The Cathedral Quarter, Belfast

The historic heart of Belfast, the Cathedral Quarter has shaken off its cobwebs to become the city's up and coming cultural hotspot. These cobbled streets are dotted with gems of all kinds, from the culinary to the architectural, plus a few surprises.

Taking in a cathedral, art college, newspaper offices and colourful pubs, this area has long been rich in historical, political and artistic character. Magnificent St. Anne's Cathedral is the focal point. A fine example of the Hiberno-Romanesque, the cathedral took 77 years to be completed (building began 1889). However, the nave was consecrated in 1904. The most remarkable features are the work of the Martin sisters, Gertrude and Mary, who spent seven years crafting a mosaic of angel musicians and used 150,000 glass fragments for a ceiling representing creation.

Inspired perhaps by the legendary 1792 Harp Festival when Ireland's finest musicians convened in The Assembly Rooms on Donegall Street, the Cathedral Quarter has a dynamic arts scene. Each May the Quarter hosts a cutting edge festival, with the emphasis on bringing arts to unorthodox places: poetry readings in cafes such as The Arcadia, plays in pubs, exhibitions in shops. even a circus on the street. Every year the festival attracts artists of greater international stature and audiences have doubled.

Local galleries, events and centres include: Catalyst Arts, Factotum, Belfast Exposed (contemporary photography), Belfast Print Workshop, Belfast Film Festival, the Belfast Circus School, Community Arts Forum and Northern Visions Media Centre.

Belfast Music and Nightlife

Music ranges from traditional at the Duke of York to local emerging bands at the Front Page. There's pubs aplenty, including the smart Northern Whig, and the John Hewitt (famous for lunches and impromptu readings). Nick's Warehouse was one of the first restaurants to move in, and is still much-loved, now joined by Ba Soba Noodle Bar.

The best of Belfast's fab clubs are right at home in the Quarter, including Rain and The Kremlin, which has a reputation as one of the UK's top gay venues and attracts sophisticated clubbers from throughout the British Isles. If Belfast is gaining a reputation as a smart destination for the cosmopolitan and culturally-aware, the Cathedral Quarter can take much of the credit.

Accommodation in Belfast