The Real Story of Belfast walking tour with a local guide
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Belfast, Northern Ireland
- 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Go beyond the hotspots and discover the highlights as well as the hidden gems of Belfast by exploring the city with a born-and-raised local. The tour delivers captivating tales about Belfast’s progression, from ancient times to the modern day. Along the way, pass notable architecture, such as the Grand Opera House and the famous Crown Bar, and enjoy a mix of amusing anecdotes and historical facts—from conflict to peace.
- Learn about Belfast’s history during a guided walking tour
- Soak up the atmosphere as you stroll through the Ancient Entries and the Cathedral Quarter
- Enjoy a small group size and personalized attention from your guide
- No getting lost: Benefit from having a local guide to navigate
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
- Snacks
- gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- City Hall, Belfast BT1 5GS, UK
. Meet at 10.30am on left side of the front gates facing the Belfast City Hall. Guide will be wearing a green Odyssey Tours jacket .
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.10:30 am
Itinerary
1
Belfast City Hall
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Ulster Hall
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
The Belfast Entries
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
St Mary's Roman Catholic Church
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Kelly's Cellars
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Linen Quarter BID
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Queen's Arcade, Belfast
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Assembly Rooms Belfast
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
First Presbyterian Church (Pass By)
9
The Crown Liquor Saloon
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Europa Hotel
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a walking tour. We recommend comfortable shoes.
- This tour takes place in all weathers. Please dress appropriately.
- Not recommended for travellers with unassisted mobility issues
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 146 reviews
Rochelle_K, Mar 2026
Martin was an awesome tour guide! He gave a vast overview of Belfast and Ireland’s history and the associated complexities to provide a well rounded overview. We weren’t sure about a three hour tour but we found it very interesting and the time flew by! Would highly recommend, thanks for having us Martin 🙂
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for 5* review and your kind words. It was a pleasure showing you around the town and I'm delighted you all enjoyed the experience. Safe onward travels.
John_D, Sep 2025
Great tour - very interesting and so informative about the history of Belfast… nice pace, very open to questions.. perfect introduction to the City..
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for the 5* review and your kind words. It is very much appreciated.
JoniC, Sep 2025
My husband and I go on a lot of walking tours and Martin's was one of the best ones we've had. Every block had a story and Martin walked us through centuries of Belfast history in a very thoughtful and engaging way. My family and I talked about the the tour for days afterwards, and I still think about it a week after coming back to my own country. If given the opportunity, I'd take another tour with Martin. Don't miss out this.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for taking the time to write such a glowing review and recommendation. I am very grateful and also pleased that enjoyed the tour.
John_T, Sep 2025
A nice small group of six with a local guide who covered the whole history of Ireland and Belfast not just the latter troubles period but it is covered in his tour. Martin was very knowledgeable and had a great way in covering all the history. Thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour. Thank you for the great review and recommendation. It is very much appreciated.
Glenn_C, Aug 2025
Martin was wonderful. Knew Belfast like the back of his hand. Explained the history from all points of view.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much Glenn for the 5* review. I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour.
Sasha_A, Aug 2025
Our guide Martin was very knowledgeable and I felt after the tour that we had learnt a lot about Belfast and its history. His passion for the subjects is evident
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Your 5* review is very much appreciated. I am delighted you enjoyed the tour. Thank you.
Greg_N, Jun 2025
My wife and I had a wonderful tour with Martin who explained how Belfast had evolved over the centuries. He was very knowledgeable and provided a great introduction to the city. Would highly recommend him to others.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you Greg for your 5* review and recommendation. It is very much appreciated.
LauraLee_T, Jun 2025
Martin, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Belfast. Martin was very patient and didn’t rush through the tour and wanted to ensure that you had a good understand of what has transpired throughout the history of Belfast. We were very fortunate to have Martin as our tour guide.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for the kind words. It is very much appreciated and I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour.
Lucy_O, Apr 2025
I really enjoyed the tour with Martin this morning. He was really friendly and had such a wide wealth of knowledge about Belfast and its history. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour. Thank you for your recommendation. It is very much appreciated.
