Selected Highlights
Creative Tours Belfast
Description
Music tours of Belfast are their speciality! Join your expert tour guide to be shown around cool music venues in the city to hear stories about our city’s music legends past and present, plus our rising stars. Take one of their tours to sample the ‘craic’ and vibrancy of Belfast and its music scene!
Creative Tours Belfast offers scheduled dates on two music walking tours, that are both delivered in association with Belfast’s music hub, the Oh Yeah Music Centre.
Book a scheduled walking tour with Creative Tours Belfast if you love music and the arts and want to explore a UNESCO City of Music that is bursting at the seams with music of many genres. Their tours showcase and involve visitors – including local people - in Belfast's vibrant music and arts scenes. With pre-arranged special visits to several venues, they help guests to see, hear and experience the music and creativity of Belfast.
Your guide will be experienced, qualified and fully insured, with a good sense of humour. They are passionate about their city and very knowledgeable about its history and about the current music and arts scene. Explore Belfast with one of them to discover links between the historic development of the town and city and its musical or literary heritage. You will visit special spots off the beaten track and see historic and contemporary music and arts venues. You will hear stories about many of the city’s super talented musicians and other artists – past and present. Interesting tales relating to historic buildings and important moments in history involving music will also be woven in. You’ll also get recommendations for current events and rising local stars.
While enjoying both hidden gems and popular visitor sights, tour guests will experience Belfast’s legendary ‘craic’ along the way!
Belfast Music Walking Tour
This is Creative Tours Belfast's most popular tour, delivered in association with the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast’s music hub. This tour lasts two and a half or three hours. Take a musical journey across the city to hear about the wealth of musical talent in Belfast across a wide range of genres, enjoying a specially curated music playlist along the way. From hip hop to classical and punk; opera to folk and electro pop - and everything in between – Belfast is alive with music, making it a vibrant city to live in or visit. You will visit cool venues, hear a host of behind-the-scenes stories, be introduced to our best-know musicians, including Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Ash, the Ulster Orchestra and James Galway, as well as to a host of rising stars currently based in Belfast. By the tour end we hope you’ll agree that Belfast really is a City of Music and deserves the prestigious UNESCO City of Music designation, awarded in November 2021.
The tour ends at the Oh Yeah Music Centre, in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, that houses a fascinating collection of music memorabilia in its NI Music Exhibition.
Book one of their three-hour tours - PLUS Performance – to enjoy a private performance just for the group at Oh Yeah by a talented local musician. These usually run on the first Saturday in a month.
Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour
Come explore the story of punk music in Belfast, a city where punk meant more, with your passionate punk music loving guide! From the late 1970s, Belfast punk has held a special place in music history, near and far. See legendary music venues associated with punk, as shown in the film ‘Good Vibrations’. Look at locations of the Good Vibrations record shop and label set up by Terri Hooley in the late 1970s. From the conflict era punk bands, you will also discover the punk collectives that kept the punk spirit going in Belfast from the mid 1980s. You’ll have fun, hear a great punk soundtrack along the way, and also discover the city’s great contemporary punk bands.
PRIVATE TOURS AVAILABLE TOO!
Creative Tours Belfast can arrange private walking, taxi or coach tours for you. Based on their Music, Punk Music - or any of their other tours listed - at a time and date to suit your schedule, and at competitive rates. Whether you are a couple, family or group of up to 20 people!
A tour can be tailored to meet your requirements: from 90 minutes in length to a full day, though two hours works well.
To enquire about any private walking, taxi or minibus tour for your group, please email creativetoursbelfast@gmail.com or ring Dolores +44 (0)7305 754028.
Private Tour Themes:
Historic Pubs, Cathedral Quarter
Book a private Historic Pubs tour, for a leisurely two hour exploration of some of the historic pubs of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter - the oldest part of the city!
Each pub you will hear about on this walking tour, from Kelly’s Cellars to the Dirty Onion, The Duke of York to White’s Tavern, and The Morning Star to McHugh’s, has fascinating tales and links to our city’s history that will be teased out. You’ll learn why several establishments claim the city’s ‘oldest pub’ title, which of them is in fact the oldest tavern – according to your Belfast Green Badge specialist guide - and what precisely the ‘oldest’ claims of some of the others relate to!
Exploring the oldest part of Belfast town before it became a city in 1888, you’ll hear about early merchants and importers, where secret societies met, the pick-up points for mail coaches, old jails, former whiskey warehouses, newspapers of long ago, and more.
Spinning Yarns, Exploring Belfast's Linen Quarter
A private guided walk of a vibrant Belfast district, combining heritage, entertainment, history, culture and craic!
