GIANT’S CAUSEWAY TOUR FROM BELFAST

This Giant’s Causeway tour from Belfast is the best way to experience and learn about Ireland’s most impressive natural wonder. And because this is an incredible part of the world, we also take you to the Dark Hedges! We manage to fit in our Giant’s Causeway tour and a visit to the Dark Hedges in one day on this 6-hour tour from Belfast. Book this top-rated tour today by using the booking calendar on this page. If you’re trying to see even more of Ireland while stay in Belfast, you may also like to check out our Game of Thrones tour from Belfast, or our Giant’s Causeway and Titanic Museum tour from Belfast.

Itinerary – Giant’s Causeway Tour (Including Dark Hedges)

0910 Boarding in Belfast, from outside the Top Shop entrance on Chichester Street. We leave at 0915, heading for the first stop: the Dark Hedges.

(This tour actually starts and ends in Dublin. Belfast is the second stop of the tour. If you are planning to go to Dublin on the same day after this tour, you can pay an extra £20 per person to get a ride to Dublin. Drop off in Dublin is around 7:30pm/ 8:30pm, on the top of O’Connell Street, around 5-minute walk to the Spire. You can bring your luggage. There is a storage compartment underneath the coach.)

Visiting the Dark Hedges – around 20 minutes

The first stop is the Dark Hedges, and you will not be disappointed! The Dark Hedges are actually beech trees that were planted by the Stuart family, who wanted to impress visitors as they approached their Georgian mansion. This magnificent road of beech trees is now attracting half a million people from all over the world every year. See for yourself why even the hit HBO series Game of Thrones chose the Dark Hedges to serve as part of the King’s Road. This is definitely a photo opportunity not to be missed!

Visiting Dunluce Castle – Bonus 5-min photo stop for summer

Constructed in the 13th century by Richard Og de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster, Dunluce Castle is the most striking castles in Ireland. Once you have seen it in person, it will not be hard to understand why it has been featured heavily in popular culture. Appearing in Led Zeppelin’s album, Houses of the Holy, American musician Jandek’s album, Glasgow Friday, Jackie Chan’s movie, The Medallion, to name a few. It is also said to have been the inspiration for C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.

Driving past Bushmills Distillery

Licensed since 1608, there is no doubts why Bushmills whiskey is arguably the best whiskey in the world. As Bushmills Distillery has stopped giving out a free shot of whiskey at the Distillery since 7 Sep this year, we will not be making a stop there anymore. Without the free shots of whiskey, the Distillery is only an overpriced gift shop. As everything (including the whiskey) they sell in the gift shop can be easily found in Belfast, we will instead add this time onto the tour so you can have more time at the other stops. Our guide will still be sharing with you how they make whiskey in Ireland and whisky in Scotland, though. If you would like to take a truly exceptional whiskey tour, however, you may enjoy our Jameson Distillery tour in Dublin.

Giant’s Causeway Tour – around 1.5 – 2 hours

The Giant’s Causeway is the highlight of the day and Northern Ireland’s most popular visitor attraction. Look forward to breath-taking sights, fascinating hexagonal columns, and unforgettable landscape of the 8th wonder of the world. There’s something so surprising about the Giant’s Causeway; it almost feels as though you’re on an alien planet.

At this stop you will be given the opportunity to glimpse the Irish landscape, sometimes even the White Park Bay, at its most idyllic: beautiful rolling hills, magnificent seascape and of course the hexagonal/ polygonal stone columns that form the legendary causeway itself — some of which reach 40 feet into the air.

How the Giant’s Causeway was Formed

Formed in the aftermath of an ancient volcanic eruption, as the lava hit the cold North Sea, the Giant’s Causeway consists of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. Although this odd stone pattern stretches all the way to Scotland, nowhere is it more perfectly preserved, making it one of the top places to visit in Ireland. According to local legend, the Causeway was formed when an Irish giant named Finn McCool ripped the earth from the ground, creating a pathway for a rival giant. Outwitted by McCool, this giant (named Benandonner) ran back to Scotland, wrecking the earth as he went. Despite some scepticism from pesky scientists, the existence of similar stone formations at Fingal’s Cave in Scotland are said to be proof positive for the legend of Finn McCool.

1500 – 1530 Back in Belfast

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

**As people don’t want to spend that much time in the cold countryside, when it starts getting cold, we might give a little bit less time at the Giant’s Causeway.

If you have any questions about this Giant’s Causeway tour from Belfast, please feel free to contact us here at Finn McCools Tours. We’re always happy to chat to people planning a trip to Ireland.