1. Giant’s Causeway is free to visit! You do not need to pay the Visitor Centre to see the Giant’s Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre is not part of the Giant’s Causeway. It is built around 1 mile from the actual Causeway. You can totally visit the Giant’s Causeway without visiting the Visitor Centre. Inside the Visitor Centre, they have a canteen, a souvenir shop and of course, some information about the Giant’s Causeway. It is up to you whether you want to pay the GBP 11.50 per person to get in.
When you get there, they do not have a sign that says clearly you do not have to pay to see the Giant’s Causeway. They only have a sign showing you prices for parking and prices for adult and child tickets for the Visitor Centre. Most tourists would just assume that is the price for visiting the Causeway. It is not! It is the price to park your car there and the price to get into the Visitor Centre. You do not need to pay to visit or see the Giant’s Causeway. To experience and enjoy the nature is free!
If you ask a staff member (they work for National Trust, who built the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre) on duty, ask them specifically whether you need to pay to see the Giant’s Causeway, they will tell you it is free to visit. They will try very hard to convince you to pay to get into the Visitor Centre though.
2. Take the red trail in the beginning for a better view and experience
Most people would walk straight though the tunnel and down to the Giant’s Causeway. However, there is actually a trail where you can see the Causeway from the mountain top. It is a much nicer view. And after taking a few gorgeous pictures from the top, you just walk down the stairs to see the actual Causeway. Leaving the Causeway, you can just follow the usual/ more popular route back up to the tunnel.
When you are standing in front of the Giant’s Causeway visitor centre, look to your right hand side, you will find a trail. You want to go for the red trail. It is marked as a more demanding route but it is not that challenging. If you can walk for a mile and then walk down around 100 steps, you can take this route. Much more photographic and you don’t have to walk on the same route twice.
3. Best time to visit the Giant’s Causeway (if you have a flexible schedule in Ireland/ Northern Ireland)
If you are in Ireland or Northern Ireland for a few days, you might want to stay up in Bushmills/ Ballycastle for a night. That way you can go to the Giant’s Causeway early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the crowd. Most tourists start their tours from Belfast or from Dublin, so between 11am and 3pm would be the busiest time of the day.
4. Best route to drive to the Giant’s Causeway
Follow the Causeway Coastal route from Belfast if you want a nice view of the ocean. It is a longer route (around 2.5 hours) but you will enjoy it. Driving straight from Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway is around 1.5 hours. Tourists from Dublin would need to plan ahead if they want to do the entire Coastal Route as it is quite time-consuming. Overtaking is almost impossible as the route is very windy. So if you have an unlucky day and get stuck behind a slow driver, you might end up spending 3 to 4 hours just to drive up to the Causeway from Belfast.
5. Where to park at the Giant’s Causeway
If you are planning to pay and get into the Visitor Centre, drive to Bushmills Park and Ride car park. It is the car park that is opposite to Bushmills Inn Hotel. You get a GBP 1.50 discount on your Visitor Centre entrance ticket if you park there and take the shuttle provided by the Visitor Centre.
If you are not planning to go inside the Visitor Centre (as mentioned above, the Giant’s Causeway is free to visit), you can park in Bushmills and then walk to the Giant’s Causeway (around 2 miles). You can also take a bus from Bushmills to Giant’s Causeway.
Some people would try to park on the road near the Giant’s Causeway. Not recommended. The roads are painted with double yellow lines. It means no parking allowed and you will get clamped and a massive fine. Locals living near the Causeway are really annoyed by the tourists parking on the double yellow lines outside their houses. They will call the Police on you. So there is a very very high chance your car will be clamped.
6. What to wear and how to prepare for your trip to the Giant’s Causeway
Waterproof warm jacket is a must! Giant’s Causeway is right next to the Atlantic Ocean, which means cold wind blowing all day at the Causeway. The Causeway is full of uneven surface. So please wear comfortable shoes. No high heels or sandals. There are loads of reported injuries of sprained ankle, cuts and scratches on forehead and hands etc. at the Causeway.
7. Other nearby places to visit near the Giant’s Causeway
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Busmills Distillery and Dunluce Castle are popular tourist attractions nearby. Would be difficult to fit all of them in one day if you are going from Dublin. Plan ahead, check opening hours and maps if you want to see them all in one day.
Written by: Robert H.
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*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Finn McCools Tours.
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I know. I had the same question. I was living in Belfast for 2 years. Titanic museum was never on my list of “things to see” or “Belfast must-see”. It was just way too expensive for me. GBP 18 per adult, which is around EUR 21. For a museum? The British museum in London is free you know?
