Ireland Guide
Belfast
Getting around
Although you can easily walk around the city centre, distances to some of the outlying attractions are considerable, and a number of places to stay are also a little way out. The excellent Metro service provides frequent buses to almost every conceivable destination within the city, while the blue-and-white long-distance services of Ulsterbus – which principally covers the rest of the North beyond Belfast's boundaries – connect to some of the sights on the city's fringes, such as the Giant's Ring.
Almost all Metro buses set off from Donegall Square or the streets immediately around it. You can pick up a network map from the Welcome Centre or the Metro kiosk in Donegall Square West (Mon– Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8.30am–5.30pm; bus information on 
028/9066 6630, 
www.translink.co.uk ). In general buses operate from around 6am until 11pm Monday to Saturday and between 9am and 11pm on Sunday. Saturday-night Metro Nightlink services run from Donegall Square West along nine routes, though you're unlikely to need to use them unless you're staying outside the city (1am & 2am; £3.50).
Metro fares are determined by a zonal system. The city centre is covered by the Inner Zone and fares for journeys within it cost £1; most other journeys cost £1.30 or £1.60. If you're planning on making several journeys in one day it's well worth buying one of the day-tickets from the bus driver. These cover unlimited travel anywhere on the Metro network (£3.50, £2.50 if purchased after 10am). Alternatively, there are multi-journey Smartlink Cards, available in either five- or ten-journey options, and costing from £4 to £12.50 depending on the number of journeys and zones covered, plus a £1.50 one-off charge for the card itself. Cards can be purchased from the Metro kiosk, the two central bus stations and any Smartlink agent (including many newsagents).