Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and a popular destination. Visitor attractions include Belfast Castle, Belfast Zoo, the Stormont Parliament Building and Titanic Exhibition. A great way of getting a flavor of the city is by taking a Black Cab Tour.
Belfast has a mild, wet climate, with April to September being the best months to visit. Belfast enjoys a lively program of events, such as the Spring festival of Féile an Earraigh, with traditional Irish and Celtic music and the Belfast Film Festival in April. The Féile an Phobail in August mixes world, Indie and traditional music, while October's Belfast Festival has dance, jazz, comedy and art, as well as music.
Belfast is generally safe, although like many cities, there are areas best avoided. Useful tourist information can be found at offices in Donegal Square and on the Falls Road in West Belfast. Belfast is a cheaper city than London and other large UK cities, with basic meals starting at around £4.50 and pints of local beer costing about £3.
The 300 Airport Express route transfers visitors to the city bus station, with a one-way ticket costing about £7.50 and a return ticket around £10.50. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes. A taxi from Belfast International Airport to the city costs about £30. Central Belfast is compact enough to explore on foot, but the city does have a network of buses. Single bus tickets start at about £1.50, while the good value Metro day ticket, giving all day bus travel, costs around £4. A Smartlink Travel Card is available, which costs £1.50, plus £10.50 for 10 journeys. A one week travel card costs about £16. For tourists there is the Belfast visitor pass, lasting from one to three days and giving discounts for transport and attractions. Shared taxis start at around £1 for set routes, while a three day membership of Belfast's bike scheme costs approximately £5, then is free for the first 30 minutes, 50p for the first hour and then £1 per hour. Cheapest accommodation is found in hostels, starting at around £10 in shared rooms. Mid-priced hotel doubles cost from £60.
The airport is located about 28 kilometres northwest of Belfast city centre. Motorists are best advised to use the M2 to Antrim and should then continue for about 10 miles and then turn left at the exit N ° 5 onto the A57 towards Aldergrove. The airport is then signposted.
Passengers travelling by rail should take trains to Belfast Central Station and then use shuttle bus from the nearby Belfast Europa Buscentre. The Airport Express 300 airport shuttle operates a daily and non-stop service to the airport at 10-minute intervals. The journey time is 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the time of day and amount of traffic.