Botanic Gardens

Probably not the best time of the year to visit in December. The gardens were obviously empty. The palm house was great but quite busy. Definitely loses the eerie atmosphere it has potential to have at this time of the year with crowds coming in and out but none of it it’s really the place’s issue, more time of the year, it being a weekend when I visited and probably worth seeing.

I was absolutely delighted to discover this hidden treasure. The staff are warm and welcoming, and the gardens and greenhouse are immaculately cared for with such dedication. It’s hard to believe that a place this beautiful is completely free to enjoy. Every corner is stunning, and the atmosphere is uplifting. An utterly amazing experience, thank you for creating and maintaining such a wonderful haven. Keep up the fantastic work! 🌿✨

Belfast Botanic Gardens is a beautiful and relaxing spot perfect for a peaceful walk or a quick break from the city. The grounds are well kept, full of vibrant plants, open green spaces, and lovely pathways. The Palm House and Tropical Ravine are real highlights both stunning Victorian glasshouses with unique plant collections that make the visit even more special. It's free to enter, easy to reach from the city centre, and a great place for families, photos, or just enjoying some quiet nature. A fantastic little escape in the heart of Belfast.

Absolutely gorgeous green space in the middle of the City, such a beautiful space to wonder around in and with it being completely free as well is an added bonus. Such a beautiful place to just wander around, grab a wee coffee at the Coop Coffee Co truck in entry and away you go for a peaceful walk and enjoy Squirrel watching.

It’s a green oasis in the city. It’s spacious and dog friendly. It feels more like a city park rather than a botanical garden. However, it’s still a clam and relaxing place to spend a day

Very stunning location for the entire family. The beautiful colours of the flowers is music to the soul. It is definitely a surreal point to get away from the buzzing noise of the city.

Free public space with fantastic orangery. Even during autumn it's interesting to visit! And we spotted a few squirrels!

Excellent place to spend a nice few hours. Highly recommended to visit on a weekend so you get free parking around the garden. Enjoy your time at the Botanic Indoor garden and make sure you reach in the morning hours to avoid disappointment.

We walked through the Botanical Gardens which are located adjacent to the university. As like everything else in Ireland, the whole grounds were bright green and full of different plant species and lots and lots of flowers. I particularly liked their greenhouse. The beautiful white medal perfectly balanced the contrast between nature and industrial features while complementing the space and giving these particular plants a specific place to grow, such as succulents. The rose gardens reminded me of something from Alice in Wind with how the grass paths were weaved between the rose bushes and some of the flowers looked fake because they were so healthy and vibrant.  There are two newer greenhouses that were built specifically for tropical plants. Inside of each of these greenhouses, the temperature and humidity was set to stay at the perfect settings for these tropical plants to thrive. They were multiple stories so that the trees could grow tall and the vines could grow long and even go all the way up to the rafters. A great place to see and spend time on a sunny or partly cloudy day!!

Beautiful grounds near Queen's College in Belfast. So peaceful and sprawling. The grounds meticulously kept. The grounds included some magnificently lush green lawn for taking in the nice weather being experienced during our stay. The Ferris Wheel was well worth the nominal expense. The rose garden was beautifully laid out.

Beautiful, peaceful and fragrant Wonderful gardens and green house right in the middle of the city located next door to the Ulster museum. Have a stroll amongst the flowers or picnic; just relax, enjoy and let go of your worries. Take a deep breath and become one with the universe.

The Botanic Gardens have got to be the largest rose garden I have seen in all of my life. The scenery is just next to the college and absolutely breathtaking.

I love a lunch time walk around Botanic Gardens - it's so close to Queens and it's one of the reason i love working at Queens so much. The grass and flower beds are always really well maintained and there is never any rubbish laying around. It does get quite busy during the summer months with students and children but this adds to the buzz. If there's even a tiny bit of sunshine the ice cream van will be parked up and a que 10 people long!

