This is a proper day out - a 13-hour trip from Dublin up to Northern Ireland by rail and coach, taking in Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway. All the logistics are sorted for you: travel arrangements, a driver/guide, and a host on the trains. You just need to show up.
The highlight is the Causeway itself, where you’ll have about 2 hours to explore the roughly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that form one of the world’s most striking coastal landscapes. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1986, and it’s managed by the National Trust. It’s the kind of place that genuinely warrants the journey.
What’s Included
Information pack
Driver/guide
Host on trains
Air-conditioned vehicle
What’s Not Included
Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks
Local charge to cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (open March to October only)
Itinerary
Photo stop - A 10-minute stop along the way for photos.
Giant’s Causeway - Around 2 hours to explore the 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site owned and managed by the National Trust.
Good to Know
Group size is capped at 53.
Not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
Infants and small children can travel in a pram or stroller
Service animals are welcome
Public transport options are available nearby
Conducted in English
Check in at the Railtours Ireland stand in the main concourse area - look for the representative in a bright yellow jacket with your travel pack. Check in is 20 minutes before the listed departure time
Local Tips
Check in at the Railtours Ireland stand in the main concourse at Dublin Connolly station, not at the ticket windows. The representative wears a bright yellow jacket. Arrive at least 20 minutes before the listed departure - this is the rule they enforce, and missing it means missing the train.
The tour passes through Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Belfast is a city that has changed fast in the last 25 years - the Titanic Quarter, the Cathedral Quarter, and the restored Victorian pubs all tell different parts of the same story. If you plan to come back for a longer visit, the Enterprise train from Dublin Connolly runs hourly and takes about 2 hours 5 minutes direct.
The Giant’s Causeway sits three kilometres from Bushmills, a small village built around the world’s oldest licensed distillery (the licence dates to 1608). The Causeway and Bushmills Railway runs a narrow-gauge heritage line between the village and the stones if you ever return independently - it’s twenty minutes each way and more fun than it has any right to be. On this day tour your time at the Causeway is limited to 2 hours, so focus on the cliff path and the stones rather than heading into the village.
The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near the Causeway is an optional add-on (March to October only) but requires an additional local charge not covered in the tour price. If the bridge appeals to you, bring cash or a card and be ready to decide quickly when the option comes up.
The Giant’s Causeway visitor centre is National Trust-managed and charges an entry fee for the exhibition. The basalt columns themselves are free to access from the outside; the centre adds context but isn’t compulsory if you’d rather spend the full 2 hours on the cliff and coastline.
Carrick-a-Rede sits just west of Ballycastle, the town at the eastern end of the Causeway Coast. If the rope bridge is the optional add-on for you, Ballycastle is 25 minutes east of Bushmills and worth knowing: the House of McDonnell on Castle Street has been a pub in the same family since 1766, and the Fair Head clifftop walk starts right on the edge of town.
Nearby on IrelandMe
Belfast - Victorian gin palaces that survived everything, a Titanic quarter built on the actual slipway, and the peace walls that are still standing 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement.
Bushmills - the village three kilometres from the Causeway stones; the Old Bushmills Distillery has been on the same stretch of the River Bush since 1784 (the licence goes back to 1608), and the narrow-gauge heritage railway runs from the village to the Causeway and back.
Ballycastle - the town at the east end of the Causeway Coast, closest to Carrick-a-Rede; the House of McDonnell on Castle Street has been in the same family since 1766, and the ferry to Rathlin Island leaves from the harbour.
