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Belém

Belém is a city of 1.4 million people (2015) near the mouth of the Amazon River in northern Brazil. It is the gateway to the Amazon River with a busy port, airport, and bus/coach station. Belém lies approximately 100 km upriver from the Atlantic Ocean, on the Pará River. It is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará.

Understand
Belém is on the banks of the Bay of Guajará, which is formed by a set of islands and river mouths on the estuary of the Amazon river. Its river port helps putting into motion the Northern region of Brazil.

The city was established in 1616, after the construction of "Forte do Presépio", today "Forte do Castelo", on the banks the Pará river. Belém is, in a way, a synthesis of the culture and the history of Pará and the Amazon with native Indian influence in the food and culture. It became an extremely wealthy city with the Rubber Boom at the end of the 19th century and many beautiful colonial buildings from this era are still visible.

Every year, on the second Sunday of October, Belém features one of the largest Catholic parades in the world, Círio de Nazaré.

Climate
Belém is 1.4 degrees south of the equator, in the east of the Amazon rainforest. The city is very hot all year round and it rains almost daily, mostly in the form of sudden afternoon thunderstorms of less than half an hour, at about 15:00. However, between December and May, when most of the rain falls, it can rain for several hours and several times a day. In addition to one of the rainiest, Belém is one of the sunniest cities of Brazil. The average maximum temperatures are around 32°C, while the minimums are around 23°C, quite stable throughout the year. Due to humidity, the temperatures can feel significantly higher.

With the sunny and humid tropical climate, be prepared to change your clothes frequently and be well hydrated. It is useful to bring an umbrella, to protect you from the sun and rain.

By bus
Huge bus terminal a few kilometers east of the center. Many local buses pass here. It is possible to travel by air-conditioned coach to Belém from most major points in Brazil. However, due to its relative isolation, travel times can be quite lengthy (Example 27 hours to Fortaleza) - especially from the south.

By boat
Passenger terminal at the north end of the docks. Many daily boats to nearby islands, including twice to Rio Branco. Also to Macapá, Santarém Belem and Manaus, with connections further north and west. Locals sling hammocks to sleep but air conditioned cabins are available on the larger boats. This is a great way to travel see (and hear) the river, and meet people. Beware, as soon as you leave the boat you will be greeted by friendly taxi drivers who'll offer you a flat price for the way to your accommodation - their friendly offer is 2 to 3 times the regular fare. Just get out on the street and hail a taxi there.

By bus
There is one major long distance coach terminal at São Braz. There are many local busses travelling all over the city at often exhilarating and reckless speeds. The number of buses passing Avenida Presidente Vargas is nothing short of astonishing, and you can get virtually anywhere within Greater Belém from here. The challenge lies in finding the right bus, and also getting on board, as it will stop anywhere on a stretch of some 200–300 metres, or attempt to pass straight. Do as the locals: wave and run for it!

Another transport "hub" is in front of the bus terminal, next to São Bráz, only slightly less chaotic.

Most buses run until about 23:00, but minibuses go virtually around the clock on major roads.

By taxi
There are many taxis in the city. Many taxi drivers are willing to negotiate a fair flat-rate price based on where you want to go. The taxi fares are far more expensive than the bus fares but if you need to get somewhere fast without waiting or dealing with packed busses, it's a good option.

By bicycle
If you for some strange reason find yourself in possession of a bike while in town, there are actually a great number of cycle lanes along the main avenues.

See
Belém is a lively and friendly city but it can look quite unappealing at first sight. There are a lot of modern high rises, but between them particularly in Cidade Velha and Campinas there are a vast number of well preserved colonial buildings, from the rubber boom and earlier. Many of the grander ones now house official bodies and there has been a drive to preserve them.

Belém has many attraction, here are some of many attractions the city offers.
 * Mercado Ver-o-Peso (See-the-Weight Market) - by the waterfront, the first and foremost tourist attraction of the whole Pará state. The old fish market, a large and lively traditional market, pre-built in England in the 19th century. Here you will find fish, fruit, vegetables, regional items and offers a good insight into traditional local culture.
 * Estação das Docas (Revitalised docks with bars, shops, music etc. next to Ver O Peso)
 * Complexo Feliz Lusitânia (Complex Happy Portugal)
 * Casa das Onze Janelas (House of Eleven Windows)
 * Mercado Ver-o-Rio (See-the-River), bars and a boating lake.
 * Forte do Castelo The old fortress in the oldest part of town.
 * Catedral da Se The oldest church in Belem.
 * Praça Batista Campos (Batista Campos Square)
 * Museu de Artes de Belém (Belém Arts Museum)
 * Museu Emilio Goeldi (Emílio Goeldi Museum). The zoo.
 * Praça da República (The Square of the republic). The main square with statues and the Teatro da Paz.
 * Bosque Rodrigues Alves (Botanical Garden Bosque Rodrigues Alves). A large section of the original forest (with some a lake, fish, animals and a cafe) perhaps a square kilometer in area, ten minutes by car from the city centre.
 * Mangal das Garças - the region's vegetation, animals and food can be appreciated in this large park for tourists, just off the city centre.
 * Mangal das Garças - the region's vegetation, animals and food can be appreciated in this large park for tourists, just off the city centre.

Do
Many of the city's highlights can be taken in with a walk along the rivers edge, starting with the docks and continuing to the old fort. Numerous old churches along the way are worth a look, and the bustling market life is not to be missed.

Eat
Belém has a range of regional specialties. See Pará for the full menu.

 * Regional Ice Creams: made with fruits like Açaí, Cupuaçú, Taperebá, Bacurí, Graviola, etc. Best ice cream maker is Sorveteria Cairú, several branches around town, including at Docas (Station of the docks).
 * Tacacá: a delicious soup made with shrimp, tucupi (a broth made with wild cassava) and jambu (Acmella oleracea). It must be served extremely hot in a cuia and it can be served with pepper or not.

 * Caldeirada Paraense: is made with fish, shrimp, eggs, onion, potatoes, tomatoes, red pepper, tucupi and jambu. It must be served hot with rice and pirão.
 * Maniçoba: is made with leaves of Manihot, salted pork, dried meat and some smoked ingredients, such as bacon.

 * Pato no Tucupi: is made with duck (pato), jambu and tucupi, the same liquid used to prepare Tacacá. People eat this food with rice and pepper.
 * Vatapá
 * Caruru

Budget
All these are in Campina:

Drink
The refurbished warehouses by the riverside, Estação das Docas (or simply Docas) offer a number of outside tables, and fairly expensive menus. Amazon beer has an in-house brewery and on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights offers an all you can drink and eat special for R$36. You should try the genuine beer from Pará, which is called CERPA and can be easily found.

Sleep
There are two main areas for accommodation, both featuring the full range:
 * On and around Avenida Presidente Vargas on the very edge of the commercial center, and also close to many sights, but rather seedy and not too safe in its smaller alleys at night.
 * The area around the bus terminal and São Bráz, somewhat easier going.

Budget

Three places within 50 meters of each other at Travessa Frutuoso Guimarães, some three blocks inland from the Docas. Just down the street is the nicer

Stay safe
Belém is now a large city, take care when walking after nightfall along Presidente Vargas and the back streets that lead off from it. Although no worse (and perhaps better) than other Brazilian cities there is still a lot of poverty so try not to have jewellery or cameras on show when walking around. The city is generally safe and friendly during daytime. Estacao das Docas is always a safe if rather touristy option. The Umarizal area has up market local bars and restaurants. Avenida Joao Paulo Segundo (previously called Avenida Premeiro de Dezembro) has some more "down to earth" and very local bars. Generally there is a lot of night life Thursday, Friday and Saturday ask for advice. Although worth a visit try and avoid Estacao da Docas which is really only for tourists.

Go next

 * Ilha do Mosqueiro is the closest beach area (after Outeiro) to Belém, some 80 km away. The island is surrounded by sandy river beaches (some developed more than others) with fresh water and because of the size of the estuary often large waves. Buses at least every half hour from the bus station. Boats on weekends and high season.
 * Icoaraci some 25 km north of the centre offers a pleasant bayside walk with quite a few bars and restaurants. Car ferry for Ilha do Marajó leaves from here. Local buses from downtown.
 * Salinópolis or Salinas offers the nearest sea beaches. It is a beautiful place with nice beaches (Atalaia, Maçarico, Farol Velho etc...), a three hours from Belém, and it is a good place to visit/stay (at least one night). The original town is Salinopolis. Atalaia and Farol Velho are beautiful beaches except at weekends and holidays when they can resemble car parks with thousands of visiting cars from Belem. If you drive along the beach far enough you will get away from the crowds, but if you have a car be careful of soft sand and the tide!
 * Ilha do Marajó is possible as a day trip, but consider spending at least one night. Many agencies offer packages, but you can mostly get along cheaper on your own.
 * Ilha de Algodoal is a beautiful Island, and there is one of the most preserved beaches in the North of Brazil in there (Princess beach).
 * Crispim is possible a day trip.
 * Santarém two hours from Belém by plane. But do consider a two- or three-day boat journey up river (rather less when coming back down with the current).

title: Belém


text:
Belcoo

Belcoo is a border village historically in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland; these counties have been abolished and it's now part of Omagh and Fermanagh District. In Irish Béal Cú means "mouth of the narrows" referring to the little river that drains Upper into Lower Lough MacNean. In 2011 its population was 540.

