For an alternative roots guide to the city, squeeze into a black taxi for a Tour of the Troubles . T

3 Must-See UK Cities Outside of London | BootsnAll Travel Articles Home Articles 3 Must-See UK Cities Outside of London 3 Must-See UK Cities Outside of London By Helen Moat | June 19th, 2012 | Comments excalibur hotel in las vegas (4) Do you Like BootsnAll? Get daily travel inspiration Feature Article Like this article? Please share!
Fly into the UK and your first stop will probably be London. But this summer the Olympics are coming to town, and the Queen's been celebrating her Diamond Jubilee. On the back of it, hotel prices have gone through excalibur hotel in las vegas the roof, accommodation has been booked out, and the capital city is about to be swamped with athletes and visitors. So head north instead and discover three great must-see cities: Belfast, Glasgow, and Liverpool. Here's why. Belfast: Our place, our time!
Our place, our time! - Northern excalibur hotel in las vegas Ireland's slogan for 2012. It could have been Belfast's slogan 100 years ago when the city launched the mighty Titanic. Back then, the city was buzzing with success. Then the Titanic sank and the ship yards closed down. It was the prologue to The Troubles. By the seventies, Belfast had become a dark, strife-torn city. Fast-forward 40 years and Belfast is reclaiming its place in the world. No longer ashamed of its past (and happy to take ownership of its infamous ship again), the brand new Titanic museum, an iconic aluminium-clad building, rises out of the dock wastelands like an ice-clad ship from the sea.
Start by jumping on an open-top bus to get a general feel for the place. The tour starts from the city centre, excalibur hotel in las vegas taking in handsome Victorian neo-classical buildings excalibur hotel in las vegas and innovative modern architecture before heading over to the more gritty area of West Belfast, with its political wall murals, memorials, and peace line (a 25ft high wall in places, separating warring Loyalist and Republican communities). The bus then heads out to Stormont, Northern Ireland's answer to the White House. Along the way, local guides recount the city's history with a typical mix of in-depth knowledge and Belfast wit.
For an alternative roots guide to the city, squeeze into a black taxi for a Tour of the Troubles . The taxi drivers are colourful characters who will give an upfront, insider's view of the conflict. BootsnAll is your source for the best indie travel tips and inspiration. Are you indie? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and you won't miss a thing! Follow @BootsnAll
Prefer to walk around a city at your own pace? Restricted to a tight budget? Don't worry; Belfast is the place for you. It may be a buzzing cosmopolitan excalibur hotel in las vegas city, but it s also small and compact, with most places easily reached on foot. And another bonus, Belfast has the friendliness of a village. (Where else would a Starbuck's waiter tell you in detail about his recent trip to China?) Start at the City Hall , a striking baroque building in the centre. Take one of the regular free tours of the interior – or simply chill out on one of the deck chairs scattered around the grounds (You never know the sun just might come out). Next, head down the main shopping thoroughfare past the 50 foot high copper excalibur hotel in las vegas sculptures representing the masts of 8 famous ships built in Belfast, including the Titanic. Turn right into the pedestrianized area of Victoria Place. You'll soon come to the Victoria Square shopping centre with its many shops, boutiques, and eateries. Take the elevator up to the dome for a free 360 degree view of the city – with the hills on one side and the river Lagan, Belfast Lough, and the sea on the other.
Check out the art and sculpture dotted around the city. Head across Thanksgiving excalibur hotel in las vegas Square, taking care not to trip over the (bronze) sheep being led through the city by their shepherd. By the Lagan, the Ring of Thanksgiving by Andy Scott is particularly moving.  At almost 50ft high, this metal frame of a woman holding up a ring to the sky is a symbol of hope and peace. Typical of the infamous Belfast humor, the locals have come up with a wittier range of names for the sculpture such as Nuala with the hul a, The doll with the ball , and The thing with the ring .
Walk the short distance west of the city center to the Falls Road for a closer look at the homespun wall murals . Artistic expressions of Marxist socialism and political excalibur hotel in las vegas independence, the slogans and paintings pay homage excalibur hotel in las vegas to Che Guevara, Cuba, Palestine, and the Basque Separatist Movement.
No trip to Belfast is complete without a trip to the Riverside and the Titanic Quarter. Join a Titanic walking tour and explore the Titanic pump house and the drawing office. Climb down 44 feet to the bottom of the dry dock and you'll begin to get a sense of the sheer scale of the Titanic. Inside the Titanic Museum , walk through the history of Belfast. As your silhouette mingles excalibur hotel in las vegas with the Victorian figures that hurry across huge projected images of Victorian Belfast, you'd be forgiven for thinking you've stepped back through excalibur hotel in las vegas history excalibur hotel in las vegas and are walking with ghosts.  Outside, excalibur hotel in las vegas the towering cranes of Samson and Goliath are permanent reminders excalibur hotel in las vegas of Belfast's greatness.