So I never visited this “World’s leading tourist attraction”. Even though I knew they had won a lot of awards. Something like the World Travel Awards/ Best museum in Europe or something.
Then I moved to Dublin. Then I saw this package tour Finn McCools is doing. EUR 45 per person for a tour from Dublin, including entrance to the Titanic, plus the Giant’s Causeway and Dark Hedges.
So a normal Giant’s Causeway tour, the cheapest you can find in the market, would be around EUR 40. And it would be one of those that do not have a guide. They only pick you up in Dublin, then drop you off at the Causeway. It is actually more like a transfer from Dublin to Giant’s Causeway. Public transport to Giant’s Causeway, same thing, around EUR 40.
So when I saw that this day trip includes the Titanic museum fee and Giant’s Causeway, I decided to give it a go. Also, I had to pick up some post from my old house in Belfast anyway. On this tour, I would have around 1 hour in Belfast, which is perfect. Belfast is so small I can just walk to my old house from the Belfast City Hall.
Anyway, so I went on this tour. Pick up from Parnell Square at 7:15am. Easy spot to find in Dublin. Good starting time as well.
I was planning to just sleep my way through to Belfast. It is, after all, two hours from Dublin to Belfast. But the guide started talking, telling us about the Troubles, the legends, St Patrick, Irish and British and this and that. I didn’t even realize it had been two hours. Time just flew.
Then we got to the Titanic museum. Or, as they call it, the Titanic experience. First impression? Hmm… this is kind of a weird design for a museum building… But then the guide told us it was actually built like this to resemble the shape of the Titanic’s prows. Suddenly it all makes sense and became artistically beautiful. They have the big word “Titanic” there in the front of the building as well. I think we took quite a few pictures outside the museum itself.
Going in, our guide gave us the ticket and gave us around 2 hours to explore. We followed the sign and started with the little history of Belfast. Turns out the Titanic experience is not just about the Titanic. There is so much more. It tells you how Belfast started with linen trade and production, then because of the harbour, they started the shipbuilding industry.
You will understand why this is voted one of the best museums in Europe. Instead of pictures and words on the wall telling you stuff, they have so many different types of interactive devices for you to play with. And it’s not the old stupid ones that you press a button and it lights up that kind of thing. It was really fun doing morse code, walking with the shadow in old Belfast city etc.
After Belfast history, you move onto the construction of the Titanic. They explain how much steel was used, how the structure of the ship was like. All the facts presented in the most un-boring way possible. Keep walking and you will be at the lift. Go up to the 3rd floor (or 2nd floor? just follow the sign). Here is where the fun begins.
They have a ride inside the museum! It’s called the Shipyard Ride. Of course it’s not one of those roller coaster rides in amusement park. But it was still fun! The thing moves up and down and turn etc, not just a cart running on the track. They show you how the working condition was like when they built the Titanic. Really interesting and we enjoyed it a lot.
Then the next part of the experience is about what was on the ship. How many sailors and waiting staff were on; how much food and drinks they had to load; how many posts and parcels were on board etc. A funny cartooned video shows you all these. They have also set up a replica of the 3rd-class, 2nd-class and 1st-class rooms there. I love the 270-degree video the most. It makes you feel like you are in the ship. They take you from the bottom engine room all the way up to the top deck. It is an amazing sensation I don’t know how to describe. Just go there and experience it. (Now I know why they call it the Titanic Experience).
Next, as expected, is the sink. It is heart-breaking. They dim the light in the room and show you the radio conversation between the Titanic and the nearby ship. It felt so real. I really love how they make use of the lights, the layout of the room, the sound and the words on the wall to make you feel like you are just in the control room of the nearby ship. Again, it suddenly makes all the sense why they call it an experience. It is way more than just a museum.
After reading some stories about a few individuals that were on the ship, you will walk into the room where they show you movies and books that people have made in all these years about the Titanic. It was a nice transition for my mood. It’s not making me happy again but I felt less sad.
Next is the big cinema-like room where they show you on the gigantic screen what is there on the seabed today. The Titanic museum was huge. I find this room a good break for us to sit down and rest a bit, while still learning a bit more about the ship. Didn’t see the Ocean of the Heart though…
To conclude, it was a really nice experience. I am really glad I went. Now if you ask me again, I think the GBP 18 is worth it. And of course, if you can find this Titanic deal from Dublin that Finn McCools Tours is currently offering, you should really really do it! I think they are just doing it this cheap because it is a new tour at the moment.