Quintin_K, Apr 2025
Loved our tour with Martin and couldn’t have gotten a more knowledgeable and friendly guide! Very informative and full of fascinating information about the history of Belfast and Northern Ireland. 10/10 would recommend!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for the great review. It is very much appreciated.
Terri_C, Mar 2025
Martin is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Belfast as well as personable in his presentation. His perspective was balanced and he really lent understanding to the long and complicated story of this city.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for the great review. It was a pleasure showing you around the town.
Laura_B, Dec 2024
This is a very educational tour on the history of Belfast which doesn't focus on the troubles. Martin the tour guide was wonderful, very knowledgeable, welcoming and explained everything in an easy to understand way.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you so much for the great review. It is very much appreciated.
Nina_M, Oct 2024
We have had a fantastic experience with Martin and both kids and adults enjoyed the tour. The tour is very well balanced in terms of duration and information shared with the audience so you won’t feel overwhelmed with details at the end , but it still leaves you with a high level picture of how the city developed over time.
I also like the fact that the group was quite small , there were less than 10 people in contrast with similar tours walking around the city with a large crowd of 25+ people. With this tour you are getting an exclusive, almost individual experience
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a great review. It is genuinely very much appreciated. I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour. Safe onward travels.
Beth_C, Oct 2024
Martin himself was the most memorable part of this experience. He is passionate and knowledgeable about Belfast and its history. He helped us to make sense of the city and its history on a beautiful October morning!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you Beth for your kind words. We were indeed fortunate to have a beautiful Autumn day for our walk and a lovely group of people with us. Safe onward travels.
Helen_P, Oct 2024
This was one of the best walking tours I have been on, anywhere. Martin was very friendly and incredibly well-researched. He painted a wonderful story of Belfast, as well as having excellent food and drink recommendations. It was a great 3 hours
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you so much for the great review and recommendation. I'm really happy you enjoyed the tour.
Vlad_M, Oct 2024
That was the warmest possible welcome to Belfast. Martin is an exceptional personality, thanking to him we felt in love with the city. I definitely plan to come back, to bring my husband and to show him the memorable places and taste food in a plenty of suggested places! That was a historic tour, all about the dates and figures but the way of presenting the information was so easy that we definitely did not feel overloaded. Instead, we felt like we are putting the history puzzle together!
Martin was do kind, he took seriously our query not related to the excursion. Thank you, Martin, we managed to sharpen our skates!
I wish you and your family all the best and really hope to meet you again. I will cherish these moments in my heart! Highly appreciate, Olga
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you Olga for giving me the opportunity to show you around the town. I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour. Thank you so much for your kind words and great review.
Tricia_H, Aug 2024
Martin is such a warm personable guide…a great raconteur! His love of Belfast is palpable, & his desire to share his knowledge in an unbiased way is refreshing! Might be joining another walk again!!
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you Tricia for the great review, it is very much appreciated and I'm delighted you enjoyed the experience.
Emma_D, Aug 2024
Martin was a great tour guide! We loved that he only does small group tours which makes it more personable. We also appreciated that he was able to give his own life experiences along with the history. At the end he gave us his own little cheat sheet of the locations he spoke about in case we wanted to learn more and also gave us a list of recommendations for around the city which was lovely! Would definitely book with Martin again!
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you so much Emma for the recommendation. I'm delighted you all enjoyed the tour. Looking forward to seeing you again in the future.
MargaretSutton, Aug 2024
Thankyou for a very good History Walk of Belfast. Very knowledgeable and thought provoking insight into Historical events of the area
A mine of information excellent.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you Margaret. I really appreciate you taking the time to review your experience and awarding it 5*. It was a pleasure showing you around the town.
Michael_G, Jun 2024
Martin did a great job! He was very knowledgeable, he told great stories, and he was fun to be with! We would go on a tour with Martin again! Excellent experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to show you around the town and the great review. I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour.
Andy_Z, Jun 2024
A huge thank you to Martin at Odyssey Walking tours for an excellent, well paced, friendly and informative few hours getting to know more about the city of Belfast. We have been on many walking tours however this one is a stand out. Martin was one of the most knowledgeabl and friendly guides and we really enjoyed his company. The depth of history was impressive and the best bit was how he sprinkled in personal anecdotes to bring this city to life. Highly recommended tour with a wonderful person.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you for the excellent 5*review. I very much appreciate this and I am delighted you all enjoyed the tour. It was a pleasure showing your family and friends around the town. Safe onward travels.
