Bustling Belfast is an ideal destination for a group trip, staff outing or luxury holiday. Joni, one of our travel consultants from the Group & Luxury Travel, MICE department recently visited this city and wrote the following travelogue about it. Be inspired by her story, maybe you will find the destination you are looking for here?
Belfast in four days
A fortnight ago, I had the opportunity to visit Belfast with a group of other travel agents at the invitation of, among others, the Traffic Agency of Ireland and our local agent. A multifaceted city that has a lot to offer, but probably doesn’t come to mind if you’re looking for a destination for your group travel, incentive or luxury holiday. However, I became very excited about this destination and definitely hope to return here again.
Galgorm hotel
My trip started at Schiphol Airport, where we left with Aer Lingus for a one-hour and 40-minute direct flight to Dublin. After arrival, we left by minibus for Northern Ireland. On the way, we were accompanied by an Irish banjo player, who provided a cosy atmosphere in the bus.
During this bus ride, we passed the border between Southern and Northern Ireland. You expect a border post at the crossing, but this is not the case. You hardly notice that you are driving into Northern Ireland, only by the signage you notice a difference between South and North.
After dropping off our banjo player in Belfast, we drove on towards the first stop of our trip, the Galgorm hotel, which is located about thirty minutes from Belfast in beautiful surroundings. It really is a gem of a hotel, with a Thermal Village that every guest can use. The hotel has 4 restaurants with different cuisines and locals also love to come and eat at this hotel. We stayed at this hotel for 1 night, but I would definitely recommend staying there for at least 2 nights to experience the resort in its entirety.
Black Cab tour
After enjoying a morning at the Thermal Village, we left for Belfast in the early afternoon. We visited Belfast’s Convention Centre. In this centre, everything is possible when it comes to meetings and events. From a large number of meeting rooms you have a view of the Lagan River, which flows through Belfast. After lunch, we left on a Black Cab tour to the outskirts of Belfast, where the division between Catholics and Protestants is still visible. The tour was guided by men who experienced the conflict themselves and told their personal stories. I must say that this tour impressed me a lot.
The Black Cab eventually took us to our accommodation for the next 2 nights: the Grand Central Hotel Belfast. At the top of the hotel is a rooftop bar with stunning views across Belfast. Here we enjoyed two cocktails, after which we left on foot to Cafe Parisien where our dinner for the evening was served. The fact that everything can be reached on foot is one of the reasons why Belfast appeals to me so much. With a city centre hotel, everything is within a 20-minute walk. We ended the evening in Fibber Magee, a real Irish pub with live music, where I had my first (and also last) Guinness beer.
Highlights by bike
The next day, after a full breakfast, it was time for a bicycle tour of Belfast. This led us past the City Hall, St. George’s Market and Albert Memorial Clock, among others. The tour ended at the Titanic Museum, where we experienced the Titanic Experience.
After visiting the Titanic Museum, we were treated to lunch at the Titanic Hotel, after which we left on foot for the Titanic Distillery. Here we learned more about the production process of this Irish whiskey. A small whiskey tasting followed at the end and we were treated to a whiskey cocktail.
Going out in Belfast
At the end of the third day, we visited a pub in Cathedral Quarter, Belfast’s entertainment district. This pub was close to our restaurant of the evening, namely “44 Hillstreet”.
After dinner, we visited several more pubs in this entertainment area. The next morning, after breakfast, it was time for the Belfast Food tour. During this tour, we were introduced to all kinds of well-known local products. What a treat this was. Time flew by and soon it was time to return home. We flew from Belfast Airport, which is about a 20-minute drive from the city centre, with a direct KLM flight to Amsterdam.
Did you get excited and would you like to follow Joni and visit Belfast too? Call us at 085-0210319 or email us at groups@e-businesstravel.nl We would be happy to organise a tailor-made trip for you!