Inside The Europa The Most Notorious Hotel In Europe

Visitors to Belfast’s Europa Hotel might be impressed by its rooms, food and service, but anyone who knows about the hotel’s turbulent history might just be impressed with the fact it’s still standing.
The Europa Hotel opened in 1971 with the aim of positioning itself as one of Belfast’s premier destinations, but it also quickly gained a reputation as ‘Europe’s most bombed hotel’. Between 1970 and 1994, the hotel was hit by no fewer than 33 IRA bomb attacks. Paying attention to the dates – one of these attacks occurred before the hotel even opened to the public.

During the Troubles, the hotel acted as a sort of home base for foreign journalists. This, coupled with the hotel’s central location and visibility, made it the perfect target for bombings, and press coverage was guaranteed. The hotel was bombed so often that it gained the nickname ‘The Hardboard Hotel’, named for the hardboard coverings over the shattered windows. Despite all the attacks, the hotel has only actually closed its doors to the public twice, and no one died in any of the bombings.

After one of the worst attacks, in 1993, bar patrons could apparently look through a hole in the wall and see the stage of the Grand Opera House next door. The hotel was so damaged that it had to be sold to the Hastings Group for an undervalued price of ‘only’ £4.4 million. Hastings pumped a further £8 million into a refurbishment effort, and the hotel reopened in 1994.
President Bill Clinton stayed at the hotel during both of his visits to Belfast. In 1995, he and his entourage booked 110 of the hotel’s 272 rooms. The suite in which the Clintons stayed was later renamed The Clinton Suite, but in 2009 Hillary came under some criticism when she stated that the hotel had been bombed during her 1995 stay (it hadn’t).

Today, the four-star hotel is central, modern, distinctive – and perfectly safe. Rooms are plush and comfortable, and the Piano Bar provides views of the historic Crown Bar across the street. A recent refurbishment effort has added seven new floors to the back wing of the building, so it’s clear that the hotel isn’t going to fall into disrepair any time soon. If with the number of guests coming in and out of the hotel is any indication, The Europa is going to stay open and bustling for the foreseeable future.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.