Rick Steves’ Europe: The Titanic and the Troubles - Exploring Belfast’s past | Rick Steves' Europe | Columns

A visit to the Emerald Isle is not complete without including Northern Ireland. The most important single stop is its capital, Belfast, perhaps best known for the sectarian strife that took place here during the era of the “Troubles,” and as the birthplace of the Titanic. While these two claims to fame aren’t uplifting, this unsinkable city’s story is hardly a downer.

Just two hours away from Dublin by train, Belfast makes a perfect day trip. Wandering through the cheery modern-day downtown, it’s hard to believe the bright and bustling pedestrian center had been a subdued, traffic-free security zone not long ago. But it’s no longer dangerous here. While Belfast has the rough edges of any industrial big city, you have to look for trouble to find it. The city is busy with tourists, and aggressive sectarian murals are being repainted with scenes celebrating heritage and pride. It feels like a new morning in Belfast.

Some tensions still simmer from the challenging times of the Troubles, but people from all walks of Belfast life congregate, work, eat, and play in the thriving city center. Still, a Belfast visit wouldn’t be complete without visiting the working-class neighborhoods where the two sides live parallel lives along parallel roads on either side of a “peace wall”: the Unionists along Shankill Road (mostly Protestants who feel they’re primarily British) and the Nationalists along Falls Road (mostly Catholic Republicans who feel they’re Irish first).

While you could easily and safely walk through these districts on your own, and some tours offer balanced, unbiased accounts, I find it more meaningful with a private taxi tour. The cabbies who offer tours of these neighborhoods grew up here and know their city well, offering honest (if biased) viewpoints on the Troubles, political murals, and local culture. My time with them is always the most interesting 90 minutes of any visit to Belfast.

I once had a guide who was particularly determined to make his country’s struggles vivid. He introduced me to the Felons Club pub, run by Republican ex-prisoners. Hearing heroic stories of Irish resistance while sharing a Guinness with a celebrity felon gave me an affinity for their struggles. The next day at Milltown Cemetery, I walked through the green-trimmed gravesites of his prison-mates – some of whom starved themselves to death for the cause of Irish independence.

But to get the full story – both narratives – you need to also talk to the other side. While you can take a walking tour or private taxi tour through the Protestant Shankill Road area, the easiest way to get a dose of the Unionist side is to walk Sandy Row, the namesake street of Belfast's oldest residential neighborhood. A stop in the Unionist memorabilia shop, a pub, or one of the many cheap eateries here will give you an opportunity to talk to a local who’s thankful to still be ruled from London. You’ll see murals filled with Unionist symbolism, such as the one depicting William of Orange’s victory over the Catholic King James II in the Battle of the Boyne.

Across the River Lagan, east of the center, the historic Titanic Quarter – the former shipbuilding district now filled with museums, entertainment, and a hockey arena (where both Unionists and Nationalists root for the Belfast Giants) – symbolizes the rise of Belfast. Next to the original slipways where the Titanic was built, the massive Titanic Belfast Museum commemorates Belfast’s shipbuilding industry. Six stories tall, the striking museum is clad with more than 3,000 aluminum panels that reflect the sunlight (or clouds), and high-tech displays tell the tale of the famous cruise liner. A highlight is a gondola ride through a mock-up of the ship while it was being built.

At the heart of town is another impressive landmark: Belfast’s City Hall. This grand structure’s 173-foot-tall, green copper dome dominates the city center. City Hall faces the commercial hub of Belfast, Donegall Place. Queen Victoria would recognize the fine 19th-century brick buildings here – built in the Scottish Baronial style when the Scots dominated Belfast. But she'd be amazed by the changes since then. Belfast was bombed by the Germans in World War II, and, with the Troubles stalling the economy at the end of the 20th century, for decades afterward, little was built. But with peace in 1998 – and government investment to subsidize that peace – the 21st century has been one big building boom.

Speeding on the train back to Dublin, you’ll be gazing at the peaceful, lush Irish countryside while pondering the resilience of Belfast’s people. Ireland isn’t just Blarney Stones and leprechauns, and Belfast’s troubled history is a key part of its story. A visit here offers a chance to balance your Irish vacation – and witness a city’s powerful rebound.

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(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This column revisits some of Rick's favorite places over the past two decades. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)