Best time to visit Belfast

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
1234443211
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
45654
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
567776456566
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
89121111106798109
September 6/10 feels 15°C (+1°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 60/100
Day 17° · Night 11° 75% humidity 20 km/h wind 13 rain days (161h) 176h sun
Thermal 5
Sky 7
Rain 5
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Tours in Belfast

13 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you. Map locations are approximate (centred on Belfast).

  1. 1Belfast Black Taxi Tour: Private Journey Through History4.95★ (1,289)1h 30mfrom $64🔥 Selling fast
  2. 2Iconic Belfast Black Cab Tour4.97★ (469)1h 30mfrom $101🔥 Selling fast
  3. 3Black Taxi Mural "Tour Like A Local"4.98★ (125)1h 30mfrom $50🔥 Selling fast
  4. 4Official World Famous Belfast Taxi Tour ™4.91★ (652)from $111
  5. 5Private Black Taxi Belfast City Tour4.97★ (2,305)1h 30mfrom $107
  6. 6Cab Tours Belfast Famous Black Taxi Tours4.97★ (3,844)from $97
  7. 7Belfast's Political Mural Taxi Tour4.98★ (1,336)1hfrom $54
  8. 8Private Luxury Tour of Giants Causeway Tour from Belfast5.00★ (45)8hfrom $840
  9. 9Guided Day Tour: Giant's Causeway from Belfast4.83★ (516)7h 30mfrom $51
  10. 10A History of Terror - Belfast City Centre Walking Tour4.97★ (3,053)2h 30mfrom $35
  11. 11Belfast Troubles Tour: Walls and Bridges4.98★ (940)from $32
  12. 12Belfast Bike Tours4.98★ (348)3hfrom $42
  13. 13Derry Londonderry Private Full Day Tour From Belfast5.00★ (21)from $463

Last refreshed 2026-06-28.

Similar climatesEdinburgh95% · Waterford94% · Chester94%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Belfast (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Belfast's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 3–7 3 11 117 10.6 84% 23 90 — Quiet 4
Feb 4–9 4 15 193 12.9 79% 28 107 1 Quiet 4
Mar 4–10 6 17 190 11.2 75% 23 156 2 Quiet 4
Apr 5–11 8 13 148 11.4 69% 20 210 3 Quiet 5
May 8–15 12 15 178 11.9 69% 19 245 4 Moderate 5
Jun 11–17 16 15 186 12.4 69% 19 242 4 Moderate 6
Jul 12–18 17 18 234 13.0 71% 19 222 4 Busy 5
Aug 12–18 17 18 217 12.1 73% 19 222 3 Peak 5
Sep 11–17 15 13 161 12.4 75% 20 176 2 Moderate 6
Oct 9–13 11 18 214 11.9 80% 23 126 1 Quiet 4
Nov 6–10 7 13 134 10.3 84% 22 94 1 Quiet 4
Dec 4–8 4 15 166 11.1 86% 24 66 — Quiet 3

UV Index in Belfast by Month

UV index in Belfast peaks at 4 (moderate) in June, dropping to 0 (low) in December.

Best months in detail

September

6/10

11–17°C (feels 15°C) · 13 rain days (161h) · 176 sun hours · 75% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 2 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

June

6/10

11–17°C (feels 16°C) · 15 rain days (186h) · 242 sun hours · 69% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (moderate)

May

5/10

8–15°C (feels 12°C) · 15 rain days (178h) · 245 sun hours · 69% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 5 (moderate)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

4/10

3–7°C (feels 3°C) · 11 rain days (117h) · 90 sun hours · 84% humidity · Quiet crowd

February

4/10

4–9°C (feels 4°C) · 15 rain days (193h) · 107 sun hours · 79% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

March

4/10

4–10°C (feels 6°C) · 17 rain days (190h) · 156 sun hours · 75% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

April

5/10

5–11°C (feels 8°C) · 13 rain days (148h) · 210 sun hours · 69% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (low) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 4 (moderate)

July

5/10

12–18°C (feels 17°C) · 18 rain days (234h) · 222 sun hours · 71% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 5 (moderate)

August

5/10

12–18°C (feels 17°C) · 18 rain days (217h) · 222 sun hours · 73% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 3 (moderate)

October

4/10

9–13°C (feels 11°C) · 18 rain days (214h) · 126 sun hours · 80% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

November

4/10

6–10°C (feels 7°C) · 13 rain days (134h) · 94 sun hours · 84% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

December

3/10

4–8°C (feels 4°C) · 15 rain days (166h) · 66 sun hours · 86% humidity · Quiet crowd

Frequently asked questions about visiting Belfast

When is the best time to visit Belfast?

September is the highest-scoring month (6/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 11–17°C (13 rainy days). The top three months by score are September, June, May.

What is the worst time to visit Belfast?

December is the lowest-scoring month (3/10). Typical conditions: 4–8°C (15 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Belfast?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in February and peaks in August. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Belfast have good weather but fewer tourists?

September (climate 6/10, crowd index 49) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Belfast by month?

UV peaks at 4 (moderate) in June and is lowest in December at 0 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan —, Feb 1, Mar 2, Apr 3, May 4, Jun 4, Jul 4, Aug 3, Sep 2, Oct 1, Nov 1, Dec —.

What is the UV index in Belfast in June?

June is the peak UV month in Belfast, with a daily-peak UV index of 4 (moderate). Standard sun protection — sunglasses and light SPF — is recommended.

How high can UV get in Belfast on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. June is the worst case: typical days average UV 4 (moderate), but the top 10% of days reach UV 6 (moderate) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: April, May, June, July, September. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.