Belfast has 5 seasons Spring Summer Autumn Winter and Marching season.
The attached links should be a quick useful guide on;-
How to get to Belfast with links to airlines and ferries.
Where to stay in Belfast
What to see in Belfast & Northern Ireland (George Best Related)
What to see in Belfast & Northern Ireland (Unrelated (Titanic, Giants Causeway etc.)
Where to eat in Belfast.
What's on in Belfast.
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A note of caution;-
Many visitors are put off travelling to Northern Ireland because of the recent political unrest. So the following guide is for them.
Belfast is not the only part of Northern Ireland affected by the troubles. Outlying towns can have their own strong political agendas.
Generally one can tell visibly if they are in an location that may require acting sensibly.
I have found in my visits to Northern Ireland since 1994 that a little bit of common sense should prevail. If your likely to ask for the nearest Roman Catholic church whilst walking up the Shankhill Road in a Glasgow Celtic shirt you may well be misdirected. Likewise in the Falls Road don't play music such as Paper Lace's "Billy don't be a Hero" whilst wearing a Glasgow Rangers top or an orange jumper. Don't be opinionated or condescending. Outside of Belfast I have found places like Castlerock more intimidating.
Travelling around visiting Giants Causeway is as safe as anywhere else once you have learned a few basics.
The City is safer than Manchester or Nottingham so you can relax. If you are worried you could contact this site with any questions or better still contact Northern Ireland Tourist information.
More will follow on this topic.
Marching season is often the time of the worst problem behaviour. Generally likely trouble spots are common to the route of the march. and risks can be sensed by the Police presence at different locations. Several areas have been the focus of a disproportionate amount of conflict over parading. These include Derry, Ormeau Road in Belfast, and especially the Drumcree area of Portadown. The Drumcree conflict flared up in the 1970s, the mid 1980s and the mid to late 1990s. Disputes over whether the Orange Order should be allowed to parade through mainly nationalist areas were often accompanied by severe violence. A Parades Commission was set up by the British Government in 1998 in an attempt to deal with contentious parades with the power to ban, restrict, re-route or impose conditions on any parade in Northern Ireland. The Orange Order has refused to acknowledge the Commission's authority, although the lodges involved in the Drumcree dispute have recently agreed on principle to negotiate.
[edit]Dates of major parades
[edit]Number of parades
According to the Parades Commission, a total of 3405 parades (not counting funerals) were held in Northern Ireland in 2007