Blacklion on the south bank of that river is in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. Since 1998 the border has been open and unpatrolled, so Blacklion and Belcoo are a single community for practical purposes. The area's main attraction is its limestone scenery, both above and below ground.

Get in
From Belfast Europa bus station take Goldline Bus 261 to Enniskillen then change for Bus 64 or 258.

Bus Éireann 458 runs every couple of hours daily from Enniskillen to Belcoo, Glenfarne, Manorhamilton, Glencar, Sligo, Enniscrone and Ballina.

Ulsterbus 64 also runs twice a day between Enniskillen and Belcoo.

The bus stops either side of the border are on the main road to Sligo: in Belcoo by Loughview Drive, and in Blacklion at the bend in Main Street.

By car take A4 from Enniskillen and N16 from Manorhamilton and Sligo.

Get around
You need a car to reach the area's scattered attractions.

If you cross the border, it's your own responsibility to check that your personal and car documents are valid; the rules changed in 2021.

See

 * is a natural spring feeding a pool, cold and fresh from the limestone depths. It's tenuously associated with the saint and is supposed to have all sorts of healing properties, so this is the place to come if your cattle suffer from murrain, redwater, milk fever, spine disease or elf-shot. The pool is still a pilgrimage site, cluttered with religious kitsch.
 * is the scenic dell of the river flowing out of Marble Arch Caves.
 * : see Enniskillen for this grand 18th-century mansion.
 * Glenfarne forest park is 5 km west, see Manorhamilton.
 * is an area of karstic landscape, open daily 8AM-dusk, free. Giant's Leap Wedge Tomb 500 m east of the Visitor Centre is the best-preserved of the megaliths in the area. "Burren" simply means barren and stony, so it's a common placename, best known being The Burren of County Clare.
 * is the source of Ireland's great river, reached by a 500 m hike from the car park on R206 towards Corrbeg and Glengavlen. The Shannon flows southwest to enter County Leitrim at Dowra then into Lough Allen. From there south is navigable all the way to Limerick.
 * sounds like a gentrified district of Boston but means "bothies" or huts. It's a tiny village with several prehistoric and early Christian sites. The High Cross in Sacred Church graveyard is probably 10th century, and on the hill behind are Reyfad Stones, with inscriptions similar to those at Brú Na Bóinne. There are extensive caves in the hills. Legend tells that Flanagan of Toora refused to pay tribute to the stewards of the King of Fermanagh, saying the king's wealth was safer in his keeping than theirs. The sly fellow may have had a point, but it was the cue for much mayhem and cartoon-chases back and forth with and without cattle across the bogs and heaths of Boho.
 * sounds like a gentrified district of Boston but means "bothies" or huts. It's a tiny village with several prehistoric and early Christian sites. The High Cross in Sacred Church graveyard is probably 10th century, and on the hill behind are Reyfad Stones, with inscriptions similar to those at Brú Na Bóinne. There are extensive caves in the hills. Legend tells that Flanagan of Toora refused to pay tribute to the stewards of the King of Fermanagh, saying the king's wealth was safer in his keeping than theirs. The sly fellow may have had a point, but it was the cue for much mayhem and cartoon-chases back and forth with and without cattle across the bogs and heaths of Boho.

Do

 * Golf: Blacklion Golf Course is nine holes, by the shore of Lough MacNean. 18 holes is 5858 metres, par 72.
 * is a 7-km walking trail along forest tracks, not a show cave. You peer down into the cave but it's flooded, so cavers must swim several sections. It's not named for Tolkien's Gollum: Poll na gColm means "pigeon-hole" and is a common name for caves in Ireland.
 * Other caves riddle the entire area, the major systems being Reyfad–Glenkeel, Noon's Hole–Arch Cave and Boho Caves. They're only for suitably skilled cavers, and by the landowner's permission.
 * is a 7-km walking trail along forest tracks, not a show cave. You peer down into the cave but it's flooded, so cavers must swim several sections. It's not named for Tolkien's Gollum: Poll na gColm means "pigeon-hole" and is a common name for caves in Ireland.
 * Other caves riddle the entire area, the major systems being Reyfad–Glenkeel, Noon's Hole–Arch Cave and Boho Caves. They're only for suitably skilled cavers, and by the landowner's permission.

Buy

 * Spar on Belcoo Main St is open M-Sa 7:30AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM and has an ATM within.

Eat

 * Chippy is a fish & chips takeaway on Blacklion Main St.
 * Chippy is a fish & chips takeaway on Blacklion Main St.

Drink

 * The Well Bar is on Railway St, Belcoo, corner with Main St.

Sleep

 * Bellavista B&B off Belcoo Main St wasn't open in early 2021.
 * Bellavista B&B off Belcoo Main St wasn't open in early 2021.

Connect
As of March 2021, Belcoo has a poor signal from all the UK and Irish carriers. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Enniskillen is the main town in the area, with a ramshackle castle, and stately homes in the countryside.
 * Manorhamilton in County Leitrim is surrounded by historic and prehistoric sites. Scenic glens lead west to Sligo.
 * Cavan Town is at the centre of the drumlin belt, where dozens of islets dot the lakes.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Belcoo


text:
Belcourt

Belcourt  is a town in the Turtle Mountains area of North Dakota.

Understand
It has a population of about 2,440 people, and the elevation is 1,960 feet. The town of Belcourt is the only town on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, which is in the north-central portion of Rolette County.

History
Father George Belcourt was a pioneer priest among the Chippewa people. The town, which was originally called Turtle Mountain, was renamed in his honor in 1888.

Get in

 * By car: from Churchs Ferry exit off US Highway 2, about 62 miles north and west on US Highway 281.

Camping

 * Belcourt Lake, Gordon Lake, Jarvis Lake, Wheaton Lake. Primitive. North of Belcourt.

title: Belcourt


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Belek

Belek is a beach resort in Pamphylia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, about 40 km east of Antalya. Its big selling point is golf - some dozen courses line the coast, and Turkey's principal tournament is held here as part of the European Tour.

The nearby ruined cities of Aspendos and Perge indicate the ancient civilisations of this area, but Belek lacks a harbour or defensible redoubt, so it was unimportant until modern times. It's governed as part of Serik town within Antalya Province, and in 2022 had a population of 9102. It includes the neighbourhoods of Kadriye and Boğazkent.

Get in
See Antalya for long-distance travel routes. International visitors mostly arrive at the airport and are bussed the 40 km direct to their hotels. Independent travellers might hire a car there or take a taxi, since the airport is east of the city and you can avoid backtracking via downtown.

Bus BA22 runs from Antalya Meydan to Belek and Boğazkent every 20 min from 06:20 to 21:30. You need the Antalyakart public transport card to use this or any other city bus, see Antalya for details. Or look for a dolmuş.

Buses between Antalya, Manavgat (for Side) and Alanya scoot past on D400 inland and don't come in to Belek. You could get off at Serik and find a taxi or dolmuş.

Get around
Belek is designed to deter any thought of stepping beyond your package resort. And it's not the sort of place where you stroll along the prom enjoying the sunset and the aroma of oxidised fish from the harbour cafes. Hotels run shuttles to their golf courses and other amusements such as the theme park. Bus BA22 connects Belek town and Boğazkent but runs along Turizm Cd 1 km inland from the beach hotels.

See

 * is all modern, an extended retail plaza selling overpriced tat. The clocktower would be the focus if it had one, with fake archways alongside. The mosque adjacent is also modern but built and decorated in traditional style.
 * Boğazkent 10 km east at the end of the resort strip is a dull modern grid.
 * is a must-see, a well-preserved Graeco-Roman city with a large amphitheatre. See Antalya for details, but it's closer to Belek, about 15 km north. You pass the historic and decidedly wonky Aspendos bridge on the way.
 * Perge ancient city is likewise described under Antalya.

