When grocery shopping as a student in Belfast you have many options but for me, I take the 10 minute walk from my tenth floor flat in Elms BT1 to the Belfast Lidl on High St Belfast. Before moving to Belfast I lived in a village where when my parents sent me to go out to grab something from the shops. It felt like a chore then but there’s something about walking through Belfast that just makes me smile so I want to share some of the cool places I pass just on my little trip to grab my groceries.

John Bell House

Standing outside my Queen’s accommodation it’s impossible not to miss this impressive building as it towers over the street. With its beautiful traditional architecture and its turquoise roofed towers this building matches the look of many other older buildings in Belfast. In fact, I’ve even heard a couple of tourists mistaking this for the City Hall. Although I see this building everyday out my kitchen window I’ll never get bored of looking at it.

Alice Clock – Fountain Centre

As you head behind Elms BT1 the first thing you’ll notice is the sound of music being pumped out by Q Radio, a local radio station. Its studio is located just above the shops but if you look up you’ll also see the beautiful Alice Clock.

This clock bells ring on the hour with a weird melodic tune and you can take two escalators up to get a closer look at the clock and its shining gold face which is lit up beautifully at night.

Queen’s Arcade

As you exit the canopy of the Fountain Centre you can head straight into the luxury of Queen’s Arcade. The noise of Q Radio is replaced by subtle classical music which plays as you walk along the marble floors. With shops like Gucci and Rolex it’s unlikely you’ll be unable to afford much in here on a student budget but it’s a delight to walk through. Although the Queen’s café bar is surprisingly well priced for its location and can be a great spot for lunch.

The Bank Buildings

As you exit Queen’s Arcade and cross over the street to your left you see the newly renovated Bank Buildings. This Grade 1 listed historic building also holds one of my favourite shops- Primark. But this is no ordinary Primark, this a massive five story Primark complete with a Disney café. This building, as well as being stunning to look at on the outside, offers great views of Belfast if you head up to the fifth floor which I highly recommend you do.

Spirit of Belfast

After crossing the road, you head down Castle Lane which is always full of a bustling mix of shoppers and buskers. At the end of the path, you meet Arthur Square with a large interlocking metallic structure at its centre. Built in 2009 the structure also sits by the entrance of Victoria Square, Belfast’s best-known shopping centre, famous for its large glass dome.

At Halloween the buildings around Arthur square are decorated with large inflatable monsters which did give me a bit of shock when I first saw them!

The Entries

As you exit Arthur Square and head down Ann St there are 3 separate “Entries” you can take to get to the road on which you’ll find Lidl. These are Crown’s Entry, Joy’s Entry and Pottinger’s Entry.

The Entries are like small old alleyways normally decorated with murals and often have traditional Irish pubs hidden within them. They are massive contrast to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city centre and are great to explore.

High Horse

As you exit the entry you’ll see a striking and colourful mural called High Horse. In the sun the mural looks even more impressive as it’s reflected in the glass of the building next to it. Belfast has many murals to find across the city with a lot of history but this is one of the cities newer pieces painted by a Dublin based artist James Early in 2015.

And that concludes my 10-minute walk to grab my shopping. This is only a small stretch of the city, yet I see so much from historic architecture to modern artwork. 

Living in the city centre makes ordinary tasks so much more interesting and Elms BT1 is a great location for people who want to live in the heart of this unique place.

Find out more

5 Things You Can Do in Belfast That You Can’t Do Anywhere Else!

Unlocking Belfast: Maximising your Student Discounts

Discovering Belfast as an International Student

Russell Unsworth Chemical Engineering | Undergraduate Student | England Once a week I take 10min walk from my Queens Belfast Accommodation to the local Lidl but living right in the city of Belfast means I pass some amazing sights on my little trip to the shops.