The Belfast taxi tour takes in the history of the troubles, the murals, the peace wall and the areas of significance. As an Englishman visiting Belfast for the first time this was by far the most striking, memorable and humbling part of our trip. All driver-guides have been involved in the troubles from a political or paramilitary standpoint in some way. Hearing from them firsthand, in an unbiased and even-handed manner, the rich detail of such recent struggles and resolutions is worth every penny.

Taxi tours are easily bookable through the tourist office.

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It is a market that takes place every Saturday in Belfast. Good selection of produce to buy, whether it be food, art, clothes or photographs. There is usually a band playing. With loads of food stalls you can buy you lunch or a coffee and sit down and relax.

12-20 East Bridge Street
Belfast
Antrim
BT1 3NQ

St George’s Market is located opposite Belfast Waterfront Hall and the Hilton Hotel in Oxford Street, which runs parallel to the River Lagan. From the rear of Belfast city Hall walk eastwards down May Street for a few minutes, cross over Victoria Street and St George’s is directly in front of you.

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Good atmosphere, pleasant staff. Food is excellent and not overpriced.

27 Talbot St, Belfast
02890312884

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In Hope Street just off Great Victoria Street. It is a lovely bistro, serving a small menu of local produce. Fish always on the menu. Staff are helpful and pleasant. I have never had a bad meal there.

Ginger
7-8 Hope Street Belfast BT12 5EE
Tel:+44 (0)28 9024 4421

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I especially enjoyed walking around the Waterfront Festival Hall and up towards the University area - a mix of old historic and ultra-modern buildings, burgeoning nightlife and revellers streaming into the tiniest of 'craic ninety' places.

I could have walked for hours, and indeed did, soaking up an atmosphere that can only be described as the feeling you get when you're rested, well fed, have had a couple of favourite tipples, and are on your way to meet a new lover who thinks you're the sexiest thing she's ever met - reignited senses of wonderment doing more for my state of mind than any plastic surgeon or alternative therapist could ever do.

And almost any walk could lift you there - City Hall down to Victoria Avenue, a left turn down to the Albert Clock and Customs House (mind the street fountains), a right turn up past the Big Fish, The Waterfront and on to St Georges Market - a right turn up Great Victoria Avenue, past the Europa Hotel (most bombed) and Opera House - on to Laverys (a thousand pints of Guinness poured on each and every night) - then up along Shaftesbury Avenue to the Queens Film Theatre (currently showing John Wayne movies) for a freshly brewed coffee, before heading onto Queens University for a gaze at its decorative facade.

Yes it's all there: shopping, culture, music and historic walks; a hundred different restaurants serving food you'd really die for, and needless to say I'll be back there again before Christmas - dying to see what she'll look like when dressed up in all her colours.

I stayed at the Belfast International Hostel, 22-23 Donegall Road, Belfast BT12 5JN. Double en suite room cost £28. Bookable through www.hostelworld.com

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Very central, very cheap, and provides all the facilities you could wish for. Great choice of breakfasts from The Causeway Cafe. Fresh cooked and very reasonable.

22-32 Donegall Road, Belfast BT12 5JN
www.hostelworld.com

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Vibrant is the only word I can use to describe my two-day visit to Belfast. The place simply buzzed with activity and on an afternoon when an autumn sun shone over a reborn city - it made me feel like I'd been missing out on life since the last time I had been there.

There are many ways to get around the city but I chose to take a bus - the bus guide displaying ample amounts of Belfast humour as we made our way down roads which once had been the subject of so much news footage (Shankill and Falls) - her jokes taking the sting out of sensitive issues and thereby sentencing them, we hoped, to history forever. Surely nobody could joke about 'the troubles' unless they felt certain they were well behind them.

She really didn't have any cause to emphasise the fact though as it was apparent to all who rode the bright red double decker that this was indeed the case - every street it turned down packed with well-dressed pedestrians availing of every possible facility - and no doubt looking forward to those soon to open up all around them.

I stayed at the Belfast International Hostel, 22-23 Donegall Road, Belfast BT12 5JN. Double en suite room cost 28 sterling. Bookable through www.hostelworld.com

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Take the train from Dublin's Connolly station, get a window seat on the right hand side, and good views of the coast and the Irish Sea as you travel north. Get the free bus from Belfast to city centre, a pint in the Crown Bar, visit the Linen Hall library.

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Having read about Cargoes in the Observer Food Review Awards this year, I thought I'd better give the place a try. It turned out to be a fabulous little eatery on the Lisburn Road serving a range of cuisine from Indian to Italian. The cafe has a lovely atmosphere and the staff are friendly and accommodating. There is a large takeaway menu or you can choose to sit in and enjoy table service. The delicatessen counter is well stocked with a huge variety of meats and cheese and the shelves are crammed with a range of interesting produce from all over the world. The cafe has outdoor seating which is perfect for a hot sunny day. I went to the cafe for Sunday breakfast and the menu was different to the menu during the rest of the week, featuring waffles, beigels, filled croissants and a twist on the full fry but I was drawn by one of their daily specials – waffles with white chocolate sauce and mixed berries. It was sublime!!! The bill was very reasonable considering the quality of the food and I will definitely be recommending the place to everyone I know!!

163 Lisburn Road
Belfast
BT9 7GT
02890 665451

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A groovy newsagents that hasn't been decorated since the 70s complete with 3D wall paper.

They are famous in Belfast for their original Italian recipe ice cream. It only comes in one flavour and you can buy cones, tubs, oysters and sliders. Ice creamalicous.