Do

 * Beaches are sandy, but some patches have shingle intermixed.
 * Boat trips and activities such as sea-fishing are based in the creek east end of the strip towards Boğazkent. They may pick up from jetties along the strip.
 * Golf courses and clubs west to east are Cullinan Links, National, Antalya, Carya, Sueno Pines and Dunes, Cornelia Prince and Queen, Montgomerie Maxx Royal, Gloria and Robinson Nobilis.
 * Turkish Airlines Open is the country's professional golf tournament, part of the European Tour. It's usually played in November on one of the Belek courses.
 * Football: there isn't a town team, but there's a football academy for youngsters to try out. Once they're done losing 3-1 to a line of traffic cones, you can watch Süper Lig top-tier games at Antalya or Alanya.
 * Football: there isn't a town team, but there's a football academy for youngsters to try out. Once they're done losing 3-1 to a line of traffic cones, you can watch Süper Lig top-tier games at Antalya or Alanya.
 * Football: there isn't a town team, but there's a football academy for youngsters to try out. Once they're done losing 3-1 to a line of traffic cones, you can watch Süper Lig top-tier games at Antalya or Alanya.

Buy

 * Belek town centre is wall-to-wall retail.

Eat
Those staying on the beach strip eat at their hotels, probably with full board included in their package, so there are no free-standing restaurants there.

Belek town has a dozen budget places within shouting distance of the clocktower. No stand-out, and you wouldn't venture into town just to sample them, but they're open into the small hours for late travellers.

Drink
Same story as restaurants: the beach strip hotels have bars but there are no free-standing pubs. Belek town has a dozen or so cafes selling alcohol.

Look out for local wines: you'll see vineyards on the hills as your plane comes into land, and Doluca is next to the airport.

Sleep

 * Kaya Belek and Kaya Palazzo (adjacent) midway along the golf strip get mixed reviews.
 * Regnum Carya another 500 m east is clean and value-for-money.
 * Susesi Luxury Resort is an all-inclusive hotel next to Cornelia Diamond.
 * Adam & Eve Hotel will suit couples who like to party.
 * Papillon Ayscha 200 m east of Rixos Park scores well on comfort and service.
 * Sherwood Dreams Resort is a budget place 500 m west of Crystal Waterworld, many poor reviews.
 * Belek Beach Resort is good value. It's on 40th Sk Boğazkent by Crystal Waterworld.
 * Tui Blue Belek is an adults-only hotel in Boğazkent near Crystal Waterworld. Small rooms and the place is showing its age.
 * Adam & Eve Hotel will suit couples who like to party.
 * Papillon Ayscha 200 m east of Rixos Park scores well on comfort and service.
 * Sherwood Dreams Resort is a budget place 500 m west of Crystal Waterworld, many poor reviews.
 * Belek Beach Resort is good value. It's on 40th Sk Boğazkent by Crystal Waterworld.
 * Tui Blue Belek is an adults-only hotel in Boğazkent near Crystal Waterworld. Small rooms and the place is showing its age.
 * Sherwood Dreams Resort is a budget place 500 m west of Crystal Waterworld, many poor reviews.
 * Belek Beach Resort is good value. It's on 40th Sk Boğazkent by Crystal Waterworld.
 * Tui Blue Belek is an adults-only hotel in Boğazkent near Crystal Waterworld. Small rooms and the place is showing its age.
 * Belek Beach Resort is good value. It's on 40th Sk Boğazkent by Crystal Waterworld.
 * Tui Blue Belek is an adults-only hotel in Boğazkent near Crystal Waterworld. Small rooms and the place is showing its age.

Connect
Belek and the coastal strip have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of July 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

 * Antalya is a modern city but with a good museum and several old mosques.
 * Side the next resort east has the extensive ruins of a Roman city.
 * Manavgat has impressive waterfalls but is mostly the transport hub for reaching Side.
 * Alanya further east has an ancient citadel perched on a crag above the harbour.

title: Belek


text:
Belen

Belen is a town in central New Mexico, 30 miles south of Albuquerque. Belen was founded in 1740 as a small Spanish settlement. Nearly a century ago the town became the center of railroad operations in New Mexico, creating its nickname "The Hub City".

Get in
Belen is just off Interstate 25, with three freeway exits. However, there are a couple of more scenic back roads that run parallel to I-25 east of the interstate. The nearest major airport is in Albuquerque.

Another great way to get to Belen is to take a train. A commuter railroad, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, connects Belen to Albuquerque, Santa Fe and some of the other small communities along the Rio Grande. The Belen station is located near the intersection of Reinken Avenue and Wisconsin Street, across the railroad tracks from the Harvey House Museum (putting you within walking distance of most of Belen's interesting sights). The train runs with limited service daily.

Get around
Main Street is the principal north-south street through Belen, connecting to the two I-25 exits on both ends of town. Traveling further in either direction, Main Street becomes a state highway running parallel to I-25. Reinken Avenue is the main east-west road through Belen, starting at Main Street and running east over the railyard, crossing the Rio Grande, and ending at a north-south state highway connecting to places across the Rio Grande.

Public transportation to points within Belen is largely non-existent. However, parts of Belen are quite walkable, especially the "downtown" area along Reinken Avenue between Main Street and the railyard, which is where you'll find most of Belen's historical structures. It is also within walking distance of the Rail Runner station.

See

 * Belen has a number of historical structures, including the Felipe Chavez House and the Belen Hotel, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Valencia County Historical Society, based in the Harvey House museum, has further info and some walking tour maps.
 * Belen has a number of historical structures, including the Felipe Chavez House and the Belen Hotel, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Valencia County Historical Society, based in the Harvey House museum, has further info and some walking tour maps.

Do

 * For outdoor opportunities, the nearby Manzano Mountains have numerous hiking trails and campsites. The Cibola National Forest has several sites in the mountain range (with a ranger station in the town of Mountainair), and the Manzano Mountains State Park is located on the other side of the range, 16 miles northwest of Mountainair.
 * Three state wildlife areas are located south of Belen, with bird-watching and seasonal hunting opportunities. The Belen Waterfowl Area on Jarales Road, a couple miles south of Belen, the Casa Colorada Wildlife Area is across the Rio Grande on SR 304, 8 miles south of Belen, and the Bernardo Waterfowl Area is on US Hwy. 60 in-between the Rio Grande and I-25 about 25 miles south of Belen.
 * Three state wildlife areas are located south of Belen, with bird-watching and seasonal hunting opportunities. The Belen Waterfowl Area on Jarales Road, a couple miles south of Belen, the Casa Colorada Wildlife Area is across the Rio Grande on SR 304, 8 miles south of Belen, and the Bernardo Waterfowl Area is on US Hwy. 60 in-between the Rio Grande and I-25 about 25 miles south of Belen.

Eat

Sleep
Belen's accommodations are mostly your typical chain motels. Main Street has a few motels (including a Super 8), and there's a small collection of places to sleep just west of the Camino Del Llano I-25 Exit (Belen's 2nd freeway exit), including a Holiday Inn Express.

Lodging in Belen may be hard to find around early October, when the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta occurs.

Go next

 * Socorro is about 45 miles south on I-25. Beyond Socorro is the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, which is definitely worth a look, especially in winter.
 * The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is near the small town of Mountainair, a 45-minute drive southeast. Three separate sites (Abo, Gran Quivira and Quarai) preserve the ruins of mission-era churches and Native American sites. The visitor center is in Mountainair.

title: Belen


text:
Belfair

Belfair is located at the far south end of the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

Belfair lies at the innermost waters of Hood Canal and is home to the internationally renowned Hood Canal Theler Wetlands, a center for environmental recreation and education.

By car
The main roadway in Belfair is State Highway 3, travelling through the core of Belfair and leading to Bremerton in the north and Allyn in the south. State Route 106 intersects Hwy 3 at the south end of town, where it leads drivers from Belfair to Union, farther south along the shores of Hood Canal.

By bus
The area is serviced by Mason County Transportation, and public transport is by bus, with a local routes in Belfair and routes to and from nearby communities of Shelton and Bremerton. The Belfair-Bremerton route connects to the Washington State Ferry system, making it easy for travelers to get to Belfair from Seattle and King County.

See

 * Multiple full-wall artistic murals scattered throughout town

Do

 * Waterskiing, shellfishing, beachcombing, swimming and picnicking are popular during warm weather at Belfair State Park and Twanoh State Park.

Birdwatching
The Kitsap Audubon Society has been actively meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders actively tracking and sharing sightings since then. They also maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area. The state Audubon society developed 'The Great Audubon Birding Trail' which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. The nearby Theler Wetlands are a good place for birdwatching.

Buy

 * Gift shops and an art gallery featuring local artists can be found on Hwy 3, the main road through town

title: Belfair


text:
Belfast

Belfast (Irish: Béal Feirste) is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. Historically most of it lay in County Antrim west of the River Lagan, with about a third on the east bank in County Down, but it's always been governed as a separate metropolis, with a population in 2020 of about 630,000. It's had a troubled history but is nowadays safe to visit and has the best-developed visitor facilities in Northern Ireland. And its situation means that Belfast can confidently claim to be the most fascinating city in both the United Kingdom and on the island of Ireland.

