Belfast Troubles Tour: Political Murals & Peace Walls

Walking Through Belfast's Divided Streets: A Guide to the Murals and the Stories Behind Them

You walk from Belfast City Hall through political murals on both the Falls Road and Shankill Road, stand at the Peace Walls that divide communities, pass through security gates, and examine sites of collusion and conflict. The tour weaves history, theatrics and lived experience into a narrative that ends at a 1783 church, revealing a hidden radical tradition that contradicts the standard story of division. A local guide provides context and personalised recommendations throughout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Belfast City Hall20m
2. Belfast Peace Wall15m
3. Falls Road Belfast20m
4. Albert Memorial Clockpassing by

Explore Belfast's history and Troubles

• Start at Belfast City Hall
• Pause at Mary Ann McCracken statue
• Walk to Linen Hall Library
• Explore Donegall Place street signs
• View Spirit of Belfast sculpture
• See Finucane Solicitors office
• Visit Divis mural and tower
• View International Wall murals
• Pass through security gates to Shankill Road
• See loyalist murals on Shankill Road
• Examine Belfast Peace Walls
• Return through security gates to Falls Road
• Pass Republican Memorial Garden and Bobby Sands mural
• View Harland and Wolff cranes skyline
• Pause at St Mary's Church
• View Albert Memorial Clock
• Walk through Belfast's Entries passageways
• See Frederick Douglass statue on Lombard Street
• End at First Presbyterian Church on Rosemary Street

The experience

You step out from Belfast City Hall (a Victorian statement in stone, built in 1906 when the city was shipping the world's vessels and rope), and within minutes you're walking toward West Belfast's working-class streets. That shift from opulence to the margins is deliberate. The Troubles Tour: Walls and Bridges doesn't start with a timeline or a lecture. It starts with your feet moving through the geography of division itself, and a guide who uses original songs and lived experience to explain what you're actually seeing as you walk past it.

The tour crosses into the heart of the conflict through the International Wall on the Falls Road: a constantly changing open-air gallery of political murals that once served as a counter-narrative to mainstream media. Your guide reads between the lines, showing you not just what's depicted but what's deliberately absent. Then you pass through bolted security gates, a physical border between communities, and enter the Shankill Road, where loyalist murals tell an entirely different story of identity and loss. The Peace Walls themselves, 16 metres high and topped with mesh to stop petrol bombs, stand as a stark reminder of how recently this division was literal and necessary. You'll have time to photograph and examine them closely.

What makes this different from a standard history walk is the theatrics and the connections your guide draws. You'll stand at the Finucane Solicitors building on Castle Street. An unremarkable office that holds one of the Troubles' most disturbing unresolved chapters. You'll pass the Bobby Sands mural and the Republican Memorial Garden. You'll see the Harland and Wolff cranes dominating the skyline, a reminder of when Belfast was among the world's most productive cities. But the tour doesn't end in West Belfast. It loops back through hidden Entries (narrow historic passageways threading through the city centre), and lands at the First Presbyterian Church on Rosemary Street, where everything you've encountered connects to a hidden radical tradition that contradicts the standard narrative of division.

The final stop reveals a Belfast most visitors never see: a congregation that made stands for civil and religious freedoms when it carried real risk, and a connection to Frederick Douglass that links the abolitionist to the city's own struggle for justice. It's a conclusion that reframes the entire walk. The tour takes 2–3 hours, includes a local guide with personalised recommendations, and is not suitable for children under 14 due to graphic content and adult themes. You'll need at least a moderate level of fitness and a high level of English to follow the guide's storytelling.

What’s included

Your day includes a professional local guide with lived experience, visits to political murals on both sides of the divide, time at the Peace Walls with detailed explanations, passage through security gates separating communities, and stops at landmarks including Belfast City Hall, the International Wall on the Falls Road, the Shankill Road murals, the Finucane Solicitors building, St Mary's Church, the Albert Memorial Clock, and the First Presbyterian Church on Rosemary Street. Personalised recommendations from your guide are included throughout.

Options for this experience

2 options

Walking tour of Belfast's TroublesGuide in English · 10:00

Private/GroupGuide in English · 10:00 and 14:00

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 14:00

AgesAdult (18 to 59 years) · Senior (60 to 80 years) · Youth (15 to 17 years) · Under 15: can't be booked

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Experience Belfast

Is this one for you?This tour suits anyone wanting to understand the Troubles through direct encounter with the places and symbols that shaped the conflict, rather than through a classroom narrative: the guide's lived experience and theatrical storytelling do the work of making the history legible as you walk.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (15 to 17 years). Children under 15 can't be included in the booking.

How long is the Troubles Tour: Walls and Bridges?

The tour takes 2–3 hours and covers key areas including the city centre, Falls Road, Shankill Road, and the Peace Walls.

What language is the tour conducted in?

English. A high level of English is required to follow the guide's storytelling and explanations.

Do I need to be very fit to do this tour?

You should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness. The tour involves walking through several neighbourhoods and standing for extended periods.

What are the Peace Walls?

The Peace Walls are approximately 16 metres high barriers topped with mesh, built to separate loyalist and republican communities. You'll have time to examine and photograph them during the tour.

Is this a private or group tour?

The tour is private and includes a professional local guide with personalised recommendations.

What political murals will I see?

You'll visit murals on both the Falls Road (republican/Irish nationalist) and the Shankill Road (loyalist/British unionist), including the International Wall and the Bobby Sands mural.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes, service animals are allowed on the tour.

Where does the tour start and end?

The tour begins at Belfast City Hall and concludes at the First Presbyterian Church on Rosemary Street, about five minutes' walk from the starting point.

What is included in the tour?

The tour includes a local guide, visits to political mural sites and the Peace Walls, access to key areas in the Cathedral Quarter and West Belfast, and personalised recommendations from your guide.