The Causeway Coast is in Northern Ireland, so distances and speed limits are in miles and the currency is sterling. The fastest road from Belfast is inland; the famous Antrim Coast Road is far more scenic and takes about twice as long.
Routes at a glance
| From | By | Time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | Car (direct) | ≈1 h 15 min | M2 and A26 via Ballymena and Ballymoney to Bushmills. |
| Belfast | Car (coast road) | ≈2 h 30 min+ | A2 via Larne, the Glens of Antrim and Ballycastle; one of the great drives. |
| Belfast | Train + bus | ≈2 hours | Train to Coleraine (about 1 h 20 min), then a bus to Bushmills and the Causeway. |
| Belfast | Day tour | 8–9 hours | The easiest car-free option; many departures daily. |
| Derry~Londonderry | Car | ≈1 hour | A2/A37 via Limavady and Coleraine. The train to Coleraine takes about 40 minutes. |
| Dublin | Car | ≈3 h 15 min | M1 to Belfast, then as above. Day tours take about 12 hours. |
| Portrush | Bus / car | ≈15–20 min | Local buses along the coast; a branch railway links Portrush with Coleraine. |
Times are typical and fares change — check current timetables and prices before you travel.
By car
With a car, make a loop: out from Belfast by the Causeway Coastal Route — Carrickfergus, the Glens of Antrim, the hairpin detour to Torr Head, Ballycastle — and back by the inland road, or the reverse. Parking at the Giant’s Causeway visitor centre is tied to the paid Visitor Experience; in summer a park-and-ride operates from Bushmills. Carrick-a-Rede and Dunluce have their own car parks. Roads are good but single-carriageway, and slow behind farm traffic.
By train and bus
Translink trains run from Belfast to Coleraine and on to Derry; the stretch beyond Coleraine, along the shore beneath Mussenden Temple, is celebrated. From Coleraine, Ulsterbus services run to Bushmills and the Giant’s Causeway. In summer the Causeway Rambler bus links Coleraine, Portrush, Bushmills, the Causeway, Ballintoy and Carrick-a-Rede, and makes a car-free day entirely workable; out of season services are fewer. Check current Translink timetables.
On foot
The Causeway Coast Way is a 51 km waymarked path from Portstewart to Ballycastle. Its finest section, from the Giant’s Causeway east along the cliffs to Dunseverick Castle (about 8 km), can be walked in half a day and linked with the bus.
From the Republic
There are normally no border checks, but UK entry rules apply — see the travel guide. From Donegal, cross at Derry or, in season, take the car ferry across Lough Foyle from Greencastle to Magilligan.
