Life
Belfast city life
Belfast has an interesting historical and cultural heritage, and you will love to take long walks in the city that inspired ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. An iconic and famous attraction is the Titanic Museum, where you can uncover the true story of the Titanic, from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, through her construction and launch.
Green areas represented by parks and gardens are an important part of Belfast’s heritage; you will find many places for picnics or jogging.
Belfast is well-known for the music and movies scene, as the city is home to many music and special events venues, like Oh Yeah Music Centre, two independent cinemas: the Queen's Film Theatre and the Strand Cinema, hosting screenings during the Belfast Film Festival. Attend the Grand Opera House if you consider drama, dance, comedy and musicals shows.
Other attractions include:
- Albert Memorial Clock – Belfast’s version of Pisa’s Leaning Tower
- The Alexandra Graving Dock
- The Alice Clock –the only automaton clock in Ireland
- Aunt Sandra's Candy Factory
- Belfast Castle Estate – on Cave Hill, offering great views over the city
- Belfast Cathedral
Check out Victoria Square if you want to do some shopping. Enjoy sporting events from Belfast’s notable sport teams of football, Gaelic games, rugby, cricket and ice hockey.
In terms of festivals, Belfast hosts many of them, the most popular is St. Patrick’s Day held every year in March.
International atmosphere in Belfast
Belfast has been attracting immigrants since 1930 and today almost half of the population born outside UK and Ireland lives in Belfast. Ethnic minority communities are comprised of Poles, Chinese and Indians.
Due to Belfast’s strategic location, close to the UK's only land border with another EU country, makes this city appealing for a significant number of business investors and traders. Belfast offers excellent local business support services and is continually adapting the business environment in order to satisfy international business demands. Studying abroad in Belfast is a great way to start an international network that can greatly improve your career success in the future.
Weather Belfast
Significant rainfall occurs throughout the whole year in Belfast, so you will often have to carry an umbrella with you. As an urban and coastal area, Belfast gets snow on fewer than ten days in a year. Lowest temperature in December is around -9 °C (17 °F) and highest temperatures during summer could go up to 31 °C (87 °F) in July.