10 price range methods to see Belfast: money-saving suggestions for the capital of Northern Eire

Belfast hasn’t been resistant to the world’s post-pandemic inflation spikes, but it surely nonetheless stays a comparatively inexpensive journey vacation spot by western European requirements.

Trendsetting eating places don’t require breaking the financial institution, markets and thrift shops supply cheaper buying alternate options, town’s compact dimensions invite strolling and biking over public transport, and sightseeing excursions can come low cost – if you already know the place to look. So, listed below are the highest suggestions and tips each budget-conscious traveler can use to avoid wasting money after they’re visiting Belfast.

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Home shares and hostel dorms are cheaper than metropolis middle motels

Inns in central Belfast sometimes begin at round £100 per evening, particularly in busier seasons, so you’ll be able to reduce on prices by various choices. The perfect-priced Airbnb flats and rental rooms would possibly put you outdoors town middle, however given Belfast’s manageable measurement, this shouldn’t impression the standard of your journey. On the up-and-coming Ormeau Rd or within the suburbs of south Belfast, each of which have strolling and public transportation routes into town, Airbnb’s are sometimes priced at £50–90 per evening (particularly when you’re comfortable to share a home along with your host).

Belfast’s hottest hostels are inside a mile or so radius of town middle and are as low cost as £10 per evening for shared dorms. Belfast Worldwide Youth Hostel, World Village, Lagan Backpackers and Botanical Backpackers are all extremely rated.

Save money by choosing your airport and airline correctly

Given it’s positioned on an island, flying stays the most affordable manner of attending to Belfast. Boat journeys can be found from Nice Britain, however solely actually make sense when you’re bringing a automobile, during which case one-way tickets often price over £100.

Belfast has two airports: one simply outdoors town middle, the opposite 15 miles to the west in Aldergrove. The previous, George Greatest Belfast Metropolis Airport, is extra handy for inbound vacationers, however has extra of a concentrate on pricier premium airways. The latter, Belfast Worldwide Airport, is far bigger, welcoming flights from additional afield and from a various vary of air carriers. If booked effectively prematurely, return flights from UK cities with easyJet ought to price lower than £100. Jet2 and Wizz supply aggressive costs from European cities, and there are seasonal direct flights with Virgin Atlantic from Orlando, Florida.

The Belfast Bikes sharing scheme is an efficient price range selection for exlporing town © adamico / Getty Photos

Use bikes, transport playing cards and day tickets for getting round

The Belfast Bikes sharing service presents low cost two-wheeled transport round Belfast’s central districts: half-hour for £1, 3-day utilization for £6, or £25 for a yearly membership. 

Should you do require public transport, nonetheless, you’ll lower your expenses by buying journey playing cards and multiple-journey tickets. The three Day Flexi Ticket can be utilized on Translink trains between two stations – excellent for these staying outdoors of Belfast. Belfast Customer Passes can be found on the Belfast Visitor Welcome Centre on Donegall Sq. North or by way of reserving online. These give vacationers limitless journey privileges on most Metro, NI Railways, Ulsterbus and Glider companies, with one-day (£6), two-day (£11), and three-day (£14.50) choices.

For longer stays, you should purchase weekly or month-to-month journey playing cards additionally to be used on Metro, Glider, NI Railways and Ulsterbus companies. Varied money-saving journey card choices can be found, so examine the Translink website to search out the one finest catered to your wants. 

People walking down a pedestrianised street in front of Belfast City Hall
Belfast’s compact metropolis middle is simple to discover at no cost on foot © William Barton / Getty Photos

Or discover town on foot

There’s no higher method to reduce on transport prices than by avoiding them altogether. Belfast is constructed on a reasonably flat river basin, so until you propose on charging up into the encircling hillsides, spending the day on foot shouldn’t expend an excessive amount of vitality. 

The River Lagan scythes by town and serves as a information for walkers: promenades and cycle paths meander alongside its decrease reaches, bringing foot site visitors from town middle in direction of south Belfast. Should you maintain the Lagan in your sights, you’ll be handled to a few of Belfast’s most arresting surroundings: the Titanic Quarter, the place the river meets the ocean; the flocks of starlings that sweep throughout the sky over Albert Bridge at nightfall; and the verdant parklands related to the Lagan Towpath. 

Save on late evening taxi fares by staying close to nightlife hubs

The bottom charge of Belfast’s personal taxi companies noticed a latest improve, and whereas not extortionate, there are methods to keep away from the additional expense. If partying into the wee hours goes to characteristic closely throughout your go to, you’ll be able to keep away from expensive taxis with a price range lodge inside strolling distance of town’s nightlife hubs. ETAP Hotel Belfast has a aggressive pricing vary, whereas the Holiday Inn is commonly cheaper than its city-center opponents. The good Wellington Park Hotel is one other first rate possibility, handily positioned in south Belfast and recognized for its beneficiant seasonal presents. Belfast can be a lot safer than it was a couple of a long time again, so strolling residence shouldn’t pose a lot of a danger, particularly when you’re in a gaggle.  

