This Game of Thrones™ & Giant’s Causeway tour from Dublin is a great way to see some of the best places in Northern Ireland, even if you’re based in Dublin. Just because you’re spending most of your trip in the south of Ireland, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the world-famous Giant’s Causeway or some of Northern Ireland’s famous sights that have featured as filming locations for the hit HBO show Game of Thrones™. Visit Ireland’s little corner of Westeros and the legendary Giant’s Causeway! If you’re interested in this tour, you may also be interested in our Cliffs of Moher from Dublin tour and our Glendalough and Wicklow tour from Dublin.

Itinerary — Giant’s Causeway and Game of Thrones™ Tour from Dublin

0635 We start boarding outside Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane.

0645 We leave Parnell Square North and head to Belfast; on the way our guide will regale you with Irish history and legends. Learning about Ireland as you travel on our luxurious coach is a big part of the experience.

To break up the drive, we make a quick stop at a service station. This is a restroom break and it allows guests to stretch their legs, grab a coffee, and perhaps grab something to eat. Occasionally we will also pick up a few more passengers from Belfast before moving on to the first main stop of the day: the Dark Hedges.

Visiting the Dark Hedges (around 20 minutes)

The Dark Hedges is one of the most enchanting places you will ever visit and it featured several times on Game of Thrones™, serving as a particularly impressive part of the King’s Road when Arya Stark was on the run, disguised as Arry. While it’s called ‘The Dark Hedges’ it’s really two long stretches of beech trees lined up, leaning into one another. There’s nowhere else like it in the world, so even people aren’t fans of Game of Thrones™ will want to get out and take a few photos.

Visiting Dunluce Castle (Bonus 5-min photo stop in summer)

Here you will have the opportunity to take a few pictures of the castle ruin that was the inspiration for Harrenhal in the Game of Thrones™. This castle ruin built on a cliff is a photographer’s dream and well worth the stop.

The Giant’s Causeway (around 1.5 hours)

The Giant’s Causeway is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and the drive up to it, along the Antrim Coast is one of the most impressive stretches of road you’ll find in Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway is an incredible spectacle and fans of geology will be interested in the fascinating hexagonal formations of the basalt columns. You can also take our Titanic Museum and Giant’s Causeway tour from Belfast if you’re spending some more time in Belfast during your visit to Ireland.

Comprised of around 40,000 basalt columns, the Giant’s Causeway is the perfect destination for anyone interested in geology. It was created by a volcanic eruption where the molten-hot lava met the cold Atlantic Ocean. While the Giant’s Causeway technically reaches right to Scotland, it can only be seen properly from the coast of Northern Ireland. However, the basalt columns that were created were actually part of a much bigger rock formation called the Thulean Plateau that was split up due to continental drift. You can find the Giant’s Causeway’s rock columns in Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

On this Giant’s Causeway tour from Dublin, will also tell you a much less scientific story about the Giant’s Causeway’s creation: the tale of our namesake – Finn McCool. Finn McCool was an Irish giant who had a a rivalry with a Scottish giant known as Benandonner. Finn tore up all of the land from Ireland to Scotland, to create a path for him so they could battle.  After losing the fight to Finn, Benandonner was said to have escaped back to Scotland, wrecking the earth as he went, and causing the hexagonal formations that we see today. However, there are more myths and legends to discover. You’ll have to take the tour to hear more!

Ballintoy Harbour – the location for the Iron Islands in GoT (around 1 hour)

Travel to Ballintoy Harbour, the real-life setting of the Iron Islands, one of the most rugged, wild parts of Game of Thrones™. It is the home of House Greyjoy, to Theon and his family. If you forget the unpleasant setting in Game of Thrones™, Ballintoy Harbour is actually one of the most pleasant and picturesque spots in Ireland.

Ballintoy means “raised beach” and that’s what it is. The views are stunning and even people who aren’t familiar with GoT will enjoy themselves. We think that Ballintoy is exactly the kind of idyllic setting people want to see when they imagine visiting Ireland and we always get great feedback from our guests. We’re showing off some of the best locations in all of Ireland on this tour!

Exploring Belfast (Around 1 hour)

Visiting Belfast is the last stop on this tour, before heading back to Dublin. However, if you plan to stay in Belfast, let us know in advance and we can part ways at this stage. As Belfast city centre itself is quite small and compact, 60 minutes is enough time to explore the city centre and get a feel for it. See interesting things like Titanic Memorial Gardens next to Belfast City Hall, the shopping streets, or grab a pint of Guinness in one of Belfast’s famous pubs. Note that Northern Ireland is part of the UK and uses Pound Sterling. If you’re impressed with Belfast and plan to stay for a while, you may be interested in our range of Belfast tours.

*This tour is independently operated by Finn McCools Tours. It is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with HBO or anyone associated with Game of Thrones™.

**Please note that all times are approximate. The locations might be visited in a different order, depends on traffic and weather.

Please get in touch if you have any questions about this Game of Thrones™ and Giant’s Causeway tour from Dublin.

At Finn McCools we endeavour to give you a well-rounded experience of Northern Ireland – taking you to the best and most breathtaking spots in the country, whilst taking you to the locations where the Game of Thrones™ episodes were filmed. If you are looking for a tour where you can run around with plastic swords, or take pictures next to cardboard cut outs, we are not the right tour you are looking for! Our tour is not a Game of Thrones™ tour for dummies where we will be reciting every cheesy line ever mentioned in the Game of Thrones™. We are taking you to the most pictured sites in the North and making you feel like you are in the frame, with some insider information from our Measter guides who will show you clips to refresh your memory and show you that we are in the exact spot where filming took place.