Ireland Guide
Belfast
Arrival
Belfast is served by two airports. Most flights arrive at Belfast International Airport ( 
028/9448 4848, 
www.belfastairport.com ), nineteen miles west of the city in Aldergrove; from here, there are airport buses to Europa Buscentre operating 24 hours (Mon– Fri every 10min–1hr, Sat every 20min–1hr, Sun every 30min–1hr; £6 single, £9 return). A taxi to the centre costs around £25. The airport's arrivals hall has an ATM, a bureau de change, car rental outlets and a tourist information desk (Mon– Sat 7.30am–7pm, Sun 8am–5pm). Many domestic flights from Britain use the smaller George Best Belfast City Airport ( 028/9093 9093, www.belfastcityairport.com ), named after the city's greatest footballer and three miles northeast of the centre, from which bus Metro #600 runs to the Europa Buscentre (Mon– Sat every 20–30min 6am–10pm, Sun every 40min 7.30am–9.25pm; £1.30 single, £2.20 return). Alternatively, you can take the free shuttle bus to Sydenham train station and hop on a train to Belfast Central or Great Victoria Street stations (Mon– Fri every 20–30min 6.20am–11.20pm, Sat every 30min 6.20am-10.50pm, Sun hourly 9.20am–10.20pm; £1.30). A taxi from City Airport to the centre costs around £6. The terminal's ground floor houses ATMs, a bureau de change, car rental outlets and a tourist information desk (Mon– Sat 8am–7pm, Sun 10am–5pm).
Ferries from Britain arrive at various dockside terminuses. Stena high-speed ferries from Stranraer dock at the terminal on Corry Road some twenty minutes' walk from the central Donegall Square – a taxi from here will cost around £6. Norfolkline ferries from Liverpool dock further north on West Bank Road; expect to pay a taxi fare from here of at least £7. P&O ferries from Cairnryan, Fleetwood and Troon dock at the town of Larne, twenty miles north, which is connected by Ulsterbus to the Europa Buscentre and by train to Great Victoria Street and Central stations.
The majority of trains call at Great Victoria Street Station in the centre, with the exception of trains from Dublin and some from Larne, which terminate at Central Station near the Waterfront Hall on East Bridge Street, a little way east of the centre. Various Metro buses stop outside the Central Station en route to Donegall Square – travel is free to holders of railway tickets. From Central Station you can also hop on a connecting train for the ten-minute journey to Great Victoria Street Station, which stops en route at Botanic and City Hospital stations – both of which are useful if you're staying in the university quarter.
Express buses arrive at one of Belfast's two stations. The EuropaBuscentre, accessed via the Great Northern shopping mall on Great Victoria Street, handles services to the Republic and airports as well as all parts of Northern Ireland except North Down and the Ards Peninsula which utilize the LagansideBuscentre in Queen's Square near the Albert Clock, though on Sundays even these use the Europa.
Aircoach services from Dublin Airport arrive outside Jurys Inn, Great Victoria Street.