Belfast Castle, Northern Ireland, United KingdomToday was my first full day of exploring Belfast. I had planned on doing a day trip to Enniskillen but when I found out the bus times it would be a waste of a day. I would have to take the 9am bus which takes 2 hr 40 mins one way to get there.
Later today I was also planning on biking so that may not have been possible with a long distance trip. The city bike rental stations did not work so I tried asking at the tourist info office. They were not able to help with the bike situation but they did suggest buying a two day travel pass would be the better option for my plans for both days. The pass was 12 pounds vs local train tickets would have been 4 pounds each way.
I took the bus north to Belfast Castle as it was the furthest so get it out the way first. Entrance is free and as I discovered it is used for rental of private events such as weddings.
There is not clear signage from the bus and the driver had to tell me. I had already researched the route on google maps.
It seems like it was a large stately private home as there was no Royalty in Ireland. Most of the rooms were bare of furnishing so this wasn't really a museum, hence free entry.
Taking the bus back south the next stop before the city centre would be Crumlin Gaol a prison museum. Again I got to sit at the top of the double decker bus for good views.
Entrance to the museum was 14 pounds. Directly across was the old Court building which is now derelict and zoned for a hotel. I'm sure it will look very nice once restored
We are allowed in one of the two prison wings which have three levels, though we are only allowed on the ground level. There are a variety of cells depicting prison life.
There was also a short video on the hangings that would take place and the prisoners that died.
Just across a couple of blocks was the Shankill Estate where the murals began. I had researched the locations on google maps.
Just before biking this afternoon I wanted a proper meal as I had no breakfast in my apartment as it wasn't really a hotel, and all they seemed to sell everywhere was sandwiches. I got a KFC which I normally do not as it was the only cooked food I could find, which came with baked beans
The next day [I am trying to keep blog entries aligned with my youtube vlog] I visited Belfast City Hall just before I left. It is free entry.
It had a very impressive interior and small city museum so is worth a visit. The stained glass was particularly interesting too along with the domed interior.
See vlog (8 mins) - https://youtu.be/_9Egj-uiL-0
2025-05-22