[Part 2 about the Giant’s Causeway, Dark Hedges and Belfast – to be continued]
Written by: Robert H.
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For this tour, I travelled to Northern Ireland to see the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The bus started early in the morning so that we could see all the attractions during the day. Departing from central Dublin, we drove up to the Irish border, which is very much like a straight road, apart from the road sign informing travellers that kilometres are changing to miles. Throughout our drive to Belfast, our guide told us some Irish history, especially the history between Ireland and Northern Ireland, before stopping briefly at a station for shopping for some food and using the restrooms.
Once in Belfast, we the bus picked up some more passengers for the day and then headed out towards the Dark Hedges. On the way, we heard some more of the history of Northern Ireland before arriving at the Hedges to take some pictures. Most of the trees lining the road have fallen over the centuries but the remaining trees still form an impressive lane. After the Hedges, we drove to Dunluce Castle to take some more pictures while our guide told us the story behind this castle ruin and why parts of it had fallen into the sea.
Departing the castle and a short drive later, we arrived at the Giant’s Causeway for the first main attraction of the day. The weather started picking up at this point, but fortunately we had almost two hours to walk around, so the rain eased up towards the afternoon. If people don’t mind walking, there is a path up on the cliff from where you can see the entire Causeway before descending but you can also take a shuttle bus down the road for one euro. Bringing some rain gear and good shoes is recommended because of the weather and slippery steps but otherwise the sight is well worth it.
After seeing the Causeway we again drove a short distance to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. There is a bit of a walk down to the bridge and our guide told us to go to the bridge right away to avoid the line, since people are crossing the bridge in both directions and the staff only admits eight people at a time. Luckily the weather had cleared up again and we could see down to the clear waters below as well as to the Sheep Island off the coast.
Leaving the bridge, we arrived at Cushendun a few minutes later. We were told that on a clear day you could see all the way to Scotland from this town and even though the weather wasn’t as clear as we had hoped, we could still see a small part of the coast in the distance. The weather had cleared and on our drive through the Glens of Antrim we managed to even see a rainbow outside the bus’ window.
Our last stop for the day was at Belfast where we had about an hour to walk around and do some shopping before heading back to Dublin for the end of the tour. Overall people enjoyed the tour and had a great time with our guide, who kept the bus entertained throughout the day. This tour is sure one of the things you will remember about your visit to Ireland.
M.V
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We departed central Dublin early in the morning and headed out towards the western coast of Ireland. On the way, our guide told us about some of the sights in Dublin as we left the city and then kept on telling about the history of the country dating back to the very beginning, as well as pointing out interesting sights as we made our way to Athlone for some snacks and restrooms.
Our first stop for the day was the city of Galway, where we had about an hour to explore the city and do some shopping. Our guide also told us some of the history behind the city and the people living there. Galway is an old coastal city and people seemed delighted in getting to explore it by themselves after the guide had shown us around parts of the city.
After leaving Galway, the bus headed for the Wild Atlantic Road to show us some of the countryside before arriving at the Burren, where we stopped for a moment to walk around, take some pictures of the bizarre rocky landscape and the baby cliffs besides the Atlantic.
After some driving up from the Burren, we arrive at the main attraction of the day, the Cliffs of Moher. We were given plenty of time to walk on and explore the cliffs as well as visit the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre for more information on this location and its history. Plus, the ticket for the visitor centre was included in the tour, so we didn’t have to spend time standing in line for the tickets and had more time to see the cliffs and what the centre had to offer. The weather was windy but otherwise clear, although our guide told us we should normally prepare for rain by bringing some raingear.
Once we had seen the Cliffs of Moher, we headed back on the Wild Atlantic Way to start our return to Dublin. On the way, we drove through a variety of small towns and villages while our guide kept us entertained by telling more of the history and stories behind these towns. This drive gave us the opportunity to also see more of the green countryside of Ireland and all of the Irish landscape.
Our last stop for the day was at the Kilmacduagh Monastery, where we were given a few minutes to walk on the grounds and take some photographs of the old buildings and the leaning monastery tower before heading back to Dublin through more of the Irish countryside.
We arrived back in Dublin sometime at eight in the evening and as we were driving towards the city centre, our guide pointed out some of the things we could do while in Dublin, such as visiting the Dublin museums, as well as good places to eat and spend the evening after the tour or the day after, which was a welcome end to the tour, which people are sure to remember as a great part of their visit to Ireland.
