Belfast guide

Belfast at a glance

Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland and sits on the River Lagan. At the 2021 Census, the Belfast City Council area had 345,418 usual residents.

Where to shop

City centre

Donegall Place and Royal Avenue are the city centre’s main shopping streets, and Victoria Square and CastleCourt are its main shopping centres.

St George’s Market

St George’s Market, built between 1890 and 1896, is a Victorian covered market run by Belfast City Council. It holds markets on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Neighbourhood shops

Away from the city centre, most day-to-day shopping happens in local convenience stores and on neighbourhood high streets. In our directory, for example, you’ll find Liam McMahon’s SPAR shop on Grosvenor Road in west Belfast, a few minutes’ walk from the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Browse the business directory.

Getting around

Translink runs Belfast’s Metro buses and the Glider, as well as Northern Ireland’s trains. Belfast Grand Central Station, which opened in 2024, serves both buses and trains — including the Enterprise to Dublin.

Read our full guide to getting around Belfast.

Free places to visit

The Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens (including the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine) and Cave Hill Country Park are all free to visit.

See our guide to free things to do in Belfast.

Useful numbers

• Emergency: 999
• Police, non-emergency: 101. Tesco Mobile and giffgaff customers should call 028 9065 0222 instead.

Sources

We checked this guide against these official sources on 10 October 2026. Details such as timetables, opening times and prices change, so check the source before you travel or apply.

• NISRA — Census 2021 main statistics for Northern Ireland
• Belfast City Council — St George’s Market
• Discover Northern Ireland — Shopping in Belfast
• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust — Royal Victoria Hospital
• Department for Infrastructure — Grand Central Station
• nidirect — Police Service of Northern Ireland