Things to do in Northern Ireland: Day trip from Dublin

Sometimes, spontaneous tours can become one of the most memorable trips. We didn’t initially put Northern Ireland on our itinerary during our Ireland trip because there were just so many things to explore. But, a rainy day forecast in Dublin while a cloudy day in Northern Ireland seemed more appealing. Here are things to do in Northern Ireland on a day trip from Dublin.

We decided to book a guided day trip to Northern Ireland’s major sights and it was such a fantastic trip. Northern Ireland is located about two hours from Dublin with a soft border crossing.

If you don’t pay attention, you’re sure to miss the little sign saying you’re in another country. Republic of Ireland gained independence in 1922 while Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom. No passports needed or border patrols in sight.

The countryside was amazing with verdant landscapes filled with cows and sheep grazing. We may be in the UK but it sure looked a lot like the Irish countryside we had gotten used to seeing.

Stop at Belfast

We made a quick stop in the capital city of Belfast to pick up some passengers. Belfast was a city engulfed in conflict known as the Troubles between 1968 and 1998.

It was between the unionist (largely Protestant) who wanted to stay within the United Kingdom and the nationalist (mostly Catholics) who wanted to become part of the Republic of Ireland. Those tumultuous decades of violence killed or injured thousands of people.

I wasn’t expecting much from Belfast after not hearing much about it in the 21^st century. But, we found a compact, underrated European capital by the water. We passed by a thriving city with great architecture, quaint streets and a magnificent city hall.

Belfast has emerged from its troubled past with a lot of commercial growth and fantastic tourist attractions. Titanic Belfast is a popular attraction dubbed as the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience. It pays homage to the famous doomed ship built here.

Interesting museums, whiskey distilleries and pubs, political wall murals, historic churches and buildings make up a lot of this city. If you’re a Game of Thrones TV show fan, they used Belfast as a primary filming location. There are plenty of tours from Belfast that take fans to many filming locations nearby.

Visit the Dark Hedges

Our first tour stop was this row of 250-year old beech trees located about an hour from Belfast. James Stuart planted about 150 trees in 1775 that led to his Georgian mansion called Gracehill House. The house is now part of a golf course with a bar and restaurant.

This has become one of Northern Ireland’s most popular attractions especially after it was featured as the King’s Road in Game of Thrones. Only 90 of the trees remain but they still create an amazing tunnel along the road spanning almost half a mile.

The bus parked a short walking distance away. There was also a small parking lot.

Our tour guide told us that this was also home of the spirit of the Grey Lady who roams the hedges and makes sure the trees stay alive. This late autumn visit without the leaves gave the trees an almost haunting look. If you want to see the trees filled with leaves, visit in June and early morning to avoid the crowds.

Explore the Giant’s Causeway

The main reason we really wanted to do this day trip was to see the natural phenomenon of Giant’s Causeway. This has been on my travel wish list for awhile. It was easy to see why many consider this Northern Ireland’s top attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Located along the Causeway Coast and below basalt cliffs, the 40,000+ large, interlocking basalt columns were formed about 60 millions of years ago after a volcanic eruption. It was incredible to see most of the hexagonal shaped pillars rocks. Though, there were also some eight-sided stones in the area.

The columns were stacked next to each other, interlocking and almost like Mother Nature herself made sure they fit like puzzle pieces. It was truly impressive.

If you’d rather believe in Irish myths and legends, many believed the Irish giant, Finn McCool used these boulders to create a bridge or causeway to challenge his Scottish rival, Benandonner – hence, the name.

While there was a shuttle (with fees) to take passengers from the visitor’s center to the coast, we chose to walk down the .5 mile (.8 km) scenic pathway. It was worth it for views like this one. We took the shuttle back up though.

We spent over two hours here exploring. My kids had so much fun jumping from one stone to the next.

It was hard to fully capture the beauty of this area and how amazing these columns were in words and photos. There were also other trails and a variety of unique plants and animals found in the area.

Stop at White Park Bay

We made a brief stop at a viewpoint overlooking White Park Bay. Located on the North Antrim Coast, the white sandy beach looked so inviting even with the cold wind.

The area had sand dunes and grasslands with an abundant variety of plants and animals. Not surprisingly, Game Thrones used this as a film location.

