Belfast Troubles and Peace Cab Tour: Political Murals and History

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Free cancellation

1/16

Duration2h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

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

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.

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.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Belfast famous black taxi tours

Is this one for you?The 2-hour duration fits a morning or afternoon slot without eating a full day, and the cab-based format means you see the neighborhoods from the perspective of someone who drove them during the conflict—no walking tours or museum visits, just the streets themselves and the murals that mark them. Choose this if you want the Troubles explained by someone who lived through it rather than read about it in a guidebook.