Understand
This noble city is named for a mud bank and is built upon sludge. The lower River Lagan is tidal and receives a dozen small tributaries (nowadays culverted) which drop their silt, forming banks of sand and mud. The lowest point at which you could ford the river at low tide is where the Lagan road bridge now crosses, and in Irish this is Béal Feirste, "river-mouth of the sand-bank ford". The tributary joining at that point, the Farset, is likewise named for the mud bank, not vice versa. And besides the man-made channels and culverts, a great volume of water seeps through the alluvial silt on both sides of the Lagan. It's a slimy, thixotropic impediment to building — clay dug out of a trench quickly feels homesick and slides back in — and a deterrent to high-rise; but Paris grew up on similar foundations.

Pre-industrial Belfast was a small provincial place. It grew rapidly in the 18th century with the linen trade, and in the 19th with smokestack industry, especially ship-building along the estuary. It sucked in labour, including Catholics moving off the land. In 1921 Ireland was divided: Dublin and the Republic fell behind economically, while Belfast found itself the capital city of Northern Ireland and, after the Depression, busily tooling up to fight the Second World War.

It slumped in the late 20th century as textiles and smokestack industries were lost to foreign competition. Tension rose between factions and communities, the Catholic minority faced blatant discrimination in many aspects of their lives, and both sides had a 200-year old tradition of paramilitary thuggery, which escalated. All of Northern Ireland, but especially Belfast, then suffered a notorious 30 years of "The Troubles" from 1969. Civilian rule broke down and the British Army was heavily deployed to keep order; they too became targets of violence. Riots, shootings and bombings were the daily grist of the newsreels. Barriers, checkpoints and armoured vehicles marked the junctions, helicopters throp-throp-thropped over a scarred, smoke-blackened city.

By the 1990s all sides were war-weary, and a confluence of political drives within Northern Ireland and externally from Britain, Ireland, the European Union and the USA led to the 1998 "Good Friday Agreement". There had been so many short-lived ceasefires and peace initiatives, and the Omagh bombing suggested that the GFA might be yet another - yet for the most part this one stuck. Cautiously the city de-militarised and normalised, though the "Peace Walls" to separate warring communities still stand. Hotels, pubs and other visitor amenities re-opened, and the city's Victorian and Edwardian heritage re-emerged. There was some mileage in "Troubles Tourism" but the final ingredient that Belfast needed was a new story to tell of itself with pride. This it received in 2012 with the opening of the Titanic Quarter east of the river.

George Best Belfast City Airport
Between BHD and city centre: Bus 600 runs every 30 min from the airport to Queens Square, Victoria Square, Wellington Place and Europa bus station. It runs 6AM-10PM daily, taking less than 15 min, adult single fare is £2.60. Taxis might cost £11 to most parts of the city, but check at the outset whether the fare you're quoted includes the £2.50 airport supplement, or the taxi driver may try to add it on when you arrive.

Elsewhere: Sydenham railway station is southwest of the terminal and there's a free shuttle bus (or walk) there is a footbridge over the busy dual carriageway to the railway halt,   Sydenham is on the railway line from Portadown via Lurgan, Lisburn, a dozen stops downtown including Great Victoria Street, then west from Sydenham to Bangor on the coast. Trains run 6AM-11PM every 30 min (but hourly on Sundays), adult fare £2 to the city and £4.70 to Bangor. So you can use it instead of Bus 600 to reach city centre for a small saving but the main advantage is to reach south-side locations (e.g. Botanic, for Queens University) for a single flat fare.

Belfast International Airport
Between BFS and Belfast: Ulsterbus 300 runs every 30 min daily from the airport via Templepatrick and Queen St to Europa bus station, taking just under an hour. The last bus from airport to city is towards 10PM and the first bus out from the city is at 5:30AM. Adult fare is £8 single, £11.50 return (cash, prebooked tickets, or Translink cards only, no credit/debit cards). Taxis might cost £40 to Belfast city centre.

Elsewhere: Ulsterbus 109A runs every hour to nearby  Antrim town, which is on the railway to Ballymena, Coleraine, Portrush and Derry/Londonderry. Those passengers can buy a £2 Airlink supplement to their rail ticket to include the bus, which can be bought at the Visit Belfast booth in arrivals or at the ticket machine at the bus stop(select other tickets). Antrim bus station and train station are beside one another; platform 1 is for Derry and Portrush, while platform 2 over the footbridge is for Belfast. Lisburn is on the railway from Bangor and Belfast to Lurgan and Portadown. You might also travel that way to reach south-side Belfast, but it's much slower for little saving compared to the 300 bus.

From Dublin
 Dublin Airport is often a good way to reach Belfast, with excellent flight connections from the UK and Europe, many by budget carriers. Its big advantage is direct flights from North America (with US pre-border clearance on return) and from the Gulf (e.g. connections from Australia) - and the full-fare carriers handle connections much better than the budget carriers. Dublin airport is also some miles north of Dublin city, so by rental car you turn straight onto the motorway north, 100 miles (160 km) to Belfast. Hourly buses from Dublin Busáras call at the airport then take two hours to Belfast Europa station. Operators are Ulsterbus, Bus Éireann and Aircoach, so there's price competition. Don't take the train as this involves doubling back via Connolly station in central Dublin. And don't have any truck with the taxis hanging around the airport bus stop. One other wrinkle is, don't change money here (though it's a decent rate) as you'll get euros, use your bank card to pay for transport then buy pound sterling in Northern Ireland.

By train
The Enterprise Train runs from Dublin Connolly station via Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry and Portadown to, taking just over two hours, with eight M-Sa and five on Sunday. It doesn't serve Dublin Airport, or Belfast Great Victoria Street station which is next to the main bus station - change at Portadown for this and other suburban stations to Bangor.

Lanyon Place used to be called Central Station, but it's half a mile (800 m) east of the centre, and a 20-min walk to Europa / GVS station. It's close to the Courts, the Waterfront Hall and bus stops towards east Belfast.

Grand Central Station (opening autumn 2024)'. If you are heading for the centre this is more convenient than Lanyon Place. GCS which has regular buses across Northern Ireland and from Dublin city centre and airport. (Until GCS opens, use Lanyon Place.)

Other trains stop at several city stations:
 * hourly from Derry via Castlerock, Coleraine, Ballymena and Antrim (for Belfast International Airport) to Lanyon Place and Grand Central Station (opening in autumn 2024 to replace the old Great Victoria street train station and europa bus station )
 * every 30 min from Portadown via Lisburn and a dozen city stations, to Sydenham (for Belfast City Airport) and Bangor.
 * hourly from Larne via Carrickfergus and Whiteabbey (for Newtownabbey) to Lanyon Place

Translink is the rail and bus operator across Northern Ireland. Check their website for timetables, fares and ticket purchase.

By bus
Buses run hourly from Dublin Busáras and airport to Belfast Europa station, taking 2 hr 20 min, adult fare €20 single and €30 return. Operators are Ulsterbus, Bus Éireann and Aircoach, so there's price competition. Day-trip excursions from Dublin also visit Belfast.

Citylink / Ulsterbus 923 runs 2-3 times a day from Glasgow via Ayr to the Cairnryan ferry for Belfast. The buses don't join the ferry so you have to lump your luggage off to board, then onto the waiting bus at the other end.

National Express normally runs daily from London Victoria and Manchester to Cairnryan, but as of 2022 this remains suspended, and they send you to Glasgow to join the Citylink.

A cross-border Ulsterbus plies from Cavan and Monaghan via Armagh, running four times a day. From Donegal, change in Derry; from Galway, Limerick or Cork, change in Dublin.

Bus routes across Northern Ireland radiate from Belfast, with the hourly bus from Derry taking 2 hours.

is the transport hub, enter on the north side via Glengall St. It's next to Great Victoria Street railway station which has local trains, but not the Enterprise Train from Dublin. All inter-town buses run to Europa, except those from Bangor and Newtownards to the east: they terminate at Laganside, see below.

By car
Belfast is the focus of the road network in Northern Ireland, and has good links to the Republic. The main roads are well-maintained and patrolled, your main task is to avoid rush hours.

From Dublin follow M1 / N1 / A1; there's a toll at Drogheda (€1.90 for a car). There are no checks at the border, all you'll see are signs that speed limits are in miles per hour.

Car rental: all the major companies have desks at Belfast City Airport, International Airport, and central Belfast (though in 2020 some city centre offices are closed). Their fleets are small so best book in advance. You should be able to hire from any of the above locations and return to any for no additional charge, but a one-way rental from Dublin to Belfast (or vice versa) will cost plenty. Check that a Dublin-to-Dublin rental is insured for Northern Ireland.