From the heart of the linen industry in the 1800s, to a vibrant and distinct quarter in Belfast city centre today, this fun and informative walking tour links past and present, helping you see what’s on the streets in a new light and just how much there is to do and enjoy in this unique district.
Along the way, your experienced Belfast tour guide will share many entertaining ‘yarns’ - stories of people and events across 250 years that relate to what you are seeing. The leisurely route will take in buildings of impressive architecture, iconic entertainment venues, historic and quaint bars, exciting outdoor public spaces and markets, colourful street art, unique gems of shops, great places to eat and drink and much more.
Cathedral Quarter Arts Trail
The Cathedral Quarter of Belfast is now very much the city’s cultural quarter. It is also the heart of old Belfast the town.
Book this private tour for a thorough and fun exploration of its narrow entries, cross open squares, view historic and landmark buildings, to discover public sculptures and street art, learn about many of the city’s famous writers and hear about our wealth of current music.
Starting on Waring Street, opposite The Merchant Hotel, this two-hour tour will take in the Oh Yeah Music Centre, The MAC, Writer’s Square, Exchange Place, the ‘Four Corners’ and more.
Belfast’s Historic Entries, Street Art and Music
Explore the city’s oldest area, by the banks of the Lagan and Farset rivers, strolling through its narrow streets, known as ‘entries’. Belfast is one of the world’s top city destinations for colourful street art painted by both local and international artists. The modern street artworks in the entries shed light on many fascinating stories from Belfast’s past. You’ll also visit the city’s music hub to view its NI Music Exhibition and hear why Belfast is now a designated UNESCO City of Music.
The Merchants who Grew a City
A private walking tour focused on Belfast’s industrial heritage, that brings to life the stories of key early merchants who contributed to the industrial heritage of Belfast in the linen, shipbuilding, whiskey, and newspaper industries. Discover the important roles played in Belfast’s growth by its rivers and port.
Queen’s Quarter
This walking tour takes in the bustling area surrounding Queen’s University. The tour will begin by visiting the main campus of the university, examining some of its best-known and historic buildings. You will also walk around the beautiful Botanic Park with its Palm House and Tropical Ravine, see the Ulster Museum, and explore Botanic Village.
PRIVATE TOUR BY TAXI OR MINIBUS OPTION:
Belfast Creatives - Artists, Writers, Musicians:
Experience the Rich, Cultural Side of Belfast in a Private guided Taxi or Minibus tour.
Book this private taxi tour experience with a specialist music and arts tour guide to discover the best of Belfast’s talented visual artists, writers and musicians and the places around the city they are connected to! Tours can be tailored from two hour to four hours. A pick-up point can be arranged from your hotel or other city centre location. The longer the tour you book, the more you’ll see and enjoy.
On the tour you will see and hear about a range of sculptures across the city, much cool street art, lively art galleries and artist studios, and our the Turner Prize-winning Array Collective.
Many great writers across the centuries are associated with Belfast and you’ll visit spots associated with some of them. Become acquainted with Jonathan Swift and how this city influenced ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ – and visit C S Lewis Square to encounter characters from Narnia. You will see the new Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s to hear about our poets, including Nobel Prize recipient Seamus Heaney and Belfast’s poet laureate Sinead Morrissey. Plus, see some of the places written about by our contemporary, successful novelists, including Man Booker Prize winner Anna Burns. And we won’t forget our theatres and playwrights.
The taxi will also take you to see where a few of our best-known musicians were born, educated or first performed, including Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Ruby Murray and Gary Moore. You’ll see recent street art pieces recognising the importance of punk to Belfast, as well as passing some of the city’s iconic music venues. Your guide will outline what’s on during your stay - after all, Belfast is a designated UNESCO City of Music!
CONTACT:
To enquire about any private walking, taxi or minibus tour for your group, please email creativetoursbelfast@gmail.com or ring Dolores +44 (0)7305 754028.
About Your Tour Guide
Dolores Vischer of Creative Tours Belfast has lived in Belfast for much of her life and loves to show visitors why she is passionate about this special place. Dolores is a Belfast Green Badge Tourist Guide, a qualification awarded by the UK-wide Institute of Tourist Guiding (ITG). She is a member of ITG and also of the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association. She has a Masters Degree from the University of St Andrews in English with French and Spanish (and has reasonable spoken French and Spanish).
Dolores is a passionate and knowledgeable music and arts fan. She plays the Bodhran and drums and has both drummed and sung in bands, as well as singing in the Cathedral Quarter Choir and being a member of the OTH Music Collective. She published an arts and entertainment magazine in Belfast for a time and regularly attends a wide range of music and arts events.
- ‘Belfast Music Walking Tour’ This tour covers many genres, and once a month includes a private performance for guests by a local musician.