Sunshine in Belfast should never be taken for granted Today i had an impromptu picnic in Botanic Gardens on the seats beside the Palm House Palm house - it's hot inside here (great to pop in when cold or raining outside), free entry In the background of my Palm house picture you can see the top of the Queens Uni library building which has a lion witch and wardrobe carpet, door into a CS Lewis reading room - public can pay for a day pass to access this In Botanic Gardens there's also a kids play park, a rose garden, band stand (check belfast city council website events page for when live bands are scheduled - mostly Sunday's in spring/summer), Ulster Museum (free entry 5 floors art, artefacts, stuffed animals & even an Egyptian mummy) and also the tropical Ravene (currently closed for huge refurb - June 2016) Queen's university is right beside 2 of the 5-6 entry points There's plenty of free on street parking A post office shop nearby that sells coffee and muffins as well as sweets & drinks Ulster Museum has yellow door catering coffee shop inside with seating Sometimes there's an ice cream van Coffee shop too in big queens uni library and also another coffee shop inside the nearby students union Botanic garden also hosts various big events through the year such as Belfast Mela There's a belfast bike stand nearby too at Queens university students union and also Shaftesbury square About 1 mile from Belfast city centre Enjoy... I do! I may need to push it up to a 5/5 when the refurb of the tropical Ravene is completed!

You can take a beautiful scenic walk through this green paradise. Many varieties of flowers & plants, even a stream to look at. It's a very relaxing tour, I would recommend it.

After I visited the Ulster Museum, I had to go for a walk around the beautiful gardens surrounding the museum. I'm so glad I did. The walk itself was beautiful and with the leaves falling, it was the perfect autumn walk! There was a bowling green, rose garden and I loved the Palm House & tropical ravine. The gardens are beautiful and we'll looked after. There were plenty of gardeners looking after the grounds. There was plenty of benches and everyone seemed really respectful of their beautiful surroundings. It was one of the most relaxing walks I've ever had. I even saw some girls meditating which gives you an idea of how peaceful this place is. Had a wonderful time!

When Botanic Gardens is bathed in Belfast sunshine there aren't many more beautiful places around - although Botanic is set in the heart of Queens Quarter you will feel like you're miles away from the City. Botanic Gardens has it all - open spaces, vast beds of flowers, benches to ease away the afternoon with a good novel, cultural monuments and a shaded woodland area to shelter from those brief summer sunshine rays. Botanic Gardens transcends the generations and the population - students taking a break from their studies mix with tourists ambling towards the Ulster Museum and children chase butterflies through the park past the tropical ravine. There's not much more one can say about Botanic Gardens - this is a must see if you're visiting Belfast and if you're a resident and haven't been here wait until the sun has his hat on and take an afternoon stroll.

Belfast is not the place for a day at the beach. The weather would not allow me to and even on a sunny day, the beaches are not that close. To not say that I do not even have a beach towel. Solution: a picnic in the park. A picnic in the park is always a great idea specially in this one. Is close to my house, a short walk from city center, has a nice green grass area and is a great way to escape life. Even for those ones that do not like picnics is a wonderful place. There is the Palm House, the Tropical Ravine normally less explored (and for me the most beautiful part of the park), the Ulster museum for the cultural part and a nice café/restaurant on the bottom floor with a nice view to the park. I love to seat on the long benches while I read a book and watch the squirrels playing around or simply to relax on my way back home.

Very blessed with excellent weather in September and what better way to spend Saturday than to take a stroll in this fantastic park and take part in the fair. Well kept lawns, clean and impeccable gardens. Lots of things to see and do for all the family- beware one needs a steely resolve as the queues were horrendous!! There were lots of food choices available and inside the marquees were everything from plants, fruit and veg to arts and crafts. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

In the summer Botanic Gardens is a buzzing hub of children playing, teenagers hanging out, families and students trying to work on their laptops on the green. It wasn't like that on Sunday, what with it being winter and everything, but a walk about the gardens is perfect to blow the weekend cobwebs away. Even in December there are still plenty of people about, and if it is a bit cold you can always pop into the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine (recently featured in BBC drama The Fall) and pretend you are in warmer climes. It doesn't have a car park as such, but there is plenty of street parking round it, and if you fancy a cuppa you can take shelter in the Ulster Museum. If you are feeling out-doorsy this is a fine place to potter in the afternoon, sunshine or not.

Belfast's Botanic Gardens make for a nice and relaxing walk near the campus of Queen's. The gardens aren't immense, but have a few different zones which are memorable like the rose garden and especially the greenhouse. The greenhouse is definitely worth a visit with beautiful architecture and more than a few interesting plants. The grounds can be walked even at a moderate pace in about 30 minutes but are a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The area can be a little seedy with a decent number of homeless folks.