M.V
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I went on the Game of Thrones-Tour in July 2017.
The first stop was a stop at a gas station where we could buy our lunch and snacks for the upcoming day.
Afterwards we went to the Dark Hedges. That‘s a very special place because those trees are really unique and a scene of Game of Thrones was filmed there.
The next stop was Dunluce Castle, a ruin directly built on a cliff.
Then we drove to our main stop the Giant’s Causeway. We had two hours there which is the perfect amount of time in my opinion. You have to walk down to the rocks and then back up again which takes you around 40 minutes altogether. That means you have enough time at
the attraction itself to take pictures, eat your lunch or whatever you want to do.
Then we drove to three more places in Northern Ireland, where scenes of Game of Thrones were film
ed. The guide had a map with him to show us pictures of the actual scenes, that was really cool.
Our last stop was in Belfast, where we had one hour to explore the city, get something do eat or do some shopping.
I really loved this tour because you get to see so many different things and places. It’s not only about the stops, just sitting in the bus an watching the beautiful landscape of Northern Ireland, the houses and the animals was already stunning. Not to forget to mention the driver and the guide which made a very good job.
They brought us safe to all the locations and gave us so much interesting information.
I can really recommend this tour, and not just for fans of Game of Thrones. If you are a fan you will be amazed because you can actually stand on the places where some scenes were filmed. But if you are not such a big fan of it, it’s also quite cool because those locations are really really beautiful.
It’s a long day but it’s definitely worth it.
Written by: Fatima B.
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As it is my first time here in Ireland, I was excited to go to the Cliffs of Moher. After seeing reams of pictures and hearing a lot of great stories I couldn’t wait to go there. The day-trip with FinnMcCoolsTours seemed to be perfect because I always wanted to go to Galway as well and this small city is an included stop on this tour.
It was Saturday, 8th of July, where I went on tour. It will be a great day I thought, because the sun was shining already in the morning.
After getting an introduction into the tour from our guide we made our first stop, which was in Athlone. It was just a short toilet-break and there was a possibility to buy lunch and snacks for the upcoming day.
Back in the bus I ate breakfast (very relaxing that eating on the bus is no problem at all).
After an hour or a little bit longer we arrived in Galway. As a fan of Ed Sheeran and his famous song ‘Galway Girl’ it was a must for me to visit this city.
We had about an hour to spend there, which was really enough to explore this small town. I liked it very much because it’s a very unique and charming city with beautiful alleys.
Afterwards we drove on a beautiful coastal route called ‘Wild Atlantic Way‘ which is a narrow road with many potholes. I think I wouldn’t have managed to drive there with my car at all so hats off to the driver who did it very well with the big bus.
When we arrived at ‘The Burren‘ or also called the ‘Baby cliffs’ I was fascinated.The rocky cliffs and the blue Atlantic offered an amazing spot to take pictures.
As I was already highly impressed by the Baby cliffs, I asked myself how great the Cliffs of Moher would be then?
After half an hour on the bus we arrived there. I jumped off the bus and chose the right-handed way first. We had two hours at this stop and therefore I was able to explore the area from both sides and catch many different views. I took a lot of pictures to remember this wonderful place. As I am a true ‘sealover’ the view above the wide Atlantic was stunning.
Back on the bus again I was very tired because it’s actually a long day with a lot of walking. So I fell asleep and woke up at our next stop, the Kilmacduagh Monastery. Without the information the guide gave us I wouldn’t have known the uniqueness of this sight. It was quite impressive to see those 11th to 12th century buildings.
The last stop Loughrea was kind of a short toilet-break again. I bought something to eat and sat next to the lake to relax a little bit.
Driver: very nice and friendly; brought us safely to all the locations
Guide: high knowledge about the history of Ireland and all the locations; gave some insider tips for every stop; the given dose of information was perfect
Stops: enough time at every location; they all fit perfectly together on a day-trip; good selection of the stops in general
Toilet-breaks: on almost every stop you have the possibility to visit a bathroom
It really was a fantastic day-trip. Even though the day is long because you are on the move from 7am to 8pm it’s definitely worth it. It’s a great facility to explore many different places of Ireland in just one day. I really loved it.
Written by: Fatima B.
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7:15 am: Starting from Dublin City center, heading to Belfast, UK.
My guide was well informed about the Irish history, told many myths and facts along the way, so we won’t get bored on our 2 hours drive to Northern Ireland. On our way, we had a quick stop at a service station, so we could buy some lunch for the day.
