Marvel at 1906 beautiful City Hall and hear about is political rallies and its role during the establishment of the state of Northern Ireland, the statues and visit the Titanic Memorial Garden.
Visit the world famous Slipways where the Titanic was built. Hear how the largest ship in 1912 was built, the reason for its sinking, the rescues and the passengers on board. We visit the Titanic Hotel, the renovated offices of Harland and Wolff now a wonderful heritage museum.
This stunning hilltop building opened in 1932 and commands wonderful views across Belfast and is home to the NI Government. A wonderful setting to hear more about the formation of Northern Ireland as a state. Hear why the building was painted black during World War 2 and take a photo as we drive the 1 mile tree-lined driveway.
Drive the Falls and Shankhill Roads and see the political murals and the peace walls separating Protestant and Catholic communities. Understand the fascinating events of the decade that led to the partition of Ireland in 1921 and the resulting civil war that ran from 1969 to 1998 (the Troubles). Hear a balanced commentary about the street by street conflict between the IRA, the loyalist paramilitary groups and the British Army. Photo opportunities.
This stunning red brick building opened by Queen Victoria in 1849 has lovely grounds. Hear the role it played during the Peace Process. The University is beside the Botanic Gardens.
Visit the Botanic Gardens with the beautiful glass Palm House always full of colour and the spectacular colourful flower beds on show during sprig and summer.
This leaning clock of Belfast stands at the point where Belfast was formed and learnt how the small riverside village got its name from the Gaelic Beal Feirste.
Get up close to the Big Fish sculpture and hear the story of the regeneration of the River Lagan from a working river with sail boats and coal yards and now hear about the modern clean river along the Maritime Mile now one of Europes major waterfront developments. Keep an eye out for Sammy the Seal.
Visit the exact spot where Belfast got it's name Beal Feirste and learn about the very early residents of this town and the hidden River Farsett
A difficult tour, done really well. Steve is immensely knowledgeable and very friendly. Thought-provoking and we learned a lot! Thoroughly recommend!
Absolutely fantastic start to finish - 3 hour tour- a mix of city hall/ Titanic and political conflict historical sights and murals with Steven Patterson. A super comfortable people carrier for 4 passengers and such a knowledgeable personable guide who provided a very balanced, respectful perspective on the complexities of history in this region. All at a good price. Negotiated carefully what we wanted to see within the time frame we had available! We loved it all but highlights were Van Morrison Hynford street, replete with appropriate soundtrack then on to the Titanic quarter and the Titanic Hotel followed by quick stop to view City Hall and the to the very contrasting Falls Rd/Shankhill Rd sites of remembrance, where we left feeling both uplifted and emotionally shattered in equal measure but it all felt so worthwhile- even to the two of us who grew up here during the Troubles and continue to live here ..... so many new things and so many aspects we had forgotten. Our English/ Scottish friends were enthralled as it rounded and deepened their relationship with Belfast. Thank you Steven.
Had a great time with Steve this afternoon. Very knowledgeable, very kind and amiable. He took us around to important sites of recent Irish history and his narrative account was nuanced and fair. He was open to questions and willing to work around our travel needs. Thanks, Steve! We really appreciated the tour!
It is a very good tour that covers a lot of points of interest in downtown Belfast as well as the area of the troubles. We skipped the Titanic portion since we had been to the museum the year before. Our tour guide Oliver was very flexible on the itinerary.
We were able to customise our tour to suit our interests with our driver/guide (Steven). Steven is very knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant mannered. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Absolutely brilliant tour with Steven Patterson! Incredibly informative and a really lovely guy. 100% recommend.
Steven was an excellent tour guy. He had a agenda and showed us all of the important sites in Belfast.
Steven was a fantastic guide who provided us with a unique experience. He tailored the tour to meet our interests. His knowledge and his passion was great! Would highly recommend Steven to anyone visiting Belfast! From the four Aussies!
Steven was an absolute joy to be around. Had fantastic and intimate knowledge of the history of the troubles, and went out of his way to ensure we got a look at everything we wanted to. We even saw a Unionist Marching Band!
We had such a great time on our tour with Steven and Oliver. So informative! I would definitely recommend anyone coming to Belfast to book.
Such a lovely experience. Steven very kindly gave me a short private tour of the peace gates and Shankill area when I was on a tight schedule. He was so friendly and knowledgeable, answered all my questions, and explained the history really clearly despite us only having about half an hour. This ended up being one of the highlights of my trip. Thank you Steven! - Shervone not Siobhan 🤣
Myself and my partner did a troubles tour this weekend and we cannot recommend Stephen enough. The tour was highly informative and great value for money as it offered a lot more than other tours we were quoted for. Stephen was a great guide and answered all of our questions in great detail. We will definitely be recommending this tour to our friends and family.
We had a great tour with Stephen! Packed with history and great perspective from over 50 years in Belfast. Stephen is super flexible and molds the tour to your interests and essentially customizes on the fly. His vehicle is comfortable and we saw everything we wanted to see and with an in depth history and explanation. Do not hesitate to book. You will not be disappointed in the least!
Steven was a super tour guide - explained the history in enough depth that it was very informative without being overwhelming! He was also very accommodating when one of our party had childcare issues and had to bring a 1.5yr old who even needed changed mid tour - he was very kind and thoughtful and would thoroughly recommend the tour to anyone!
From the very first moment we laid eyes on Steven at the train station, we felt an undeniable sense of assurance that we had made the right choice. Our journey kicked off with a smooth drive, allowing us to hop out and immerse ourselves in a multitude of breathtaking sights. Steven's wealth of knowledge was nothing short of impressive—he filled our tour with fascinating stories and intriguing facts. Every stop we made unveiled another layer of Belfast's rich history, transforming our experience into a captivating adventure.
Steven provided an excellent tour of Belfast from a very balanced perspective. He spent dedicated time on either side of the peace wall detailing the experience of people living in each location. He would stop at important locations and we’d all get out and have a chat. We never felt rushed at any location and it didn’t feel like a lecture- he was happy to have a dialogue and answer any questions. We were very impressed with the depth of his knowledge and clear passion for a peaceful future. Beyond this he was a very lovely man to spend time with due to his cheery and upbeat personality. At the end of the tour he offered some great recommendations on other sites in Belfast and dropped us off wherever was convenient for us. Overall this was the highlight of our trip to Belfast and we’d strongly recommend others to book with Steven!!
We enjoyed a most enjoyable day with Steven who educated us on the history of Belfast, its troubles and important facts. Stephen’s passion for his community and Van Morrison was clearly evident. Steven’s educational tour brought Belfast to life and I highly recommend his tour.
Steven has a very nice personality and provided a very balanced view of life in Belfast, both the past political issues as well as the current situation. We were four travelers who have had many tour guides in many cities over many decades, and he really is a stand out. We cannot recommend him more highly. He was also very accommodating of our schedule.
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