Park and Ride if you're only visiting for the day. There are four sites, all free, you just pay the normal bus fare. They close around 7PM which rules out evening use. They're at:
 * Sprucefield, M1 junction 8, near Lisburn, for bus 651
 * Black's Road, M1 junction 3, for bus 650
 * Cairnshill, A24 Saintfield Rd, for bus 652
 * Dundonald, A20 Upper Newtownards Rd, for buses G1 and 655

By boat
Foot passengers should always look for through-tickets by bus, train and ferry. They are considerably cheaper than separate tickets, and they take care of the connection between city and ferry port, which can be the trickiest part of the journey.

In 2021 the ferries are plying the equivalent of a winter service until further notice.
 * From Cairnryan near Stranraer in Scotland, Stena Line sail a fast catamaran five times a day taking 2 hr 15 min. P&O also sail from Cairnryan to Larne.
 * From Birkenhead across the Mersey from Liverpool, Stena sail daily, 8 hours. Cabins and meals are available.
 * From Douglas, Isle of Man, IOM Steam Packet sails to Belfast 4 days a week, taking just under 3 hr.

You can also sail to Dublin from Birkenhead, Holyhead, Isle of Man, Cherbourg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. The Holyhead-Dublin route is usually the most convenient from England. There are no direct ferries to Northern Ireland from the Continent and it may be easier to sail into Rosslare or Dublin rather than trundle across Great Britain. Dublin port is connected by tunnel to the motorway north, so you're quickly on your way and not snarled in central Dublin traffic.

is at the foot of Dargan Road, 3 miles northeast of city centre. Bus 96 meets some sailings and runs to Upper Queens Street, a short block away from Europa bus station; adult fare £2.10. Otherwise a taxi to the centre might be £10. Motorists should head west on Dargan Road to join M2.

Get around
Walk to all the central sights. The centre is within a mile or two of the Botanic Gardens, Queen's University and Titanic.

By bus
Belfast buses are run by Translink, a public corporation - check their website for timetables and fare deals such as day tickets. A single adult fare within city centre is £1.60 in 2020. There are three types of buses, which run from around 6AM to 11PM; there are no night buses.
 * Metro are pink. Buy on board if you don't have a card.
 * Glider is a long purple bendy-bus, and for these you must buy your ticket before boarding from the machine at the stop. There are two Glider routes: G1 crosstown from Stewartstown Road and Falls Road in the west to Newtownards Road east, for Stormont and Ulster Hospital; and G2 from city centre to the Titanic area.
 * Ulsterbuses are blue and run to the outlying towns but you can use them for city travel, e.g. the bus for Lisburn to reach the Botanic Garden.

Almost all Ulsterbuses run from Europa bus station; the Metro and Glider buses don't go in there.

by the river weir is the terminus for buses from Bangor, Holywood, Newtownards and the Ards peninsula. It's also a hub for the Metro buses, but you normally just board those on the street.

By Black Taxi
The Black Taxi is Belfast's equivalent to the dolmuş or marshrutka - they're shared taxis running over a fixed route for a fare similar to the bus. They mostly pick up and drop off at the bus stops but will stop anywhere that traffic allows along the routes, which connect the centre and the outlying housing estates.

The Black Taxis came about in the 1970s when it became difficult for buses to run. Especially in west Belfast, there were terrorist attacks against buses, passengers and staff, and roads or whole districts might be blocked off by riots or makeshift barricades. The worst attack was on 21 July 1972, "Bloody Friday", when the Provisional Irish Republican Army planted 24 bombs against the city transport system. Twenty exploded; nine people were killed and 130 were injured. Oxford St bus station was the worst hit, and bombs also went off at Smithfield bus station, three railway stations, the ferry terminal, a truck depot, a taxi firm, and several bridges and filling stations. This deepened the spiral of violence and among the many repercussions, it left the outlying districts without a bus service.

Individuals then bought up traditional London black hackney cabs and brought them to Belfast; this became an organised community initiative, and small businesses were formed. Belfast Taxis CIC emerged as the leading operator and are still plying routes. They've operated now for 50 years though the Black Taxis were suspended in summer 2020 because of Covid-19. Dolmuş literally means "stuffed full" and an old joke asks how many passengers can you fit in? Answer: "Mmm, maybe another two?" In autumn the taxis resumed with much reduced capacity and other anti-Covid measures, but this makes them non-viable unless they hike their fares. Meanwhile the buses are running and benefit from public subsidy, schools contracts, concessionary fares, greater safe capacity and so on. So it's not clear what the future holds for Black Taxis: ask around for which routes are running, and with what hours and frequency.

The Black Taxis are also comparable to the tuk-tuk or rickshaw, as a piece of cultural history. They're used for organised tours, especially of west Belfast - see "Do".

By conventional taxi
Standard taxi operators include Fonacab, Value Cabs , and Castle Cabs.

Uber is available in Belfast. In Sept 2020 they quoted around £10 for downtown rides including City Airport.

By bicycle
Belfast Bikes, the public bike hire scheme operated by Nextbike, has 40 rental stations. You need to register once and pay either £6 for a 3-day membership or £25 for a year. This gives you free bike rides for 30 min. Rentals up to 1 hour cost £0.50, then £1/hr to four hours, thereafter £2/hr, an incentive to release the bike between trips. The maximum rental is 24 hours then you're stung for a £120 late-return penalty. You can only rent bikes between 6AM-midnight, but you can return them at any time.

Central
Belfast city centre is focused on Donegall Square and Belfast City Hall. The main thoroughfare north from the square is Donegall Place, a retail street leading to the Cathedral. The centre is bounded to the east by the River Lagan, to the south by Donegall Pass, and to the west by the convenient but ugly dual carriageway Westlink. The centre is safe enough at all hours but falls very quiet after 8PM.

 * The Crown is the gorgeous Victorian pub that greets arrivals emerging from the bus station. It's owned by the National Trust, see Drink for hours etc, but it's worth looking in even you don't intend a drink. Aw go on, maybe just a quick one then.
 * Linen Hall Library is north side of the square facing City Hall. Amongst others, it has a huge collection of Irish books. It's open M-F 09:30-17:30.
 * St Malachy's Church is Roman Catholic, opened in 1844. It has a Tudor Revival exterior but what's most remarkable is the elaborate fan-vaulted interior, likened to "a wedding cake turned inside out". It's on Alfred St at the corner of Clarence St, two blocks south of City Hall.
 * St Malachy's Church is Roman Catholic, opened in 1844. It has a Tudor Revival exterior but what's most remarkable is the elaborate fan-vaulted interior, likened to "a wedding cake turned inside out". It's on Alfred St at the corner of Clarence St, two blocks south of City Hall.
 * is the block between Victoria shopping centre and the river, with the courts and other legal buildings. You can't go inside them unless you're already in trouble, but the exteriors are interesting. Good examples are the former town hall (now a court house), the Royal Courts of Justice, and the Bar Library.
 * is the block between Victoria shopping centre and the river, with the courts and other legal buildings. You can't go inside them unless you're already in trouble, but the exteriors are interesting. Good examples are the former town hall (now a court house), the Royal Courts of Justice, and the Bar Library.

South
This starts with a commercial area along Bedford St and a loyalist neighbourhood on Donegall Pass. Then south of Shaftesbury Square you come into the student quarter around Queen's University. A retail-and-pizza strip straggles along Lisburn Road while the rest is leafy streets and student accommodation. It's the most affluent part of the city, often referred to by its postcode BT9, and generally safe at all hours apart from the occasional aggressive drunk. Buses 8a,b,c,d run to this area from the centre, plus Ulsterbus 22 / 24 towards Lisburn.
 * Golden Mile is the ironic name for the strip from Europa bus station south through Shaftesbury Square to Queen's University. It's more for retail and bars than sight-seeing, and the only gold deposits you see on the pavements are upchucks of turmeric-stained rice.
 * Naughton Gallery is on the first floor of the QUB Lanyon Building. There's a large permanent collection of University artwork plus rotating exhibitions, mostly modern. It's open Tu-Sa 11AM-4PM, free.
 * Further south the city breaks up into parklands and golf courses along the Lagan valley towards Lisburn. Minnowburn is an attractive section upstream of the A55 bridge.
 * is a Georgian mansion edge-of-city that's primarily an events venue, but you can see the art collection and stroll the extensive grounds and sculpture park.
 * is a large park by the river at the south edge of the city. The big attraction is the extensive Rose Garden.
 * is a Neolithic earthwork 200 yards in diameter with a dolmen in the centre.
 * is a woodland walk, passing a memorial at the temporary graveyard for US servicemen, up to a Rath - an ancient hillfort, now just grazing land.
 * is a Georgian mansion edge-of-city that's primarily an events venue, but you can see the art collection and stroll the extensive grounds and sculpture park.
 * is a large park by the river at the south edge of the city. The big attraction is the extensive Rose Garden.
 * is a Neolithic earthwork 200 yards in diameter with a dolmen in the centre.
 * is a woodland walk, passing a memorial at the temporary graveyard for US servicemen, up to a Rath - an ancient hillfort, now just grazing land.

