for its shipyards (the world's largest dry dock is here) and linen industry. Among the places to visit in Belfast are St. Anne's Cathedral, the Grand Opera House and the Botanic Gardens, site of the Ulster Museum, which features a display of life in Ireland over 9,000 years. The City Hall dominates the main shopping area, and Queen's University provides Belfast with some college-town atmosphere. And just outside the city is Carrickfergus Castle, built in 1180. Belfast sits on an inlet of the Irish Sea at the mouth of the Lagan River and is ringed by the hills of the river valley. The city and the riverfront are being revitalized, and much of the city center has been pedestrianized. Streets are lined with Victorian and Edwardian buildings featuring elaborate sculptures above doors, windows and ledges.