United Kingdom / Northern Ireland / Giant's Causeway & the Causeway CoastGiant's Causeway & the Causeway Coast
40,000 Basalt Columns and a Rope Bridge Over the Sea
Northern Ireland's north coast: the Giant's Causeway's hexagonal basalt columns (a UNESCO site; the stones are free to walk, the visitor centre and its car park charge), the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Dunluce Castle's cliff-top ruins, the Dark Hedges, and the seaside towns of Portrush and Portstewart. 1 hour 30 from Belfast by car, or by train to Coleraine and the bus on; tours run daily from Belfast. The A2 coast road is one of the finest drives in Britain.
Highlights
- Giant's Causeway stones
- Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge
- Dunluce Castle
- The Dark Hedges
- Causeway Coast cliff path
- Mussenden Temple
Things to do
- Giant's Causeway and the cliff-top pathMorning · 3h
- Carrick-a-Rede rope bridgeAfternoon · 2h
- Dunluce Castle and the Dark HedgesAfternoon · 2h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: May – September
Heads up
The Twelfth: Parades and Closures
Around 12 July Orange Order parades and the bonfires on the night of the 11th close roads across Northern Ireland, and many shops and restaurants shut for the public holiday. Plan around the parade routes, and book rooms early for the holiday week.
Heads up
Winter Storms on the Causeway Coast
Winter gales send big waves over the lower Causeway stones and the cliff paths can close; the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge shuts in high winds. Keep off wet rocks near the water and check the National Trust's updates on stormy days.
- The Twelfth — Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland on 12 July, a public holiday, after bonfires on the night of the 11th. Many shops and restaurants close and some roads are shut; the week around it is a busy holiday. Watch respectfully from the side, or plan the Causeway Coast for those days instead.