Belfast: Murals & Peace Wall Walking Tour with Local Guide

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/15

Duration3h

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

The murals tell stories Belfast stopped hiding

You walk 2.5 to 3 hours through Belfast's street art scene with a local guide, moving from the Cathedral Quarter's international murals to Shankill's political art and the Peace Wall itself. You'll see the Bobby Sands mural, learn how the re-imaging project works with communities, and understand how the city is moving past conflict. The tour ends back in the city centre, and you'll need moderate fitness and weather-appropriate clothing for the walk.

Step-by-step itinerary

Belfast street art and murals walk

Discover modern street art
View Loyalist murals in Shankill
See murals for global causes
View the Belfast Peace Wall
See Bobby Sands mural
Return to city centre passing murals

The Experience

You round a corner in the Cathedral Quarter and suddenly there's a wall covered in color—not tourist art, but the work of international street artists who've made Belfast their canvas over the last decade. The shift catches you off guard. This isn't what you expected when you booked a tour about the Troubles. The city's moved on, or at least it's trying to, and the newer murals are proof of it. Your guide walks you through the difference between what's here now and what came before, pointing out how the re-imaging project works with local communities to decide which art goes up and what story it tells.

Then you head west into Shankill, where the murals change tone entirely. These are older, more direct—Loyalist murals that speak to a different history, a different side of the conflict. Your guide doesn't gloss over it. You see the Bobby Sands mural, probably the most photographed one in the Republican areas, and you understand why it matters. The walk moves between these two worlds, and the guide explains how Northern Ireland is actually working toward peace, what that looks like on the ground, not in a textbook. It's a 2.5 to 3 hour walk, so you're moving the whole time, but not rushed.

The Peace Wall itself is the moment that lands hardest. It's still there, still separating communities, and seeing it in person—not in a photo—makes the whole tour click into place. You pass more street art on the way back to the city centre, and by then you're reading the walls differently. Your guide's local knowledge means you're not just seeing murals; you're understanding what they mean to the people who live here.

What’s included

Your tour includes a local guide who leads the 2.5 to 3 hour walk through Belfast's street art, political murals, and the Peace Wall.
You'll visit the Cathedral Quarter, Shankill, see the Bobby Sands mural, view the Peace Wall that separates communities, and pass additional street art on the return to the city centre.
Public transportation is available nearby to reach the starting point.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for back problems

Operated by belfastology walking tours

Is this one for you?This tour works well if you want to understand Belfast's recent history and current culture through its street art without arranging a guide yourself—the local knowledge is what makes the political and social context of the murals actually make sense, rather than just looking at painted walls.