THE ONE SECRET GARDEN
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Beautifully-kept lawns and Victorian-era glasshouses brimming with fuchsia,begonia,lush tropical plants and flowering climbers,make Belfast's Botanic Gardens a leafy delight. It's tucked away in the Queen's Quarter,a 20-minute walk (or quick bus ride) south of the city centre,and is hedged by handsome university buildings,funky boutique hotels (like The Harrison Chambers of Distinction),and the impressive,admission-free Ulster Museum,which has five floors of art,natural history,history and pop culture from Northern Ireland and beyond.
Seenmni.com andchambersofdistinction.com
THE ONE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Worth a mosey day and night,the Cathedral Quarter spreads out from St Anne's Cathedral and its Spire of Hope - a modern needle-like sculpture seen as a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Flanking the quarter's cobbled lanes are post-industrial buildings reborn as artists'haunts,watering holes and gourmet addresses. Try The Muddlers Club,a Michelin-starred bistro with innovative (and reliably delicious) tasting menus,and The Duke of York,with its wonderful whiskey selection and antique mirror-adverts. Occupying an ex-bonded spirits warehouse,The Dirty Onion and its adjoining Second Fiddle bar are springboards for traditional,toe-tapping Irish music tours.
Seebelfasttradtrail.com
THE ONE MARKET
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Belfast's Christmas Markets generate a convivial,gluhwein-scented air around City Hall. But year-round,St George's Market is the place to go,its revived 19th-century red-brick setting bursting to life Friday to Sunday. Soak up the banter between vendors and customers as you browse stalls laden with everything from hand-crafted fashions,bric-a-brac and books about George Best (the Belfast-born Manchester United footballer) to chocolates,hand-roasted coffee and locally-sourced produce. Sample the market's food and drink on fun city tasting tours.
Seetasteandtour.co.uk
THE ONE MUSEUM
Don't miss Titanic Belfast. Billed as"really quite phenomenal"by James Cameron,whoseTitanic flick marks its 25th anniversary in 2022,this exhibition is set in a dazzling aluminium-draped building an anchor's throw from where the ship was designed,built and launched. Interactive galleries trawl through Titanic's story and legacy,and recall Belfast's boomtown days when shipbuilding,linen and ropemaking transformed it into one of the British Empire's richest ports. Kids (and big kids) love the Shipyard Ride,a noisy,fairground-like foray through a replica of the Titanic's rudder.
Seetitanicbelfast.com
THE ONE PUB
Belfast has scores of bustling,yet easygoing pubs where tourists and locals (from all backgrounds) gladly mingle. For wow-factor,it's hard to trump the Crown Liquor Saloon,an ornate former Victorian gin palace restored by the National Trust. Behind its polychromatic-tiled exterior,you'll find the carved-mahogany snugs,mosaic floors and gas lamps conjure an atmospheric setting for a gin or a pie and a pint of local ale.
Seenationaltrust.org.uk/the-crown-bar
THE ONE VENUE
Fondly known as"The Grand Dame",the Ulster Hall is one of the UK's oldest purpose-built concert halls. Since 1862,she's staged everything from Charles Dickens readings and Barry McGuigan boxing bouts to political rallies,stand-up comedy and gigs by local rockers Ash and Snow Patrol. Led Zeppelin played Stairway to Heaven for the first time ever here,while Irish singer Delia Murphy went down in Belfast folklore for continuing to perform while Luftwaffe bombs struck the city in the 1941 Blitz. Check the listings here and at its younger sibling,the Waterfront Hall.
Seeulsterhall.co.uk
ONE MORE THING
Belfast is a magnet forGame of Thrones fans,with much of the HBO sensation shot in and around the city. There's a raft of themed tour options for"Thronies",including an immersive new attraction with original sets,props and costumes in the show's old filming studios half-hour south of Belfast.
Seegameofthronesstudiotour.com
Steve McKenna was a guest of Tourism Northern Ireland (discovernorthernireland.com) and Tourism Ireland (ireland.com)