Belfast & Giant's Causeway: Full-Day Coastal Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/21

Duration6h–8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

One Day, Six Castles & the Giant's Causeway from Belfast

You get picked up from your hotel, driven through the glens and along the Antrim Coast, and shown six castles (most from viewpoints, two from the road), the Giant's Causeway, and the Carrick-a-Rede viewpoint, with a lunch break in Ballycastle. The guide adjusts the route for weather and season, so you see what's safe and open that day — which means you're not paying for a fixed itinerary you might not get.

6h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Northern Ireland Coastal Highlights Tour

Optional Belfast city highlights tour
Photo stop at Carrickfergus Castle
View Glenarm Castle and Barbican
Stop in Carnlough for views and coffee
Drive through Glenariff Forest Park
Stop at Agnew's Field and Redbay Castle ruins
Pass through Cushendall and Cushendun village
Drive Torr Head Scenic Route to Murlough Bay
Visit limestone cliffs and shoreline bay
Lunch or dinner in Ballycastle
Visit Kinbane Castle ruins
View Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge from lookout
Explore Giant's Causeway basalt columns
Stop at Dunluce Castle ruins

The Experience

You've just landed or checked into your Belfast hotel, and you've got one day to see the North Coast. The tour picks you up from your accommodation in Belfast or nearby, and for the next eight to ten hours you're moving — past Carrickfergus Castle on the lough, inland through the Nine Glens of Antrim where the landscape shifts from industrial to wild, then out onto the Causeway Coastal Route where the cliffs take over. Your guide handles the driving and the timing; you handle the camera and the questions. The itinerary shifts with weather and season, so what you see depends partly on the day itself — some stops are optional, some only happen if conditions allow, and that's actually the point. You're not locked into a fixed script.

The main attractions are Dunluce Castle (a ruin perched on a cliff, 250 years in the making, no entry fee but ten minutes of pure photography), the Giant's Causeway with its 40,000 basalt columns (the only UNESCO site in Northern Ireland, and yes, it gets crowded, but the guide times the stop to catch it quieter), and the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge — though you won't cross it. Instead you view it from Portaneevy Lookout Point above, which saves three hours and still gives you the panorama across to Scotland. In between are smaller stops: Glenarm Castle (viewed from above because it's a private home), Carnlough with its limestone harbour and Game of Thrones filming location, Cushendun if the weather holds (a National Trust village with half-slated cottages), and Ballycastle for lunch at one of the local seafood restaurants. The Torr Head Scenic Route curves along high cliffs if conditions permit; Murlough Bay and Kinbane Castle appear or don't depending on season and road access. Nothing is guaranteed except the Giant's Causeway and the drive itself.

Lunch happens in Ballycastle, where you choose and pay separately — the tour stops there, but the meal isn't included. Bottled water is provided throughout the day. The group stays small (maximum three people per booking), so it doesn't feel like a coach tour. Pickup is available from Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, or surrounding accommodation; if you're not in Belfast, note that some stops (the Belfast city highlights, Carrickfergus Castle) don't happen on departures from Derry. The tour doesn't run on Mondays. Dress for the weather — this coast is exposed, and the itinerary changes if rain or wind makes a road unsafe or a viewpoint inaccessible.

What’s included

Your day includes round-trip hotel or accommodation pickup from Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, or surrounding areas, transportation throughout the tour, bottled water, and stops at multiple attractions including the Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede viewpoint, Dunluce Castle, Glenarm Castle viewpoint, and several villages along the Causeway Coastal Route.
Lunch is at your own cost in Ballycastle.
The itinerary is guided and flexible, adjusting for weather, season, and road conditions.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by InSite Tours Ireland

Is this one for you?Book this if you have one day in Northern Ireland and want to see the North Coast without arranging your own transport, timing the stops, or worrying about which roads are passable — the guide handles the route changes so you just show up and follow along.