Picking Up Your Car at George Best Belfast City Airport
George Best Belfast City Airport sits on the shore of Belfast Lough in Sydenham, barely three miles from the city centre. Named after the boy from Cregagh Road who became arguably the greatest footballer of his generation, this wee airport has a loyal following among folk who prefer to land and be in the heart of Belfast within minutes. Over two million passengers a year pass through, mostly on UK domestic routes, London City, Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the compact terminal means you can be at the car collection point before you've even finished your airport coffee.
The big advantage of BHD over Belfast International is location. You land, you walk out, and the Titanic Quarter is literally a five-minute drive. The Cathedral Quarter, where the real craic is, is ten minutes. No motorway, no navigating unfamiliar dual carriageways in a new car while jet-lagged. You're just.. in Belfast. Immediately.
If your trip is focused on Belfast itself plus day trips to the coast and mountains, BHD is the smart choice. You start exploring from the moment you leave the terminal. The Titanic Quarter is a stone's throw, and from Belfast you can strike out in any direction, Causeway Coast north, Mournes south, Strangford Lough east, or straight down the M1 to Dublin.
How Pickup Works
Dead simple. You book online, and your voucher shows where to collect, at BHD that's right by the compact terminal, so there's nowhere to get lost. Bring your voucher, licence and credit card, the supplier does the paperwork, and five to ten minutes later you're driving. The airport's size is its charm: arrivals to car in a couple of minutes.
Getting Out of the Airport
BHD sits on the A2 Sydenham Bypass. Turn left for the Titanic Quarter and city centre, you'll be there in minutes. Turn right and you're heading towards Bangor, Holywood (Northern Ireland's posh commuter belt), and the beautiful north Down coastline along Belfast Lough. Either way, you're on the road network immediately.
For the Causeway Coast and Giant's Causeway, follow signs for the M2 north, about ninety minutes. For Dublin, pick up the M1 south through Lisburn and Newry, roughly two hours with a seamless border crossing. For the Mournes, the A24 south through Ballynahinch to the seaside town of Newcastle takes about an hour.
The Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough are right on your doorstep from BHD. Head east through Holywood and Bangor, then south along the peninsula. Castle Ward, Winterfell in Game of Thrones, is down there, along with charming villages, castle ruins, and Strangford Lough itself, a Special Area of Conservation stuffed with wildlife. The car ferry between Strangford and Portaferry runs every thirty minutes and makes a lovely shortcut for the loop. Explorethe Causeway Coast and Dark Hedges, all within 90 minutes.
Titanic Quarter & Surrounds
The area around BHD has been completely transformed. The Titanic Quarter, built on the old Harland & Wolff shipyard, is now home to Titanic Belfast, a stunning angular building housing nine galleries about the ship's story, and worth every penny of the admission price (that's the £97 million museum, not the ticket price). The SSE Arena, hotels, restaurants, and the Titanic Studios where Game of Thrones was filmed are all here. The iconic yellow cranes, Samson and Goliath, still dominate the skyline. It's one of the most impressive waterfront regeneration projects anywhere in these islands.
Parking & Road Tips
Belfast has plenty of multi-storey car parks, Victoria Square, CastleCourt, and around the Cathedral Quarter. On-street parking is pay-and-display in the centre, and free on Sundays in most spots. Titanic Belfast has a massive car park right next door. For trips along the coast, parking is generally free and plentiful, though the Giant's Causeway charges a car park fee (which includes the visitor centre). We drive on the left, speed limits are in miles per hour, you know the drill if you're from the UK. If you're not, you'll pick it up quickly. The roundabouts are the only tricky bit.
Distances from Belfast City Airport
- Belfast city centre: about 5 min
- Titanic Quarter: about 5 min
- Giant's Causeway: about 1 hr 30 min
- Dublin: about 2 hrs via A1/M1
- Bangor & the Ards Peninsula: about 20 min
- Newcastle & the Mourne Mountains: about 1 hr
Airport Facilities
Restaurants, cafes, a bar (naturally), shops, and free Wi-Fi throughout. The Sydenham railway halt is right at the airport, a train to Belfast city centre takes under ten minutes if you fancy leaving the car for an evening. Airport parking is directly adjacent. There's a taxi rank outside arrivals too, but with a hire car you won't be needing it.
Why BHD Is the Insider's Choice
If you're flying from a UK city and want to hit the ground running, BHD is hard to beat. Five minutes to the Titanic Quarter. Ten minutes to a pint in the Crown Liquor Saloon. No motorway driving, no navigation faff. The airport is tiny by design, less walking, shorter queues, and a general lack of the airport-anxiety that bigger terminals inflict on you. Combine a BHD landing with a hire car and you're exploring Belfast before your checked-in friends at International have even found their luggage carousel.
You'll be driving within minutes of stepping off the plane, the car and supplier desk are right at the terminal, with the details on your voucher. Bring a road map or offline sat-nav; and if you want a tip, the Ards Peninsula loop just east of the airport is a cracker.
Questions We Get Asked a Lot
You collect from your rental supplier right by the compact terminal, and your booking voucher gives the exact spot and pickup instructions. The airport is tiny, so there's nowhere to get lost; bring your voucher, licence and credit card and the handover takes just a few minutes.
A physical credit card in the main driver's name is required for most vehicles, and some need no deposit at all. Where a deposit does apply it's held on that card and refunded once you bring the car back in good order.
It can be, but the supplier has to approve cross-border travel, so tick or declare it when you book. The border itself has no checkpoints, the only change is miles switching to kilometres. Some suppliers add a small cross-border fee, and it's shown in the rental conditions before you pay.
We do offer one-way hires, so you could collect at the City Airport and drop off in Dublin or elsewhere. Choose your return point during the search and the price, including any one-way charge, is shown up front.
Very close, only about 3 miles, which is a ten-minute drive. It's the handiest airport for the Titanic Quarter and Cathedral Quarter, so you'll be at your hotel almost before your coffee has cooled.
A great deal. The Titanic Quarter is minutes away, the Mourne Mountains about an hour south, and the Giant's Causeway roughly 90 minutes north. Its position on the eastern edge of the city makes heading off up the coast straightforward.