Watching the World Cup 2014 in Northern Ireland

I booked a trip to Belfast and to Northern Ireland a long way back, and now I realised that I will be in Belfast during the World Cup 2014. As a football enthusiast I want to watch every single match of the World Cup, but how can I do so in Northern Ireland? Who will send and broadcast the different matches?

If you come to Northern Ireland you will have no problem watching the World Cup 2014, as you will be in a country packed with football crazy people who just like you, want to watch all matches from the World Cup. In the United Kingdom there are two channels that will broadcast from the World Cup, BBC and ITV. In general these channels will be available to everyone, so if you check out the TV in your hotel room in Belfast you will easily be able to watch all the matches from the World Cup 2014 live. If you want some more action, then you could of course go out and visit a pub or restaurant around in Belfast, and watch the matches there, accompanied by lots of football freaks from Belfast and tourists just like yourself!

If you want to watch the matches on your tablet or on your computer from your hotel room, then the situation will be somewhat different. Since you are in the UK and in Belfast, that should not be a problem, but if you for example take a day trip to Dublin and find out that you still want to watch the matches on UK TV, meaning either ITV or BBC, then you will need to get yourself an IP address in the UK, which again will make it possible for you to watch the matches online. Find out how you can watch the World Cup 2014 on ITV from abroad and how to watch the World Cup 2014 on BBC from abroad.

Now it is just to look forward to the tournament, and as you understand, you have no reason to worry, because during the World Cup there will be football on every single screen both in hotels, restaurants, pubs and on tablets and computer all around!

The best five star hotel in Belfast!

I am looking for a five star hotel in Belfast. Which is the best five star hotel in Belfast?

Thank you for the question. Belfast is a quite easy city to write about, because while there are almost 40 five star hotels in Prague, Belfast only has two, maximum three. The reason we say two, or three, is that there is a third option which is Victoria Apartments, a bit outside the city center, so we will not really take that into consideration in this post. So, the two hotels to choose between is Hilton Belfast and The Merchant Hotel.

Hilton Belfast or The Merchant hotel?

Hilton Belfast

Hilton Belfast is very central, only a few minutes from the center of Belfast. It looks towards the Logan river, and if you come for a concert in the Odyssey Arena that venue is only 15 minutes away on foot. Hilton takes quite a high charge for using the wireless Internet, so be aware of that as you do your booking. The hotel also has a nice restaurant, a cocktail bar and a fitness center on the inside.

Hilton Belfast
Hilton Belfast

The Merchant Hotel

The Merchant Hotel has for a long time been known to be one of the best hotels in all of the United Kingdom. It has a rooftop gym, it has SPA facilities, it has free wireless Internet, and a beautiful interior, especially the big dining hall. It is located very close to the Albert Memorial Clock, meaning that it only takes a few minutes and you are there in the busy shopping streets of Belfast.

The Merchant Hotel Belfast
The Merchant Hotel Belfast

Final conclusion

If we had to make a decision, we would for sure go for The Merchant Hotel in Belfast. It simply is better than Hilton, it has more class, it has cooler services available, and it simply is one of the best hotels in all of the United Kingdom. But, if you find Hilton to be much cheaper, then that is of course a splendid choice still, so you should not feel sad if you end up staying in Hilton instead of The Merchant Hotel, and thus saving a lot of money.

Find out which is the best five star hotel in Amsterdam!

Opening times in Belfast during Easter

Hello! I am considering visiting Belfast during Easter, but I wonder whether everything is closed throughout Easter, of if shops, restaurants and attractions will be open.

First of all thank you for the question. Things are in general open in Belfast throughout most of the Easter holidays. Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays, and Easter Sunday is also a day when things are closed. But,, the fact that the Friday and the Monday are bank holidays, does not mean that nothing happens. On both days most shopping malls, restaurants and stores will remain open, and the same is true also for the most important Belfast attractions. However, on Easter Sunday shops will be closed throughout the entire day.

So what can be done on Easter Sunday in Belfast? Our best advice is to use the day to visit the fantastic Titanic museum.

Påske i Belfast

If you have more Easter in Belfast related questions, or maybe some insight and advices on the subject of Easter in Belfast, write a comment and share what is on your mind!

How to get from Belfast Central to city center?

I will be arriving with train from Dublin next week, and wonder how to get from Belfast Central (railway station) to the city center, using public transportation if needed?

A transfer from the railway station to the city center is included in your railway ticket from Dublin, so you can jump on any bus going from the city center of Belfast outside the railway station and travel with this. It is not really a distance, so with bus it takes 2 minutes, on foot it takes 10 minutes. Most important is to walk to the left as you get out of the railway station, follow the main road and after a while you will get to the City Hall… and then you are there, in the centre of Belfast.