Belfast is a city bustling with culture and heritage, from architectural gems and museums to the Cave Hill Country Park and two big Titanic visitor attractions, including the winner of the World Travel Awards 2016.
Explore our favourite Belfast attractions and plan a weekend getaway today!
Learn more about booking a city break in Belfast.
Belfast is full of fabulous attractions, but if you fancy a break away from the city, there are endless things to do and places to see just a short drive away. How about:
If you need any extra help with planning the rest of your trip, make sure you ask our front desk staff who will be happy to offer their honest advice.
If you’re venturing to other parts of Ireland after your stay in our Belfast hotel, your journey couldn’t be easier. Leonardo Hotel Belfast is close to the city’s Central Station, perfect if you want to hop on a train to take in the rest of the island. Here’s a snapshot of how long it takes to reach some of Ireland’s favourite destinations from our Belfast hotel.
Dublin: one hour 50 minutes by car or two hours 10 minutes by train
Derry: one hour 20 minutes by car
Galway: three hours 40 minutes by car
Cork: four hours 10 minutes by car
We can’t wait to welcome you here at our hotel in Belfast. See you soon.
View our latest Belfast hotel offers.
Best Restaurant: Enjoy excellent food and drink in quirky surroundings at Made in Belfast. Excellent value and only a short 15 minute walk from the hotel.
Best Shopping: St George’s Market is bursting with local food, jewellery, clothes, woodwork, and more, all housed in a traditional Victorian building.
Best Kept Secret: Did you know Belfast has it's own Belfast bikes scheme. We now have 35 docking stations located across the city centre, providing a low cost, convenient way to travel about. From as little as £5 to register for three days. Check out Belfast Bikes for more information.
Leonardo Hotel Belfast works exclusively with Belfast City Sightseeing, so our guests can see and do more while visiting the city. Browse our City Guide for inspiration and speak to a member of staff at reception to purchase your tickets.
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
A fantastic immersion into Belfast history, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum offers a truly unique experience. Discover 100 year old heritage as you explore cottages, farms, schools, shops, and beautiful parkland, with costumed visitor guides providing demonstrations of traditional crafts. Browse steam locomotives, horse carriages, motorbikes, vintage cars, and more at the impressive Transport Museum, offering an exciting day out for all ages and interests. The museum also hosts are range of events, exhibitions (temporary & permanent), talks, lectures, and workshops, as well as tours.
A little outside the city centre, the Ulster Folk & Transport museum is a twenty-minute drive from Leonardo Hotel Belfast.
Belfast Castle & Cave Hill Country Park
Explore Belfast's famous Cave Hill Country Park. Offering one of the highest spots in Belfast (Cave Hill), the country park and castle estate is home to a range of natural, archaeological, and historical features. Discover the ‘Napolean’s Nose’ famous landmark, explore the beautiful garden, try orienteering courses, or take the kids to the adventure playground - this Belfast attraction is bursting with things to see and do, surrounded by breath-taking views.
Admission is £2.50 and the castle estate is a short thirteen-minute drive from our Belfast hotel.
Belfast City Hall & Titanic Memorial Gardens
In 1888, Queen Victoria gave Belfast ‘City status’ and with it, this magnificent City Hall was built to manage its industrial growth. Belfast City Hall runs free tours which includes the history of the hall, as well as showing you its ‘finest features’. Tours run Monday- Friday at 11am, 2pm & 3pm (additional tours at 10am & 4pm in summer), at weekends they run noon, 2pm & 3pm (an additional tour at 4pm in summer).
The Titanic Memorial Gardens can also be found on the eastern side of the hall. The gardens are home to the Titanic monument (unveiled in 1920), and the plinth from the garden opening in 2012 - the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic. The plinth is the first monument listing in one place all 1,512 names of the people who perished.
Belfast City Hall is a short five-minute walk from Leonardo Hotel Belfast.
