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Private Northern Ireland Day Tour from Dublin
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From €1150 per person
Northern Ireland packs a remarkable amount into a relatively small stretch of coastline, and this private day trip lets you cover the highlights without coordinating your own transport or worrying about timing. Your driver is your guide throughout, and the vehicle is a luxury, air-conditioned private car - just your group, no sharing with strangers.
The tour is 12 hours in total. Around six of those hours are actual sightseeing; the rest is the drive up and back from Dublin and the travel between stops. You’ll see Dunluce Castle on its basalt columns above the north Antrim coast, spend time at the Giant’s Causeway, cross the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, drive past the Dark Hedges, and finish with two hours at Titanic Belfast.
Dunluce Castle - allow 1 hour
Travel time from Dublin: approximately 2 hours 15 minutes. Dunluce Castle is a medieval ruin built in the 1500s by Richard Óg MacDonnell, Chief of Clan MacDonnell, sitting on top of basalt columns above the sea. It fell into ruin after 1690. The views along the north Antrim coast from here are genuinely striking.
Giant’s Causeway - allow 2 hours
Travel from Dunluce: approximately 15 minutes. Over 40,000 interlocking hexagonal basalt columns, formed by ancient volcanic activity. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of those places that’s hard to fully appreciate until you’re standing on the rocks. Admission: Adult £13.00, Child £6.50.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge - allow 1 hour
Travel from Giant’s Causeway: approximately 15 minutes. The rope bridge has been a landmark near the Giant’s Causeway for over 350 years. It spans a 30-metre chasm above the sea with views up and down the Antrim coast. Entry is included in your tour price.
The Dark Hedges - drive-through
Travel from Carrick-a-Rede: approximately 15 minutes. A stunning avenue of intertwining beech trees, well known as a filming location for Game of Thrones. This is a drive-through stop rather than a walk.
Titanic Belfast - allow 2 hours
Travel from Dark Hedges: approximately 1 hour. Located in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, this exhibition tells the full story of the RMS Titanic - from her design and construction in Belfast to her maiden voyage and sinking. Includes re-created passenger quarters and detailed historical exhibits. Admission: Adult £21.50, Child £10.00. Return journey to Dublin takes approximately 2 hours.
Budget for the Giant’s Causeway and Titanic Belfast admissions before you go. These aren’t included in the tour price, and for a family of four the costs add up - roughly £52 for Giant’s Causeway and £63 for Titanic Belfast at adult rates. Having cash or a card ready saves time at the gate and keeps the day moving smoothly.
The north Antrim coast can be wild weather even in summer. The Giant’s Causeway is stunning on a clear day and genuinely dramatic in the rain, but you’ll be out on the rocks either way. Bring a waterproof layer regardless of the forecast. The coast faces northwest into the Atlantic, so conditions can shift quickly.
Dunluce Castle has more history than its ruin suggests. Richard Óg MacDonnell built it in the 1500s, and for much of the 16th and 17th centuries it was a seat of real power on the north coast. Part of the kitchen is said to have fallen into the sea during a storm in 1639 while a banquet was underway - only the servants in the kitchen at the time were lost. The views from the clifftop alone are worth the stop.
The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge has a mild height element to it. The bridge spans a 30-metre chasm and is 30 metres above the sea. Most people find it completely manageable, but if anyone in your group is seriously nervous about heights, it’s worth flagging before you go. Once you’re across, the views back toward the causeway coast are some of the best of the day.
Titanic Belfast is a serious museum, not a theme park. The exhibition is detailed and genuinely moving - it covers the design and construction of the ship, the lives of the workers who built her, the maiden voyage, and the sinking. The re-created passenger quarters give you a real sense of what life on board looked like for different classes of traveller. Two hours is the right amount of time if you want to take it properly rather than rushing through.