Hotels in Belfast

Belfast wears its history without flinching: the black-cab tours of the Falls and Shankill murals are led by people who lived it, and they're the most honest political history lesson you'll get in the UK. Titanic Belfast, on the slipways where the ship was built, is a genuinely well-made museum rather than a cash-in.

The Cathedral Quarter's cobbled lanes hold the best bars — the Duke of York and its neighbours — and the food scene has quietly become excellent. The Victorian grandeur of the Crown Liquor Saloon is worth a pint on its own. The city empties earlyish midweek, and some areas remain visibly divided. Stay in the Cathedral Quarter for nightlife and character, or near City Hall for a central, walk-everywhere base.