Nice area in the city center. Great place to spend a sunny afternoon in. Rather small, but with distinct areas. Has a small greenhouse as well. The Ulster Museum is located in it for a nice afternoon combo. Visited in the summer and seemed to filled with people and was very lively wit a great atmosphere.

Great place for a lunchtime stroll or to take a picnic too on a warm lazy Saturday afternoon. Botanic is well kept and great to explore any time of the year. You can check out spring daffodils and snowdrops or see the rose gardens bloom in late summer, or on a rainy day pop into the museum. Will be much better after the glass house and tropical ravine refurbishment. Always a classic day out.

An oasis of beauty & greenery in Belfast. Refreshing for a stroll & home to a Palm House, Tropical Ravine & the Ulster Museum.

It's strange to find such a quiet and relaxing place stuck in the epicentre of the hustle and bustle of student life. Botanic Garden's offers such sanctuary. In the summer, there is no finer place to sit out in the sun and take some time to yourself than here. Often complete with an ice-cream van (why wouldn't it be?!) I have often spent marginally prolonged lunch breaks just sitting and doing nothing. Botanic Gardens houses a wonderful little greenhouse with plants that still scare me, as well as the Museum and some pretty bandstands. I have also had the opportunity to watch an opera here last summer. We seen a queue of people trying to get in so as you do, we joined the end of the queue out of suspicion. Turned out there was an opera which was quiet good! Plus we got food and alcohol and sunburn so all in all it was a successful day! This is a superb place to spend a lunch break in the sun, but as often is the case, when it is pouring rain, there is no where you want to be less than stuck in a park. A must for any relaxing walk about town.

I lived with Botanic Gardens right on my door for three years and now that I don't, I regret that I never used it enough. It's a beautifully laid out place, with various tropical gardens open to the public throughout the year. Whenever we did go, we went (along with the rest of South Belfast it appears) during the hot summer days. There are huge areas of grass where people just chilled with music (sometimes with a sneaky drink), playing sports and just enjoying the day. There are security during these days but usually the day goes by without a hitch. The Ulster Museum is on the grounds as well which is always worth a visit regardless of the weather. We would sometimes decide to get off our big arses and go down to play football or cricket and always had enough space to do this without getting in peoples way and ruining their days at the park. A great place to go when the sun gives you permission.

Botanic gardens are situated in South Belfast in the Queen's University area. It is a large free entry park with many grassy areas for football and other ball games. You can enter the park from Botanic Avenue or from Stanmillis Road. I have many happy memories of lazing in the sun in the gardens surrounded by colourful flowerbeds, well maintained grassy areas and other students reading or having picnics. In the gardens itself there is a large green house full of tropical plants and condensation dripping from the roof - walking around this is like walking in the rain forest - I still call in there now and again as I find it quiet thrilling that one minute I can be in rainy cold Belfast and the next feel transported to a hot rain forest full of strange and wonderful plants. At the Stranmillis entrance to The Botanic Gardens there is a large statue of Lord Kelvin who the students in the area often decorate or dress in different clothing. These gardens have a really cool, tranquil relaxed feeling to them and are very well maintained year in year out and because of this they are often used to host events such as concerts or fairs. The Botanic Gardens are a great place to stroll around if you have an hour to kill.

Who doesn't love Botanic Gardens? One of the nicest (if not THE nicest) green spaces in Belfast, Botanic is where the majority of South Belfast will be found on a sunny day. Apart from housing the Ulster Museum, there's the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine to keep you entertained. The Ravine is actually my favourite spot in the gardens. It's always lovely and warm, and there's loads to look at in there. The gardens are always great for a dander round when the weather's on your side, and even if it's not, keep an eye for out for special events happening in the grounds. Next week, for instance, I'm going to the Belfast Music and Taste Fest - a food festival featuring some of the best chefs from all over Northern Ireland cooking to a background of live music. Last year it rained relentlessly the whole time, so let's hope this year is better!

