Enjoy a quick and scenic tour through Northern Ireland from Dublin to Belfast, Bangor, Ballycastle, Giant’s Causeway, and more!
3-Day Discover Northern Ireland Tour from Dublin
Highlights
• Dublin
• Belfast
• Mount Stewart
• Bangor
• Glenarm
• Ballycastle
• Cushendun Caves
• Giant’s Causeway
• Ards Peninsula
• Castle Ward
• Downpatrick
• Carlingford Lough
Itinerary
We will head north to the border with Northern Ireland, leaving Dublin at 9:00am. It is a short ride from here to the city of Belfast, renowned for its industrial past and tumultuous history.
We will arrive in the revitalized Titanic Quarter after a short tour of some of the main areas of the city, where you will be given time for lunch (own cost) and maybe a visit to the award-winning museum. A visit to the SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line steamship; the Titanic Dock and Pump-house; or even a black cab tour of the area, are other options here.
We’ll head out of town later in the afternoon to County Down for a visit to the world-famous Mount Stewart house and gardens, then make our way to the seaside resort town of Bangor, your base for the next couple of nights.
Today you will follow one of the world’s great driving roads across the spectacular scenery of the Antrim Coast and the Causeway Coastal path. The tour follows the coastal path to the world famous Giants Causeway from Larne.
You can make stops in attractive historic towns such as Glenarm and Ballycastle along the way, as well as the scenic attractions such as the Cushendun Caves and the many viewpoints along this beautiful coastline. You will have a chance to explore the spectacular rock formations of the Giant’s Causeway in the afternoon. In the TV series Game of Thrones, many places along today’s route were used as filming locations.
The final stop of the day is at the beautiful Dark Hedges! We’re going back from here to our hotel in Bangor for another night.
Wake up to another day full of contrasts and fascinating visits starting with a trip along the Ards Peninsula – a great favorite among holiday makers from all over Northern Ireland. At Portaferry we’ll take a boat across the mouth of Strangford Lough to visit Castle Ward with its 18th-century mansion, extensive gardens and grounds, estate walks and for Game of Thrones enthusiasts, the location of Winterfell and other scenes.
From here it’s a short drive to Downpatrick, site of the burial place of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. You’ll have time for lunch here and perhaps a visit to Down Cathedral or St Patrick’s Centre. In the afternoon the tour continues along the coast, with the brooding granite peaks of the Mourne Mountains on one side and the Irish Sea on the other.
After a detour into the heart of the mountains, through an area of traditional farms with fascinating field patterns and huge stone walls, we’ll reach the coast again on the shores of Carlingford Lough for the final stop of the day. From here we’ll cross the border and travel south to Dublin, arriving at our original meeting point at around 7:00pm.