Belfast

Opened in 2012 beside the slipways where the Titanic was launched, the building rises to the height of the ship's hull. One section puts you in a small car riding through a shipyard. Entry is timed, so in summer it is better to book.

Built of Portland stone in 1906, the City Hall raises a copper dome in the middle of Donegall Square. Guided tours inside are free. One side of the grounds holds a Titanic memorial garden, with the victims' names on plaques.

On the high wall dividing the Shankill Road and Falls Road neighbourhoods, visitors write messages of peace. Murals from the Troubles line the gable walls on both sides. Some gates still shut toward dusk, so do not plan to cross on foot late in the evening.

A Victorian prison that held inmates from 1845 to 1996, now toured with a guide through the cells and the execution room. You can walk the tunnel under the road to the courthouse opposite. The wings fan out from a central hub.

The museum stands by the gates of the Botanic Gardens and is free. The Egyptian mummy Takabuti and gold from the Girona, an Armada ship sunk off Antrim in 1588, draw the crowds. A separate gallery covers the Troubles.

A cast-iron and glass glasshouse designed by Charles Lanyon in the mid-19th century, an early example of curved glass on this scale. There is no charge to go in. Next door, the Tropical Ravine grows jungle plants in a sunken glen.

A red-brick covered market built in the 1890s, trading on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. Saturday leans to food and crafts and draws the biggest crowd. Fish stalls, Ulster fry stands and live music on a small stage share one roof.

Its Victorian fittings survive so completely that the National Trust owns the pub. Gas lamps and stained glass hang over a row of small snugs with doors, each with the bell once rung for service. The snugs fill fast, so go soon after it opens to get one.

A basalt hill rising north of the city, its profile called Napoleon's Nose. Start from Belfast Castle at its foot and the summit lays out the harbour and shipyard cranes in one view. Some stretches are boggy, so boots beat trainers.

Tens of thousands of hexagonal basalt columns, left by volcanic activity, step down into the sea; UNESCO listed the coast in 1986. The visitor centre needs a ticket, but the path down to the columns takes no ticket. Wet rock is slippery.

A small tender built in Belfast in 1911 that ferried 274 passengers out to Titanic at Cherbourg in April 1912. The last White Star Line ship afloat, it came home to Hamilton Dock in 2006. The Titanic Belfast ticket covers boarding her too.

Northern Ireland's assembly building, opened in 1932, its white Portland stone front set high on a rise. A straight, tree-lined avenue of just over a mile climbs from the gates. The broad grounds are open to all, and weekend dog walkers fill them.

A clock tower raised in 1869 to honour Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. Built over wooden piles sunk in reclaimed riverside marsh, it visibly leans to one side. From Custom House Square the tilt shows up most clearly.

A giant fish sculpture lying beside the Lagan weir, made by John Kindness in 1999. Each scale is a ceramic tile fired with scenes of city history and old newspaper cuttings. The fun is in walking up close and reading the scales.

Belfast's oldest library, founded in 1788, faces City Hall across Donegall Square. It is known for a political collection of leaflets and posters from the Troubles. From the upstairs cafe window the City Hall dome fills the view.

Norman knight John de Courcy began this castle in 1177 on a rock spit on the north shore of Belfast Lough. Its walls meet the sea directly, and the keep still holds medieval rooms. Under 30 minutes by train, it makes an easy half-day trip.

A swaying bridge slung over the sea from a north Antrim cliff to a little island. Salmon fishermen first crossed it to set nets; today the National Trust sells timed tickets. Strong wind shuts the bridge, so check the forecast first.

A tunnel of beeches the Stuart family planted along their drive around 1775, over 150 trees. After Game of Thrones filmed here, traffic damaged the roots and cars were banned in 2017. About half survive, and each fall leaves a new gap.