Queen's University Belfast
The 1849 Lanyon Building — all honey-coloured brick and turrets — fronting one of the UK's leading universities.
Botanic
If Belfast has a front room, it is the City Hall. Completed in 1906 after Queen Victoria granted the town city status, its great copper dome and Portland-stone façade announce the confidence of a place that was, briefly, one of the industrial capitals of the world.
The building is a showcase of Edwardian baroque: a grand marble staircase, stained glass telling the city's story, and council chambers lined with oak and plaster. Free guided tours run most days and are among the best-value things to do in the centre.
The surrounding grounds are a public square in all but name, dotted with memorials — including the Titanic Memorial Garden, which lists the names of everyone lost on the ship. In December the lawns host the Christmas market; in summer they fill with office workers and visitors on the grass.
The City Hall is also the natural starting point for walking the Victorian core, with the Linen Quarter, Donegall Place and the main shopping streets radiating out from its doors.
Visitor tips
- Free guided tours — check the day's times at the reception desk.
- Look for the Titanic Memorial Garden on the east lawn.
More architecture in Belfast
Parliament Buildings, Stormont
The seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, set in a grand hilltop estate open to the public.
East Belfast
Albert Memorial Clock
A 35-metre Gothic clock tower from 1869 that tilts off-vertical on its reclaimed-marsh foundations.
City Centre