Best Black Taxi Tour Of Belfast
Belfast is a modern, vibrant city similar to any other city in the United Kingdom.
It has a thriving cafe culture and an up-and-coming food scene and is also gaining a reputation for being one of the best places to visit on a European city break.
It hasn’t always been this way, though - Belfast is infamously the city where civil war, known by most as ‘the Troubles’, ravaged the city from the late 1960s until the Good Friday agreement took place in 1998.
The best way to learn more about the troubled history of the capital of Northern Ireland is to embark on a black taxi tour of Belfast.
During the tour, you will be taken to all of the major sites of the Troubles, visit political murals and hear recounts of people who lived through the most destructive era in recent Northern Ireland memory.
So, let’s dive into: Best Black Taxi Tour of Belfast
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Black Taxi Tour of Belfast Overview
How long is the tour? Tour typically lasts between 1-1.5 hours
Main Highlights: Falls Road; Shanklin Road; Europa Hotel; Political Murals
Meeting Point: Jurys Inn Belfast, Great Victoria Street - meet at the hotel front doors
Easiest way to book: Online - Belfast: Political Taxi Tour
Black Taxi Tour of Belfast
As we have mentioned, the black taxi tour of Belfast is an ideal way of discovering the city's history. The tour showcases the Troubles and is often led by a local who experienced the Troubles firsthand.
Your driver will have lived through the Troubles and will be able to provide a firsthand account of the Troubles’ effect on the people living there and the city of Belfast as a whole.
The black taxi tour is one of the most popular things to do in Belfast and has even been experienced by the late famous chef and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain.
Black taxis lined up outside Belfast City Hall
What do you see on the Belfast Black Taxi Tour?
While the taxi tour takes you all around Belfast, it focuses on the areas where most conflicts played out - mainly the Falls Road and Shanklin Road.
During the tour, you will be taken to see the Peace Lines, or Peace Walls, as they are often referred to. The Peace walls are a series of barriers separated the predominantly Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods.
The Europa Hotel is one of the highlights of the taxi tour, gaining notoriety throughout the Troubles and given the unwanted status of being ‘the most bombed hotel in Europe’.
Of course, no Belfast tour would be complete without viewing the many political murals that are dotted throughout the city, each portraying its own story when it comes to the city’s past and, indeed, its present.
Top tip: it is worth noting that there isn’t a fixed itinerary for the taxi tour. Ask your driver as many questions as possible and let them know if there is a certain aspect of the Troubles, or the city more widely, that you would like the tour to focus on. The black taxi tour is very flexible!
Black Taxi Tour of Belfast Price
The black taxi tour of Belfast prices varies slightly depending on how many you have in your group and which company you choose to book through.
For the best rates, however, we would recommend booking with GetYourGuide - they are a hugely reputable online travel agency that offers tours all over Europe and worldwide.
Here is a quick breakdown of the estimated costs of the black taxi tour of Belfast through GetYourGuide:
1-person - £65 - £65pp
2-people - £65 - £32.50pp
3-people - £90 - £30pp
4-people - £100 - £25pp
*Prices can vary and fluctuate; this is just a rough estimate
**For groups larger than 6, the price may increase per person as you must hire more than one taxi.
Peace Mural - one of the highlights of the Belfast Black Taxi Tour
How to book tickets for the Best Belfast Black Taxi Tour
The easiest, most stress-free way of booking tickets for the Belfast Black Taxi Tour is to buy them online here through Viator.
You choose the number of people and the date of your tour and pick a starting time - it really is that simple.
To make it even easier, you can use this handy table below to see availability and prices for the date you intend to take the Black Taxi Tour:
Once you have secured your tickets, you will be given a meeting point in Belfast where the driver will pick you up and start the tour from. Typically this meeting point is the Jurys Inn Hotel in central Belfast but this can differ, so be sure to read your confirmation correctly.
There we have it, folks, a conclusive round-up of the Best Belfast Black Taxi Tour - the best way to discover the unique recent history of the city of Belfast from those who lived through the Troubles.
The Black Taxi Tour is one of the most popular things to do in Belfast, and we hope this article has introduced you to everything you need to know prior to booking the tour.
Want to learn more about the history of Belfast? Some of the best travel books about Belfast and Northern Ireland include historical works on the conflict and Troubles within the region.
Bonus Belfast Travel Tips
Here are some links to articles that we think will come in handy for your upcoming trip to Belfast.
Titanic Museum Guide - everything you need to know about visiting Titanic Belfast
How to visit Belfast Castle - step-by-step guide on how to get to Belfast Castle in North Belfast
Best Tours in Belfast - embarking on a tour is the best way to discover everything Belfast has to offer
How to get from Belfast International Airport to Belfast City Centre