10:00 am: Arriving at the Titanic Museum
The Titanic Museum in Belfast is absolutely stunning. It’s an architectural masterpiece, from the inside and outside. The museum tells the story of the titanic from conception, construction and launch. It’s a must see for everyone. You don’t have to be interested in the Titanic to go there, as you learn so many interesting facts about shipping and the history of Belfast itself.
12:00: Heading to Giant’s Causeway
After our 2 hours stay at the Titanic Museum it was finally time for the stunning Giant’s Causeway.
On our way there our guide Eugene entertained us well with telling us stories about the Irish.
We made a quick stop at the Dunluce Castle to take some pictures,
before we got to the main attraction, the Gaint’s Causeway.
1:30 pm: Arriving at Giant’s Causeway
2 hours time to explore the green fields, the breathtaking stones and enjoy the view across Scotland.
I chose to go far from the tourists at first, because I wanted to enjoy my lunch all by myself at such an amazing backdrop. So I climbed down some black rocks to get the best view at the sea.
After finishing my lunch, I wanted to explore the
interlocking hexagonal basalt columns. So I walked round about 10 minutes to get there. I’ve seen similar rocks in Iceland before, but not in such an amount. The work of nature in here is incredible!
There’s not enough time to explore all of the beauty this wonderful place has to offer, you’d need a whole day to really see it all. But I enjoyed my 2 hours at the Causeway to it’s fullest anyway.
At the end, I drunk a Guiness with the guys from my bus on the terrace of a tiny restaurant at the Causeway, a beautiful way to end the amazing experience.
3:30 pm: Dark Hedges
To be honest, I’ve never seen the series Game of Thrones, so I didn’t know what to expect from the filmset.
But as we arrived there, I could understand why it’s one of the most photographed sights in Northern Ireland. The old trees seem to form a cave around the tiny street, which makes it look so gorgeous. We’ve had a 10 minutes stop there, before we head back to Belfast.
5:00 pm: Belfast City Center
We had an hour to go shopping in the city center of Belfast. I really enjoyed it, because I’ve found a Poundland in the mall. So I’ve spend my hour in Belfast doing grocery shopping, which was quite good. I bought some souvenirs for my family there as well before I went back to the bus.
7:00 pm: Arriving back home in Dublin
© Jasmine L.
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Stops:
Unser Fazit : Ein wunderschöner Ausflug, der einen die Zeit vergessen lässt. Atemberaubende Einblicke in die so interessante Kultur der Iren. In der Tour mit einbegriffen sind viel Spaß mit dem Guide und dem Fahrer, da diese ein tolles Team bilden. Wissenswerte Mythen, interessante Geschichten und erstaunliche Fakten über Irland. Man spürt die Erfahrung des Teams und fühlt sich sicher aufgehoben, trotz der holprigen Straße.
Written by: Jasmin L.
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On Thursday the 15th of June 2017, we started the tour at 7 am at the Dublin City Gallery. We have been with Eugene our tour guide and Petras the driver, both of them were very nice and experienced. After a calm 3 hour drive and quick stop we arrived in Galway. There are some little shops. All the houses were colourful and I could feel the charm from Ireland. We had 1 hour to discover the city center. We had a very funny drive to the Burren through the Wild Atlantic Way.
When we arrived there, we were almost blown over the street, because it was very windy. It was a beautiful view over the ocean. The next stop was at the Kilmacduagh Monastery. It looks very nice. After this we had a ride to our main point, the Cliffs of Moher. It was really impressive. They don’t have any enclosure between you and the chasm, but exactly this makes it to an unforgettable experience
We had around 1,5 hour to walk around the Cliffs. For me it was one of the highlights in Ireland. After this we went back to Dublin.
Result: It was a really wonderful day and I will never forget it.
Written by: Lucy K
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We have been started at 7 am to our tour to the Cliffs. It was a long way to go but our tour guide told us a lot of interesting things about Ireland so it doesn’t felt that long. We had a stop in Galway where we could go to get some food and had a little walk in the city.
On our way we went on the Wild Atlantic Way and to the Burren.
After this we were finally driving to the Cliffs. We had look because the weather wasn’t too bad. So we could go around. It was a beautiful view. I really liked it. Before heading back to Dublin, we had a short stop in Loughrea, a little town with a small lake.
It was such a nice day, I would like to make the tour again with Finn McCool Tours. Thanks to Eugene our tour guide and Peter the driver. You both did a very good job.
Written by: Sarah S.
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