- The ‘Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour’ This tells the story of punk music in Belfast from the late 1970s right up to today’s punk bands.
Book a scheduled walking tour with Creative Tours Belfast if you love music and the arts and want to explore a UNESCO City of Music that is bursting at the seams with music of many genres. Their tours showcase and involve visitors – including local people - in Belfast's vibrant music and arts scenes. With pre-arranged special visits to several venues, they help guests to see, hear and experience the music and creativity of Belfast.
Your guide will be experienced, qualified and fully insured, with a good sense of humour. They are passionate about their city and very knowledgeable about its history and about the current music and arts scene. Explore Belfast with one of them to discover links between the historic development of the town and city and its musical or literary heritage. You will visit special spots off the beaten track and see historic and contemporary music and arts venues. You will hear stories about many of the city’s super talented musicians and other artists – past and present. Interesting tales relating to historic buildings and important moments in history involving music will also be woven in. You’ll also get recommendations for current events and rising local stars.
While enjoying both hidden gems and popular visitor sights, tour guests will experience Belfast’s legendary ‘craic’ along the way!
Belfast Music Walking Tour
This is Creative Tours Belfast's most popular tour, delivered in association with the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast’s music hub. This tour lasts two and a half or three hours. Take a musical journey across the city to hear about the wealth of musical talent in Belfast across a wide range of genres, enjoying a specially curated music playlist along the way. From hip hop to classical and punk; opera to folk and electro pop - and everything in between – Belfast is alive with music, making it a vibrant city to live in or visit. You will visit cool venues, hear a host of behind-the-scenes stories, be introduced to our best-know musicians, including Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Ash, the Ulster Orchestra and James Galway, as well as to a host of rising stars currently based in Belfast. By the tour end we hope you’ll agree that Belfast really is a City of Music and deserves the prestigious UNESCO City of Music designation, awarded in November 2021.
The tour ends at the Oh Yeah Music Centre, in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, that houses a fascinating collection of music memorabilia in its NI Music Exhibition.
Book one of their three-hour tours - PLUS Performance – to enjoy a private performance just for the group at Oh Yeah by a talented local musician. These usually run on the first Saturday in a month.
Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour
Come explore the story of punk music in Belfast, a city where punk meant more, with your passionate punk music loving guide! From the late 1970s, Belfast punk has held a special place in music history, near and far. See legendary music venues associated with punk, as shown in the film ‘Good Vibrations’. Look at locations of the Good Vibrations record shop and label set up by Terri Hooley in the late 1970s. From the conflict era punk bands, you will also discover the punk collectives that kept the punk spirit going in Belfast from the mid 1980s. You’ll have fun, hear a great punk soundtrack along the way, and also discover the city’s great contemporary punk bands.
PRIVATE TOURS AVAILABLE TOO!
Creative Tours Belfast can arrange private walking, taxi or coach tours for you. Based on their Music, Punk Music - or any of their other tours listed - at a time and date to suit your schedule, and at competitive rates. Whether you are a couple, family or group of up to 20 people!
A tour can be tailored to meet your requirements: from 90 minutes in length to a full day, though two hours works well.
To enquire about any private walking, taxi or minibus tour for your group, please email creativetoursbelfast@gmail.com or ring Dolores +44 (0)7305 754028.
Private Tour Themes:
Historic Pubs, Cathedral Quarter
Book a private Historic Pubs tour, for a leisurely two hour exploration of some of the historic pubs of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter - the oldest part of the city!
Each pub you will hear about on this walking tour, from Kelly’s Cellars to the Dirty Onion, The Duke of York to White’s Tavern, and The Morning Star to McHugh’s, has fascinating tales and links to our city’s history that will be teased out. You’ll learn why several establishments claim the city’s ‘oldest pub’ title, which of them is in fact the oldest tavern – according to your Belfast Green Badge specialist guide - and what precisely the ‘oldest’ claims of some of the others relate to!
Exploring the oldest part of Belfast town before it became a city in 1888, you’ll hear about early merchants and importers, where secret societies met, the pick-up points for mail coaches, old jails, former whiskey warehouses, newspapers of long ago, and more.
Spinning Yarns, Exploring Belfast's Linen Quarter
A private guided walk of a vibrant Belfast district, combining heritage, entertainment, history, culture and craic!
From the heart of the linen industry in the 1800s, to a vibrant and distinct quarter in Belfast city centre today, this fun and informative walking tour links past and present, helping you see what’s on the streets in a new light and just how much there is to do and enjoy in this unique district.