Don_C, May 2024
Martin was both a very knowledgeable guide and well as an entertaining person. We (my wife and I, as well as our friends) really enjoyed the three hours spent with him! Highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to understand Belfast and Northern Ireland better.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you Don for giving me the opportunity to show you around the town and for the great review. I'm delighted you and your friends enjoyed the tour.
Chelsea_Z, Apr 2024
Lovely tour led by Martin. Learned so much about the history of Belfast and it's context to the Belfast of today. We took a leisurely pace around the city and time really flew by! Also, received great recommendations for the rest of our stay. Take this tour!
Response from Host, May 2024
I very much appreciate you taking the time to write such kind words and I'm delighted you enjoyed the tour. Thank you.
Brad_L, Mar 2024
Long, but educational tour. A lot of history of Belfast and even though this is not a troubles tour, it did put some things related to it into context.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you for your great review of my three hour walking tour. It's very much appreciated and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing you again sometime in the future.
James_W, Mar 2024
Highly recommend Martin if you take this tour. He was extremely knowledgeable and had photos of how Belfast was in the past compared to modern times
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you James for your 5* review and kind words. It is very much appreciated and I am delighted you enjoyed the tour.
igfarr, Feb 2024
Martin was very informative with many small details that we would never have noticed without his knowledge. Glad we took this tour.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you. I'm happy you enjoyed the tour.
Steven_H, Aug 2023
Had a great time on this walking tour. Martin is so knowledgeable about Belfast bringing to life the establishment and growth of the city over the centuries.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you so much for the great review. I am delighted you enjoyed the tour and I look forward to seeing you again sometime in the future.
JOE_M, Jun 2023
Great overview of Belfast history other than the troubles which had to be included to give a true story. We felt Martin was well-versed on it all and was able to avoid his personal bias one way or the other. He gave a fair synopsis of the strife which cannot be avoided whe sharing Belfast history.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you for the 5* review. It is very much appreciated. I am really glad you enjoyed the tour.
Antoinette_M, Jul 2022
Martin’s Knowledge of Belfast was exceptional. He gave us the history, showed us interesting sites, and answered our questions about past and present Belfast. His passion and growing up in Belfast made it very interesting and the time flew by. I would definitely recommend Martin.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Thank you for your kind words. Our three hours together did indeed fly by and I really loved being able to show you around and show off our lovely city. I look forward to seeing you again soon. Martin
sarajackson139, Jun 2022
What an amazing introduction to Belfast ❤️ Martin was a great guide whose pride in his city was clear to see. Very informative tour visiting lots of the main sites and learning about how Belfast became what it is today. I would highly recommend.
Thanks Martin
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Thank you for the wonderful review. I am truly grateful to you for taking the time and effort to post it. It was a pleasure showing you around the town and I look forward to seeing you again sometime in the future..
From $26.90
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
The Real Story of Belfast walking tour with a local guide
146
3 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$26.90
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Belfast Botanic Gardens & Palm House Tours & Tickets
- Ballintoy Harbour Tours & Tickets
- HMS Caroline Tours & Tickets
- Carrickfergus Castle Tours & Tickets
- Belfast City Hall Tours & Tickets
- Titanic Quarter Tours & Tickets
- Old Bushmills Distillery Tours & Tickets
- Belfast Peace Wall Tours & Tickets
- Queen's University Belfast Tours & Tickets
- SS Nomadic Tours & Tickets
- Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices Tours & Tickets
- Belfast Grand Opera House Tours & Tickets
- Belfast Customs House Tours & Tickets
- Cushendun Tours & Tickets
- Crumlin Road Gaol Tours & Tickets
- Titanic Belfast Tours & Tickets
- Belfast Cruise Port Tours & Tickets
- Giant's Causeway Tours & Tickets
- Antrim Coast Road Tours & Tickets
- Belfast Cathedral Quarter Tours & Tickets