Belfast Troubles and Peace Cab Tour: Political Murals and History
Ride through 30 years of conflict and recovery with the people who drove those streets
A 2-hour guided cab tour of Belfast's political murals, peace walls and Troubles history, led by original black cab drivers who transported their communities through the conflict. You visit Falls Road and Shankill (the Republican and Loyalist heartlands) see over 40 murals depicting everything from the IRA and UVF to international causes like Palestine and Kurdish independence, walk the Belfast Peace Wall where you can write your own message for peace, and pass Crumlin Road Gaol, a 19th-century prison that held political prisoners. Pickup from Belfast city center is included. Pickups from airports, train stations or cruise ports cost extra, paid in cash on the day.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Belfast's Troubles and Peace Sites
- City centre pick up
- See murals of international struggles
- Visit Falls Road murals
- Visit Saint Peters Cathedral
- View Belfast Peace Wall and write quote
- Explore Bombay Street history
- Tour Shankill Road and murals
- Photo stop at Shankill murals
- Pass by Crumlin Road Gaol
- Visit international murals wall
- Optional visit to altar made from wedding rings
- Belfast 5m
- International Mural Wall Divis Street 10m
- Bobby Sands Mural 15m
- Belfast Peace Wall 15m
- Belfast 15m
- Shankill 30m
- Crumlin Road Gaol passing by
- Bobby Sands Mural passing by
- Shankill Graveyard 15m
- International Mural Wall Divis Street 15m
- Clonard Monastery 15m
What’s included
- The tour includes pickup from Belfast city center.
- a live English-speaking guide who is an original black cab driver.
- stops at Falls Road, Shankill, the Belfast Peace Wall (where you write your own message), Bombay Street, Crumlin Road Gaol and Saint Peters Cathedral.
- and time to get out and photograph the political murals painted on gable walls throughout both neighborhoods.
- Every day 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00
Information
Guided 2-hour cab tour of Belfast's political murals and peace walls with a driver who lived through the Troubles, departing from the city center.
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The experience
Your guide is one of the original black cab drivers who navigated Belfast's streets during the Troubles: the 30 years of conflict that shaped the city. These drivers had their lives at risk every time they picked up passengers, and they carry that history firsthand. The tour moves by cab through the neighborhoods where the murals tell the story: Falls Road in the Republican community, where the film "In the Name of the Father" was set, and Shankill in the Loyalist heartland, where the UVF and UDA were born. You'll see hand-painted murals that welcome you into each community and learn directly from someone who lived through the deadly streets.
The Peace Wall is the centerpiece: one of Belfast's biggest barriers, dividing Catholic and Protestant communities. You get out and write your own name and a message for peace on the wall itself, joining Lady Gaga, Morgan Freeman and President Clinton, who have all left quotes there. Bombay Street, burned to the ground in 1969 by loyalist mobs, marks the birthplace of the Provisional IRA. The international wall depicts countries that don't get media attention (Palestine, the Kurds and others) showing how Belfast's political art speaks to struggles far beyond the city.
Crumlin Road Gaol, built in the 1800s, held IRA, UVF and UFF prisoners and was a hanging jail until the 1960s. Saint Peters Cathedral, also on Falls Road, was built over 100 years ago with an altar made from local women's wedding rings. The tour covers both the Shankill's upper and lower stretches, giving you chances to get out and photograph the gable wall murals painted by locals. Pickup from Belfast city center (within 1 km of city hall) is included. If you're staying outside that zone or arriving at an airport, train station or cruise port, you can arrange pickup for an additional cash charge on the day.
Top questions
Can I be picked up at my hotel?
You can choose: pickup at your hotel, or go straight to the meeting point. When you book, you choose your hotel from 27 pickup locations; if yours isn’t listed, you can type in your address. Pickup is about 15 minutes before departure.
What is the Belfast Peace Wall and what do you do there?
The Belfast Peace Wall is one of the city's biggest barriers dividing Catholic and Protestant communities. You stop at the wall and write your own name and a message for peace directly on it: the same wall where visitors like Lady Gaga, Morgan Freeman and President Clinton have left quotes.
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 in Belfast. They drove those streets when there were bullets and bombs, so they speak from firsthand experience about what it was like.
What are the political murals in Belfast and what do they show?
The murals are hand-painted on gable walls throughout Belfast, depicting the history and political views of both the Republican and Loyalist communities. They show IRA and UVF symbols, but also international causes like Palestine and Kurdish independence: over 40 murals tell these stories across Falls Road, Shankill and the international wall.
Does the tour include Crumlin Road Gaol?
Yes, Crumlin Road Gaol is part of the tour. Built in the 1800s, it held IRA, UVF and UFF prisoners and was a hanging jail until the 1960s, with a history of notable escapes.
How long is the tour?
The tour runs for 2 hours and covers Falls Road, Shankill, the Belfast Peace Wall, Bombay Street, Crumlin Road Gaol and Saint Peters Cathedral, with stops to get out and photograph the murals.
Operated by Belfast famous black taxi tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Belfast Troubles and Peace Cab Tour: Political Murals and History
2h · EN
from £ 87.99 per person
≈ US$ 118 in your currency
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