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Belfast Life and Belfast Travel Tips
(Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK)



Belfast is a wonderful city to visit at any time of year and Belfast has an enormous amount to offer tourists. The weather in Belfast is best during the summer months, and this is a particularly popular time in Belfast, although the city of Belfast does not really have an 'off-season'. Belfast is even busy throughout the winter, when Belfast's weather is at its coldest. Many people travel to Belfast in December to enjoy the Christmas festivities and Belfast's exceptional decorations, and also to do their Christmas shopping in Belfast's large shopping centre.

Good manners are welcome everywhere in Belfast and expected by most locals in the Belfast area. The Irish are quite tolerant of most things, but visitors in Belfast are expected to abide by certain codes of behaviour and general Belfast etiquette.




These include standing in line, waiting your turn, avoiding barging, shoving and general confrontation in Belfast. In many of Belfast's public places, such as trains and buses, the Irish tend to speak quietly and generally consider shouting and speaking loudly in these situations to be offensive. Locals in Belfast expect their privacy to be respected and simple things like apologising if you bump into someone in Belfast is greatly appreciated and the gesture is usually returned.

Belfast is at its quietest from January to mid-March and this is probably the only time when Belfast hotels reduce their prices and hotel rates to attract more tourists to Belfast.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Belfast Tourist Information - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
There are a number of tourist information offices and outlets throughout Belfast and these provide useful tourism and tourist information, such as brochures, maps, attractions information, opening hours, directions and general Belfast tourist information. The main tourism and tourist information office in Belfast is situated in central Belfast, in Donegall Place.

Belfast Welcome Tourist Information Centre - 35 Donegall Place, Belfast, BT1 5AD, Northern Ireland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)28 9024 6609
Provides useful Belfast tourism information, brochures and travel tips, in Belfast city centre.
Open: Monday - 09:30 to 17:30, Tuesday to Saturday - 09:00 to 17:30

Irish Tourist Information Office - 53 Castle Street, Belfast, BT1 1GH, Northern Ireland, UK
Tel: +44 (0)28 9032 7888
An important Belfast tourist information office, located in the heart of central Belfast.
Open: Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 17:00, Saturday - 09:00 to 12:30

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Belfast Safety - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
As in any large city, always maintain an awareness of your surroundings in Belfast and try to blend in and not look like a tourist when visiting Belfast. Although crime levels in Belfast are low, look like you know where you are going and be particularly careful with hand baggage. Wear a bag or camera across your body, or even consider using a concealed money belt.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Pubs and Dining in Belfast - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Pubs in Belfast are full of charm and character. They are warm and friendly and often serve fine food. Long after your visit to Belfast, it is quite likely it will be the lasting impressions of the pubs that you remember the best.

The traditional image of basic Irish cuisine is usually little more than potatoes, bacon and boiled cabbage, but nothing could be further from the truth. These days, the standards of cooking in Belfast are usually remarkably high, but unfortunately the prices are often high also. However, there are some very reasonably priced restaurants in Belfast that are worth looking out for.

Pubs and wine bars in Belfast are most often places to meet and be seen, though each has its own standing in the local community, with some being frequented by business people, locals, celebrities and others by visitors and tourists. Most pubs and wine bars in Belfast are friendly places - if there is a good mix of people you can be sure that it is a good Belfast pub, otherwise, just close the door and find another nearby.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Language in Belfast - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
The Republic of Ireland is officially bilingual and almost all of the road signs have names in both English and Irish. English is spoken almost everywhere, but now and again you may find road signs only in Irish, so a map is vital on long excursions.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Tipping in Belfast - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Tipping in Belfast is quite discretionary, with taxi drivers usually being given a 10% gratuity or thereabouts - although this is not essential. Belfast restaurants often include service charges and these are always clearly stated on the menus, otherwise a gratuity of around 10 to 15% is usually expected in recognition of prompt and courteous service. Hotel staff in Belfast, such as luggage handlers, happily accept a small tip. Generally, no other public service workers in Belfast expect tips. You should always pay tips in cash when visiting Belfast, as this way you can be sure that the person it is intended for receives it fully.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Places of Worship in Belfast - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
The first-time visitor to Belfast cannot help being struck by the number of churches. A good many belong to the Church of Ireland and several are attached to other Protestant denominations, such as Presbyterian and Methodist. Many churches in Belfast are also Roman Catholic, reflecting Belfast's strong Christian belief.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Smoking in Belfast - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
In many buildings and public transport in Belfast, rules restrict smoking and this is usually indicated by no-smoking symbols in prominent places. Most Belfast pubs and bars welcome customers who wish to relax with a drink and smoke, although many tend to cater for smokers in different areas.

Smoking in Belfast and Ireland as a whole is not as fashionable as it once was, so it is always worth exercising discretion and sensitivity when selecting a place in which to smoke. The best advice would be not to smoke unless others around you do so.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Tips for Using the Euro in Belfast - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
The Euro is made up of eight coins and seven paper notes and was introduced on January 1, 2002. The 12 members of the European Union - Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain - planned the event for more than a decade, determining a conversion rate for each country's national currency. The colourful Euro bills, which include holograms and shades of green, yellow, blue, mauve, and orange, are identical across the Euro area. Coins have one common and one national side, but they can be used in any of the 12 countries, regardless of the country of issue. Old currencies are no longer accepted, although they can still be converted to Euros in central banks.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Taxes in Belfast - Belfast, V
When leaving Ireland, US and Canadian visitors and entitled to a refund of value-added-tax (VAT) which is currently 20% of the purchase price of most goods in Belfast and 12.5% of those outside the luxury category. Most outlets and department stores in Belfast operate a scheme called 'Cashback' which enables US and Canadian visitors to collect currency rebates at Belfast airports when leaving the country. Alternatively, refunds can be claimed from individual stores in Belfast after leaving the country. VAT paid on Belfast accommodation, car rentals, meals and similar services is not refundable.

Belfast Life and Travel Tips: Belfast Pharmacies / Chemists - Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Pharmacies in Belfast are generally open from at least 09:00 until around 18:00 and supermarkets often have in-store chemists. Belfast drugstores will usually open until 18:00, although some may stay open until later, and these usually have a pharmacy counter for dispensing prescriptions. Drugstores in Belfast are like mini-supermarkets, with a wide range of products on sale.

 
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