West
This area suffered the worst of the Troubles in Belfast. It was - and remains - the largest example of an "interface area" where a Protestant/unionist/British-loyalist community lives alongside a Catholic/nationalist/Irish-republican community: the former to the north along Shankhill Rd and Crumlin Rd, the latter south along Falls Rd. Most sights of interest relate to that conflict. Three large cemeteries demonstrate different aspects of Belfast's history: City Cemetery, Milltown, and Balmoral. While Balmoral may only be of interest if you are researching ancestors, the other two, especially Milltown, are worth a visit.
 * : these are found in several places across Northern Ireland, but especially in West Belfast, and this one along Cupar Way is a good example. Walls were built from 1969 as civil unrest grew, and they became ever longer, sturdier, and higher to prevent bombs and bricks being hurled over. They continued growing after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement: both communities felt safer that way, and the Omagh bombing showed that murderous splinter groups remained active. There are several gates in the wall, open in daytime (and safe to visit) but closed by dusk. There is agreement in principle to remove all the walls by 2023, but this ideal prompts deep intakes of breath and slow sad head-shaking by residents.
 * Political Murals are likewise found in many places but especially in the interface areas. They're mostly seen on gable walls of buildings along the Shankhill Rd and Falls Rd, reflecting local allegiances. They come and go with political events, ask around if there are any out-of-the-way examples worth tracking down.
 * Divis Tower is the dreary high-rise block of flats at the start of Falls Road. It's named for the hill seen to the west, and is the last survivor of 12 blocks built here in the 1960s. Divis Tower was mired in the Troubles: in 1969 a 9-year old boy was killed when an army patrol machine-gunned the Tower in the approximate direction of a sniper. Like Divis hill, the top floors of the tower became an army lookout, with troops helicoptered in and out since they didn't dare venture into the lifts and stairwells. Nor should you. The space was refurbished as flats in 2009, but it's people's homes not a zoo or museum.
 * Falls Park is the large green space just south of City Cemetery and north of Milltown Cemetery. Buses 10a-h run this way.
 * is the basalt crag and moorland west of the city, rising to 1568 ft / 478 m. It was long a military area, for training, telecoms and lookout, but in 2005 was handed over to the National Trust. It's easiest approached by the lane from the car park on Divis Road to the southwest.
 * Falls Park is the large green space just south of City Cemetery and north of Milltown Cemetery. Buses 10a-h run this way.
 * is the basalt crag and moorland west of the city, rising to 1568 ft / 478 m. It was long a military area, for training, telecoms and lookout, but in 2005 was handed over to the National Trust. It's easiest approached by the lane from the car park on Divis Road to the southwest.
 * is the basalt crag and moorland west of the city, rising to 1568 ft / 478 m. It was long a military area, for training, telecoms and lookout, but in 2005 was handed over to the National Trust. It's easiest approached by the lane from the car park on Divis Road to the southwest.

Titanic Quarter and East

 * For more on the story of the ship, see RMS Titanic

East Belfast is mainly residential, traditionally Protestant, bounded to the west by the river and A24. The inner parts are terraced housing, further out are leafy suburbs. Its northern part along the riverbank had the shipyards, and remains industrial. But in 2012 the area was revitalised and re-branded by the opening of the Titanic Exhibition.
 * The Great Light is a navigation light on the quayside behind the Titanic Exhibition, distinctly over-engineered for its purpose. It's two huge Fresnel Hyper-Radial first-order lens made in 1887 for Tory Island lighthouse off Donegal. In the 1920s they were re-cycled as a repair for Mew Island lighthouse at the entrance to Belfast Lough, and remained lit until 2014 when they were replaced by an LED. They're now housed here in a glass obelisk, looking like two cosmic gherkins in a pickle jar.
 * is a Catholic enclave within the mostly Protestant east side. So it's an interface area with a sorry history of sectarian troubles, most recently in 2011 with an armed riot and in 2015 with a tit-for-tat murder. By day you can view the political murals and sections of Peace Wall. Don't wander around here after dusk.
 * is a Gothic-style building of 1890, formerly a school.
 * Further out, see Holywood for Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster Transport Museum, facing each other across the Bangor Road 8 miles northeast of city centre, and easily combined on a visit. Take the Bangor train to Cultra, two stops beyond Holywood station.
 * The Great Light is a navigation light on the quayside behind the Titanic Exhibition, distinctly over-engineered for its purpose. It's two huge Fresnel Hyper-Radial first-order lens made in 1887 for Tory Island lighthouse off Donegal. In the 1920s they were re-cycled as a repair for Mew Island lighthouse at the entrance to Belfast Lough, and remained lit until 2014 when they were replaced by an LED. They're now housed here in a glass obelisk, looking like two cosmic gherkins in a pickle jar.
 * is a Catholic enclave within the mostly Protestant east side. So it's an interface area with a sorry history of sectarian troubles, most recently in 2011 with an armed riot and in 2015 with a tit-for-tat murder. By day you can view the political murals and sections of Peace Wall. Don't wander around here after dusk.
 * is a Gothic-style building of 1890, formerly a school.
 * Further out, see Holywood for Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster Transport Museum, facing each other across the Bangor Road 8 miles northeast of city centre, and easily combined on a visit. Take the Bangor train to Cultra, two stops beyond Holywood station.
 * is a Gothic-style building of 1890, formerly a school.
 * Further out, see Holywood for Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster Transport Museum, facing each other across the Bangor Road 8 miles northeast of city centre, and easily combined on a visit. Take the Bangor train to Cultra, two stops beyond Holywood station.
 * Further out, see Holywood for Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster Transport Museum, facing each other across the Bangor Road 8 miles northeast of city centre, and easily combined on a visit. Take the Bangor train to Cultra, two stops beyond Holywood station.
 * Further out, see Holywood for Ulster Folk Museum and Ulster Transport Museum, facing each other across the Bangor Road 8 miles northeast of city centre, and easily combined on a visit. Take the Bangor train to Cultra, two stops beyond Holywood station.

North
The patch around Antrim Road and Limestone Road is an "interface area"; you have no reason to linger there.
 * is the basalt crag that looms north of the city. With a summit at 1207 ft (368 m) there are great views over Belfast, and on a clear day you can see the Isle of Man and Scotland. The Castle is on the east slope. Higher up are three large caves, and McArt's Fort which is a ringfort. The White Stone was a WWII navigation marker for RAF planes approaching Aldergrove airfield, now the international airport. Buses 1a-j run up Antrim road on the east side, by car you can also use the west car park on B95 Upper Hightown Road.

Do

 * What's on? For local events and listings listen to Belfast 89FM on 89.3 MHz or read The Belfast Telegraph, The Irish News and The News Letter, all published daily.
 * Parks and open spaces: lots and lots. See above for:
 * South: Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, Ormeau Park and Botanic Gardens, and the Lagan towpath to Lisburn.
 * North: Waterworks, Belfast Castle estate, Cave Hill and Alexandra Park
 * West: Dunville and Falls Park, Colin Glen Forest Park and the City and Milltown cemeteries
 * East: Orangefield and Victoria Park
 * West: Dunville and Falls Park, Colin Glen Forest Park and the City and Milltown cemeteries
 * East: Orangefield and Victoria Park

Theatre and film

 * Check Shows in Belfast as well as individual venue websites for what's on.

Tours

 * Black Taxi Tours use the London-style taxis which also ply regular city routes. They pick up from central locations and a knowledgeable local driver takes you for a spin round some of the western sites. The main operator is Taxi Trax, +44 28 9031 5777. A 90 minute tour might be £40 for two.
 * Bus tours are run by Belfast City Sightseeing and City Tours Belfast. Both use bright red open-top double-deckers, you hop-on and hop-off at the various sights. They also run tours to the Giant's Causeway and anywhere vaguely associated with Game of Thrones.
 * Walking tours are run by Belfast Mural Tours.

Sports

 * Watch Rugby Union i.e. 15-a-side. Ulster Rugby are one of the four Irish professional teams playing in Pro14, the top European (predominantly Celtic) league. Their home ground is Ravenhill (sponsored as Kingspan Stadium), capacity 18,000, south of Ormeau Park.
 * Watch soccer: the city has four teams in the NIFL Premiership, the province's top tier. This plays Sept-Apr like the rest of the UK, while the Republic plays in summer.
 * Linfield FC often win the Premiership and qualify for European tournaments. Their home ground is Windsor Park (capacity 18,000) which also stages international matches. It's two miles south of city centre, take the bus down Boucher Rd or train to Adelaide station.
 * Cliftonville FC play home games at Solitude Stadium, capacity 3200, north side of the city on Cliftonville Rd.
 * Crusaders FC play at Seaview, capacity 3880, a mile north of the centre off Shore Rd.
 * Glentoran FC notoriously rejected the young George Best for being too small and light. Their home ground The Oval has a nominal capacity of 15,000. It's east of the centre in Sydenham towards the airport that's named for that light skinny fellow.
 * Watch Gaelic games: Casement Park (Páirc Mhic Asmaint), by junction 2 of M1, was the principal stadium of the GAA in Ulster. In 2020 it's derelict (even before covid) and games are being played elsewhere.
 * Golf: see Holywood for Royal Belfast Golf Club. The south edge of the city and Lagan valley is strewn with golf courses.
 * Ice Hockey: Belfast Giants play in the Elite Ice Hockey League, the UK's top tier. Their home rink is the SSE Arena.

