Shore Excursion from Belfast: Giants Causeway and Belfast City
Description
The tour begins at the Belfast Cruise Terminal where your driver will be waiting for you to being your tour. You will first tour the north coast and visit the world famous Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site. The area consists of approximately 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns. From the Causeway, the tour will make a photo stop at Dunluce Castle, before heading to Belfast city for a panoramic sightseeing tours.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will collect you in style in a luxury Paddywagon Coach. Your tour begins with a scenic drive up through the Glens of Antrim to the North Coast of Ireland. We collect passengers from the cruise ship at 07:30 for departure @ 08:00. Where your ship docks later than 07:30 the tour will begin 30 minutes after disembarkation commences.
We allow ample time at the Giant's Causeway to make your way down to visit this famous World Heritage Site. It is a 20 minute walk from the Drop Off point to the amazing Causeway site, but there is a shuttle bus that operates for a small charge, ideal for those not comfortable walking up and down the steep gradient (hill) to the Causeway. The hexagonal basalt rocks really look like they were man made and this leads the people in Ireland to believe they were carved by Ireland's most famous Giant Warrior: the great Finn MacCoole. There is also a suggestion they may have been formed by Volcanic activity 60 million years ago. There is a charge of £11 payable at the site to visit the new Causeway visitor Center which has shops, a multimedia show and restaurants. Stoppage times are dependent on your cruise liners schedule**
We enjoy amazing sights as we take a panoramic drive along the North Coast of Antrim, - also known as the Causeway Coast. This area is recognized by the Government as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is truly breathtaking with rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, and wonderful views of Scotland.
We will stop for one of the most impressive photo opportunities in Ireland, the magnificent Dunluce Castle. Part of this impressive ruin crumbled into the sea in the 1600's. This castle is connected to the mainland by a bridge and was once the stronghold of the McDonnell clan. The backdrop of the ocean and North Coast make this a really dramatic photo stop!
We visit the most popular natural phenomena in Northern Ireland, the Dark Hedges. The trees were planted in the 18th century by the Stuart family to impress their guests upon arrival to their house. Most of you will recognize the Dark Hedges as King's Road from the hit TV series Game of Thrones. It is a wonderful photo-stop and an opportunity to be a part of a real life set!
In the afternoon we return to Belfast City for a panoramic sightseeing tour. We will show you the highlights of this vibrant City, including City Hall, the River Lagan, Queens University, St Anne's cathedral and Prince Albert memorial Clock. After the panoramic tour, we will allow free time for more sightseeing and shopping if your departure time allows. PLEASE NOTE: If your ship is leaving earlier than normal we will have to alter the itinerary as necessary.
We structure each tour to make sure you are back on board in ample time for departure. The service ends back at the dockside after approximately 8 hours on tour. If the boat is leaving earlier we will amend the itinerary as necessary.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(201)
Great tour guide Justin and our driver Robbie. How wonderful the trip went. Justin is the funniest and Robbie so generous! What a great experience! Keep up the good work mates!!
After getting off the ship, the Paddywagon bus was easy to find. Our driver/guide Alex did a great job of informing us what to expect on the tour in an entertaining way. Alex gave us detailed information at each stop and the time allowed was more than enough to enjoy Dunluce Castle, Giants Causeway, The Dark Hedges and Belfast. We highly recommend using Paddywagon tours if your cruise stops in Belfast.
Fascinating landscape and beautiful scenery on route and along the causeway. Had the weather cooperated it would have made for a great day. Belfast itself does not have a lot to offer. Our guide Alex knew a lot of history about the area which made for a very enjoyable tour.
Worth the trip to see this site! Our driver took us to see the Dark Hedges which was advertised on the Viator itinerary but not the local paddy wagon itinerary but he was nice enough to take us anyway. Great driver.
Stay away from this company... No pickup and no information about the cancellation.
This excursion was awesome. The scenery was magnificent and our guide shane was excellent. Highly recommend
The tour operator was also the bus driver, Shane. He did a good job narrating the tour but we missed out on a couple stops. The first one was The Dark Hedges (I’m a Games of Thrones fan and wanted this stop). When I asked about it, Shane said he left it out intentionally because it is not what it used to be. If that was the case, why was it listed in the itinerary as that is one of the reason I picked this tour. Second missed stop was the Belfast City Center. We were supposed to have free time there but a parade had traffic backed up and Shane said traffic was at a crawl and we might should just head back to the terminal and we did. So our 8 hour tour that we paid for was just under seven with two missed stops. A partial refund or credit is due! The Giant Causeway and coastal drive with gorgeous views with lunch along the way was nice.
Shane was a wonderful guide. He shared Irish history, culture, folklore, and humor as he described the many sights we enjoyed today. The bus was clean, comfortable, and safely operated. We thoroughly enjoyed the day!
With the exception of the causeway, our trip was not as in our itinerary. We did not have a guide, just a bus driver. He wasxnice and he tried but it wasn't as expected.
The driver/guide did not show up. We contacted Customer Service and they did not have our reservation, despite the confirmation we had received. We had to find a Plan B at the last minute, which cost us a lot more (private guide). This private guide told us that this often happens with this company. However we got our refund quickly, thanks to Trip Advisor for that.