One of the great advantages of living in a city is that you have loads of amenities, like parks. And Botanic is certainly one of the best parks I've been to. When I lived in Dublin, I used to go to St. Stephen's Green park all the time, but there were a lot of dodgy characters floating about and emos playing tonsil hockey- enough to put you off your lunch. But Botanic has a more tranquil feel to it that I like. It's the best place to come on a sunny day and chill out with your mates. The place is usually packed on a sunny day with groups of people sitting around playing guitar, juggling or simply reading the paper. It's great for a little dander around too. There are plenty of quieter places you can lay under a tree in the shade in peace and quiet. The Victorian glasshouse housing tropical plants looks like it could be an interesting place to visit.

A green space in a city of grey and silver tones. Just lovely. Botanic Gardens is the perfect option for a sunny summer picnic, a chilled-out catch up with friends or a laid back lounge with a good book. That is, depending on the weather! During the spring months though expect any glimpse of sunshine to bring hoards of students with study packs, ice-cream and the occasional football or Frisbee. Though good news for families or those not so keen on sports, wardens patrol the area and confiscate footballs, alcohol or anything untoward. If you're not keen on big crowds, walk further than the main green as the bandstand can provide shelter and quiet time for a lazy Sunday afternoon or study session after class. A quick note, be sure to check the closing time as this can often change and have you jumping over the odd gate or locked in with the creepy crawlies.

Botanic Gardens, is in my opinion, the most spectacularly beautiful areas of Belfast. You cynics might claim that it doesn't have much competition, but Cave Hill Country Park, Colin Glen and the Craigantlet Hills aren't exactly bad to look at, either. I love this place. On a glorious summer's day, at the height of the autumn fall, in the darkest depths of winter. The crowds of people that are attracted to here are always great - relaxed and happy. I find myself wandering aimlessly around, with no reason or purpose for doing so in my head. A wonderful retreat from traffic, people in a hurry, and city stuff.

Like pretty much everyone who's ever lived in south Belfast, I've spent many happy hours in Botanic Gardens. The Ulster Museum and Palm House are well worth a look if you're feeling energetic, and the grass is very loungeable if you're not. There's also plenty of events happening throughout the year, such as concerts, the international food and music festival the Belfast Mela, and, one of my favourites, Opera in the Park, where a live performance from Covent Garden is beamed onto a huge screen. (That said, though, I'm not an opera fan and go for the experience rather than anything else. But can you imagine if the Botanic Gardens powers-that-be put something on like all three series of Father Ted? With thousands of people sitting on the grass with their picnics and their wine, chuckling happily. I would LOVE to see that.) The gardens do get too crowded for my liking though, especially on a nice summer's day, and I much prefer Ormeau Park just ten minutes up the road.

This is Belfast's answer to Dublin's St Stephen's green. A perfect place to go for a game of frisbee or a romantic picnic with a blanket. In summer on warm days people will be out in crowds and the ice cream man making a killing. The last time I was here however I was verbally abused by a crowd of skinhead youths on their cider. So I definitely think their should be some on site security to help protect the innocents against drunkards looking a fight. Still it hasn't put me off going back. Also a nice place to go for a walk, its a nice walk between the embankment and the entrance at botanic. Enjoy

Sometimes, I like to have a think about Belfast and ask myself, 'where would I tell a visitor to go?'. It then becomes obvious to me that we have a treasure trove of completely unique places that are a real 'must see' and yet, we don't go very often. The weather has been great recently, so, after a shopping excursion to Botanic Avenue, I decided a quick detour into the Botanic Gardens was called for. I was impressed and excited at the same time. I'd totally forgotten how truly impressive the Gardens are. When was the last time you visited the Tropical Ravine? Go immediately! Have a wander, go into the Palm House, use one of the walking trails, take the kids, take the pooch - better yet, take a picnic! All this on the doorstep? Free? Unbelievable! As well as the Tropical Ravine and Palm House, there's an alpine garden, bowling green and pavilion, children's playground, giant bird feeders, flower beds, rockery, rose garden, shrub borders, specimen trees and sculptures. The Gardens regularly have one-off events and one of the best things about the Gardens are the excellent pages on Belfast City Councils website. I have included current opening hours, but check the website, as they are quite complicated and seasonal.

