Travel Books About Belfast And Northern Ireland
Before any visit to a new place, it’s a good idea to read up about the destination that you are going to be exploring.
By getting a feel for the place's history and culture, you are sure to appreciate everything the area has to offer.
That’s why we have created this list of the best travel books about Belfast and Northern Ireland so you can read about the area's fascinating history before you even step foot on the ground.
Belfast and Northern Ireland are synonymous with the Troubles, but they certainly offer far more than that. Reading books on Northern Ireland before arriving in the country will give you a good sense of the history and present of this fascinating country.
So, let’s dive into: Travel Books about Belfast and Northern Ireland
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Informative Travel Guide Books about Belfast and Northern Ireland
We start by outlining some of the most informative travel guide books that will aid your trip to Northern Ireland and the capital city of Belfast.
Lonely Planet Experience Ireland
Lonely Planet celebrated its 50th year of producing informative travel guides in 2023, having first started writing in 1973. Nowadays, they are industry leaders in creating unique and revealing guidebooks.
Their Experience Ireland edition is no different in this regard - while a significant proportion of the book focuses on Ireland, there are very healthy chapters on Ulster, Northern Ireland and Belfast, making it an essential item for your trip North of the border.
Lonely Planet guidebooks have always provided great recommendations of places to stay in an area, too, so if you’re looking for the best hostels in Belfast or perhaps one of the best places to stay in the Titanic Quarter of the city, then Experience Ireland will be able to help you out.
Snapshot Northern Ireland - Rick Steves
It is a very welcome addition to the travel literature space when a book focuses entirely on highlighting Northern Ireland rather than adding it as a footnote to a travel guidebook about the whole of Ireland.
Rick Steves excellently captures Northern Ireland's highlights in this brilliant, compact guidebook.
Snapshot Northern Ireland has unique sections on Belfast, the Antrim Coast, Derry, Donegal and much more. It even features self-guided tour suggestions, helping you get the most out of your trip to Northern Ireland.
Fodor’s Essential Ireland: with Belfast and Northern Ireland
The newest edition of Fodor’s Essential Ireland is jam-packed with handy recommendations and tips for visiting Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Littered with colourful photos throughout, Essential Ireland is exactly what the cover depicts - an essential item for all visits to Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland.
Whether you’re planning a visit to Belfast Castle or want to discover all the incredible Games of Thrones locations in Northern Ireland, this book will certainly help you on your way.
Captivating Travel Writing Books about Belfast and Northern Ireland
Travel writing books may not be as descriptive or informational as a guidebook, but they do provide a much better picture of what the people and the place will look like once you’re on the ground.
So here are a few suggestions for the best travel writing books about Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Round Ireland with a Fridge - Tony Hawks
Ok, so we admit that this suggestion doesn’t exactly cover much of Northern Ireland, or any of Belfast for that matter. But what this amazing book by the comedian Tony Hawks does provide, however, is a beautiful capture of the Irish people and what it’s like to visit the Emerald Isle.
The book is loosely based on Hawks’ adventures in Ireland after waking one morning to discover he’d lost a drunken bet to hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge within one month.
The tale is absurd and the result is a fantastically hysterical read that you won’t be able to put down. If you’re looking for a great travel book about Ireland, then look no further than Round Ireland with a Fridge.
Belfast: City of Light - Bronagh Lawson
Having been involved in cross-border development schemes and cross-community programmes, Bronagh Lawson constantly saw a side to Belfast that she felt didn’t truly characterise the entire city.
In a quest to see the light in a city of darkness, Bronagh, a non-churchgoer, she embraced her artistic roots by visiting every church service in Belfast.
Belfast: City of Light is her journey through the spiritual side of a deeply misunderstood city. One of the best books on Northern Ireland, it provides a glimpse into a side of Belfast that many don’t often get to see - no wonder it has made our list of travel books about Belfast and Northern Ireland, then.
Belfast City Hall
Best books about the Troubles in Belfast and Northern Ireland
Despite great strides being made in Northern Ireland and Belfast in recent years, the two are still forever associated with the Troubles - the brutal civil war between Catholics and Protestants that began in the late 1960s and continued until the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998.
Today, many remnants and reminders of the Troubles remain in the city - including the best political black taxi tour of Belfast that takes you to all the major locations of the Troubles - which is why it is a good idea to read up about the bloody events before arriving in the city.
One of our most valuable pieces of Belfast travel advice is to learn a little about the city's history before you arrive. So, here’s our rundown of a few suggestions for the best books about the Troubles in Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Making Sense of the Troubles - David McKittrick and David McVea
Northern Ireland descended into violence in the late 1960s, and for 3 gruelling decades, the country continued to be at war with itself.
Making Sense of the Troubles highlights the causal roots of the troubles dating back to the 1920s and the significant events of the war and the aftermath.
It is a vastly important book about Belfast and Northern Ireland, as it helps you get to grips with the tumultuous history of the country and its famous capital city.
Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy
The Titanic and Belfast are inextricably linked, with the city being the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous maritime vessels. Belfast is even home to the wonderful Titanic Museum, housing the world’s largest collection of Titanic Memorabilia and artefacts.
Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy is an encyclopaedic volume that showcases the entire story of the famous ship, from its original construction in Belfast to its horrific demise in the Atlantic Ocean.
Whether you’re a Titanic enthusiast or not, this book's importance in highlighting Belfast and Northern Ireland’s role in creating the Titanic cannot be underestimated.
Famous black taxis lining up outside Belfast City Hall
Fictional Books set in Belfast and Northern Ireland
We round out our collection of the best travel books about Belfast and Northern Ireland by showcasing some of the all-time great fictional works set in these iconic locations.
Resurrection Man - Eoin McNamee
Originally published in 1994 as the grim events were still unfolding, Resurrection Man is a fictional account of the Troubles following the Protestant Paramilitary group the Shankill Butchers.
Despite being McNamee’s debut novel, Resurrection Man was widely praised for being not only a brilliantly thrilling read but also a profoundly important book, as it was one of the first novels to be set during the Troubles.
Eureka Street - Robert McLiam Wilson
Another novel set in Belfast during the Troubles, Eureka Street, introduces the lives of Chuckie Lurgan and Jake Jackson - a Protestant and a Catholic - as they try to navigate their friendship through the toughest of times.
The book is a brilliant tribute to the spirit and determination of Belfast and its people - People determined to flourish in the city’s darkest hour.
There we have it folks, a complete round-up of all the best travel books to inspire your next trip to Belfast and Northern Ireland. Reading books on Northern Ireland and Belfast help you to get a sense of the place before you arrive so we hope you have managed to find a suitable suggestion or two of the best travel books about Northern Ireland and Belfast to add to your reading collection.
