Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the second largest city on the island of Ireland, one third of the Northern Irish population live in the city. The city has a bit of a Victorian feel to it and is located on the River Lagan, surrounded by hills. The city is the seat of the Northern Irish Parliament and government, it was the scene of the infamous Troubles but now it has has put its turbulent past behind to become an upcoming city which offers so much to the visitor.
Using a hire car Belfast not only lets you explore this great city but also gives you the opportunity to get out and take in other parts of Northern Ireland, and a car rental is also available directly from Belfast Airport. Book your next car hire through HAPPYCAR, an online comparison portal that allows you to search for a rental car that fits your specific vacation needs.
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Belfast City Hall was completed in 1906. This building is home to the city council, within the building one will find a statue of Queen Victoria and a memorial to those who died in the sinking of the Titanic. If you should find themselves in Durban, South Africa, they will notice that the Belfast city hall has great similarities to the Durban city hall as well as the Old Bailey in London.
Parliament buildings (Stormont) is home to the Northern Irish assembly and the executive branch. The main building was built in 1921 and is a very impressive building located on a hill overlooking east Belfast, the grounds of the site are great to take a walk through or to just sit and relax in. On the road up to the building you see the impressive statue to the unionist politician Edward Carson, one of a few examples of a statue to a person being erected before their death.
There have been castles on this site since the 12th century, however the Belfast Castle was built in 1870 by the Marquess of Donegall, located on the slopes of cave hill you can get a good view of the city. As well as housing the castle the site has some parkland within which one will find different species of wildlife.
St. George's Market was completed in 1896 and is one of the city’s oldest attractions and one of the best markets in the British Isles. Fridays have the variety market, where one can buy a variety of things from over 200 stalls. Saturday is the Food and Craft Market, where you can buy some fresh local food. The Sunday market a mix between the Friday and Saturday markets.
Museums
Use your rental car Belfast to visit the Ulster Museum. This wonderful free museum documents the history of the people of Northern Ireland and also has collections on dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt as well as other artefacts.
Titanic quarter. With the famous ship, RMS Titanic, being built in the city’s harbor, it is recommended that you take you rental car to this new Titanic quarter. The world largest urban-waterfront regeneration is home to the Titanic visitor experience, where you can experience the story of the Titanic, from its construction to its sinking, it is possible to take a tour of all the sites relating to the ships construction.
Excursions
About a two hours drive with your hire car Belfast is the Giant's causeway, home to over 40,000 interlocking Basalt columns, it was declared Ireland's first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1980's. The mythical story behind the formation of the site is that it was built by the giant Fionn Cumhall who built it to cross over to Scotland to fight the giant Bennadonor. Upon seeing the size of the giant, Fionn retreated back, where he was disguised as a baby. Bennadonor made the crossing and saw Fionn disguised as a baby and mistook him for his son. He then retreated, believing Fionn to be this huge baby, destroying the causeway behind him.
Have your ideal hire car Belfast sorted in just a few clicks on the HAPPYCAR portal and get planning your trip to this wonderful city and sights of Northern Ireland.