The Peace Walls & Murals

To understand modern Belfast you have to walk, or drive, the Falls and Shankill roads. The gable-end murals, memorial gardens and the towering 'peace walls' that still separate some communities are a living record of the Troubles and of the long, unfinished work of peace.

The famous black-cab tours are the way most visitors experience this. Driven and narrated by people who grew up here — on both sides — they take in the International Wall on the Falls, the loyalist murals of the Shankill, memorial gardens and the gates in the peace line, with time to leave your own message on the wall at the Cupar Way interface.

It is handled with care and candour, and it is one of the most affecting things you can do in the city. This is not spectacle; it is recent, raw history told by the people who lived it, and it leaves most visitors quiet and thoughtful.

Visitor tips

• Book a black-cab tour for the history and the human side.
• Be respectful photographing homes and memorials.