Botanic Gardens

What more can a student ask for than to have such a beautiful and serene park within a stone's throw of the main library? Both the Palm House and the Tropical Ravine are a must-see, and a great way to imagine you are somewhere hot, humid, and far away on a dark winter's evening!

St George's Market

Built between 1890 and 1896 the distinctive St George's Market is undoubtedly one of the best in the UK and Ireland.  It hosts a Variety Market on Fridays, a Food and Craft Market on Saturdays and a Sunday Market, complete with live music.  It's the perfect place to start or end any weekend in Belfast.

Titanic Belfast

It's what everyone is talking about this year and is a huge addition to the Belfast skyline.  Whether you're a titanorak who is eager to visit the musuem itself or the curious tourist simply wanting a profile pic with the museum in the background, take a trip down to the Titanic Quarter and check it out.  You'll get a close up view of the H&W cranes, Samson and Goliath, and you can also visit the Titanic Dock and Pump House, which really gives you a sense of the enormity of the ship.

The Ulster Museum

The Musuem, situated in the Botanic Gardens, reopened recently after extensive renovations.  It now offers a truly modern museum experience with a myriad of things to see at every turn.  Current and upcoming highlights include the Age of the Dinosaur Exhibition and two talks on Leonardo da Vinci's drawings this June.  Best of all, admission to the museum is free!

Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park

Worth a visit during the summer months when the Rose Gardens are in full bloom.  They host a event-filled Rose Week in July which attracts thousands of visitors.  Entrance to the park is via Upper Malone Road.  For The Stables Coffee Shop, use the lower entrance (towards Drumbeg).  Take Ulsterbus No. 21 to Drumbeg from the Europa Bus Station in Belfast City Centre (Mondays to Fridays only) or use Metro No. 8 A-C.  Free shuttle buses run from City Hall during Rose Week.

Belfast City Hall

Another of Belfast's most iconic buildings, City Hall is the Belfast City Council's civic building, and is located in Donegall Square.  There are free public tours Monday to Saturday and a new coffee shop within City Hall itself.  There is a new Titanic memorial garden in the grounds of City Hall and a big screen within the grounds which was even used to cover the London Olympics last summer.

The Continental Market

Over 100 European traders selling a huge variety of gifts and food, everything from soaps to ostrich burgers, create a wonderful atmosphere in the city centre each Christmas.  The market takes place in the grounds of City Hall and is a great place to get a little festive cheer and to pick up some last minute gifts.  The market returns mid-year for another weekend of great food, drink, and entertainment.

Cave Hill

This jagged mountain juts out over the Belfast skyline on clear days and a trek to the top offers spectacular views of the city and Belfast Lough.  You'll cross moorland, heath, and meadows on this challenging circular route that begins at Belfast Castle and will pass the Devil's Punchbowl and McArt's Fort.  There are car park facilities at Belfast Castle and you can also take the bus: Metro Services; Belfast Castle and Hazelwood entrance; Metro Services: 1A-1H (Mon-Sat) 1C-1E, 1H (Sun). Further details on the walk are available by clicking on the title link.

Belfast Zoo

The zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals and 150 species that are under threat in their natural environments.  Some of the animals you can see include spider monkeys, Moloch gibbons, Asian elephants and giant anteaters.  The zoo is located on Cave Hill and offers stunning views from its 55 acre site of parks and gardens.  Metro services 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G and 2A (for Antrim Road or Bellevue) depart from Donegall Square West in Belfast city centre and pass by the entrance to the zoo.

The Linen Hall Library

The Libary, located on Donegall Square, is the oldest in Belfast and the last subscription library in Ireland.  It has an extensive collection pertaining to the local history of Belfast and Northern Ireland, ranging from early printed books to recent histories of the Troubles. It is a beautiful library to visit and read in.  There is a Clement's cafe on site which is a great place for a coffee and an escape from the bustling shops in the streets below.

Most students choose to live within walking distance of the university.  As Belfast is a compact city, this is quite a large area.

Popular locations include the Lisburn Road, the Ormeau Road and the Holylands.

You will find property for rent in these areas on Propertypal, SU Lettings or Gumtree

You can find university accommodation information here, including information on the postgraduate halls Mount Charles and Willow Walk.

Here is a handy map of Belfast city centre.  The City Hall is at the heart of Belfast, and you'll find the major shopping streets radiating off it.

The major shopping malls are Castlecourt Shopping Centre and Victoria Square.

There are good second hand bookshops and vintage clothes shops on Botanic Avenue. 

The Lisburn Road has high-end fashion shops.

Botanic Avenue is a very popular street, filled with cafes, bookshops and bars. 

At night, you can always find students in the bars near the halls of residence - The Botanic Inn and the Eglantine Inn (known as 'the Bot' and 'the Egg')

The Cathedral Quarter in the city centre is Belfast's cultural centre. There are galleries, music venues, and lots of pubs with live music.

The Student's Union has a number of bars, shops and cafes.

 
When the sun shines in Belfast, you can find everyone hanging out in the Botanic Gardens, which are conveniently located beside the McClay library.

The Postgraduate Student Centre runs a Welcome Week at the start of the Autumn semester. This is a series of fun social events for postgraduate students (last year events included Breakfast meet and greets, Speed Mating, Wii competitions, trampolining and film nights).

Your School will also run orientation events and most faculties host postgraduate parties to introduce newbies to staff and students.

The Student's Union runs a Fresher's Week, which will include a Fresher's Fair. You should sign up to a club or society that interests you.

There are also a number of dedicated postgraduate societies. These currently include the Postgraduate Student's Association (PGSA), the PG Cake Club, the Craft and Knitting Club, and a postgraduate football team.

For questions related to your course, you should get in contact with your School office. 

For questions related to visas and immigration matters, contact the International Student Support Office: iss@qub.ac.uk

For any query, you can contact the Postgraduate Student Centre: pg.centre@qub.ac.uk 

The Student Guidance Centre provides information about disability services, counselling, and careers.

University Jobs

The Student Jobshop is part of Careers, Employability and Skills and its purpose is to help students find fairly paid part-time, temporary work oncampus and offcampus whilst they are studying at Queens University, Belfast and Stranmillis University College, Belfast. Students must register with the Jobshop before they can search for jobs on the database.

The Careers department website also constantly updates its vacancy and work experience list, which can be accessed here

Other Employment possibilities

Many students at Queen's University have part-time jobs in the many bars, cafes and shops around Belfast. It is often beneficial to take a walk and see what businesses are advertising part-time work in their shop window.

There are many jobs websites in Northern Ireland, including:

www.nijobfinder.co.uk

www.jobcentreonline.com

http://www.communityni.org

http://www.nijobs.com

The following websites offer information on sport, heritage, and cultural events happening in Belfast:

http://visit-belfast.com/

http://www.viewbelfast.co.uk/

http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/

http://www.thecathedralquarter.com/