Fodor's Expert Review Queen's University Belfast

Dominating University Road is Queen's University. The main buildings, modeled on Oxford's Magdalen College and designed by the ubiquitous Charles Lanyon, were built in 1849 in the Tudor Revival style. The long, handsome, redbrick-and-sandstone facade of the main building features large lead-glass windows, and is topped with three square towers and crenellations galore. University Square, really a terrace, is from the same era. The Seamus Heaney Library is named after the Ulster-born, 1997 Nobel Prize–winning poet who died in 2013. The McClay Library in College Park features a multistory open atrium, 1.5 million volumes, and the Brian Friel Theatre, named in honor of one of Ireland's most illustrious playwrights. The C. S. Lewis reading room on the first floor has a replica of the wardrobe door used in the film The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The Queen's Welcome Centre hosts a program of exhibitions and serves as a visitor information point. Guided tours are available but must be booked in advance.

With a student population of 25,000, the university has been making waves internationally for its research in many fields. In 2020 Queen's appointed Hillary Clinton as its new chancellor to serve for a five-year term. It is the first time that a woman has taken on what is a largely ceremonial role and has boosted the university's prestige. The Clintons first came to Northern Ireland in November 1995 when Bill, as U.S. president, was a key player involved in talks leading to the Northern Ireland peace process. In 2018 Hillary received an honorary degree from Queen's and a scholarship was set up in her name for postgraduate study in politics, human rights, and peace-building.