Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [529]
There are direct flights from Cork and most British cities to the convenient George Best Belfast City Airport (Map; 9093 9093; www.belfastcityairport.com; Airport Rd), just 6km northeast of the city centre.
Boat
The terminal for Stena Line (Map; 08705 707070; www.stenaline.co.uk) car ferries from Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland is 2km north of the city centre; head north along York St, and turn right into Dock St (just past the Yorkgate Centre). Other car ferries to and from Scotland dock at Larne, 37km north of Belfast (Click here).
Norfolkline (Map; 0844 499 0007; www.norfolkline-ferries.co.uk) ferries between Belfast and Liverpool dock at the Victoria Ferry Terminal, 5km north of town. Take the M2 motorway north and turn right at junction No 1.
The Steam Packet Company (Map; 0871 222 1333; www.steam-packet.com) operates car ferries between Belfast and Isle of Man (two or three a week, April to September only). They dock at Donegall Quay, a short distance from the city centre.
For more information on ferry routes and prices, Click here.
Bus
Belfast has two bus stations. The main Europa BusCentre (Map; 9066 6630) is behind the Europa Hotel and next door to Great Victoria St train station, reached via the Great Northern Mall beside the hotel. It’s the main terminus for buses to Derry, Dublin and destinations in the west and south of Northern Ireland. The smaller Laganside BusCentre (Map; 9066 6630; Oxford St), near the river, is mainly for buses to County Antrim, eastern County Down and the Cookstown area.
There are information desks ( 7.45am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat) at both bus stations, where you can pick up regional bus timetables, and you can contact Translink ( 9066 6630; www.translink.co.uk) for timetable and fares information.
Typical one-way fares from Belfast:
National Express ( 0870 580 8080; www.nationalexpress.com) runs a daily coach service between Belfast and London (£38, 14 hours) via the Stranraer ferry, Dumfries, Carlisle, Preston, Manchester and Birmingham. The ticket office is in the Europa BusCentre.
For information on bus fares, durations and frequencies in Ireland, Click here.
Train
Trains to Dublin and all destinations in Northern Ireland depart from Belfast Central Station (Map; East Bridge St), east of the city centre. Great Victoria St Station (Map; Great Northern Mall), next to the Europa BusCentre, has trains for Portadown, Lisburn, Bangor, Larne Harbour and Derry.
For information on train fares and timetables, contact Translink ( 9066 6630; www.translink.co.uk). The NIR Travel Shop (Map; 9023 0671; Great Victoria St Station; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sat) books train tickets, ferries and holiday packages.
If you arrive by train at Central Station, your rail ticket entitles you to a free bus ride into the city centre.
Typical train fares from Belfast:
On Sundays you can buy a Sunday Day Tracker ticket (£5), which allows unlimited travel on all scheduled train services within Northern Ireland.
For more information on the train network in Ireland, Click here.
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GETTING AROUND
Belfast possesses a rare but wonderful thing – an integrated public-transport system, with buses linking both airports to the central train and bus stations.
To/From the Airports
The Airport Express 300 bus runs from Belfast International Airport to the Europa BusCentre (one way/return £7/10, 30 minutes) every 10 or 15 minutes between 7am and 8pm, every 30 minutes from 8pm to 11pm, and hourly through the night; a return ticket is valid for one month. A taxi costs about £25.
The Airport Express 600 bus links George Best Belfast City Airport with the Europa BusCentre (one way/return £1.50/2.60, 15 minutes) every 15 or 20 minutes between 6am and 10pm. The taxi fare to the city centre is about £7.
For details of the Airporter bus linking both airports to Derry, Click here.
To/From the Ferry Terminals
You can walk from Donegall Quay to City