After the Black Taxi Tour, we stopped off at the most famous pub in Belfast – the Crown Liquor Saloon. It dates back to 1895 and used to be the Ulster Raileay Hotel. In 1978 it was bought by the National Trust. It is a beautiful 3-storey building, and the ground floor is a very lavish pub with much of the tiling, glasswork, and woodwork created by Italian craftsmen who were bought to Belfast in the 1800s to work on catholic churches. The traditional gas lighting remains to this day. In Victorian times, the pub was a gin palace.

Initially, we stood at the bar and had a drink, but then a booth became available, so we quickly took it. The booths have bronze match strickers and a bell that waves a flag to summon service.

After a short while, a group of men asked if they could join us. They were from Yorkshire, and they were great entertainment for a while.

We hadn’t yet had dinner, so we excused ourselves and headed to the Whites Tavern for some food. This was established in 1630 and is the oldest tavern in Belfast and holds the city’s first tavern license. It is in an old trading alleyway where the Mercury Newspaper was founded in the 1850s.

We both ordered Irish Stew, which was delicious, and I tried some Irish ale.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel for a quick freshen up before making our way to the Cathedral quarter, which is where we were told there was good nightlife.

On the way, we stopped at the Northern Whig. This building dates back to 1819 and has previously housed hotel and a newspaper office. The Northern Whig and Belfast post was a daily regional newspaper first published in 1824 and ladted until 1963. It is now a soviet themed pub.

After a drink here, we headed to the Duke of York in Exchange Place.

The history of the Duke of York can be traced to the early 19th century, but there is evidence for a maltings and an inn on the site from the 18th century.   Former Sinn Fein leader, Gerry Adam, was once a barman here.

I tried some Jawbox gin, which is distilled just outside of Belfadt. It was really nice.

We were both feeling a bit tired and had an early start the next morning, so we decided to head towards home.

Kelly’s Cellar is right next to our hotel, so we stopped for a nightcap – Irish rockshore lager.

And then it was definitely time for bed.