Great park to hang out in during the summer, with access to the museum close by. Lovely gardens, well kept :)

(Unfortunately their website is at least temporarily out of service. Hopefully this shall be straightway amended) Along with the CS Lewis Trail. this was among my favorite sites in Northern Ireland. Featuring many of the amenities one comes to expect in a first rate park, you have your free concerts and fairs here in the gardens, and even a tropical section and real fish living in the pond. With a climate highly reminiscent of my earthen roots in Portland Oregon, my ancestral roots in County Down prove to be well-worth exploring, and of making the effort to get over there and have a look for oneself..... Thanks for those enchanting days at the Gardens, Belfast. Cheers!

Such a lovely place to visit during summer especially if you are a student at Queens as it's literally just around the corner. You can just chill on the grass and watch people play frisbee or there's the greenhouse and occassionally they run events such as the Enchanted Evening. It's a great contrast to the busy city.

This park is very convenient especially if you are spending time at Queen's University. The Great Lawn is usually the busiest part in the summer with many people relaxing and chilling out (weather permitting!!) The Palm House is always worth calling into and the staff do a great job of maintaining the park. There are various events on at the park throughout the year, such as at Halloween, so it is worth checking Belfast City Council website from time to time to see what is coming up.

Many of my student/post student days were spent chilling at Botanic. What a wonderful park set in the student area of Belfast. There's a few louts around the area but pose no danger. The park, when sunny can be quite packed so get there early all in all one of my favourite places in Belfast to chill.

unfortunately it was raining the afternoon i visited here, but it was still beautiful! i took shelter in the palm house which was stunning! once the rain eased i wandered round the rose gardens which were gorgeous. It is worth a visit & if you are lucky enough to get a dry day it would be great stop for a picnic or to take a few snaps as some of the pics you can catch are amazing!

This is a very nice park and the green houses are lovely.I particularly liked the tropical ravine, which even has it 's own goldfish.Your near the university and the Ulster Museum.I stayed in this area of South Belfast and would recommend it.

I quite enjoy the Botanic Gardens. If you have a sunny afternoon free, definitely check them out!

This is a really lovely place to visit. I would say wait till the summer months when it really takes on a whole new look (also the museam should be opened again) However i also find it beautiful in winter especially around christmas time. It is also a very romantic location and the walks are lovely. Its great to just sit in in the summer and watch the world go by as it has constant people coming and going however it still gives a feeling of rest in the middle of an up and coming busy city.

Its great place for weekend outing in summerwe have some events organised in particular season Botanic gardens have 2 building Palm House and the Tropical Ravineits lovely place In summer u have flower exhibition and a food festival have a good food and enjoy a long walk in tree.such a pleasent place to be..

A lovely central park. The Ulster museum is situated in the grounds, although that is currently closed for refurbishment (until 2009). Botanic also holds the famous Palm House, which was designed by Charles Lanyon. Useful to use as a cut through from Botanic Avenue to the Malone, Stranmillis and Lisburn Roads, the park is also nice to sit in for lunch or go for a stroll. Other features include the tropical ravine and the rose garden. Events are often held here and the park is also a popular teen hangout (or used to be a few years ago!).

There's an Autumn fair advertised for next weekend Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September family outing, I think though I haven't been to one before so not sure what to expect. However, I like the idea of it as it's a really pleasant space to be at this time of the year with all the leaves falling.

Really lovely place to visit, be it for a walk through, studying the plant life or to have a picnic in. Excellent selection of various trees, shrubs and flowers and it is kept in a very presentable way. I've been to Edinburgh and Dundee botanic gardens and Belfast is definately up there with them both. My only gripe is it could be larger just to enjoy it more.

This whole area situated next to Queens University and the Ulster Museum is just gorgeous in the summer and reminds me very much of my 3rd year University exams, when we would try to study in the gardens, while attempting to get some sun at the same time (although there usually wasn't much sun!). But it's a lovely park, and always seems to be being used and appreciated by locals and tourists alike - lounging on the great lawn or strolling through the little pathways. The palm house is good for a visit too and although I'm not a horticultural fanatic, even I could appreciate the stunning plants and exotic flowers that are tended to in here by the staff. The PEC of Queen's University is at the other end of the park, (I only have bad memories of sitting exams in here) but it's frequented by those more sporty types. I have heard of the occasional crime taking place, handbags stolen etc, but I think that can be a given after dark in any park in any city - so if you are there later in the evening I would be wary. During the day - a gorgeous place to enjoy a rare sunny day in Belfast.