Banks, Car Breakdowns, Cars 24hour Petrol, Car Parking, Currency, Credit Cards, Disability Access, Emergencies, Lost Valuables, Medical and Dental Services, Newspapers, Places of Worship, Postal Services, Phone Number, Pub Hours, Shopping Hours, Smoking, Taxis, Tours/Tour Guides, Travel Agents, Travel Insurance, Tipping, Weather, Weights and Measures

Banks:

Hours are generally Monday - Friday, 9.30am – 4.30pm with some opening Saturday mornings. ATM machines dispense at several locations – airports, ports, banks, garages and shopping centres. A credit card use in an ATM is an easy way of obtaining sterling if you are traveling from the Republic of Ireland or from abroad. Bureau de Change are in larger bank branches, travel agencies, the Belfast Welcome Centre, and other Tourist Information Centres, big hotels and some visitor attractions.

Car Breakdowns:

Automobile Association Emergency Tel: 0800 887766

Cars – 24 Hour petrol:

A number of petrol stations with extended hours are on major roads to Belfast, usually with mini supermarkets attached.

Car Parking:

Multi-storey and off-street car parks have hour tariffs dependent on location. On street pay and display zones are clearly marked. Car parking is available at the Multistore Car Park adjacent to the Waterfront Hall. Pay heed to restriction notices drawing attention to morning and evening rush hour clearways and bus lanes when in operation

Currency:

Great Britain and Northern Ireland use the Pound Sterling (£) divided into 100 pence. Travellers cheques can be exchanged for cash in banks, hotels and exchange bureaux. Northern Ireland has it's own notes which should be changed prior to leaving. On the 1st of January 2002, The Republic of Ireland adopted the Euro (€) divided into 100 cents. The same currency is used in 11 other EU countries.

Credit Cards:

Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard, American Express and other major credit cards are widely accepted in both the Republic and Northern Ireland. Cash Points (ATMs) are widely available outside the banks and in larger shopping centres.

Disability Access:

Belfast over the last 10 years has become more accessible. Belfast Waterfront Hall, Belfast City Hall and designated hotels are accessible. Should you require further information regarding disability access, please do not hesitate to contact Conference Secretariat. There are a number of accessible transport options within Belfast for further information: Taxis: Fonacab +44 (0) 28 90333333 or www.fonacab.com Bus/Trains: +44 (0) 28 90 66 66 30 or www.translink.co.uk

Emergencies:

Police, ambulance, fire services: Dial 999

Lost Valuables:

Police Lost Property Tel: +44 (0)28 90 650222 Contact this number and the operator will put you in touch with the nearest police station.

Medical & Dental Services:

Delegates from the EU to Northern Ireland should obtain an European Health Insurance Card (formerly an E111 form) from a Post Office prior to departure. EU Delegates are also advised to take out medical insurance. Delegates from non-EU countries are advised to take out medical insurance before leaving home. In an emergency, your Hotel Reception will be able to call for medical assistance or telephone 999 if the situation is life-threatening. Advice on medical and dental emergencies – Health Information Service Tel: 0800 665544

Newspapers:

Belfast has a number of daily newspapers; Belfast Telegraph, News Letter and Irish News and a Sunday paper, Sunday Life. All have entertainment listings. The free monthly tourist newspaper, ‘Northern Ireland Travel News’ obtainable from ports, tourist information centres and travel agencies provides details of current attractions and events. The monthly events guide ‘Whatabout?’ provides a definitive guide to the city, and is available in all airports, ferry terminals, bus & trains stations and from the Belfast Welcome Centre.

Places of Worship:

Main Sunday services of major Christian denominations are advertised in the Saturday edition of the Belfast Telegraph.Places of worship for the most faith communities are listed in Yellow Pages. The cathedrals in central Belfast are St. Anne’s Cathedral (Anglican/Church of Ireland) on Donegall Street and St. Peter’s Cathedral (Roman Catholic) on Derby Street.

Postal Services:

Post Offices and red post boxes are situation all over the City; Main Post Office is at Castle Junction and mailings are accepted at Tomb Street Sorting Office. Small books of UK Stamps are available in convenience stores and petrol stations.

Phone Number:

The Northern Ireland Dialling Code (028) or +44 (0) 28 is used as a prefix when dialling from outside of a region, or when making internal calls using a mobile. All Belfast numbers are composed followed by 90 and six digits. Eg: Belfast Welcome Centre (0) 2890 246609.

Pub Hours:

Generally Monday – Saturday, 11.30am – 11.pm, Sunday 12,30am – 5.30pm. Many bars in Belfast have later opening hours on Thursdays – Saturdays. Children are not permitted on licensed premises. No alcohol may be sold to under 18’s.

Shopping Hours:

City centre Shops are generally open Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 5.30pm (Thursday until 9.00pm) some larger stores open on Sunday 1pm – 5pm. Neighbourhood stores and garage forecourt convenience shops often open longer – 24 hours in many cases.

Smoking:

No smoking applies on public transport or in most public buildings. More and more restaurants have a no-smoking policy; most have a smoke free area. From April 2007 Smoke free legislation will come in to force and it will be illegal to smoke in all public places. This includes café, pubs and restaurants.

The Waterfront Hall has a smoke free policy

Taxis:

Fonacab collect at airports and will also collect and drop to order, operating 24 hours. Tel: +44 (0)28 90 333333 or visit their website: www.fonacab.com

Tours/Tour Guides:

See ‘Tours’ section of Transport and Tours on Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau website: www.gotobelfast.com

Travel Agencies:

Most UK / Irish Travel Agencies and Tour Operators are represented in Belfast. Some travel agents may open to 13.00hrs on a Saturday.

Travel Insurance:

All delegates are advised to take Travel Insurance prior to leaving their country.

Tipping:

It is now a generally accepted practice in restaurants to leave a gratuity of 10% -15 % of the total service charge. Some restaurants may add on an obligatory 10% or 12.5% service charge on large bookings.

Weather:

Ulster's climate is mild and temperate, with mild winters, very little snow, and warm summers. It tends to be breezy, with sudden changes from cloud to sunny skies and vice versa. In June, temperatures are on average 18 degrees Celsius.

Weights and Measures:

The Metric system has been adopted in Ireland but is not always enforced, for example, distances are measured in both miles and kilometres, drinks in pubs come in pints and petrol comes in litres while food is sold both in pounds and kilograms.

Disclaimer:

This information was accurate as from 1 October 2006. Should there be any changes the Conference Organiser will not be held responsible.

Should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact us.