Belfast Eclectic City Center Walking Tour: Covering History, Architecture, and People
4.9
314 Ratings
Belfast
Explore the vibrant city center of Belfast on a walking tour that delves into its rich history, stunning architecture, and fascinating people. Discover the city's industrial heritage, modern advancements, and unique attractions along the way.
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • City Hall - After gathering at City Hall, this walking tour will introduce you to various attractions and activities in Belfast, some of which are free when open. You’ll learn about top spots for dining and drinking in the city’s best gastro bars and restaurants, and get an overview of Belfast’s origins and the historical period known as the Troubles. You’ll hear about its past, present innovations, and future developments. Then, we’ll set off to explore some of the places and people mentioned in the introduction. We’ll pass the Titanic Memorial Garden as we stroll into the Linen Quarter to reach our next stop.

  • Titanic Memorial Garden - Here, you’ll learn about the creation of the Memorial Garden dedicated to the ill-fated HMS Titanic.

  • St. Malachy’s Church - After learning about the linen industry’s role in Belfast’s development, we’ll explore some of the city’s remarkable buildings, like this beautiful church, as we enter the Markets area.

  • St. George’s Market - We’ll pass St. George’s Market and hear about its history, then move through the courts area to learn about the market’s development.

  • Spirit of Belfast - We’ll pass by this iconic sculpture as we stroll towards the Entries.

  • The Belfast Entries - We’ll walk through the narrow streets where Belfast was born, hear about rebellious locals like The United Irishmen, and see street art that tells the city’s history. Today, locals and visitors mingle in the many gastro bars and restaurants here.

  • Victoria Square Shopping Centre - Leaving the River Lagan behind, we’ll reach Victoria Square to learn about its past, present, and future, then continue towards the Spirit of Belfast.

  • Nuala with the Hula - As we reach the Beacon of Hope sculpture, you’ll hear about its significance and discover what’s further down the Lagan River, like the Big Fish and the gateway to the Titanic Quarter.

  • Waterfront Hall - Now known as the International Conference Centre Belfast (ICC Belfast), we’ll see and hear about the development of this area.

  • Big Fish - As we pass the Big Fish, you’ll learn about its history written on its scales, and we’ll stroll towards the Cathedral Quarter, viewing the Titanic Quarter just a 15-minute walk away on the other side of the river.

  • Cathedral Quarter - In the Cathedral Quarter, we’ll see more international and local street art and hear about how Belfast and its people are coming together in peace and reconciliation.

  • Belfast Cathedral - The Cathedral Church of St. Anne - As we walk around the Cathedral, you’ll hear about its construction and the ongoing development in this area.

  • MAC - We’ll conclude your introduction to Belfast in St. Anne’s Square, described as Belfast’s answer to a European plaza, with its many restaurants and apartments above.

What's Included
  • Informative, helpful and professional guide.
  • Original Unique Experience
  • Eclectic Historical tour of Belfast city center
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The Eclectic Walking Tour of Belfast’s City Center is the most sought-after experience on #theMartiWay. It delves into both the historical era of the Troubles and the city’s structural design, vibrancy of its mural arts, the individuals who paint the city’s narrative, and the journey from its Industrial Legacy to its prominence in technology and Advanced Engineering today. The route commences at the Belfast City Hall and concludes in the Cathedral Quarter. Along the journey, we will tour some of the city’s distinctive edifices that render Belfast’s uniqueness and beauty.

