From a tiny seventeenth century village, through a Victorian boom which has formed much of the current city centre and years of the Troubles, Belfast is now a buzzing city, blossoming with restaurants, cafes, pubs and a load of smart shops. Sun is unlikely to be the reason for going, but all of Belfast's warmth is in the welcome. You can't fail to be charmed.

How to get there
Flights to Belfast take around 1 and a quarter hours from London and go to two airports: Belfast City, which is just 10 to 20 minutes from the city centre, and Belfast International, whose nearest station is Antrim, six miles away. Ryanair and flybe offfer cheap flights to Belfast City, whilst Easyjet and Aer Lingus both fly to Belfast International: British Airways and bmibaby offer the choice of both. Belfast flights depart from London and most regional airports - Easyjet flies from Bristol, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow International, whilst Ryanair goes from East Midlands, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow Prestwick: both offer flights from Liverpool.

When to go
When booking your flight to Belfast, it's unlikely that hours of sunshine will be the deciding factor. To make sure you find a cheap flight to Belfast and a cheap hotel deal in Belfast though, try to avoid school holidays if possible as the flights are busier so the prices tend to rise quickly. April, May, June and September are less crowded than the midsummer months and these are also the driest (the wettest being October to January), with attractions still open and plenty of daylight hours to see them in.

What to do
There's plenty of eating, drinking and making-merry to be done in the city itself, which is renowned for its craic. Most notable of Belfast's restaurants is Paul and Jeanne Rankin's restaurant Cayenne (said to be amongst the top ten in the whole of Britain), but there are many others to stumble upon too. If shopping's your thing, you can do so till you drop in trendy Lisburn Road, or, for a more traditional approach, head for St George's market, the oldest covered market in the whole of Ireland. Your flight to Belfast needn't confine you to the city itself: County Antrim is full of rugged, rural charm as well as the buzz of the city. Hire a car and head to Glanariff Forest Park which is not too far away from the city and contains romantic waterfalls and wooded glens; Dunluce Castle is also within easy reach, for some fairytale magic in your trip. The coastline is spectacular, full of craggy rocks and inlets: from Belfast, you can even take a day trip to the famous Giant's Causeway on the north Antrim coast. A cheap flight can lead not just to a city break, but to some outstanding natural phenomena too.