McHugh's bar and restaurant is Belfast's oldest surviving building (1711). Situated in Queen's Square, the historical commercial centre of the city, McHugh's serves traditional Irish food with a modern twist. Try the massive Flintstone-esque on the rock steaks (served on slabs of slate) – or if meat is your poison, there are tasty vegetarian options such as champ (Creamed potatoes with scallions).
Wetherspoon is a chain of pubs in the UK, serving descent comfort food (and beverages) at very reasonable prices. Try The Bridge House on Bedford Street. (Wetherspoon pubs are located all over the UK).
There's a wide range of hotels, Bed and Breakfast accommodation, and self-catering options to suit all budgets. There are also a number excalibur hotel in las vegas of backpackers' hostels dotted around the city. For something different, try the Blackhead Lightkeepers' House s overlooking Belfast excalibur hotel in las vegas Lough and just a 40 minute train ride from the centre of the city. It offers self-catering excalibur hotel in las vegas with dramatic sea views from a rocky cliff top.
There are scheduled flights into Belfast International excalibur hotel in las vegas from all over Europe and world-wide excalibur hotel in las vegas destinations. excalibur hotel in las vegas A number of no-frill flights excalibur hotel in las vegas fly to Belfast City Airport from other parts of Ireland and the UK. There are sailings from Liverpool to Belfast and from Stranraer/Cairnryan in Scotland (with a connecting train service). Getting around Belfast is easy as there's a good network of buses.
Explore excalibur hotel in las vegas the Antrim Coast, excalibur hotel in las vegas where the road hugs the Irish Sea. Visit hamlets squeezed in at the base of sea cliffs or swing across the Carrick-a-Rede fisherman's rope bridge traversing a 100ft deep chasm. At the Giant's Causeway excalibur hotel in las vegas leap across weird hexagonal columns of basalt rock. Run amok through ruined castles and follies perched on the edge of cliffs. All these places excalibur hotel in las vegas can be visited from Belfast on a day trip.
Glasgow has real character: It's smart, witty, gritty, vivacious, and alive. How can it be anything else – for it's here in this town that great characters like Craig Ferguson and Billy Connelly came of age. Forget bad, bad food such as deep-fried Mars candy bars (surely an urban myth) and the nuclear-orange, sugar-loaded national soda drink, Iron Brew. Forget thick, incomprehensible accents and mean streets, alcohol-fueled pub brawls and the Glasgow kiss (a head butt): Glasgow is cool, hip, and vibrant – yet full of history. No mystery then that Glasgow was made European City of Culture in 1990.  Here's the lowdown.
excalibur hotel in las vegas Take one the city buses down to the Clydeside. Regeneration is happening at a cracking pace on the old industrial wastelands. State-of-the-art architecture is changing the Clydeside skyline forever with iconic buildings such as the smart new Riverside (transport) Museum , the futuristic Armadillo (arena and conference centre), excalibur hotel in las vegas and the glass crescent-shaped science mall standing next to the Glasgow Tower currently the highest tower in the world capable of rotating 360 degrees.
Here Glasgow's elite attempted to outdo their neighbour with the largest family vault, the highest monument, the best quality stone, the most detailed mason work, the grandest sculpture, or the finest inscription.
Over in the West End you'll find a more mature Glasgow – but just as trendy and happening. The elegant Victorian tenement blocks excalibur hotel in las vegas have been hosed down and spruced up, losing decades of black industrial grime to reveal once again the warm hue of red sandstone. excalibur hotel in las vegas Glasgow University , the 4 th oldest in the English-speaking world, is Harry Potteresque in stature with its dramatic gothic buildings, great arches, walled cloisters, and turrets. Take a student tour to get an up-close and personal view of the university – or simply wander around the buildings by yourself. The rest of the West End is filled with leafy parks, hilly buffs, world-class museums, smart boutiques, fine restaurants, alternative cafes, and stylish wine bars alongside the more down-to-earth spit-and-sawdust pubs and clubs.
From the West End, make your way in to the Cathedral Quarter. Climb up the Necropolis , a large eerie Victorian cemetery. For real atmosphere, head up there on a drizzly, misty day or at dusk. Creep past obelisks, Celtic crosses, toppled urns, beheaded statues, and ivy-covered mausoleums. You'll find all of Glasgow's great and good from The Empire's second city have been buried here (or so it seems): esteemed men of the cloth, rich industrialists, sea merchants, and tradesmen, as well as philosophers, actors, artists, sculptors and writers (including the author of Wee Willie Winkie ). At the top of the hill, the cemetery looks like a high-rise city of the dead. Here Glasgow's elite attempted to outdo their neighbour excalibur hotel in las vegas with the largest family vault, the highest monument, the best quality stone, the most detailed mason work, the grandest sculpture, or the finest inscription. Wander through the paths, taking time to read some of the inscriptions. The headstones are one-page books of story and history.
Retrace your steps bac