During the tour, you will learn about the rich history that has moulded this region of the Island for over 9,000 years. Encounter some of Belfast’s renowned personalities and the legacies they’ve left behind. You will be introduced to inventions birthed in this city, things to enjoy and do in Belfast, and Northern Ireland. Your tour will encompasses stories of its bygone era, its current progressiveness and future urban renewal prospects.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Not a Luxury Private tour
  • Not a private tour
Location
Donegall Square North
Your guide will be outside the grounds of City Hall. By the large main gates in the middle by the long horizontal information board. Wearing a blue checked backpack.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(314 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Dkpattrick
May 20, 2024
The best walking talking tour in Belfast - This tour was more than we were expecting, it was well conducted well orated and more in depth than expected So nice to have a native orator historian and good humour with real depth to the stories Highly recommend you take this tour especially before other more commercially oriented tours they want your money Marty wants your ears to help you learn about the beautiful Ireland and it’s customs history snd people’s Will most definitely tell anyone coming to Belfast this is a must do tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Isabellafm6426zm
May 17, 2024
the Marti way - Going to Belfast i didn’t know much about anything but then after my tour with Marti i learned more then i thought i was. He explained everything so clearly and answered any questions anyone had! Marti told us some of the best pubs to go to while visiting Belfast and some good places to go and eat! The Marti way is the best way to go when it comes to touring all of Belfast. Overall, a great guy and also the best tour guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
969supd
May 16, 2024
the mARTi way - Travelling to different countries can be really fun, but it can also often feel very “touristy”. Marti and his trademark “mARTi way” allowed us to experience Belfast for what it truly is. There’s a lot of rich history, but also a lot of conflict, and Marti didn’t shy away from teaching us about the true capital of Northern Ireland. The murals we visited were absolutely magnificent, and each had its own story which Marti knew like the back of his hand. He’d always remind us about the importance of hope and peace; that no matter the conflict, humanity needs to work together in order to thrive. His knowledge of Belfast, and honestly, his amazingly positive outlook, helped us feel secure throughout the trip. Our group was fairly surprised by his initial approach (he just appeared out of nowhere and we didn’t know who he was), but it didn’t take long for us to warm up to Marti. Again, he is extremely knowledgeable, and if you want a true Northern Ireland history experience, “the mARTi way” might be the only way to travel through Belfast!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
135deyans
May 15, 2024
Friendlies and most knowledgable tour guide we had - Thank you for this wonderful Tour. Marti is fun to be with and has so much knowledge for what he is doing - that noone comes even close. His friendly attitude is amazing and all the places he showed were amazing holding secrets not known of many. The food places he recommended were with best food in town and sure next time we come in Belfast would like to do one of his tours again. Thosre tours are unique
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bernadine_m
Apr 27, 2024
Marti was very well... - Marti was very well informed and gave us a great understanding of the background of Belfast. He asked what we were interested in and gave us an interesting and ‘eclectic’ tour the city. He does other tours that are more specially tailored to political or musical interests too. - we’d happily take them up. Would really recommend this tour 👍
Review provided by Viator
Happiness13053742081
Mar 9, 2024
Informative, fun, interesting, varied. - Great insider knowledge with fun facts thrown in. If you’re looking for something a bit different and don’t enjoy large group tours, book Marti. You’ll get loads of history, his love of Belfast shines through and he will tell you about its bright future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Faraway44157148322
Mar 2, 2024
Great walking tour - We had a brilliant morning with Marti travelling 'the Marti Way' and it was a great introduction to Belfast on our first day there. As a previous reviewer recommended, it's worth doing the tour early on in your trip if you're only visiting for a short time. The tour covered both old and recent history, architecture, street art and a number of hidden sights I would've failed to notice otherwise! I also got some great photos thanks to Marti's tips! The best thing was Marti's enthusiasm for the city, we left with an overwhelmingly positive view of Belfast and we were excited to continue exploring and try out some of the recommendations he gave.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amyg3088
Feb 11, 2024
A great introduction to Belfast - We wanted to see some of the political murals in west Belfast, however we were travelling with 2 children under 16 and these tours were all advertised as not suitable for that age. I contacted Marti and he kindly offered to combine some parts of his different tours for us so that we could see some of these as well as the sights and street art around the city centre. Marti was knowledgeable and clearly passionate about his home city. It was a really interesting and informative tour. Parts of the tour, especially around shankhill, falls road and the peace wall were not parts of the city that I would have felt confident to be exploring without a guide. Overall it was a really enjoyable morning and a good introduction to the city and some of the history of Ireland and the troubles. I would advise you to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. We covered about 10km distance overall, though we did include a short stop for a coffee.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chrisgx7416vd
Feb 6, 2024
There are much better guides, pick one of the others - The walked started off great with lots of information on the buildings and the history. Then it just seemed odd facts as we walked around, like what is powering the buses? at some points we aimless walked around some shops, bars and a community centre. the tour wasn't very good, and I also found him very rude. When the ordeal was over I was shocked to read so many positive reviews.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daytrip29375598705
May 12, 2024
Disappointing - Marti had a child-like enthusiasm such that if you did dot agree with him, there would be some pouting from Mr. Marty McFly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
minimum 2 guests
-
up to 10 guests
2 Adult
July 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today