Posted by Vince Wadhwani on Feb 26, 2006

I've just come back from a week touring a few of the Irish provinces. First stop: Belfast!

It seems that the main mode of transport in Ireland, for tourists who shy from renting cars, is the bus. But more on that later.

Belfast was one of the flashpoints in the war between the IRA and British nationalists. I'm no historian so I won't say more on the topic but let's just say that it was not the safest place in the world a few years back. Several factors led to what is now an uneasy peace and, for the first time in decades, tourists can now again be found in Belfast.

One must-do in Belfast is to take a "Black Taxi Political tour" A taxi driver will take you to some of the places where riots occured during the bad times including the Shankill area and New Bombay road. You'll pass by Sinn Fein HQ and see many interesting murals by both factions.

The population of Belfast is about 600,000 making it the biggest city in Northern Ireland. I stayed my first night at the Holiday Inn using Priority Club points accumulated from other travel. The hotel is quite decent, indeed very good as far as US Holiday Inn's go, complete with Air Conditioning, and wooden blinds that completely shut light out from the outside. Actually to call them blinds is a bit of an understatement -- they are almost like full-sized sliding doors.. they could cover as armor in a pinch!

The second night was spent at Madison's which is on a main strip in Belfast. Located in a bar, like many hotels in Belfast, the rooms were very nice and also very quiet. I found the staff to be extremely friendly as well. In fact the Irish are all very very nice people and that alone should be reason enough for a visit.

I surveyed a few places to eat in Belfast but don't have a complete list. Some strong recommendations though include Molly's Yard for dinner and Clements for a scone/coffee. Both are located on Botanic Avenue near the Bus station.

While in the area I also ventured North to the Giant's Causeway. This area has natural beauty that you can actually appreciate up close. Visitors are allowed to climb hills and dip toes into the water. If you plan to visit Bushmills, do so after visiting the Causeway. This is one place you do not want to be if you are tipsy or drunk. *Do* visit the Nook and have yourself some fantastic fish and chips though. Well worth the price especially if you've got that drive back to Belfast or that Bushmill's tour ahead of you.

The Bushmill's Distillery is nice way to kill 15 minutes and a few quid but I would only go if you have a penchant for scotch or whiskey. *Don't* make your wife do the tasting if she doesn't like whiskey...

If you don't feel like heading back to Belfast after your visit to the Causeway then there is a nearby town that has a few nice places to stay. The Bushmill's Inn is particularly romantic and, if you happen to be with a companion, is definitely worth a night.