Save 50% on meals with First Desk

Cash-conscious foodies ought to pay attention to First Table, a restaurant discovery platform that shaves 50% off the price of diners’ meals in the event that they e book the primary desk of service at taking part eating places. Coppi, a cicchetti (Italian tapas) restaurant within the collonaded St Anne’s Sq.; Buba, a unusual Mediterranean meals and cocktail spot; and Residence, a city-center bistro that celebrates native elements, all characteristic on the checklist. The deal is presently relevant for teams of two to 4 folks, however doesn’t apply to drinks.

Make use of comfortable hours

Completely happy hours aren’t notably widespread in Belfast, however a number of bars dotted across the metropolis lure in punters with distinctive offers. On Monday to Thursday at Franklins Sports Bar all beers are £2 till the primary aim is scored on the massive display screen. The Perch Rooftop Bar runs a contented hour from 5pm to 7pm, Monday by Thursday, together with a two-cocktails-for-£12 deal. The Revolucion de Cuba bar and cantina runs an identical deal day by day. And don’t miss out on a weekend session in Rita’s, a luxurious bar providing £15 bottles of prosecco all day on Sundays.

An overview of the many stalls selling wares under the Victorian facade of St George's Market in Belfast
St George’s Market is fashionable with locals who need to decide up some bargains after having fun with the scrumptious meals on supply © Okay Marsh / Shutterstock

Cut price hunt on the markets

From classic clothes to vinyl CDs, objects shaded by nostalgia have seen a increase in recognition lately. Sadly, costs have typically boomed in lock-step with the fad – however when you’ve a eager eye for a discount, Belfast’s markets and thrifty haunts are value a glance. 

Set inside a squat, red-brick Victorian constructing, St George’s Market (open Friday by Sunday) combines a classic feast of art work, bric-a-brac trinkets and snazzy clothes with new-wave meals stalls and domestically produced handicrafts. The Belfast Continental Christmas Market, promoting meals and produce from the European mainland, is seasonal and just a little pricer, however many of the meals and drinks on supply are cheap if guests train restraint – plus, its location on the doorstep of Belfast Metropolis Corridor units the scene for a stunning after-dark stroll. Octopus’s Garden is extra thrift store than market, however has an eclectic mixture of retro outfits and vinyl LPs, and has been recognized to do occasional 50-percent-off-all-items gross sales.

For the most effective offers head to the flea market simply outdoors Belfast in Nutt’s Nook. With round 300 stalls and automobile boot pitches working each Sunday, thrifty customers ought to put aside a half a day to totally discover the treasure trove of second-hand items and contemporary produce on sale. 

Make use of inexpensive metropolis excursions

Belfast’s turbulent historical past noticed it evolve from an 18th-century buying and selling city to a Victorian-era industrial titan earlier than it was consumed by the darkish days of the Troubles and sectarian strife within the late 1900s. These intermingling forces have layered Belfast with historic complexity – even confounding locals at occasions – so there’s a lot to be gained by experiencing the story of Belfast by way of guided tour. 

The Belfast Free Walking Tour – at 11am and a pair of.30pm each Friday and Saturday – is technically free, although guides additionally settle for donations when you really feel the service deserves one. On the sojourn, you may go to a few of Belfast’s most historic websites, together with the Titanic Quarter, the tilted Albert Clock, and Belfast’s Baroque-domed Metropolis Corridor. 

Should you’d relatively see town on wheels, contemplate the guided Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour at £18 per head (household offers are additionally accessible). The in depth open-top bus tour highlights 19 iconic Belfast places and is accessible from any of the general public stops within the metropolis.  

Low-cost issues to do in Belfast for round £10

Resulting from inflation, actions for lower than £10 (a tenner) have gotten fewer and additional between. However there are a couple of choices round Belfast which may attraction to budget-conscious vacationers. 

The primary stone of the Romanesque St Anne’s Cathedral was laid in 1899, and it stays a big place of worship throughout the Church of Eire Christian denomination. If you wish to admire the cathedral’s rounded arches, intricate stained-glass mosaics and vaulted prayer corridor from inside, it will solely price you a fiver (£5). 

Closing in 1996 after 150 years of detaining convicts, the Crumlin Highway Gaol has been renovated to coach guests on its gloomy previous. For £10.80 (if booked on-line), you’ll be able to wander by its cavernous tunnels, peek into its once-infamous cells, and really feel the palpable weight of its chilly and brooding depth.  

For extra kid-friendly price range excursions, head to Pirates Adventure Golf and the adjoining Dundonald Worldwide Ice Bowl. Themed round seafaring bounty hunters, shipwrecked brigantines, and palm-fringed seashores, the journey golf course is a superb sunny afternoon exercise – and solely prices between £2 and £7.50 for 18 holes. A go to to the Olympic-sized ice rink next door is £7 per head, with public skating periods day by day. Or you’ll be able to ship youthful youngsters into Indiana Land, a jungle-inspired indoor play space with a freefall slide and ball pits, from £4.50 per baby.

Information to common day by day prices

Hostel room: £10–15 per evening
Fundamental room for 2: £100–150 per evening
Self-catering residence or Airbnb: £50–100 per evening
Public transportation ticket: £6 for someday, £11 for 2 days, £14.50 for 3 days
Espresso: £2–3
Sandwich: £5–7
Dinner for 2: £40–100
Beer/pint on the bar: £4.50