Belfast Castle, Belfast

One of the stops on the Minibus Tour of Belfast was a midmorning coffee stop at Belfast Castle. Originally built by the Normans in the 12th century, a later building was burnt in1708. It was rebuilt again and finished in 1870.
The Castle is a favorite site for weddings having beautiful manicured grounds. There is a coffe shop in the bottom, an antique shop, and small museum. Unfortunatly, at the time of my visit some large scale renovations were being done and large portions of the castle were inaccessible. However, the view of the city is quite spectacular and if one desires there are several hiking trails to the top of the hill above the Castle.

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If you're a fairytale lover, this is the right place for you!

This great place is situated on the slopes of Cave Hill, so you can walk round its beautiful gardens as well as admire the wonderful views of Belfast and the Lagan River. And if you're lucky enough (we were!), you can witness a wedding there...or even get married!

The romantic castle was constructed in 1865 for the impoverished 3rd marquis of Donegall, by John Lanyon, who borrowed freely from Prince Albert's sketches for Balmoral Castle.

This great place has a very interesting history which involves the rich 8th earl of Shaftesbury as well.

The castle, presented to the city in 1934, has a restaurant, bar and antiques shop in the cellar. It's open 7 days Apr-Sept, weekends only Oct-Mar.

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Its a nice and quiet location away from the centre of Belfast, on Cave Hill.

There is a small bar and restaurant, don't expect fast service. You might want to bring a picnic instead and eat overlooking Belfast and enjoying the cat garden....

There is a shop, where you can buy some antiques and other souvenirs. Don't expect a medieval castle, the current structure is Victorian. It has some nice feature such as the twisty staircase (maybe not the correct architectural term...

I didnt actually know or even realise Belfast had a castle til my 5th visit. (duh)

It's not a big huge castle by any stretch of the imagination, more like a manor house with romantic turrets and a garden. From the Castle, there is a fantastic view of Belfast Lough.

You can also take the Cave Hill trail nearby.

You will probably notice the castle on ur way from the airport into the city centre. The castle has been a familar landmark in Belfast for over 120 years. It sits 400ft above sea level on the slopes of Cave Hill over looking the city. It's a bit small but entrance is free.

Unfortunately there was a wedding on at the time, so we were restricted as to how much we could see. It's still quite an impressive building, nonetheless.