Belfast, GB

Belfast's Michelin-starred room, tucked down a cobbled alley in the Cathedral Quarter, serving an inventive modern tasting menu built on Irish produce. Open kitchen, low lighting and a buzz that keeps it feeling like a restaurant rather than a shrine; this is the city's big-occasion booking.

A bright, pared-back room by the river where two chefs run a weekly-changing seasonal menu that earned a Michelin star. The cooking is precise and produce-led, and the wine bar next door, OX Cave, does the same standard in a looser setting.

The city's go-to for shellfish, much of it from the kitchen's own beds at Carlingford Lough, in a snug nautical room off Bank Square. The chowder and the oysters are the order; unfussy, well-priced and consistently busy with locals.

A Bib Gourmand small-plates room near the city hall doing Spanish-leaning sharing dishes off a wood grill and open kitchen. Lively, well-priced and built for a long lunch or a pre-night-out feed with a group.

Belfast's cicchetti bacaro in St Anne's Square, doing Venetian-style small plates, fresh pasta and pizzette in a handsome, buzzy room. Reliable in the Cathedral Quarter for a relaxed dinner that scales from a quick bite to a full spread.

A long-running modern European bistro on the Lisburn Road that locals treat as a dependable neighbourhood standby. The salt-and-chilli squid is the dish people order on repeat; the room is smart without being stiff.

A city-centre grill on the Golden Mile working a Josper charcoal oven for aged steaks and a strong bar menu. The bricky, brasserie-style room makes it the steak booking when someone wants meat done properly.

Belfast's only boxty house, a snug Queen's Quarter room on University Road serving traditional Irish dishes built around the potato pancake. Run by the Holohan family after their Lagan barge restaurant closed, it keeps the boxty focus and an unshowy, genuinely Irish menu.

A bright pan-Asian small-plates room near the city hall, mixing Japanese, Thai and Korean flavours with Irish produce. In the Michelin Guide and reliably good for a sharing dinner that isn't a special-occasion splurge.

An understated Thai and Southeast Asian kitchen on the Lisburn Road that punches well above its modest room. Bring-your-own-wine keeps the bill friendly and the cooking is the draw, not the decor.

A casual Vietnamese spot on Botanic Avenue doing proper pho, banh mi and rice plates for the student quarter. Fast, fresh and well-priced, it's the easy lunch or low-key dinner in Queen's Quarter.

An Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern small-plates room in the Cathedral Quarter, from the Coppi team, doing flame-grilled meats, mezze and falafel with strong cocktails. Loud, fun and built for sharing rather than a quiet dinner.

An independent taqueria started by two friends, doing proper tacos with fillings like mushroom birria and Baja cauliflower, plus margaritas. The Ormeau Road and Castle Street rooms are casual, cash-friendly and the real Mexican fix in a city short on them.

A Southeast Asian fusion vegan restaurant in the city centre turning out laksa, ramen and pad thai that even committed carnivores rate. Bright, creative cooking that makes plant-based feel like a choice rather than a compromise.

A tiny ramen bar on the Ormeau Road built around long-cooked broths and house noodles, run with a craft-beer-bar sensibility. Counter seating, a short menu and a cult local following for a cheap, serious bowl.

The Cathedral Quarter's flagship specialty coffee bar, all concrete and timber, pulling rotating-roaster espresso and filter alongside a tight brunch plate. The benchmark coffee stop in the centre and a solid laptop-friendly morning.

A sleek specialty coffee shop on the Lisburn Road with a strong brunch menu and a design-led room. South Belfast's reliable morning anchor, busy with locals rather than tourists.

The East Belfast brunch room that set the city's Antipodean-style breakfast standard, with seasonal plates and properly made coffee. The original Ballyhackamore site is the one to seek out for an unhurried weekend morning.

A bright all-day brunch spot near the Cathedral Quarter doing Turkish eggs, baked eggs and French toast with serious coffee. The central choice when you want a proper sit-down breakfast rather than a grab-and-go.

Belfast's oldest Indian restaurant, running since 1985, near the city hall and quietly beloved for an unusually deep vegetarian menu. Old-school in the best sense: consistent, generous and unbothered by trends.

A long-running Belfast bakery and patisserie known for its cakes, tarts and pastries, with a cafe-deli feel. The stop for a proper slice of cake and a coffee, or a box of patisserie to take away.

A Copenhagen-rooted coffee shop on the Ormeau Road serving hand-roasted Nordic-style coffee and open rye sandwiches. Minimalist, calm and the spot south-side locals use for a focused flat white.

A contemporary Indian kitchen in the Cathedral Quarter going beyond the standard curry-house lineup with dishes like venison, monkfish and lamb shank. The choice when you want Indian cooking with some ambition rather than the familiar list.

The headline Belfast climb, a roughly 5 km loop up the basalt escarpment to McArt's Fort with the broadest view in the city. Steep and unsurfaced in parts but doable in a couple of hours, ending at the cliff-edge fort known as Napoleon's Nose.

A National Trust circular over open heath and blanket bog to the highest point in the Belfast Hills, with 180-degree views from the Mournes to Scotland. Boardwalked in places but genuinely upland, this is the area's big-view hill walk.

The flat riverside path tracing the Lagan and its 18th-century canal from Stranmillis out toward Lisburn through meadow and woodland. Walk as much or as little as you like; the first few kilometres from the city are the easy, leafy stretch locals use daily.

A wooded glen in East Belfast following a stream past small waterfalls and boardwalks up to open hill at Lisnabreeny, where the view opens over the city. A satisfying short-to-moderate climb that feels far more rural than its location.

