Belfast Mural Tour: Republican & Loyalist Black Taxi, 2 Hours

The guides are the taxi drivers who transported their communities through the bullets and bombs.

A 2-hour black taxi tour of Belfast's Republican and Loyalist murals, led by drivers who lived through the Troubles. You travel through Falls Road and Shankill, see the Bobby Sands Mural and the peace walls that still divide neighborhoods, and stop at Crumlin Road Gaol where both communities were held together during 30 years of conflict. Pickup is included from Belfast city center.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Falls Road Belfast20m
2. Shankill40m
3. Crumlin Road Gaolpassing by

Explore Belfast's political murals and history

• Visit Belfast International Mural Wall
• See Bobby Sands Mural
• Photo stop at Republican remembrance garden
• Visit Clonard Monastery
• Walk around Shankill and see loyalist murals
• Explore Belfast Peacewalls and sign Berlin walls
• Pass by old Victorian jail in Shankill

The experience

Belfast's murals are not decoration. They mark territory, tell political history, and cover nearly every wall in the Republican and Loyalist neighborhoods. Your guide is one of the original black cab drivers who had to navigate their communities through the violence of the Troubles, and they explain what each image means: the IRA and UVF symbols, the international solidarity murals for Palestine, Cuba and the ANC painted on the International Mural Wall, the massive H-block hunger strike statue outside the Republican remembrance garden. The murals change with world news, so the wall carries about 40 different images at any time.

The tour moves between Falls Road and Shankill, the two neighborhoods that define Belfast's divided past. On Falls Road you stand in front of the Bobby Sands Mural, a portrait of the IRA volunteer and hunger striker whose death became a turning point in Irish Republican history. On Shankill you walk past the Victorian terraces where loyalist murals cover the cable walls of houses, and your guide explains how the people here fought to remain British through 900 years of English rule. Both sides meet at Clonard Monastery, where political leaders held secret talks before the peace framework went public, and at the peace walls: structures over 25 km long that physically separate the communities and still stand as a reminder of how recently the conflict ended.

Crumlin Road Gaol held both Republican and Loyalist prisoners together during the Troubles, and you walk past the old Victorian jail as your guide goes into detail about who was held there and what that meant. You also get a chance to sign your name or write a quote on one of the peace walls, a small act that thousands of visitors add to the city's ongoing conversation about reconciliation.

What’s included

• Pickup from Belfast city center within 1 km of City Hall.
• live English-speaking guide who lived through the Troubles.
• access to Falls Road and Shankill neighborhoods.
• views of the International Mural Wall with about 40 different murals.
• the Bobby Sands Mural.
• Republican remembrance garden and H-block hunger strike statue.
• Clonard Monastery.
• peace walls where you can write a message.
• exterior views of Crumlin Road Gaol.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day13 departure times: the first at 09:00, the last at 15:00

AgesAdult (16 to 95 years) · Under 16: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 37 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Belfast famous black taxi tours

Is this one for you?Two hours leaves room for another activity or meal in Belfast the same afternoon, but not enough to add a second neighborhood tour. Book this if you want the political history and the murals explained by someone who was there, rather than a walking tour or a longer coach excursion.

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Top questions

What exactly are the murals in Belfast and why are they everywhere?

The murals are hand-painted political and historical images that cover walls throughout Republican and Loyalist neighborhoods. They depict IRA and UVF symbols, international solidarity causes, and the history of the conflict. They mark territory and have become as much of a tourist attraction as any regular Belfast landmark. About 40 different murals make up the International Mural Wall alone, and they change as world news changes.

Who are the guides on this tour?

The guides are the original black cab drivers who transported their communities through the Troubles: the 30 years of conflict that shaped Belfast. They had their lives at risk every time they sat in their cabs and can explain the murals and the neighborhoods from lived experience.

What is the Bobby Sands Mural and why is it important?

The Bobby Sands Mural on Falls Road is a portrait of an IRA volunteer, hunger striker and MP whose death became a pivotal moment in Irish Republican history. It stands as a symbol of the struggle for rights and freedom and is one of the most recognizable images in Belfast.

What are the peace walls and can you interact with them?

The peace walls are structures over 25 km long that physically separate Republican and Loyalist communities throughout Belfast. They serve as a reminder of the city's troubled history and ongoing reconciliation. On this tour you have a chance to sign your name or write a quote on one of the walls.

How does Crumlin Road Gaol connect to the Troubles?

Crumlin Road Gaol is a Victorian jail that held both Republican and Loyalist prisoners together during the 30 years of the Troubles. Your guide explains the detail of who was imprisoned there and what that confinement meant for the conflict and the city.