Events

 * Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival is in January. CQAF also run the Out to Lunch Festival in May.
 * St Patrick's Day on 17 March (whenever that falls in the week) is almost as big an event here as in the Republic.
 * Belfast Film Festival was previously in March, but the next is 15-16 July 2023.
 * City Marathon is in early May, with the next on Su 5 May 2024. They also stage a half-marathon in September.
 * Belfast Book Festival is held in Crescent Arts Centre on the QUB campus, with the next on 11-16 June 2024, tbc
 * Orange Order Parades are a piece of living history, catch one if you can. They're held across Northern Ireland throughout summer, but the biggest is in Belfast on 12th July, a public holiday commemorating the 1690 Battle of the Boyne. (When the 12th falls on Sunday, the parade and public holiday is Monday 13th - this next occurs in 2026.) There's a morning and an afternoon parade: both start as feeders from various quarters of the city, which combine around Donegall Square and then head south through the University area and Lisburn Road.
 * Belfast Pride is next held 21-30 July 2023.
 * Féile an Phobail is a community arts festival, with the next on 3-13 Aug 2023.
 * Belfast International Arts Festival is next held 11 Oct - 9 Nov 2023.

Buy

 * Central Belfast has a large retail area, with Castle Court on Millfield to the west through Corn Market to Victoria Square on the east.
 * Inns Cross Farmers Market is off Saintfield Rd (A24) south edge of the city near the A55 junction. It's 10AM-2PM on the first Saturday of the month.
 * Inns Cross Farmers Market is off Saintfield Rd (A24) south edge of the city near the A55 junction. It's 10AM-2PM on the first Saturday of the month.
 * Inns Cross Farmers Market is off Saintfield Rd (A24) south edge of the city near the A55 junction. It's 10AM-2PM on the first Saturday of the month.
 * Inns Cross Farmers Market is off Saintfield Rd (A24) south edge of the city near the A55 junction. It's 10AM-2PM on the first Saturday of the month.
 * Inns Cross Farmers Market is off Saintfield Rd (A24) south edge of the city near the A55 junction. It's 10AM-2PM on the first Saturday of the month.

Splurge

 * Muddler's Club, 1 Warehouse Ln. One of the few Michelin star restaurants in Northern Ireland. Reservations are mandatory, and the place is often booked weeks in advance.
 * Muddler's Club, 1 Warehouse Ln. One of the few Michelin star restaurants in Northern Ireland. Reservations are mandatory, and the place is often booked weeks in advance.
 * Muddler's Club, 1 Warehouse Ln. One of the few Michelin star restaurants in Northern Ireland. Reservations are mandatory, and the place is often booked weeks in advance.
 * Muddler's Club, 1 Warehouse Ln. One of the few Michelin star restaurants in Northern Ireland. Reservations are mandatory, and the place is often booked weeks in advance.

Central

 * Europa Hotel (see Sleep): the Piano Bar tinkles away on the first floor.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Europa Hotel (see Sleep): the Piano Bar tinkles away on the first floor.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Europa Hotel (see Sleep): the Piano Bar tinkles away on the first floor.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Europa Hotel (see Sleep): the Piano Bar tinkles away on the first floor.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Europa Hotel (see Sleep): the Piano Bar tinkles away on the first floor.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Europa Hotel (see Sleep): the Piano Bar tinkles away on the first floor.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.
 * Merchant Hotel (see Sleep) has Bert's Jazz Bar in Art Deco style, The Cloth Ear with Victorian decor, and the Cocktail Bar if your budget extends to Champagne.

Budget

 * Premier Inn have three hotels: "Cathedral Quarter" on Waring St, "City Centre" on Alfred St, and "Titanic Quarter" at the marina.
 * Ibis have two hotels: "City Centre" on Castle St, and "Queens Quarter" on University St.
 * Premier Inn have three hotels: "Cathedral Quarter" on Waring St, "City Centre" on Alfred St, and "Titanic Quarter" at the marina.
 * Ibis have two hotels: "City Centre" on Castle St, and "Queens Quarter" on University St.
 * Premier Inn have three hotels: "Cathedral Quarter" on Waring St, "City Centre" on Alfred St, and "Titanic Quarter" at the marina.
 * Ibis have two hotels: "City Centre" on Castle St, and "Queens Quarter" on University St.
 * Premier Inn have three hotels: "Cathedral Quarter" on Waring St, "City Centre" on Alfred St, and "Titanic Quarter" at the marina.
 * Ibis have two hotels: "City Centre" on Castle St, and "Queens Quarter" on University St.

Stay safe
Belfast is for the most part a safe, welcoming city. Though there is trouble beneath the surface, it's locals settling old scores, and tourists aren't involved. After dark you should avoid the "interface areas" noted earlier. Beyond that, just follow the same obvious rules you'd follow in any other big city. Keep your nose and big mouth out of local politics (which stretch back 300 years), and expect some banter if you wear the wrong colour of football jersey.

One of the biggest consequences of The Troubles are the city's massive socioeconomic inequalities, which consequently lead to a good amount of petty and not-so-petty crimes. It is not uncommon to see rowdy youth act violently throughout the city, especially on Fridays and weekends. Thankfully, they very rarely target tourists, but you should still be on your guards at night when going out.

In addition to the "interface areas", some sections of town that require extra vigilance include Shaftesbury Square (the road linking Queen's University with Great Victoria Street Station), Botanic Station, and Strandtown.

Consulates

 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * 🇵🇱 Poland

Connect
To call a number in Northern Ireland from the Republic, use area code 048 with no country code. The +44 28 versions given above will work but incur international rates.

As of July 2021, the city has a good 4G signal from all UK carriers, and there is 5G from O2.

There is no land-based mobile signal on the ferries. Switch off in case your phone latches onto the ferry company WiFi, they'll be delighted to connect you at international rates.

Go next

 * Transport routes radiate from Belfast so virtually all of Northern Ireland is within a day trip.
 * Hillsborough is a picturesque village in County Down, with the grand powerbase of Hillsborough Castle.
 * Giant's Causeway is the standout on the north coast, and can be reached by train or bus. But with a car you can meander along the whole coast, from Carrickfergus and Larne into the beautiful Antrim Glens to Ballycastle. The Glens are quiet so the Causeway will feel very touristy by comparison.
 * Bangor is a cheery seaside town, with frequent suburban trains from Belfast. There are good beaches at Holywood on this route.
 * Derry is a fascinating historic city within its ancient walls.
 * Dublin can be day-tripped by bus or the "Enterprise Train" but deserves much longer.

title: Belfast


text:
Belfast (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Belfast:

South Africa

 * Belfast (Mpumalanga)

United Kingdom

 * Belfast - the capital of Northern Ireland

United States of America

 * Belfast (Maine) - a city in Waldo County, in Mid Coast (Maine)

title: Belfast (disambiguation)


text:
Belfast (Maine)

Belfast is a city in Waldo County, in the Mid Coast region of Maine.

Get around
Bay Taxi is the closest taxi service for Belfast located in Swanville.

title: Belfast (Maine)


text:
Belfast (Mpumalanga)

Belfast is a town of 4600 people (2012) in Mpumalanga. With an average daily minimum temperature of 7°C, this is one of the coldest towns in South Africa. The town is renowned for its excellent trout fishing conditions.

Understand
Sheep and dairy farming take place here as well as maize, potatoes and timber are produced. Coal and a black granite are mined around Belfast. Around 6 million tulip bulbs are produced here annually for export; the flowers are discarded. Belfast is 2,025 m above sea level and one of the highest towns in South Africa.

The town was named after Richard Charles O'Neill from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who owned the farm on which the town was built.

By car
Follow the N4 east from Pretoria

Do

 * Fly fishing: The cold rivers, streams and its six well stocked dams provide excellent fishing for trout and bass.
 * There are many beautiful gardens and a tulip nursery.

Hiking

 * Bospoort, +27 13 253-1304, moderate, two day, self-guided, 22 km
 * Rapids, +27 13 253-1304, moderate, two day, self-guided, 16 km

title: Belfast (Mpumalanga)


text:
Belgaum

Belgaum, now known officially as Belagavi, is a city in Northwestern Karnataka, close to the state of Goa.

