Belfast: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Belfast is a city of 348,005 people in United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), 7 m (23 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Belfast International Airport (BFS), 20 km (12 mi) from the centre. It has a dozen or more railway stations on record, including Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station.
Key facts
Daylight in Belfast runs from about 7 h 20 min a day in late December to 17 h 22 min in late June (computed for 54.6° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Belfast is served by 4 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Belfast International Airport (BFS), 20 km (12 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,121 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD, 4 km), City of Derry Airport (LDY, 93 km), Campbeltown Airport (CAL, 95 km).
Flights to Belfast: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Belfast Great Victoria Street railway station, City Hospital railway station, Botanic railway station, Balmoral railway station, Sydenham railway station, Adelaide and Windsor railway station. Trains to Belfast
Buses to Belfast · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Titanic Belfast | 650,000 | — |
| The Naughton Gallery at Queen's | 16,000 | — |
The busiest is Titanic Belfast at 650,000 visitors. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Belfast
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Birmingham, 355 km — flights · trains · buses
- Dublin, 142 km (Ireland) — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Glasgow, 176 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Manchester, 271 km — tours
- Sheffield, 321 km
- Leeds, 298 km — tours
- Edinburgh, 229 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Liverpool, 233 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Cardiff, 392 km
- Leicester, 384 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Bonn, Hefei, Guadalajara.
Common questions
Which airport serves Belfast?
Belfast International Airport (BFS), 20 km (12 mi) from the centre, plus 3 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Belfast?
About 348,005 people live in Belfast, across 115 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Belfast in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Belfast?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
Which cities are near Belfast?
Birmingham (355 km), Dublin (142 km), Glasgow (176 km), Manchester (271 km), Sheffield (321 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.