Kangaroo burgers are but one delicacy that you'll find in Belfast during the merry weeks ahead. Fionola Meredithconcocts a shopping guide
WHERE TO SHOP
Belfast's answer to the great Christmas markets of Vienna or Prague is the Euro-kitsch encampment on the lawn of Belfast City Hall. It started this week and runs until December 19th. The Christmas Continental Marketis, bizarrely, divided into three areas: a German village, an Irish village and a European village. But don't let the geographical confusion - or the excess of sparkly lights - put you off. Make a beeline for the Dutch waffles. And keep an eye out for the kangaroo burgers, a highlight from previous years.
Blink and you'll miss St George's Christmas Fair and Market- it only runs from Saturday, December 9th to Sunday, December 10th - but for local crafts and jewellery it really is worth a look. The usual bustling Saturday farmers' market (excellent organic vegetables, cheeses and meats) will be part of the event, too.
St George's, on May Street, is the real deal - a vibrant, noisy, colourful market housed in a handsome 19th-century building.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Money no object? The recently opened Merchant Hotel, on Waring Street in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, is probably the swankiest place in town. It is indecently luxurious, and you can almost smell the wealth oozing from the walls. Why not book the hotel's Bentley to ferry you between shopping pit stops? The last word in elegance or ridiculously naff? You decide. (Rooms from £220, see www.themerchanthotel.com.)
If you want to lay your head on a crushed velvet pillow, the boutique Malmaisonhotel, on Victoria Street, could be your post-shopping resting place. The plush opulence and gothic splendour of this hotel is pretty seductive - despite its irritatingly chirpy slogan "that's mal life!". Apparently, you can even bring your pooch: an extra £10 a night gets him his very own dinner bowl and super comfy basket to chill out in. (Rooms from £99, see www.malmaison.com.)
Ten Square, at 10 Donegall Square South (048-90241001) has just been named Best City Hotel in the Belfast Business Awards 2006; it is decorated with oriental restraint. (Prices from £165 B&B.)
If you want to save your money for gifts, you could do worse than check into the Ravenhill Guesthouse. It's at the posh, leafy end of Ravenhill Road (not the paramilitary-murals end). Visitors to this friendly and stylish south Belfast Victorian home can power up with a traditional Ulster fry before hitting the shops. (Rooms from £42, see www.ravenhillguesthouse.com.)
WHERE TO EAT
Belfast is having a culinary awakening, with lots of attractive restaurants opening in recent years. But for consistency and flair, it's hard to beat Cayenne, on Shaftesbury Square. The Paul Rankin-owned restaurant used to be a bit po-faced and stuffy, in its former incarnation as Roscoff, but as Cayenne it's a sexy proposition - fusion cooking at its yummiest.
As it's tiny and slightly off the beaten track, is easy to overlook. But you'd be missing a treat. The friendly owner, Simon McCance, dishes up local food with flair and imagination, including - on one memorable occasion - handmade sausages and mash, with a juicy slick of haricot beans. Gingeris on Hope Street, off Great Victoria Street.
Cotton Court, in the Cathedral Quarter, may not evoke images of sun-soaked terraces with a view to the Mediterranean, but it is home to the delightful Taps 2, a Spanish tapas bar where hardy and determined customers can sit outside (under patio heaters turned up to maximum) munching on an impressive range of snacks. Meat-eaters can try the dinky little empanadas, while vegetarians (who are well catered for here) can nibble on pumpkin tortilla.
For a quick snack, nip into Flour, an impossibly tiny creperie on Upper Queen Street. If you're lucky, you'll get a seat in this Scandinavian-style shoebox cafe. If not, you can take away a gooey crepe filled with Nutella and banana or, if you're too grown-up for that, mozzarella and olives.
WHERE TO DRINK
If you're willing to jostle your way to the bar among the self-consciously trendy hordes, the popular Apartment, on Donegall Square West, can be a good spot to sip one of the bar's award-winning cocktails. Sink into a squashy leather sofa and gaze out at City Hall through the huge plate-glass windows.
For more down-to-earth drinkers, the John Hewitt, on Donegall Street, offers a traditional atmosphere with left-field undertones - named after the socialist poet, it's run by Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre. Expect lively (and unusual) sessions, with everything from Ulster Scots folk to Cajun music.
Or you could try the Parlourbar, on Elmwood Avenue. Often marketed as the closest pub to the university campus, it can get rather swamped with students. If cheap jugs of sangria or shots of blue WKD aren't your style, the Parlour is still worth a visit. The bar is famous for its pizzas, authentically cooked in a wood-fired stove, so call in at lunchtime.
WHERE TO GET A COFFEE
With its rainbow-coloured lighting, comfortable seating and eclectic music (chosen by the young, friendly staff), coffee shop, on Botanic Avenue, Clementsdoes the best cappuccinos in town. Kick back with the papers or simply watch the ever-changing procession of humanity passing the windows. If you're peckish, the raspberry, white chocolate and honey scones should hit the spot. Children will inevitably go for the double-chocolate milkshake, and there's handmade crisps for them, too - mum and dad will definitely sample the firecracker lobster flavour.
The small upstairs cafe at the Olive Tree, at 353 Ormeau Road, looks a bit like your great aunt's parlour circa 1942. But the pleasantly down-at-heel decor only adds to the laid-back atmosphere. Try a piece of honey-dripping baklava with your coffee or a croissant filled with brie and onion marmalade. There's a popular deli downstairs, so you can stock up on olives, salads or cheeses on your way out.
• For more, see www.gotobelfast.com and www.discovernorthernireland.com