The last Victorian covered market
Red brick, Roman arches and an 1890s iron roof, the only one of Belfast's covered markets still standing.
St George's Market opens just three days a week, yet it is still the one place in Belfast where the whole city ends up under a single roof: a fishmonger who has been shouting since dawn, a grandmother selling soda bread, a young jazz trio on a small stage while the air fills with curry and coffee. The building itself is red brick with Roman arches and an iron roof, put up between 1890 and 1896 to a design by city surveyor J. C. Bretland, and it is the last of Belfast's Victorian covered markets after the others were demolished or burned. During the German air raids of 1941 it served as a temporary mortuary, a fact no sign mentions but which explains the affection the city holds for it. Each day has its own personality, and it pays to plan around them. Friday (8am to 2pm) is the original market, with roots going back to 1604: around 200 stalls of fruit, vegetables, fresh fish, clothes, second-hand books and antiques, plus some of the cheapest lunches in town. Saturday (9am to 3pm) is the food and craft day: local cheeses, cakes, dishes from half the world, pottery, glass and photography, with live music that turns the place into a small festival. Sunday (10am to 3pm) blends the two, leaning towards handmade jewellery, candles and crafts, and it is the calmest day for wandering with children. Entry is free on all three days, and the market runs a quiet hour with the music turned down for anyone who prefers to shop without the noise: 9am to 10am on Friday and Saturday, 10am to 11am on Sunday. For Gulf families: the floor is level with no steps, and a pushchair moves easily in the early morning but gets stuck in the Saturday crush between eleven and one, so with small children pick Sunday or arrive before ten. There are accessible toilets with baby-changing and a free water refill point near the East Bridge Street entrance. Halal food is not the default here: you will find Middle Eastern and Asian stalls, but ask each trader individually; fish, seafood and the bakery stalls are the safe and plentiful choice. The whole market is under cover, which makes it a proper rainy-day plan, and in Belfast that means most of the year. Getting there is easy: ten minutes on foot from City Hall, five from Lanyon Place railway station, with the Waterfront Hall directly across the road. If you are driving a hire car, the adjoining Lanyon Place car park offers a flat five pounds for four hours on market days through the APCOA Connect app. Do not come Monday to Thursday whatever anyone tells you; you will find locked doors and a handsome facade, and if you are in Belfast for a single midweek day, the exterior alone is not worth the detour.
Red brick, Roman arches and an 1890s iron roof, the only one of Belfast's covered markets still standing.
Friday for fish, produce and antiques, Saturday for food and crafts with live music, Sunday the quiet craft day.
Food stalls from half the world and a band on the small stage, plus a quiet hour when the music is turned down.
12-20 East Bridge Street, Belfast BT1 3NQ
Saturday has the best food and the live music but is packed between 11 and 1, when a pushchair becomes a burden. With small children Sunday is calmer and easier; if you want Saturday, arrive at nine and leave before eleven.
Partly. There are Middle Eastern and Asian stalls, but halal is not the norm and you need to ask each trader. Fish, seafood, bakery stalls and coffee are safe and plentiful, which is enough for a good lunch, but do not expect a fully halal market.