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Ireland's North Atlantic Coast 5-Day Tour from Dublin
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From €191 per person
If you want to see Ireland’s wild north in one go - Belfast, the Antrim Coast, Derry, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo - this five-day tour from Dublin is the most complete way to do it without having to figure out the roads yourself. You travel in a top-of-the-range 16-seat Mercedes minicoach with a driver-guide who knows the territory and the stories that go with it.
Day 1: Dublin to Portrush via Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway
The day starts with a drive north to Belfast, where a short city tour takes in the key landmarks and the industrial history that made the place what it is. After lunch in the Titanic Quarter - where the ship was actually built in 1911 - you can explore the Titanic Museum, board the HMS Caroline, or take a black cab tour of the political murals. Then the route heads along the Antrim Coast and Glens, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The day ends at the Giant’s Causeway, where around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns meet the Atlantic - one of those places that genuinely looks like it shouldn’t exist. You overnight in Portrush.
Day 2: Derry and Donegal
Morning brings the walled city of Derry, designated UK City of Culture in 2013. There’s free time to walk the walls, visit a museum or gallery, or just take the city in at your own pace. Then you cross the border into the Republic and head into County Donegal - one of the most remote corners of the country. The route passes through Glenveagh National Park and the Errigal Mountains before following the coast through traditional fishing villages. You overnight in Donegal town.
Day 3: Sligo and Mayo to Westport
Heading south into County Sligo, you get your first views of Benbulben - the distinctive flat-topped mountain that dominates this whole stretch of landscape. Just outside Sligo Town is Carrowmore, home to the largest collection of megalithic tombs in Ireland, some of them over 6,000 years old. The route continues west into County Mayo, a region shaped deeply by the Great Famine. You travel through farmland, bogland, and open moors before stopping at Achill Island for the rugged sea views. Westport is your base for the next two nights.
Days 4 and 5
The remaining days explore the west of Ireland before the return to Dublin. Your guide will walk you through the full itinerary on the day.
Pack for four different kinds of weather in the same bag. The north and west of Ireland can give you sunshine, mist, Atlantic wind, and a passing shower all in the same afternoon - especially in Donegal and along the Antrim Coast. Lightweight waterproofs and layers are the practical move, not because you’ll necessarily need them every day, but because on the day you do need them, you’ll be very glad they’re in your bag.
The Giant’s Causeway is worth arriving at with a little patience. The columns themselves are extraordinary up close, but so are the cliffs on either side - the coastal path gives you proper perspective on the scale of the place. Most people rush to the famous columns and back; if you have time to walk a bit further along the headland, it’s worth it.
Derry’s city walls are free to walk and genuinely informative. The medieval walls are among the best-preserved in Europe, and walking the full circuit takes about 30-40 minutes at an easy pace. The view down into the Bogside from the walls - and the murals you can see from up there - gives you real context for the city’s recent history that you just can’t get from a book.
Carrowmore is one of those places that sneaks up on you. It’s easy to drive past without stopping, but the megalithic tomb complex outside Sligo is genuinely one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Ireland. Some of the passage tombs predate the Egyptian pyramids. It’s not dramatic in the way that Newgrange is, but standing in the middle of it, knowing what you’re standing among, is quietly impressive.
Westport is a brilliant base and worth exploring on its own terms. It’s one of the most attractive towns in the west of Ireland - planned in the 18th century and built around a tree-lined canal, with a good main street for food and music. If you have a free evening there, the pubs around Bridge Street have traditional music most nights.