Northern Ireland is more accessible from Dublin than most people realise - there’s no hard border check crossing between Ireland and Northern Ireland, so the day trips smoothly from one to the other.
This 12-hour tour takes in four of the north’s most compelling spots: Dunluce Castle, the Giant’s Causeway, the Dark Hedges, and the Titanic Belfast museum. A professional guide keeps up live commentary throughout the day, and your entrance fee to the Titanic Experience is included in the price.
It’s a long day out - you leave before 7am and return around 7:30pm - but the route covers a remarkable variety of landscapes, history, and stories. From the rugged Antrim coast to the streets of Belfast, it’s a proper introduction to a part of Ireland that often gets overlooked.
What’s Included
Air-conditioned vehicle
Professional guide with live commentary throughout the day
Entrance fee to the Titanic Experience in Belfast
Visits to the Giant’s Causeway, the Dark Hedges, Dunluce Castle, and Belfast city centre
What’s Not Included
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Itinerary
Meeting point: Outside Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Parnell Square N, Dublin 1. Please arrive 5-10 minutes before departure at 6:45 am.
Return point: Outside Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Parnell Square N, Dublin 1, between 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
Dunluce Castle - Perched on a basalt outcropping on the north Antrim coast, Dunluce was the seat of Clan MacDonnell and has stood since the 13th century as a fortification against invaders from land and sea. It’s haunted by stories of collapsing walls and howling ghosts, and it appeared in Game of Thrones as the castle of House Greyjoy. C.S. Lewis reportedly drew on it for his descriptions of Cair Paravel in Narnia. (20 min)
Giant’s Causeway - Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, most of them hexagonal, formed by the slow cooling of lava from a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. The legend says Finn McCool built the bridge all the way to Scotland to fight a particularly fierce Scottish giant. Recognised as one of the top 100 geological heritage sites in the world. (120 min)
The Dark Hedges - Built around 1775, this avenue of beech trees arches over the road to Gracehill House, forming an atmospheric tunnel of creaking branches and mottled light. Said to be haunted by a mysterious figure known as The Grey Lady. Made famous worldwide by its appearance in Game of Thrones as the King’s Road, and also featured in the 2017 film Transformers: The Last Knight. (20 min)
Titanic Belfast - Located at the former site of the Harland & Wolff Shipyard, right beside the dry dock where RMS Titanic was built. The museum tells the full story of the ship - from J. Bruce Ismay and Edward James Harland’s original plans through to the maiden voyage and the sinking. It’s also a story about Belfast itself: its rise as a shipbuilding city and everything that followed. (90 min)
Belfast City Centre - The final stop, near Belfast City Hall. Enough time to grab food for the road, take a wander around the city hall and its surroundings, and get a feel for the city before the return journey to Dublin. (15 min)
Return to Dublin - arriving around 7:30pm.
Good to Know
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
Not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health
Maximum group size of 53
Tours run in English
Local Tips
Arrive at the meeting point by 6:40am. The bus leaves at 6:45am sharp from outside the Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square. There’s a Spar on the square if you need a coffee and something to eat before departure - the first stop isn’t until you’re well into County Antrim.
Wear sturdy shoes for Giant’s Causeway. You have two hours there, which is enough time to walk down to the basalt columns, spend time at the water’s edge, and walk the coastal path up to the cliff viewpoint above. The columns are uneven and can be slippery. The upper path takes about 30 minutes extra and is worth it for the view looking back over the causeway. The stones themselves are free; it’s the visitor centre that charges. You don’t need to go inside. The village of Bushmills is three kilometres south, and the narrow-gauge heritage railway from there to the Causeway is worth knowing about if you ever come back for a longer stay.
Dunluce Castle: know the story before you walk in. The castle has been on this basalt stack above the north Atlantic for over 500 years. Archaeologists found the remains of a planned settlement from 1608 beside it - a “lost town” with indoor toilets and a grid street plan, abandoned after the Battle of the Boyne. The kitchen wing is said to have fallen into the sea one night with the cooks still in it. On a clear day, Scotland is visible from the walls.
The Dark Hedges stop is short - get there early in the group. Twenty minutes goes fast at the Dark Hedges. The photograph everyone wants is from inside the tunnel of trees looking down the avenue. Walk in quickly, get the shot before the group catches up, then take a slower look on the way back out.
At Titanic Belfast, go straight to the ride. The Titanic Experience entrance fee is included. The shipyard ride in the early galleries is the centrepiece - if you queue for it on arrival, you’ll have the rest of your 90 minutes for the later galleries, which cover the sinking and the recovery in detail. The Titanic Quarter waterfront is a five-minute walk from the museum and free if you want a look at the dry dock itself. For a longer look at the city, Kelly’s Cellars on Bank Street has been trading since 1720 and is five minutes from City Hall.
Nearby on IrelandMe
Belfast - The Titanic was launched here on 31 May 1911. The Harland & Wolff cranes still loom over the Lagan, the peace walls are still standing, and White’s Tavern has been serving drinks since 1630. A city that rewards more time than a 15-minute city-centre stop allows.
Bushmills - The Causeway Coast village three kilometres from the stones. The Old Bushmills Distillery has a licence dating to 1608, and the narrow-gauge heritage railway runs from the village straight to Giant’s Causeway. Dunluce Castle is five minutes’ drive west along the cliff.