Go on Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Would you go on a swaying rope bridge suspended 100 ft. (30 m) above the ocean? Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge was one of our favorite stops more for the journey to get to the bridge than the destination.

We were ready to nervously cross this bridge. Unfortunately, they prohibited anyone from crossing it for safety reasons due to the high winds.

This was as close as we got to the 66 ft. long and 98 ft. high bridge. Salmon fishermen built this bridge in 1755 between the cliffs and Carrick-a-Rede Island where they caught the migrating salmon.

The island is also great for bird watching. The fisherman’s cottage (open on specific weekends) is the island’s lone structure.

There was a ranger there to make sure the tourists didn’t disobey the warnings. Looking at this bridge with those slats and its gentle swaying was pretty nerve wracking.

Fortunately, the coastal one-mile trail down to the bridge made up for its closure (almost). The views along the way were amazing. There were also outlying islands along the shore.

We really liked that they strategically had benches for resting and looking out into the ocean to enjoy the views. While it is free to walk the coastal trail and see the bridge, crossing it isn’t free. Book tickets online in advance or purchased through the stand on site.

Walk Around Cushendun

Cushendun was a coastal town but was also a charming village that was a pleasant stop for our tour.  If you’ve visited the Cornwall area in England, this village may look familiar.

The Cornish-style architecture was largely credited to a politician named Ronald McNeill. He commissioned Clough Williams-Ellis, an architect, to build cottages as a tribute to his wife’s hometown.

Our main destination in Cushendun was actually the caves that were formed here millions of years ago. We enjoyed seeing the harbor and the scenic coastal walk on our way to the cave with the farmlands in the backdrop. There were no major signs to the cave as we walked behind a building.

In recent years, this cave has gotten a lot of visitors since it was used in Game of Thrones. For fans, this cave, which actually backs up into a private property, was used in a memorable scene of Melisandre (the red witch) giving birth to The Shadow. I found the rock formations, especially the arch outside, more interesting than the cave.

If you’re a fan of the show, Northern Ireland is the place to go and see many of the film locations. We’d love to return just to see many of these attractions.

Enjoy the Belfast Christmas Market

We ended our night by stopping in Belfast for almost two hours. It was free time to have dinner, visit a pub or explore the Christmas market around their magnificent City Hall.

We chose to have dinner while shopping at the Christmas markets. We’ve only seen these markets in Portugal and Italy so it was great to see it in another country’s perspective.

The large Christmas tree and many festive overhead holiday signs made this a wonderful place for visitors and locals to gather. There were many shops selling arts and crafts housed on wooden chalets. Though, the food vendors seem to outnumber them.

There was a food court area filled with many international dishes ranging from Spanish paella, crocodile burgers to Belgian chocolates. The aroma of food cooking was enough to make all of us salivate.

Adults can finish them all off with mulled wine or German beer. Our favorites were all the sweets and desserts. There were so many varied food options it was so hard to choose where to eat.

Kids can meet Santa at his grotto, ride on the vintage carousel or pose inside a snow globe. If you’re a bit more adventurous, the Helter Skelter looked like a giant slide. We really liked that this was a central location with plenty of restaurants and shops nearby.

Our day trip to Northern Ireland turned out to be a great, last minute idea. It was such an underrated destination.

Belfast and Northern Ireland offer such great natural attractions and a mecca for Games of Thrones Fan. We highly recommend a day trip here while in Dublin or even as a side trip for a few days.

Tips for Daytripping to Northern Ireland from Dublin

• Book tours in advance especially during high season (i.e. holidays, summer). Visitor centers and hotel concierges can reserve spots for you. We were here in late November so didn’t have an issue booking the day before.
• Our particular tour was with Finn McCool’s Tours – Giant’s Causeway Tour from Dublin. We highly recommend this tour that came with a very roomy bus, free Wi-fi, a great driver and knowledgeable and entertaining guide.
• Be prepared for a long tour day. We boarded the bus around 6:35 AM outside Dublin City Gallery and didn’t return until close to 8PM. Many of the other tour companies followed the same all day schedule.
• Bring cash or leave some cash after eating and shopping to tip the driver and tour guide.
• We stopped at a rest stop for a restroom break and to get lunch and snacks. Buy your drinks, snacks and lunches at the grocery stores around Dublin the night before the tour instead to save time and money.

*Have you visited Northern Ireland?

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