New City-wide Tour Celebrates Belfast’s Vibrant Arts and Culture

A new cultural tourism experience is launching in Belfast this summer: the ‘Arts Across Belfast Bus Tour’, an engaging half-day journey through the city’s rich artistic and creative heritage.

Departing for the first time on Sunday 20th July the tour will travel across all four corners of the city – north, south, east and west – stopping at four key arts centres.  Guests will enjoy exhibitions, readings, a music performance, and even a light lunch, all led by a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. Tickets are available now from Visit Belfast, at a special introductory price of £40 (plus booking fee). 

This innovative experience is the latest initiative from Creative Tours Belfast, (www.creativetoursbelfast.com ) set up by local guide Dolores Vischer in 2022. Dolores has already earned a reputation for her distinctive walking tours around music and the arts, including the ‘Belfast Music Walking Tour’, ‘Spinning Yarns, Exploring the Linen Quarter’ and the ‘Belfast Punk Music Walking Tour’. Now she is expanding her reach with a tour by bus that explores even more of the city.

Dolores explains: “I wanted to create something that celebrates the incredible success of Belfast’s artists, writers, musicians, actors and more.  We’ll shine a light on the city’s many cultural highpoints: from our people’s many achievements from Nobel, Turner, Ivor Novello, BAFTA, Booker and other Prizes, to award-winning music and theatre venues, and the stunning public art on our streets.”

 The tour around the city will focus on creative landmarks and the well-known people connected to the various streets and districts. Tour highlights include: 

·A visit to The MAC in the Cathedral Quarter, to tour its art exhibitions

·A stop at Cultúrlan McAdam Ó Fiaich, the Irish language, arts and cultural centre in west Belfast

·An exploration of the work of Seamus Heaney and other writers and poets at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s, in south Belfast.

·A final stop at CS Lewis Square to enjoy a live music performance and light lunch at EastSide Visitor Centre. 

Along the way, guests will enjoy storytelling, street art, sculptures, music and poetry readings  - all reflecting the city’s vibrant and diverse cultural life.  A few additional stops will also offer plenty of photo opportunities. For example, at York Street Station, where an underpass has been given a colourful makeover by street artists - KVLR, Emic, Friz, Bore, noka, Fenz, Jam, joke and Snack -plus a new poem ’Line Works’, by Niamh McNally.

“Sunday can be a quieter day for visitors and locals alike,” Dolores adds. “This monthly half-day tour offers something fresh, fun and meaningful.”

 Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, has also offered his support to the new initiative which has received funding from Belfast City Council’s Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme. 

“This new tourism experience provides another great option for visitors and residents alike to enjoy this summer and beyond,” he said. 

“Our council is committed to driving increased footfall, dwell time and visitor spend in local neighbourhoods, so everyone in our city has the chance to share in the economic benefits a growing tourism scene can bring, and it’s great to see new products like this coming onto the market. 

“On a personal note, I have been on one of Dolores’ other tours and I know that she is a font of information – and lots of fun too!”

The new tour will run on Sundays: 20 July, 10 August (as part of the Féile An Phobail Programme), 21 September, 19 October, 16 November, and for 2026, 18 January (as part of the Out to Lunch Festival programme) and 22 February.

Tours begin at 10.30am in the Cathedral Quarter and return there for 2.30pm.  For more information and tickets,  on this new tour and other tours by Creative Tours Belfast visit: https://www.creativetoursbelfast.com