The Causeway Coast runs along the top of County Antrim and into County Londonderry, in Northern Ireland (United Kingdom). Its centrepiece is the Giant’s Causeway: about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, most of them hexagonal, formed by cooling lava some 60 million years ago — or, if you prefer, built by the giant Finn McCool as a road to Scotland, which is visible on a clear day.
The supporting cast is almost as good. East lies Carrick-a-Rede, a rope bridge strung by salmon fishermen to a rocky island; west, the ruins of Dunluce Castle teeter on a basalt stack. Inland are the Old Bushmills Distillery and the Dark Hedges, an avenue of beeches made famous by Game of Thrones. The resort towns of Portrush and Portstewart have great beaches and championship golf, and an hour west is Derry~Londonderry, the only completely walled city on the island.
Highlights
- The Giant’s Causeway — walk down to the stones and back along the clifftop path.
- Carrick-a-Rede — cross the rope bridge 30 metres above the sea. Timed tickets.
- Dunluce Castle — a medieval ruin on the edge of a cliff.
- The Dark Hedges and other Game of Thrones locations such as Ballintoy Harbour.
- The Old Bushmills Distillery — whiskey has been licensed here since 1608.
- Derry’s city walls — a complete seventeenth-century circuit, about 1.5 km round.
Quick facts
| Where | North coast of Northern Ireland; the Giant’s Causeway is about 95 km north of Belfast |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland, United Kingdom — pound sterling (£), mph |
| Gateway | Belfast (about 1 h 15 min by car); Derry~Londonderry (1 hour); Dublin (about 3 h 15 min) |
| Ideal stay | 1–2 nights; often visited as a day trip from Belfast |
| Best for | Coastal scenery, geology, walking, castles, whiskey, film locations |
| Getting around | Car, the seasonal coastal bus, or a day tour |
How long to stay & where to base yourself
A day tour from Belfast covers the headline sights in eight or nine hours. To see the Causeway without the crowds — at sunrise or in the long northern evening — stay one or two nights. Bushmills is closest to the stones (about 3 km); Portrush and Portstewart have beaches, restaurants and more beds; Ballycastle is a pleasant harbour town at the eastern end, with ferries to Rathlin Island. Add a night in Derry if you are continuing to Donegal.