Ulster Museum
Bursting with dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, and ‘modern masterpieces’, the Ulster Museum is home to an array of human history, natural sciences, and art collections for visitors to explore, learn, and immerse. Perfect for a cultural and educational outing with the kids, the museum is open daily with free admission.
Situated a little south of the city, the Ulster Museum is a brief twenty-minute walk from our Belfast hotel.
Albert Memorial Clock
A quick stop at the Albert Memorial Clock is a Belfast ‘must’. An iconic landmark of the city at 113ft, the Gothic style clock offers an impressive and striking structure, dating back to 1865. Featuring carved lions, floral decorations, and a statue of Prince Albert found just above the base, this tower provides a fascinating example of Victorian architecture.
Situated in the heart of the city, the Albert Memorial Clock is a brief thirteen –minute walk from Leonardo Hotels.
Crumlin Road Gaol
Until its closure in 1996, Crumlin Road Gaol was the oldest working prison in Northern Ireland. After a major restoration, the gaol is now open to the public, allowing visitors to embark on a historical journey of political segregation and loyalist prisoners. Dating back to 1845, the gaol is bursting at the seams with rich Irish history – take a guided tour to discover its secrets, from the holding cells to the C-wing.
Tours run seven days a week and admission costs £8.50 for adults, £6.50 for children (5-15) or £25 for a family of 2 adults & 2 children. Tickets are available on the day but booking is advised. Crumlin Road Gaol is a 25-minute walk from our Belfast hotel.
Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum is a true treasure-trove, with everything from Egyptian mummies to dinosaurs, artwork and even a ship from the Spanish Armada. The museum is free, and ideal if you’re visiting Belfast with the little ones in tow.
We recommend: combining your trip with a visit to the Botanic Gardens, which are right next door.
Titanic Belfast
Titanic Belfast, the winner of the World Travel Awards 2016 is an exciting attraction offering over nine galleries dedicated to this iconic ship and its maiden journey. Offering special effects, full-scale reconstructions, and more, Titanic Belfast tells the story in a fresh and engaging way - visit the Ocean Exploration Centre, embark on the discovery tour, or walk the slipway.
Opening times depend on the time of year and admission costs £17.50 for adults and £7.25 for children (5-16 years). Situated in the Titanic Quarter, Titanic Belfast is a leisurely thirty-minute walk from our Belfast hotel.
W5 - WhoWhatWhereWhenWhy
An exciting attraction for adults and children alike, W5 is Ireland's first purpose-built interactive science and discovery centre. Situated at the Odyssey complex in the heart of Belfast, the centre has over 250 interactive exhibits, from robots and circuits to genetics and geology, there’s plenty to keep visitors engaged and learning.
The different sections of the centre are filled with activities – try the tug of war challenge, create cartoons, play virtual sports, or tackle ‘Climbit’ - the maze/jungle gym. W5 also offers range of changing events, shows, and smaller exhibitions.
Admission costs £8.50 for adults and £6.50 for children (3-16 years). Situated at the Odyssey Arena, W5 is a twenty-minute walk from Leonardo Hotel Belfast.
Belfast Zoo
Situated north of the city, Belfast Zoo houses over 1,000 animals and 150 different species over 55 acres. Many of the animals found at the zoo are under threat or endangered in their natural habitat - the zoo partakes in a breeding programmes to help the survival of these species. Explore the bird park, giraffe & elephant enclosure, and rainforest house, or see the Andean bear, Barbary lion, red kangaroos, or the Venezuelan red howler monkey. There is also a lake side with picnic tables, farm, and play centre- ideal for a lunch stop.
Belfast Zoo is a ten-minute drive north, or you can catch the Citybus 45-51. The zoo is open daily April to September, 10am to 7pm (last admission 5pm); October to March, 10am to 4pm (last admission 2.30pm). Admission cost around £12 for adults and £6 for children (4-17 years).
Queens University
A member of the Russell Group of 24 leading UK research-intensive universities, alongside Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, Queen’s University is an highly esteemed international centre of research and education, and describes itself as ‘a major part of the fabric of Northern Ireland’.
