Giant's Causeway & Antrim Coast Shore Excursion from Belfast

This private Belfast tour is built for guests who want to see Northern Ireland's coastal scenery, including the Giant's Causeway, about 59 miles (95km) from Belfast, and the option to cross the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge if you are brave enough.

After meeting your guide, you drive along the Antrim Coast, which runs north from Larne and curves around the base of steep headlands where the green Glens of Antrim open to the sea, with a short comfort stop along the way. Your first real stop is the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, first strung by salmon fishermen in 1755 to reach a small offshore island without relying on a boat. The bridge spans a chasm about 98 feet (30m) deep, and while no one has ever been seriously injured falling from it, plenty of visitors have found themselves unable to face the walk back across. Those who wish to cross may do so for an entrance fee paid on the spot; otherwise a photo stop is included.

Next you visit the Giant's Causeway, formed 50 to 60 million years ago when volcanic activity opened the North Atlantic and successive lava flows cooled against the sea, crystallizing into roughly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. It is Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often called the Eighth Wonder of the World. You start at the Visitor Center with a short show on the Causeway's geological origins and its legends, then walk out to the columns themselves.

After a morning of sightseeing you have free time for a snack before visiting Dunluce Castle, perched on a 90 foot column of basalt rock on the North Antrim coast. The castle's oldest surviving features, its drum towers and outer walls, were built by the MacQuillan family in the late 15th century, though most of what stands today dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. The gatehouse you see now replaced an earlier one destroyed by cannon fire during a 1584 siege, and in the two gatehouse openings you can see cannons salvaged from the Girona, a Spanish Armada galleon that sank nearby in 1588. Eventually your tour has to end, and you return to the pier in Belfast later that afternoon.

• Mobility: Due to uneven surfaces, steps, and walking distances, this itinerary is not suitable for guests using wheelchairs. Please contact us for alternative sightseeing options, including private driving tours that may better accommodate your needs.
• Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is optional and not included in the tour price. If you wish to cross, you will pay the entrance fee on the spot. A photo stop is included either way.