Belfast To Giant’s Causeway In A Day

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Ancient volcanic rock formed into 40,000 hexagonal blocks; Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site; an epic battle between two giant’s. Just three of the top reasons why you need to get yourself from Belfast to Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland – one of the most unique and mysterious places you’re likely to visit in the UK.

What is the Giant’s Causeway?

The Giant’s Causeway is probably the most famous site along the Causeway Coastal Route across the northernmost area of Northern Ireland.

Over 50 million years ago, volcanic activity in the region resulted in the formation of around 40,000 black basalt columns jutting out of the sea. These columns now form what is known as the Giant’s Causeway.

Some of the basalt columns can be seen in more totality closer to the shore, soaring high like a cliff face. Others, further into the sea, are much lower and form a pathway to a point.

The unique nature of how the columns were formed means the cooling lava created the rocks in a hexagonal shape. They all appear to almost interlock, like a honeycomb effect. Which is part of the reason why the Giant’s Causeway is even more impressive.

Legend has it…

Of course, that’s the scientific explanation. But like any ancient sites there are also local legends. The Giant’s Causeway is no exception.

The epic tale goes that a giant named Finn MacCool lived along the coast. He built the Giant’s Causeway after being challenged to a duel by a giant in Scotland. As he got nearer Scotland he realized the Scottish giant was much larger than himself, and so he retreated.

When the giant from Scotland came looking for him, he hid (naturally). His wife swaddled him, disguising him as a baby. The Scottish giant took one look at the “baby” and thought “if that’s the size of the baby, imagine how large the father is”.

He destroyed the causeway as he ran back to Scotland, making sure Finn couldn’t follow him. It was the most epic non-fight ever, where the only true smart person was the wife. But it left the remains of the causeway at both ends (there’s a similar place in Scotland).

How to get from Belfast to Giant’s Causeway

When spending time in Belfast (or Dublin) there are lots of bus tours that will take you to the Giant’s Causeway. This is by far the easiest way to get there. It will also allow you to see other places along the way, and not worry about parking.

However, bus tours from Belfast often don’t give you as long as you might want there. And they might not give you the full experience. Therefore driving there will give you the most flexibility.

To get from Belfast to Giant’s Causeway is just over an hour’s drive. Which makes it the perfect day trip from Northern Ireland’s capital.

Staying in Dublin? In that case it’s almost 3 hours of driving. Still doable in a day trip, but it will be a long day. A day tour by bus from Dublin might be the easiest.

You can also get from Belfast to Giant’s Causeway by public bus. Goldline Express operates route 221 between Belfast Europa bus centre and the Giant’s Causeway. And it’s less than £20.

You have to get off at “Giant’s Causeway – The Nook” stop (the last stop) and it’s around a 30-minute walk from there. But there are only a few stops along the way, and the overall bus journey is only an hour and a half.

How much is it to visit the Giant’s Causeway?

Nothing. Nada. Zilch. That’s right, to actually visit this epic natural site is completely free. How’s that for value for money? Of course, you have to get there so you will have to pay for either a bus ticket, tour or parking.

A bus ticket will run you less than £20 – covering your journey there and back if on the same day. A bus tour starts at less than £30 for a day trip – it will likely include other places too, but may limit your time at the Giant’s Causeway.

If you are driving, then you have two options. The first is to park further away at the Causeway Coast Way car park (60 Causeway Rd). It’ll cost £10 and is a 6-minute walk to the visitor center. Option two is to park onsite, which you can only do with a ticket to the Visitor Experience.

One plus side is the Visitor Experience is less than £15 per person, so not much more than the other car park, it’s right there AND you get the experience ticket too.

The only other cost would be if you wish to take the shuttle bus from the visitor center to the Giant’s Causeway and avoid the 20-30 minute walk. But at only a Pound or two each way (free for National Trust members), it’ll hardly break the bank.

The Visitor Experience

If you have the time, and especially if you’re driving from Belfast to Giant’s Causeway, you might think it’s worth booking the Visitor Experience. Mostly because parking is included with a ticket. You can get a timed ticket, and even join in one of the guided tours. Not a fan of guided tours? There’s an audio-tour option too. Both are a really great way to learn more about the area.

Inside the Visitor Experience you’ll have access to the café, gift shop and bathrooms which you can’t otherwise get to. There’s also an interpretive center with info boards about the local area and history of the Giant’s Causeway.

Is the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience worth the money? Personally I would much rather spend extra time outside exploring – and a lot of the info is easily findable without accessing the visitor center. If it’s just yourself visiting, it might be worth it for the parking, but as a family, it can be quite pricey.

Note, while the main toilets and café are inside the Visitor Center and cannot be accessed without a ticket, there are free toilets next to it. There’s also a hotel where you can sit inside for food or grab a couple of snacks to go. I’d save the money and spend extra time on the trails.

Visiting the Giant’s Causeway

The walk from the visitor center is really nice. Spectacular views, an even path that follows the road where the shuttle bus will go, and not as challenging as people make out. I was able to walk there in about 25 mins, and it took just over 30 back up (I’m a fast walker).

Once you’re there, just get exploring. The first thing I noticed – other than the pretty coastal scenery – was that the huge rock face made up of 30ft basalt columns. You can see them better as you get closer. From there, the columns vary in size, getting smaller the further out into the sea you get.

The basalt columns that make up the Giant’s Causeway end up forming steps, so you can go venture further out. The colors range from a reddish color to yellow and jet black.

Part of the fun of exploring is playing a real-life game of “the floor is lava” as you make a path across them. When you consider that lava is how they were formed you will be in awe of every hexagonal interlocking step you jump to.

Millions of years of history

If the Giant’s Causeway could talk… But it doesn’t need to, as you’ll even find some helpful National Trust guides (identified by their bright yellow vests) who will answer questions and tell you fun facts.

I could have spent hours here, sitting and watching the waves roll in against the stones. What started as a cloudy day, turned sunny, then stormy and everything in between. The weather here is unpredictable, and almost always windy.

That’s part of the charm in my opinion. After all, this isn’t a place where a bright sunny day will give you the best pictures. It’s way better on a day with some dark clouds hovering around, accentuating the mysterious nature of this fabled place.

Take some time to walk a few of the trails away from the main Causeway, which will be less busy than the Causeway itself. Pay attention to the info board where the bus leaves from – here you’ll see a map with all of the trails on. The Shepherd’s Steps are well worth the additional effort.

Top Tips for a better Belfast to Giant’s Causeway Experience

While everyone likes to explore in their own way, here a few tips from my experience there:

• Arriving earlier in the day or later in the day is better – it will avoid the tour bus times;
• Skip the Visitor Centre, park a little further away, and explore a lot of the trails;
• Allow extra time to wait out the crowds, which come and go in waves. Extra time also gives a better chance of getting a variety of atmospheric conditions;
• Pack a lunch or snacks – if you don’t access the visitor center, the options are pretty limited. Even the hotel snacks were just crisps, chocolate bars and a couple of lukewarm drinks;
• Wear comfortable footwear with good grip – the stones can get slippery and are very uneven;
• Do some research before you go – you’ll appreciate the site a lot more once you know some of its history and the cool stories that go along with it.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you visited the Giant’s Causeway before? What were your impressions of the Visitor Experience?