Both our daily tours, ‘A History of Terror’ and ‘Best of Belfast’ start at the front gates of Belfast City Hall in Donegall Square North.

If you have a private or group tour booked with us the meeting point will be specified in your confirmation email.

‘A History of Terror’ starts at 10.30am.

‘Best of Belfast’ starts at 10.00am.

We recommend you arrive 5 to 10 minutes beforehand.

We recommend that you wear comfortable walking shoes and to dress appropriately for the weather.  An umbrella or light raincoat are always a good idea just in case of a rain shower during summer too.

‘A History of Terror’ finishes by the Beacon of Hope on Oxford Street, just a 5 minute walk from the start.

‘Best of Belfast’ finishes at Belfast City Hall, where it starts.

The tours are between 1.5 and 1.75 miles long. Belfast city centre is flat and easy to walk.

Yes, Belfast city centre is completely flat and there are no steps or stairs anywhere on the tours.

Yes.  We love dogs!

Yes, but we do not have child prices.

Suitability for Children

‘A History of Terror’: We do not recommend the tour for children under 12, but it is at the parent’s discretion.  

‘Best of Belfast’.  There is no recommended minimum age for this tour.  

You do not need to buy a ticket for children under 12 unless you want them to have an audio headset to hear the guide more clearly during the tour.

All ages 12+ are subject to our standard pricing. If you have any further questions about bringing children please contact us.

We really recommend you book in advance. In high season, tours regularly sell out on the day of the tour and sometimes before. In low season, tours will be cancelled if no-one has booked by the previous day. So if you just turn up you run the risk of there being no tour running in low season, or no space on the tour in high season!  

But if you do risk it, we will happily bring you on the tour if there’s space. Just make sure to have cash to pay the guide at the end of the tour!

Tips are by no means obligatory, but if you feel that your guide has given you an amazing experience feel free to tip them. It will mean a lot to them!

On street parking in Belfast is limited to 2 hours and so is no use to you for the duration of the tour, except on Sundays when on street parking is totally free.

We recommend a choice of 2 high-rise carparks in the city centre: Hi-Park in High Street and Castlecourt Carpark.  Both are a 5 minute walk from city hall (where the tours start).  The High Street carpark is also convenient for the end point of both tours.  Parking should cost no more than £13-15 for 3 hours in either carpark. If you have any other questions about car parking, Visit Belfast has a good map of all city centre parking options.

The tours run rain or shine, please check the forecast and dress appropriately.  We have cancelled only a handful of tours due to either snow or storms in the last 8 years.

The Visit Belfast office in Donegall Square North (30m from where we meet) has a left luggage facility which costs a few pounds normally.  Visit Belfast opens every day at 9am except Sundays when it opens at 11am. They can answer any questions on storage directly. 

Sunday storage

On Sundays an alternative is the Irish Tour Tickets office on Great Victoria Street, approx. 500m from city hall which also offers a luggage facility.  Price is £5 we think?

Your guide will be wearing a black jacket or t-shirt with the ‘DC Tours’ logo on their left breast.  They don’t carry branded umbrellas because everyone else does.

In off season tours rarely sell-out and 6 to 10 guests is a typical number of guests.  In high season we will limit the tour group to a maximum of 25 guests normally.  We use the world class Vox Tour Guide Audio System to allow you to hear the guide clearly at all times, even in larger groups this makes for an excellent tour experience.

The tour begins at Belfast City Hall, which has accessible toilets for the public.  There is no dedicated comfort break during the tours, but if you let your guide know he will organise one for you at a convenient café.

Other public toilets

Belfast City council has a list of all public toilets in the city centre.

Please try to get to the meeting point 5 or 10 minutes before the start of your tour. It gives you a chance to find your guide and get to know them a bit before the tour starts, which is always nice.

What to do if you are late

If you do happen to be a few minutes late your tour should still be easily found just inside the grounds of City Hall. Your guide will still be giving an introduction to the group.

Once your guide has started their tour they will not be able to answer their mobile phone though! So if you are having problems finding them please call our office phone on +447716949460. We will try to direct you to your group and help you catch up with them.

No, there are no political murals or peacewalls in the city centre where the tour takes place.  ‘A History of Terror’ tells the story of the Troubles and path to peace. It visits seven locations in Belfast city where major events took place in the early 1970s. 

There are few physical reminders of the conflict left in the city centre these days. But Belfast’s history will be brought to life through your guide’s rich and detailed story-telling. This tour is undoubtedly the most meaningful and accurate way for you to discover the history of Belfast’s Troubles. 

You will discover some of the best examples of non-political street art in Belfast on the tour. And you’ll also witness the resilience and regeneration of Belfast and its people.

But I really want to see some murals!

If you REALLY want to see the murals and the peacewalls contact us for a private tour. You can also download our ‘Murals, Peacewalls & More’ Self-Guided Tour of West Belfast on our DC Tours Belfast app.

We understand – sometimes a cancellation is unavoidable. If you’ve booked directly with us, we offer a full refund if you cancel with more than 24 hours notice .  Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice or don’t show up. 

If you booked through another retailer or ticket seller (i.e. Viator, TripAdvisor Experiences, GetYourGuide, Musement, Tiquets etc) then you must contact them directly.

If you need to cancel a private or group tour, please refer to our Terms & Conditions for cancellations.

You can find all the nearest electric vehicle charging points in Belfast on this list from ZapMap. They also have a link to an interactive map on this page.