historic highway
Craigantlet Hillclimb
A hillclimb on public roads in the hills above Belfast, running since 1946 and closed to traffic only on event days. The narrow climb gives long views over Belfast Lough.
9 km · about 15 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomNorthern Ireland
Belfast
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom · Europe
About Belfast
Belfast works well as a base: 5 minutes from Castlereagh, 31km from Lough Neagh.
Belfast is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, with about 350,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Castlereagh, about 4 km away.
Belfast ( BEL-fast, , -fahst; from Irish: Béal Feirste [bʲeːlˠ ˈfʲɛɾˠ(ə)ʃtʲə]) is the capital, largest city and main port of Northern Ireland. It stands on the banks of the river Lagan, and is connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. The city is the most populous in Northern Ireland andRead more
the second-largest, after Dublin, on the island of Ireland, with a recorded population in 2021 of 345,418 and of 704,406 for the greater metropolitan area.
While chartered as an English settlement in 1613, the town's early growth was driven by an influx of Scottish Presbyterians. Their descendants' disaffection with Ireland's Anglican establishment contributed to the rebellion of 1798 and to the 1801 union with Great Britain that followed. Access to British capital and markets were keys to industrial growth. When granted city status in 1888, Belfast was the world's largest centre of linen manufacture, and by the 1900s its shipyards were building up to a quarter of all United Kingdom tonnage.
New industry, which drew large numbers of Catholics from rural districts, was accompanied by growing sectarian tensions in what had been a largely Protestant town. Heightened by division over Ireland's future in the United Kingdom, these twice erupted in periods of sustained violence involving paramilitaries and security forces: in 1920–22, as Belfast became the capital of the six north-eastern counties retaining the British connection, and in the so-called Troubles, the three decades from the late 1960s during which the British Army was continually deployed on the streets. A legacy of conflict is the barrier-reinforced separation of Protestant and Catholic working-class districts. Since the Good Friday Agreement, the electoral balance in the once Unionist-controlled city has shifted, albeit with no overall majority, in favour of Irish nationalists. New immigrants are adding to the growing number of residents unwilling to identify with either of the two communal traditions.
Belfast has seen significant services sector growth, with important contributions from financial technology, tourism and, with facilities in the redeveloped Harbour Estate, film. It retains a port with commercial and industrial docks, including a reduced Harland & Wolff shipyard and aerospace and defence contractors. Under the Windsor Framework, Belfast and Northern Ireland effectively remain, post Brexit, within both the British domestic and European Single Market trading areas for goods.
The city is served by two airports: Belfast City Airport, located on the Lough shore, and Belfast International Airport (also known as Aldergrove), 15 miles (24 km) west of the city. Belfast supports two universities: Ulster University in the city centre, and in the Botanic area in the south of the city, Queen's University Belfast. Since 2021, Belfast has been a UNESCO designated City of Music.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Belfast.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Belfast?
Within an hour or so of Belfast: Craigantlet Hillclimb (9 km), Ulster Transport Museum (10 km), Dundrod Circuit (10 km), Carrickfergus Castle (15 km).
Are there any good drives near Belfast?
The nearest famous roads are Craigantlet Hillclimb, Dundrod Circuit and Causeway Coastal Route (A2 Antrim Coast Road).
How long does it take to drive to Belfast?
Belfast to Galway is about 4 hr 3 min (326 km). Dublin to Belfast is about 1 hr 58 min (166 km).
Where is Belfast?
Belfast is in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, about 4 km from Castlereagh.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 348,005
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Northern Ireland
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 54.5968, -5.9254
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Belfast
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Ulster Transport Museum
Major transport museum at Cultra near Belfast, home to a gull-winged DeLorean DMC-12 built just miles away, Irish-built cars, locomotives and a renowned Titanic exhibition.
10 km · about 20 min drive
historic highway
Dundrod Circuit
A 11.9km loop of Northern Irish country lanes still used for the Ulster Grand Prix motorcycle races, with jumps, stone walls and hedges inches from the racing line. Open public roads the rest of the year.
10 km · about 20 min drive
castle
Carrickfergus Castle
One of the best-preserved Norman castles in Ireland, guarding Belfast Lough for over 800 years from its commanding waterfront position.
15 km · about 30 min drive
scenic viewpoint
The Gobbins
A dramatic Edwardian cliff-path of bridges and tunnels clinging to the basalt cliffs of Islandmagee.
24 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Lough Neagh
The largest freshwater lake in the British Isles at 392 square kilometres, with a famous eel fishery.
31 km · about 35 min drive
film location
Castle Ward (Winterfell)
The farmyard at Castle Ward on Strangford Lough was Winterfell's courtyard in season one; archery and banquet experiences run on site.
34 km · about 40 min drive
national park
Tollymore Forest Park
Northern Ireland's first state forest park at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, with Gothic arches, ancient trees and Game of Thrones filming locations.
42 km · about 50 min drive
Driving roads near Belfast
- Right hereCraigantlet HillclimbA hillclimb on public roads in the hills above Belfast, running since 1946 and closed to traffic only on event days. The narrow climb gives long views over Belfast Lough.
- Right hereDundrod CircuitA 11.9km loop of Northern Irish country lanes still used for the Ulster Grand Prix motorcycle races, with jumps, stone walls and hedges inches from the racing line. Open public roads the rest of the year.
- 24 kmThe GobbinsA dramatic Edwardian cliff-path of bridges and tunnels clinging to the basalt cliffs of Islandmagee.
- 46 kmSlieve Donard and the Mourne WallNorthern Ireland's highest peak at 850m, with the 22-mile granite Mourne Wall running over its summit.
- 50 kmMourne MountainsGranite mountain range that inspired C.S. Lewis's Narnia, with the Mourne Wall traversing 15 peaks and sweeping views to the Irish Sea.
- 52 kmCauseway Coastal Route (A2 Antrim Coast Road)A cliff-edge road cut in the 1830s between Larne and Ballycastle, running under the Glens of Antrim with the Scottish coast in view.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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