From Belfast-Giants Causeway, Dunluce Castle and Dark Hedges tour
Description
Discover the best of Northern Ireland on a relaxed, well-paced 6-hour tour from Belfast. This experience gives you plenty of time at the attractions that truly matter—no rushing, just exploring. Stand in awe at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, capture stunning photos at the cliffside ruins of Dunluce Castle, and stroll beneath the hauntingly beautiful Dark Hedges, made famous by Game of Thrones. All this while taking in the scenic drive through the rolling Antrim countryside. It’s the perfect blend of iconic sights and laid-back travel.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Perched dramatically on a basalt outcrop along the north coast of Antrim, Dunluce Castle was once the seat of the MacDonnell clan and has stood as a striking coastal fortress since the 13th century. With a rich history shaped by Viking, medieval, and later influences, the castle remains one of the most iconic landmarks on the Antrim Coast. Its rugged setting overlooking the North Atlantic has made it famous not only in Irish history but also in popular culture, featuring in Game of Thrones as Pyke and inspiring C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia. Please note: this is a photo stop only. There is no entry to the castle included, but there will be time to take photos and enjoy the views.
Spend 1.5 hours exploring the iconic Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed by ancient volcanic activity. Often called the 8th wonder of the world, it’s a place of stunning natural beauty and legendary folklore. According to myth, the giant Finn McCool built the Causeway to confront his Scottish rival—only to outsmart him in a clever twist that saved Ireland. Whether you're here for the geology or the legends, this stop is truly unforgettable.
Enjoy a 10–15 minute stop at the hauntingly beautiful Dark Hedges, made famous as a filming location for Game of Thrones. Planted over 270 years ago by the Stuart family to line the entrance to Gracehill Manor, these intertwining beech trees have become one of the most photographed spots in Northern Ireland. Whether you're a fan of the show or just love a good photo, this enchanting avenue is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This tour is not recommended for small children. However, if your child is accustomed to long bus journeys (up to 2 hours between stops and up to 9 hours total) and is comfortable walking for extended periods, they are welcome to join. Please book one seat per child and bring an appropriate child seat with you.
- Please note that the bus will depart promptly at the scheduled time and will not wait for late passengers, even if you call the office in advance—punctuality is essential. Additionally, for the safety and comfort of all guests, any passenger who is visibly intoxicated at any point during the tour will not be permitted to board or reboard the bus.
- The pick up point is in the Belfast City Centre so there is no parking available for passengers to leave their cars for the entire day.
- Use the bathroom prior to coming to the pick up point. Bring a packed lunch and also wear comfortable clothing, comfortable shoes as well as a rainproof jacket.
- This tour departs from Dublin, but passengers joining in Belfast have the option to book a return seat to Dublin on the same day if they wish.
Reviews(204)
This guide, Quiggs, was full of relevant information early in the day. Later in the day, it was nothing but soapbox politics. Sorry, not for me.
Wonderful trip, excellent organization, precise timing, Peter the guide was experienced, friendly, well-prepared, who made us feel at ease and provided plenty of good music during the tour, Thomas the driver conducted the journey excellently, highly recommended.
The tour with Rowan and Neil was fantastic! Rowan is a good mix of fun and information. It kept our tour entertained but also gave us little breaks to just enjoy the scenery. Neil did fantastic driving on the small back roads and was obviously confident! Would definitely recommend doing the tour!
A tiring tour, about 13 hours long. For that, you get something offered. The Giant's Causeway, the Titanic Museum, and some of Belfast are shown. Very good, the ride with Peter & Anil was an experience. Peter speaks very quickly, so some remarks are probably only understandable by locals/native speakers. For the information of all EU citizens: Anyone traveling on the roads of the Republic of Ireland/Northern Ireland does not need an ETA. The border is as "soft" as between Germany and the Netherlands. If the color of the signs and the distance indications did not change, one would hardly notice it.
Quiggs was as exceptional as the scenery. He provided great music, narration and a wonderful sense of humor! Raveen, the driver did great job as well!
A lot about Giants Causeway, a little about Dark Hedges and just a drive by of Dunlace castle. It was a long day. The tour director was pleasant, gave a lot of info, but let everyone rest and sleep at the end. Driver was courteous and safe.
Noel our guide and Thomas our driver were exceptional. Thomas driving the large coach on small lanes and Noel very informative and helpful. At one or two stops there were so many coaches it was impossible to enjoy, ie. the dark hedges! The pick up instructions were lousy “31 Chichester St., Atlas building opposite Garrick Club! It should have said beside Garrick club or Chichester St., opposite Garrick Club and give a street name intersecting as a cross reference!
Quiggs and Mustafa made this experience very special. Quiggs’s sense of humor and amazing culture and story telling skills made this trip very interesting and fun! Thanks so much !!!
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback—we’re thrilled to hear you had such a special experience. Quiggs and Mustafa will be delighted to know they made your trip so memorable. Quiggs’s humour and storytelling are something we’re very proud of, and it’s great to hear it made the day both fun and interesting for you. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and hope to welcome you again on another tour soon. Kind regards,
The tour started right on time! Quigg was our tour guide, and Nick was our bus driver! Quigg had full of myths and stories to tell us, and kept the bus ride entertaining! We enjoyed our time in Causeway - was probably the highlight of trip. It was very stunning and we had 2 hours to explore, and take lots of pics. The Dark Hedge was okay - it didn’t appear like in the pic probably because of the weather and season. I enjoyed Belfast too, and Nick gave us a lot of info about Northern Ireland history. I enjoyed the hop and hop off bus tour that’s right next to where he dropped us off. I kind of wish we had more time allotted in Belfast instead of making a stop in the Dark Hedges. Overall, great tour and Quigg is really passionate in what he does as a tour guide, and Nick was a great bus driver!
my brother and i took this tour from belfast, so we were picked up around 9:30 AM and dropped off in the city centre at the end around 3:30 PM. the ride from belfast to dunluce castle is about an hour and some change. some of the drive was a little treacherous - but our driver, fred, was great at maneuvering the bus around. after the castle was the giants causeway which has a "hike" over a hill (they call it the red trail but i found it still fairly easy) and then you can take the even easier blue trail back to the drop-off. before going back to belfast, we got to see the dark hedges which were a little barren due to it being so cold, but i still felt that it was worth seeing. throughout the day, our tour guide, quiggs, gave us a lot of informative history on the complicated relationship between ireland and the UK. he is quite funny and also speaks fluent irish which was so neat! despite it being february and probably a lower time for tourism around here, the bus was still quite full. overall, we had a really great time! fairly priced and fun. ill recommend this tour to anyone else i know who comes to dublin or belfast (you can book one that takes you to and from dublin as well).