Understand
Belgaum got its name from Venugrama, meaning "bamboo village". It is the district HQ. The most ancient place in the district is Halsi; and this, once the capital of a dynasty of nine Kadamba kings. In 1776 the country was overrun by Hyder Ali of Mysore, but was retaken by the Peshwa with British assistance. In 1818 it was handed over to the British East India Company, and made district of Sangli state.

Belgaum has been the focal point of a border dispute between the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Both states claim Belgaum on linguistic grounds. Traditionally, most people spoke Kannada but the majority in the big cities spoke Marathi, which has resulted in regional tensions.

As of 2022, Belgaum and environs are claimed by Maharashtra and they are under the administration of the Government of Karnataka. We treat Belgaum as a part of Karnataka here, which does not represent a political endorsement of the claims made by either side of the dispute.

Climate
The weather of Belgaum is pleasant, owing to its hilly topography. Summers (April–June) are mildly hot and winters are cool (November–February). It experiences heavy southwestern monsoon rains during July–September. It receives as much as 1250 mm of rain annually.

By car
Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highway #4, connecting Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; and NH-4A, connecting Karnataka and Goa.

By bus
Bus operators plying between Mumbai, Belgaum, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad include VRL (Vijayanand Road Lines), Pai Travels, Barde Travels and PVG.

By train
Belgaum is on a main Indian Railways line, well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore (via Hubli), Mumbai, Pune/Delhi (via Miraj) and Goa.

By bus
Belgaum has excellent city bus connectivity and also for the rural area around Belgaum, the charges are nominal around ₹10 from one end to the other part of the city. Private and Gov't Buses also provide transport for commuting between Hubli, Dharwad, Goa, and other nearby places.

By autorickshaw
This is cheap way of transport between attractions. Though not metered always it would be wise to ask the approximate amount from a local.

By taxi
Normally, taxis are not needed unless you plan to go way out of the city. If you want to move around in city, Autos and buses are good enough.

By car
There are many rental companies offering cars with drivers or self-drive, including Hertz on College Road.

See
The old stone fort, built in 12th century AD by the local Ratta rulers, is an important spot, though hardly anything of the original structure remains. One can view the splendid Kamal Basti (Jain temple), within the fort's premises. The Fort premises also hosts the Sri Ramakrishna Mission Ashram. This fort was renovated and built on by successive rulers who ruled Belgaum from time to time. Belgaum's Watchtower and Sunset Point should not be missed if one wants to savor the scenic beauty surrounding this small town.

Belgaum is famous for its temples and the religious-minded traveler could find a number of temples here, the main ones being Kamal Basti (in Belgaum Fort) Kapileshwar temple, Shani temple and the Maruti Temple.

The Masjid-Sata mosque, which dates back to the 16th century AD, the Mahadeva temple with its beautiful gardens, the St. Mary's Church of England, St. Xavier's Church, Catholic Cathedral and St. Anthony's Church, all lie within the lush green environs of the Cantonment.

Do

 * Trekking around Jamboti and Amboli ghats.
 * White water Rafting on the Kali Nadi at Dandeli.
 * Paragliding activities around Belgaum (NCC).

Eat
The cuisine has a mixed flavour of central (Marathi)and north Indian flavours. This would be the place to try Chats and other Maharashtrian delicacies in Karnataka. Solkadi, a drink made from Kokam fruits, is also a Goan import goes well with fish. Belgaum's famous sweet, Kunda, is available in all major sweet shops.

 * Ajanta cafe is excellent for its Puri Bhaaji, Dosas and Spl Chai.
 * Among the favourite joints for ice cream is Natural Ice Cream of Juhu Scheme. It has its outlet at Nehru Nagar near KLE medical in Belgaum.
 * If you are a tea lover then you should visit Appolo Tea Bar near central Bus Stand. The veg-patty and the cream rolls are amazing here.
 * Belgaum special sweet, e.g. at Kalyani Sweets in Camp.
 * Pav Bhaji from Shetty Snacks and chat center in front of Aditya Arcade near Ramdev Hotel.
 * Dhabeli from Sharma hotel on Kirloskar Road.
 * Veg Crispi and Gombu Chicken from Hotel Sun N Sand Club Road
 * Hotel Golden Grill near Kolhapur Circle is good for its flavour.
 * Veg Crispi and Gombu Chicken from Hotel Sun N Sand Club Road
 * Hotel Golden Grill near Kolhapur Circle is good for its flavour.

Sleep

 * Alurkar Resorts: This is an agrotourism resort on Ajra-Amboli Road, near Bugte Alur village.
 * Hotel Aadarsh Palace, opposite Lingraju College
 * Hotel Eefa
 * Hotel Sai Sangam International in Nehru Nagar
 * Nature And I : eco/home stay 10 km from Belgaum.
 * Pai Resort : Pai Resort is at 3 km from Belgaum and 8 km from airport.
 *  Sankam Residency: The hotel is 7 km from Belgaum.
 *  Sanman Deluxe: Hotel Sanman Deluxe is a business hotel at 1.5 km from Belgaum and 15 km from airport.
 * Pai Resort : Pai Resort is at 3 km from Belgaum and 8 km from airport.
 *  Sankam Residency: The hotel is 7 km from Belgaum.
 *  Sanman Deluxe: Hotel Sanman Deluxe is a business hotel at 1.5 km from Belgaum and 15 km from airport.

Go next
Gokak Falls: Gokak Falls is a waterfall known for its beauty. It is at a distance of 60 km from Belgaum and 10 km from Gokak town. Located right on the main road is a celebrated tourist centre in the district. This falls has a height of about. The river Ghataprapha after winding a course of a long route takes a leap of 52 m, over a rocky bed 52 m down. The falls is famous for its spread and shape. The dull roar of the falls can be heard much before you reach it. The falls are horse-shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood width of 177 m. June to September is the best season to visit. Electricity was generated here for the first time in the country in 1887. This generating station can be reached on the rope way.

Godachinmalki Falls:16 km from Gokak, it is at a fine spot the first jump from a height of about 25 metres and flows into a rocky valley and after a short distance from here it takes a second jump at a height of about 18 meters.

Jamboti :Jamboti is 20 km south-west of Belgaum. Jamboti is a popular tourist spot with its evergreen hilltop forests. Mandovi River, the longest river in Goa has its origin in the Jamboti hills.

Kittur: Kittur is 44 km from Belgaum. Kittur is a place of historical significance. Rani Channamma of Kittur is known for her resistance to British rule. A ruined fort, formerly the residence of the chief of Kittur can be found here.

Navilutirtha (Saundatti): 80 km from Belgaum, a low valley in between the 2 hills, in an enchanting place is Navilutirtha. It used to be full of peacocks, frequently flocking round the pond, and thus the place was named Navilutirtha. The Malaprabha Dam near Renukasagar is here. It is also a good picnic spot.

Rakaskop water reservoir: 16 km from Belgaum, literally means a hamlet of a Rakkasa (Giant), who is stated to have lived on a hillock near the village. A cavern in laterite on the hillrock resembling a huge seated human figure is shown by the people to remind his past existence. Here is a Dam across the river Markandeya, supplying drinking water to Belgaum.

Vajrapoha Falls: Vajrada Avalakki or Vajra Seethavaade 60 km from Belgaum. It is one of the few less known & most spectacular Falls of the Western Ghats, which is still pristine and not choked. trek Follows along the swift flowing river Mahadayi in deep forests.the River Mahadayi is joined by two other streams Marcidha nala and Pannera nala in creating this magnificent waterfalls, which later known by the name "Mandovi" in Goa. The river, cascading down at a great speed to a gorge below, taking a giant leap of over 150 feet is a sight to behold. The roar of the falls reaches deafening proportions. Walking sometimes in the waist deep water, traversing the slippery slopes and rocks with all the skills is not an easy task. In the evening the soft rays of sun falling on the veil gives a glittering touch thus the name vajra! one needs to be bit more adventurous to get to the bottom of the falls. Traversing the slippery slopes and wading through thorny bushes is really an unusual experience. Views of the waterfall makes one awestruck and complacent. If you're lucky you'll spot a pied hornbill, huli salinga - Brother of venomous tarantula spider. A must see destination for the avid nature lover.

Anshi National Park or Kali Tiger Reserve 90 km from Belagavi. Wild animals can be seen. Also many dams within the tiger reserve.

The other places of interest are Tillari Dam: Yellurgadh: Arambol & Terekhol: Vagator Beach: Goa: Pant Balekundri: Sogal Somnath: Dandeli Reserve Forest: Ambica Nagar Dam (Supa Dam): Anmod Ghats: Vaijanath Temple: Kali Nadi white water activities:

 * Karwar
 * Gokarna
 * Udupi

 * Tillari Falls: 35 km from Belgaum
 * Amboli Ghat: 65 km from Belgaum
 * Soral
 * Tillari Ghat
 * Hidkal Dam

title: Belgaum