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HOW IT RATES

The capital of Northern Ireland has been transformed into a lively metropolitan hub in the past decade. The city was once dominated by the rope, linen and shipping industries, but in the second half of the 20th century it was riven by sectarian violence. Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party now form a fragile coalition and jointly run the city. Belfast was granted city status in 1888 by Queen Victoria; the Titanic, Morrison were born here.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

The Edwardian City Hall and Great Victoria Street are relics of the grand past. St Anne’s Cathedral and the former Ulster Bank adorn the Cathedral Quarter. North of the city, Belfast Castle is a baronial pile built in 1870 for the 3rd Marquess of Donegall.

WHAT’S NEW

Postindustrial land is being rescued after decades of decay. Mervyn McAlister is planning the Aurora Building; it will be Belfast’s tallest building at 300ft and 37 storeys, overtaking the Obel tower (26 storeys). The Aurora will offer 291 luxury flats when finished in 2010 (auroraliving.co.uk, obel.co.uk).

QUALITY OF LIFE

Good for some, and getting better. The young and upwardly mobile earn wages comparable with those of their Dublin peers, but enjoy significantly lower living costs. West Belfast, former battleground of the Troubles, is plagued by poverty. Belfast’s hills are strikingly beautiful, as are the nearby beaches.

POPULATION

268,000 within the city limits and 700,000 in the wider metropolitan area. Protestants comprise 48.6 per cent of the total, Catholics 47.2 per cent.

TRAVEL

The city is well served by various budget airlines and has two airports, Belfast International and Belfast City. Regular ferries run to the mainland. Trains to Dublin are fast and frequent.

SMARTEST STREETS

The roads off South Belfast’s Malone Road are some of the best, particularly Malone Park, where properties go for more than £1 million.

BEST RESTAURANTS

Porcelain is cosy, expensive and always busy. Michael Deane is a tad on the showy side but is fun for a treat. Sonoma at The Hilton has great river views, and Irene and Nan’s bar and bistro is popular and cheap.

TOP NIGHTLIFE

The Cathedral Quarter and the Golden Mile are the centre of it all after dark. For a more traditional evening try Kelly’s Cellars or Maddens, or visit the Lyric Theatre, the Old Museum Arts Centre, the Ulster Hall or the Waterfront Hall.

EDUCATION

Queen’s University is in the Russell Group; the University of Ulster’s Belfast campus focuses on art and Religious integration is growing, but 95 per cent of pupils in Northern Ireland attend either a Catholic Maintained School or a Protestant Controlled School.

Northern Ireland has the lowest unemployment rate in the UK at 3.4 per cent, compared with the UK average of 5.4 per cent. In Belfast, property and business accounts for 31,165 employees, health and social work for 30,378.

UPSIDE

The city is remarkably unpolluted. A black cab tour of the Falls Road and Shankill Road provides an instant history lesson, with a colourful commentary. For a more rustic experience, visit the outdoor Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. The superb Co Antrim, with the Giant’s Causeway, is within driving range.

DOWNSIDE

More than 1,500 people were killed in political violence in Belfast between 1969 and 2001. The city’s come a long way, but problems remain. Forty per cent of the 100,000 inhabitants of West Belfast’s Catholic estates are unemployed, with similar levels in neighbouring Protestant estates. Recorded crime increased in West Belfast between 2002 and 2006, although it decreased in the rest of the city.

£239,754 The average house price in Belfast

Source: Bank of Ireland

15.5% The increase in house prices in Belfast in the second quarter of this year

Source: Bank of Ireland

£200 The average daily amount that homes have risen by in the past year in Belfast

Source: Bank of Ireland

1998 The year that the Good Friday Agreement was reached

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