Explore the beautiful architecture and grounds across campus, or visit The Queen’s Welcome Centre, offering tourist and visitor information, souvenirs, and gifts. The welcome centre also hosts regular exhibitions for you to peruse.
Admission is free and there is a self-guided tour leaflet – ‘Walkabout Queen’s’  available. Queen’s University is a short fifteen-minute walk from our Belfast hotel.
Titanic Visitor Centre, Dock & Pump House
Discover Titanic’s Dock and Pump-House and immerse yourself in the grandeur and overwhelming size of the ‘largest moving object ever constructed by the hand of man.’
The Titanic was ground-breaking, decadent, and luxurious, and now over 100 years after its maiden and only voyage, you can visit the dry dock where she spent her last days or explore the pump-house containing the original engineering works. Take a self-guided tour, which includes an audio visual presentation, to get the full interactive experience of the iconic site.
Opening hours are 10.30am-4pm every day. Self-guided tours cost £3.50 for children (5-16 years) and £5 for adults, Family tickets are £12 and children under five go free. The TitanicVisitor Centre, Dock & Pump House is a short eight-minute drive from our Leonardo Hotel Belfast.
Belfast Botanic Gardens
Situated next to the Ulster Museum, the Belfast Botanic Gardens is home to a range of tropical plants, birds of paradise, seed plants, and more! The Palm House offers ‘one of the earliest examples of a glasshouse made of curved iron and glass’ and is a beautiful building in itself, designed by Sir Charles Lanyon. Explore the Tropical Ravine, home to some of the oldest seed plants, including cinnamon, banana, bromeliad and orchid plants, or wander the Botanic Gardens and enjoy a picnic with the family.
The Belfast Botanic Gardens are a leisurely twenty-four minute walk from our Belfast hotel.
Grand Opera House
For evening entertainment, nothing beats the majestic setting of Belfast’s Grand Opera House. The Victorian theatre puts on a huge range of shows including comedy, dance, drama and musicals throughout the year, so make sure you find out what’s on during your visit.
We recommend: spending some time appreciating the architecture of the main auditorium, designed by Frank Matcham.
Explore Belfast, the dynamic capital of Northern Ireland, where history, culture, and fantastic shopping converge seamlessly. Embark on a shopping adventure in Belfast, navigating through diverse retail districts that showcase traditional markets, chic boutiques, and modern shopping centers. Join us on a journey through the retail delights of this vibrant city, and immerse yourself in the unique experience of shopping in Belfast.
Victoria Square
Bursting with all your favourite high street stores, Victoria Square shopping centre is the perfect place for a little retail therapy. Peruse fashion, electronics, jewellery, sportswear, and more! There are plenty of dining options to grab a bite to eat, from a sandwich in Starbucks to a sit down meal at Pizza Express – browse all the stores and restaurants available to plan your trip.
Victoria Square is a brief ten-minute walk from Leonardo Hotel Belfast.
CastleCourt Shopping Centre
Filled with a variety of stores and places for a quick bite, CastleCourt is a great spot to browse around the shops. Treat yourself to a new outfit at Dorothy Perkins or Burton, peruse Debenhams for a little bit of everything, or indulge in a new scent at the Perfume Shop – explore all the stores available and plan a visit.
CastleCourt Shopping centre is a short ten-minute walk from our Belfast hotel.
Belfast, the vibrant capital of Northern Ireland, is a city that seamlessly blends history, culture, and fantastic shopping opportunities. A day out shopping in Belfast is an adventure through its diverse retail districts, where traditional markets, chic boutiques, and modern shopping centres await. Join us on a journey through the retail delights of this dynamic city.
The capital of Wales, Cardiff, is a bustling city filled with Welsh charm and bursting with things to see and do. Enjoy a pint at one of the many local pubs and bars, immerse in some retail therapy at St David’s, walk along the bay or explore Cardiff’s castle. Browse our top selection of attractions in Cardiff and plan your visit today. Learn more about booking a city break in Cardiff.