Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has gorgeous natural wonders, castles, coastal views, and a 400 year old distillery. It’s a necessary addition to any Ireland trip.
As an American, it was a major adjustment to drive on the other side of the road. It was nice having the flexibility of driving from Dublin, through Belfast and into Northern Ireland on our own terms, and to be able to explore the Giant’s Causeway without a timeline. If you do not want to rent a car, there are many day trips and tours that can take you to a few highlights in Northern Ireland, and may be worth the lack of hassle.
STAY
The Meadows Cushendall B&B is the ideal location to explore Giant’s Causeway.
The homemade breakfast will fuel you for a day of adventures, the rooms are quiet and cozy, and the house looks onto the water. It’s also a short walk into town if you don’t want to drive at night for dinner. Do yourself a favor and book this bed and breakfast for an authentic Northern Ireland experience. Ask for Anne!
DO
If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, be sure to stop by the Dark Hedges, an avenue of beech trees. Even non GOT fans will appreciate this visually pleasing street that the internet described as an “atmospheric tree tunnel”.
The Giant’s Causeway is the main attraction you must see in Northern Ireland. Stop at the visitor center to learn about the geography, and definitely do the audio tour if you have time. You’ll learn about the folklore that surrounds this unique area formed millions of years ago from volcanic activity.
The sheer expanse of the 40,000 interlocking basalt columns cannot be captured via photo, but you can try. As an added bonus, the hot lunch in the visitor’s center is delicious.
Dunluce Castle is what I imagine all castles aspire to be. On a cliff, unreal coastal views and safely surrounded by the sea.
I enjoyed walking around the medieval castle ruins and learning the history of the clans that lived in the ancient fortress.
Even if you’re not into castles, Dunluce Castle ruins have the most stunning views of the Northern Ireland coast.
Pictured here: a view from one of the castle windows.
Because one castle is never enough, I stumbled onto a lesser known castle that does not require any tickets for entry: Kinbane Castle.
There is a paved parking lot (so its legit) and stairs to reach the ruins. There are gorgeous views from any angle at this lesser known stop.
Old Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world.
Go for a tour and stay for a drink or two after exploring the Giant’s Causeway.
BELFAST PIT STOP
I highly recommend a pit stop in Belfast if you’re driving from Dublin. Book a private mural tour and get driven around Belfast where you’ll get to understand the local history and art. Our driver ended the tour and let us sign the peace wall.
If you stop in Belfast, grab a cup of coffee from Harlem Cafe before hitting the road again…
This cafe nailed the ambiance and was perfect road trip fuel.
Did you know that the Titanic was built in a shipyard in Belfast? If you’re in Belfast stop by the Titanic Museum to learn about the building process and see relics from the ship. We stopped here on the way to Northern Ireland to break up the drive.
For the record I still think Leo could have fit on the raft…