Along the way, your experienced Belfast tour guide will share many entertaining ‘yarns’ - stories of people and events across 250 years that relate to what you are seeing. The leisurely route will take in buildings of impressive architecture, iconic entertainment venues, historic and quaint bars, exciting outdoor public spaces and markets, colourful street art, unique gems of shops, great places to eat and drink and much more.
Cathedral Quarter Arts Trail
The Cathedral Quarter of Belfast is now very much the city’s cultural quarter. It is also the heart of old Belfast the town.
Book this private tour for a thorough and fun exploration of its narrow entries, cross open squares, view historic and landmark buildings, to discover public sculptures and street art, learn about many of the city’s famous writers and hear about our wealth of current music.
Starting on Waring Street, opposite The Merchant Hotel, this two-hour tour will take in the Oh Yeah Music Centre, The MAC, Writer’s Square, Exchange Place, the ‘Four Corners’ and more.
Belfast’s Historic Entries, Street Art and Music
Explore the city’s oldest area, by the banks of the Lagan and Farset rivers, strolling through its narrow streets, known as ‘entries’. Belfast is one of the world’s top city destinations for colourful street art painted by both local and international artists. The modern street artworks in the entries shed light on many fascinating stories from Belfast’s past. You’ll also visit the city’s music hub to view its NI Music Exhibition and hear why Belfast is now a designated UNESCO City of Music.
The Merchants who Grew a City
A private walking tour focused on Belfast’s industrial heritage, that brings to life the stories of key early merchants who contributed to the industrial heritage of Belfast in the linen, shipbuilding, whiskey, and newspaper industries. Discover the important roles played in Belfast’s growth by its rivers and port.
Queen’s Quarter
This walking tour takes in the bustling area surrounding Queen’s University. The tour will begin by visiting the main campus of the university, examining some of its best-known and historic buildings. You will also walk around the beautiful Botanic Park with its Palm House and Tropical Ravine, see the Ulster Museum, and explore Botanic Village.
PRIVATE TOUR BY TAXI OR MINIBUS OPTION:
Belfast Creatives - Artists, Writers, Musicians:
Experience the Rich, Cultural Side of Belfast in a Private guided Taxi or Minibus tour.
Book this private taxi tour experience with a specialist music and arts tour guide to discover the best of Belfast’s talented visual artists, writers and musicians and the places around the city they are connected to! Tours can be tailored from two hour to four hours. A pick-up point can be arranged from your hotel or other city centre location. The longer the tour you book, the more you’ll see and enjoy.
On the tour you will see and hear about a range of sculptures across the city, much cool street art, lively art galleries and artist studios, and our the Turner Prize-winning Array Collective.
Many great writers across the centuries are associated with Belfast and you’ll visit spots associated with some of them. Become acquainted with Jonathan Swift and how this city influenced ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ – and visit C S Lewis Square to encounter characters from Narnia. You will see the new Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s to hear about our poets, including Nobel Prize recipient Seamus Heaney and Belfast’s poet laureate Sinead Morrissey. Plus, see some of the places written about by our contemporary, successful novelists, including Man Booker Prize winner Anna Burns. And we won’t forget our theatres and playwrights.
The taxi will also take you to see where a few of our best-known musicians were born, educated or first performed, including Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Ruby Murray and Gary Moore. You’ll see recent street art pieces recognising the importance of punk to Belfast, as well as passing some of the city’s iconic music venues. Your guide will outline what’s on during your stay - after all, Belfast is a designated UNESCO City of Music!
CONTACT:
To enquire about any private walking, taxi or minibus tour for your group, please email creativetoursbelfast@gmail.com or ring Dolores +44 (0)7305 754028.
About Your Tour Guide
Dolores Vischer of Creative Tours Belfast has lived in Belfast for much of her life and loves to show visitors why she is passionate about this special place. Dolores is a Belfast Green Badge Tourist Guide, a qualification awarded by the UK-wide Institute of Tourist Guiding (ITG). She is a member of ITG and also of the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association. She has a Masters Degree from the University of St Andrews in English with French and Spanish (and has reasonable spoken French and Spanish).
Dolores is a passionate and knowledgeable music and arts fan. She plays the Bodhran and drums and has both drummed and sung in bands, as well as singing in the Cathedral Quarter Choir and being a member of the OTH Music Collective. She published an arts and entertainment magazine in Belfast for a time and regularly attends a wide range of music and arts events.
Top Reasons To Visit
- Specialist expertise in music, especially the current scene across many genres and can give recommendations for what's on.
- Their tours are fun and entertaining – weaving in stories of local people past and present.
- Music tours often end with a private performance by a local rising star of our music scene.
- Meet and talk to local people and gain access to places you mightn’t otherwise find.
- Your guide is passionate about the music & arts of Belfast, fully-insured & holds an internationally-recognised qualification.
Contact Details
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