The city that has something for everybody

WHEN I was asked if I fancied a city break flying from Devon I was thinking along the lines of London, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh or even Dublin.

But my destination was none of these. No, I was heading for one of Europe's fastest-growing tourist cities – Belfast.

Probably like a lot of people, I had not really thought of visiting Northern Ireland's capital city.

Like many people my age, I was brought up with violent images of Belfast. Every time I switched on the television as a youngster there seemed to be riots, protests, bombings or shootings.

But the city, thanks to some major investment, has really turned itself around and it is fast becoming a must-see place.

In 2008, seven million people visited Belfast, and it is easy to see why.

There does appear to be something for everybody.

It caters for people who are looking for history and culture, shopping and restaurants or amazing scenery with the famous Giants Causeway just a bus journey away.

And the good thing is that it is easy to get to from the West Country.

I flew straight to George Best Belfast City Airport from Exeter on Flybe.

The journey was less than an hour and the airport is just three miles from Belfast's city centre.

As the tourists have started to flock to Northern Ireland, so hotels have started to spring up everywhere.

My place of stay was the ultra-modern Fitzwilliam Hotel.

The hotel only opened in March and is ideally positioned next to the Grand Opera House and just a quarter of a mile from the stunning Belfast City Hall.

The Fitzwilliam is perfect if you are looking for that bit of luxury but without the stuffiness that some higher star hotels suffer from.

You can turn up in jeans without any of the staff looking down on you but the classy hotel offers those little extras, like slippers, bath gowns, free-to-use umbrellas, that add to a special weekend away.

It also has a great restaurant, overseen by Michelin-starred chef Kevin Thornton, that is well worth a visit even if you are not staying there.

However, there are plenty of restaurants in Belfast. You will find whatever cuisine you are looking for as well as plenty of places to visit for a drink after you have eaten.

The talk on the streets of Northern Ireland is that Belfast has become the new Dublin.

However, at the moment it is a lot cheaper to visit than the Republic of Ireland's capital.

In fact, residents of Eire are flooding over the border into Belfast to shop with the high price of the Euro.

And there is no shortage of shops in Belfast, from designer boutiques to high street chains. There are two relatively new major indoor shopping centres, Victoria Square and Castle Court, but there are also some great independent outlets all around Donegall Square, which is the centre of the city.

On my first day we visited some of the shops and the famous St George's Market, which on a Saturday offers an abundance of locally produced products.

The market is definitely worth a visit if you are feeling a bit peckish as many of the stalls offer free samples to try before you buy (or just try!).

After a morning of exploring what you can buy in Belfast we spent the afternoon looking at the city's history.

There are so many different tours on offer.

You can take an open top bus, a walking tour or even a black cab tour.

We opted for a black cab tour after visiting Belfast's Titanic museum.

It might seem strange to many that a city should be so proud that they built the Titanic, but they are, and to be fair they have every reason to be as the Titanic and its sister ship the Olympic were remarkable feats of engineering.

Belfast led the world in ship-building at the turn of the twentieth century and they have kept the dry dock the Titanic was built in and the pump room next door as a reminder of these glorious times. It has been turned into a museum and it is quite fascinating to learn not only how the Titanic was built but more of the history surrounding the famous ship.

The black cab tour we took is popular with tourists because the drivers will not only take you around the traditional tourist sights but also Belfast's house murals and more 'infamous' areas.

Although it felt a bit uncomfortable touring around housing estates, it was equally fascinating seeing the giant paintings on the sides of houses and driving up streets that once dominated news reports around the world.

Our taxi driver took us first through the unionist side before crossing over into what was traditionally the republican side. We did the tour of Shankill Road, Bombay Street and Falls Road as well as visiting the peace wall.

Although there is a lot more to Belfast than these places, it was definitely worth a visit just for the history and to see how things have changed.

They say Belfast is a great open art gallery and they are not wrong.

Not only can you see murals on sides of houses but the city centre is covered with artistic works.

These works include a 10m blue fish, the 'Ring of Thanksgiving', which is a 15m high metal woman holding a circle that the locals have nicknamed 'the thingy with the ringy', and bronze sheep outside the Waterfront Hall.

The city also has some of those great dancing fountains, that kids love so much, in front of the famous Albert Clock, which is known as Belfast's 'Leaning Tower of Pisa'.

Belfast has also got its own version of the 'London Eye' next to the impressive city hall.

The main centre of the city has some wonderful historical buildings constructed when the linen industry brought great wealth to Belfast. Although many have now been turned into shops or bars you can find out the history behind most of them from tourist literature

And if shops, history and art are not your thing then maybe concerts are. Belfast attracts many big name acts at both the Opera House, Ulster Hall and the giant Odyssey Arena.