9 Atlantic Avenue, Antrim Road, Belfast, BT15 2HN, 028 9074 5344

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Damn the naysayers, The Crown is a classic. Wood and brass everywhere, huge snugs less conducive to intimacy than getting to know some gregarious locals, the sound of conversation and smoke in the air – everything a pub should be (even though the smoke will soon be a thing of the past). As for the toilets, well, you’ll hardly be lingering when there’s so much going on outside. Some reputations are well earned.

Address: 46 Great Victoria Street.
Telephone: (44-28) 90279901
Website: www.crownbar.com
Email: info@crownbar.com

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A nice little shop, with helpful staff and a wide variety of food, clothing and knick-knacks from all over the world.

Location: The Spires Shopping Centre (city centre).

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This superb celebration of food and drink has become an annual event in the run-up to Christmas and is the perfect place for presents for the food-lover in your life. Or just a great place to hang out, stuff your face and get in the festive spirit. The stalls set up in front of the City Hall offer a huge variety of fresh and cooked produce: Indian, Thai, kangaroo burgers, paella, all kinds of salamis and cheeses … the list goes on. A personal favourite are the huge bratwurst sausages washed down with an even bigger stein of German lager. The market, including the bar, stay open late every weekend in December, and the atmosphere is as worth sampling as the food.

Location: Outside the City Hall.

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Lavery’s is Belfast's oldest family run bar and its most diverse. It has four bars under one roof and provides something for everyone.

On the ground floor is the Public Bar, which is a traditional saloon style bar. It serves great pub grub daily and has football related promotions. The background music is pleasant but not imposing and features retro jazz and soul alongside classic tracks from the 50s to the 90s.

Also on the ground floor is the bohemian Back Bar. It has alternative entertainment with free admission every night. Depending on what night you wander in you could hear anything from an acoustic session, indie club, reggae night, 60s night or rockin electronica. It has probably the best atmosphere of any bar in Belfast.

On the first floor is the Bunker. This live music and alternative club venue has gained a reputation since it was launched in Sep 05 for premium local and touring live gigs and some of the most forward thinking club nights ever seen in Belfast. It has an eclectic alternative music policy so you'll hear a whole spectrum of sound.

The top floor has 19 pool tables with a great jukebox. It’s a great way to spend them rainy afternoons in Belfast.

12 - 16 Bradbury Place, Belfast.
www.laverysbelfast.com
02890871106
near Botanic Train Station

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There are only two reasons to visit Belfast, the first is the Merchant Hotel, the second reason to visit this city is Victory Over The Sun where you can experience sophisticated electronica and live art in a unique lounge for grownups - no dancing guaranteed.

Victory Over The Sun - various locations. Tel ++44(0)7901853216

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A fabulous environment rising above the predictable trend for minimalist chic to provide sumptuous luxury and impeccable service. The only flaw is the nightclub, which is more akin to a wedding disco with an appalling music policy.

The Merchant Hotel, 35-39 Waring St. Cathedral Quarter, Belfast BT1 2DY. Tel: +44 (0) 28 9023 4888 www.themerchanthotel.com

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A deeply eccentric experience based in Belfast and Dublin. It is a combination of live art and jazztronica presented in ever-changing environments. I was given corporate tickets by my employer in France but I believe you can get on the paying guest list for 80 euros. Beautiful people, beautiful music and very very weird venues - this is the coolest club in the world.

Various venues in Belfast and Dublin. Contact +44 (0)7901 853 216.

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I have to admit that after having taken the tour bus trip, drank a pint of Guinness and sampled an Ulster fry, there is little else to do in Belfast during the day.

I came to Belfast on a clubbing trip but despite the hype on the Internet I found little innovation or individuality in the local clubs – there is nothing in Belfast that can’t be found in the High Street of any English market town on Saturday night. I believe this is due to the isolation of Belfast from mainland UK and Europe.

However, I did discover on a Wednesday night Victory Over The Sun. This event defies categorisation - I found myself in a disused river culvert underneath the city centre, there was a gratis champagne bar, live performance art, DJ’s playing the coolest jazztronica and best of all, no dancing!

That evening I believe I found the essence of this city at night i.e. pride in not following trends, fierce protection of an underground ethic, erudite people and fascinating conversation. The cost was £50 and worth every penny.

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Good quality guesthouse in a well-furnished 19th-century house. Very friendly owners; comfortable sitting room; first class breakfasts suitable for carnivores and veggies. Good value at £65 per night for a double ensuite. Although a little way out of the centre, it's only £3.70 by taxi from the Europa Bus Station, and there's a bus every five minutes or so along the nearby Ormeau Road.

Ravenhill Guest House, 690 Ravenhill Road
Belfast
Antrim
BT6 0BZ

Website: www.ravenhillguesthouse.com
Email: info@ravenhillguesthouse.com
Tel: (028) 9020 7444
Fax: (028) 9028 2590

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A cracking B&B on the Antrim coast, it's a couple of hours' drive from Belfast, but it feels like a million miles away. It's an 18th-century country house with only three rooms, exactly the sort of cosy, homely sort of place you want in this part of the world - the landlord actually won the AA Landlady of the Year prize in 2003, and he makes a great fry-up in the morning and serves tea and shortbread in front of the fire when you return from a blustery walk on the beach or the nearby Giant's Causeway. £70, double B&B.

Whitepark Road, Ballintoy, County Antrim.
028 207 31482
www.whiteparkhouse.com

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