A river-cut forest park in West Belfast with woodland trails, a waterfall and the family-favourite Gruffalo Trail of carved storybook characters. Easy, well-surfaced paths make it the most kid-friendly nature walk near the city.

Belfast's oldest municipal park, a flat green expanse just south of the centre with tarmac paths good for an easy stroll, run or pram push. The everyday city park locals use rather than a destination hike.

A flat, fully paved waterfront walk along the Lagan from the Big Fish past Titanic Belfast and the old slipways. The easy urban stroll that strings together the regenerated dockland sights without any climbing.

A mature mixed woodland on the southern edge of the city with riverside and forest loops, a Norman motte and a heronry. A calm, varied walk that sees far fewer visitors than the marquee hills.

A flat shoreline walk along the northern edge of Belfast Lough with open water views toward the hills and the city. An easy, breezy lough-side stroll that pairs well with the nearby loughshore cycle path.

Northern Ireland's largest museum, free to enter, inside the Botanic Gardens and spanning natural history, Irish archaeology, an Egyptian mummy and a strong art collection. A genuine rainy-day saver that suits both a quick hour and a half day.

A Victorian prison that held inmates from 1845 until 1996, now a guided-tour attraction taking you through the cells, the tunnel to the courthouse and the execution chamber. Atmospheric, well-narrated history that also runs evening events and a distillery on site.

The last surviving Victorian covered market in the city, busiest Friday to Sunday with food stalls, local produce, crafts and live music. The weekend morning ritual locals actually do, and the best single spot for street-food breakfast.

Frank Matcham's lavishly restored 1895 theatre, all gilt elephants and painted ceilings, staging touring drama, opera, musicals and the city's beloved panto. Worth a show for the building alone; the interior is a spectacle in its own right.

A contemporary arts centre in the Cathedral Quarter with theatre spaces, galleries and a cafe-bar, all free to wander even without a ticket. The hub for new theatre, visual art and family workshops in the city's cultural quarter.

An interactive science and discovery centre in the Titanic Quarter with hundreds of hands-on exhibits, a climbing structure and daily science shows. The reliable wet-weather day out with kids, who can spend hours without flagging.

A driver-guided black-cab tour of the West Belfast murals, the peace wall and the Falls and Shankill, told by locals who lived through the Troubles. The single most direct way to understand the city's recent history in a couple of hours.

A memorabilia-crammed traditional pub down a cobbled Cathedral Quarter alley, with one of Ireland's biggest whiskey selections and live music most nights. The classic Belfast trad-and-craic session venue, with a famous umbrella-strung courtyard next door.

An unpretentious city-centre bar off Berry Street running traditional music sessions seven nights a week, the real local trad room rather than the tourist version. Two floors, a great pint and the kind of session where musicians just turn up and play.

One of Belfast's oldest pubs, trading since 1720, a whitewashed low-ceilinged room famous for its Guinness and regular trad sessions. History you can drink in, with a beer garden and a fiercely local crowd.

A modern producing theatre on the Lagan in Stranmillis, the home of new Irish writing and the theatre where Liam Neeson trained. A riverside auditorium with a strong programme that draws a local rather than tourist audience.

A revived Belfast whiskey brand operating a distillery and tour inside the old Crumlin Road Gaol, blending the spirit's history with a tasting. The evening-friendly grown-up alternative to the city's museum circuit.

The six-floor museum sitting on the actual slipways where the ship was built, walking you from the city's linen-and-shipyard boom through the launch and the disaster. The shipyard ride and the recreated cabins make it more immersive than a typical maritime hall, and it anchors the whole regenerated Titanic Quarter.

The domed Edwardian baroque centrepiece of Donegall Square, with marble corridors, stained glass and a free guided tour most days. The grounds double as the city's living room, ringed by memorials including the Titanic Memorial Garden.

The corrugated barriers separating the Falls and Shankill communities, covered in murals and signed messages from visitors worldwide. Reading the wall in person, especially around the Cupar Way gate, is the most direct way to grasp the city's recent history.

The Romanesque-revival Church of Ireland cathedral anchoring the Cathedral Quarter, known for its floor mosaics, the Celtic-cross labyrinth and the stainless-steel Spire of Hope spearing up through the roof. A calm, free stop between the quarter's bars and galleries.

The neoclassical parliament building on the hill east of the city, fronted by a kilometre-long avenue that locals use for running, dog walks and pram pushing. The grounds are free and open, and the view back down the Prince of Wales Avenue to the building is the draw.

The student-quarter park built around Charles Lanyon's 1840s Palm House, one of the earliest curved cast-iron glasshouses anywhere. The Tropical Ravine glasshouse next door, restored to its Victorian jungle state, is the quieter gem.

The Scottish-baronial mansion on the lower slopes of Cave Hill, rebuilt in the 1860s and now a free-to-enter estate with formal gardens and lough views. The terraced cat garden, nodding to a legend that the castle's luck depends on a resident cat, is the quirk locals send visitors to find.

A 10-metre ceramic salmon on Donegall Quay, its scales printed with texts and images charting Belfast's history. A small thing, but it marks the river regeneration and makes the best quick waterfront photo in the centre.

The main artery of nationalist West Belfast, lined with murals on Irish identity, international solidarity and the Troubles. Wandering it, ideally with a guide, gives the political and human backdrop the city-centre sights don't.

An 1880s gin palace owned by the National Trust, all carved snugs, etched glass, gas lamps and a tiled facade that survived the city's worst years. Worth stepping inside purely as architecture, though a pint in a private snug is the proper way to see it.

The last surviving White Star Line ship, built in Belfast as Titanic's tender and now restored in dry dock beside the museum. Walking its decks, where first-class passengers boarded, gives a tangible scale the galleries can only describe.