A few years ago, my best friend Hanna took a trip to Northern Ireland with her mom. All the pictures were so beautiful, and one of the places she specifically mentioned was the Giant’s Causeway. Fast forward to when I lived in Madrid. I’d been planning a trip to Dublin to visit my friend Nicole, who was living there at the time. A week before the trip, Nicole texted me: “What would you think about taking a trip up north from Dublin to Giant’s Causeway?”
I loved the idea!! We looked into doing a bus tour from Dublin to Giant’s Causeway, but ultimately decided to take the trip on our own. So we rented a car for the day, and we went. Here’s everything you need to know if you want to do the same!
Car rental logistics
There are lots of rental car companies available. You may have certain companies that you prefer, just like I do. After three years of renting cars for work weekly, I decided to stick with Hertz or Avis since these are the two brands I’m familiar with. In my research, I learned that some companies will charge you if you cross the border to go into Northern Ireland. Hertz does not, so I chose to rent my car with them. (Update: Now I know I’ll always choose Hertz when possible, because President’s Circle status is included with our CapitalOne Venture X credit card!)
Hertz has a few locations throughout Dublin, but with the hours we wanted to rent the car — 8am until 8pm — the airport was the only location open during those hours. We took the 747 bus to the airport for €7 each way and then shuttled to the rental car center. Even though I didn’t have an international driver’s license, I had no issues renting with Hertz. Being over 25, renting an automatic car with a basic level of coverage, it cost €88 for the day.
Don’t forget to fill up before turning the car back in! We only used half a tank of gas, and it still ended up costing about €50.
Driving on the left
As someone who hadn’t operated a vehicle in almost 6 months, the concept of driving again was weird enough. But add in driving on the left side of the road? It felt really strange. I definitely noticed that my spatial awareness was off — Nicole would sometimes tell me I was getting too close to the shoulder/curb/other cars on the left side.
On the highway, which was most of the drive up north, it wasn’t difficult at all. In the cities or going around roundabouts, it was sometimes confusing to be sure where you should be looking. Luckily, Irish drivers seem to be very courteous and considerate, and I only got honked at one time (by a bus). Don’t let driving on the left side deter you if you’re considering this trip! It’s really not that bad.
Welcome to Northern Ireland
While driving, there won’t be much to indicate you’ve crossed the border into Northern Ireland. We didn’t even realize it until we saw a UK flag flying. “Did we just cross into Northern Ireland?” We checked the map and realized we’d been there for about 15 minutes already. Also, the speed limit/distance signs change from kilometers to miles. One more important thing to remember is that they use British pounds £ instead of Euros. Make sure you have a credit card you can use if you aren’t planning to withdraw any cash. We got by without using any cash during our day.
Belfast
The capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast, is almost the perfect halfway point between Dublin and the Giant’s Causeway. I’d never realized how close it actually is — it takes only a little more than an hour to get there. It’s a great place to stop and explore for a couple hours! Some interesting sites:
- City Hall: In the center of the city, you’ll find an elegant building situated in Donegall Square. It makes a great starting point for almost anywhere you want to see in Belfast.
- Albert Memorial Clock: When we saw this, I nicknamed it “Little Ben” since it looks so much like Big Ben in London. I’m a huge Big Ben fan, but since Big Ben was under construction for a few years at the time, this is the closest thing you’ll be able to see for now!
- Titanic Museum: You may not know this — because I didn’t — but the Titanic was actually built in and set off from Belfast! The world-class museum is set on the dock where the Titanic was built, near the mouth of the River Lagan.
- St. George’s Market: This covered market from the Victorian era is the last of its kind in Belfast. Stop by on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for artisan products and local food — and samples!
Choosing a route: Dublin to Giant’s Causeway
There are a couple of different ways you can get up to the far north once you’ve departed Belfast. If you’re short on time, like we were after spending a few hours in Belfast, you’ll want to take the more direct route. Via the M2 and A26 motorways, passing through Ballymena and Ballymoney on our way to Bushmills, it only takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Your other option is to take the scenic route up the eastern coast if time isn’t an issue, via the A2. That will add an additional hour to your trip, so keep that in mind when planning for your day. I definitely plan to do that next time I go back!
The Giant’s Causeway
I didn’t really know what the Giant’s Causeway was, if we’re being honest. Since I’d been to the west of Ireland before, I figured it was another really beautiful area of countryside. But it’s a lot more than that. The Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and national nature reserve, with a visitor’s center for tourists.
These days, it looks like your best bet is to pre-book your timed entry tickets to visit the Giant’s Causeway (this wasn’t the case when I visited). It costs £14-£15 per adult, depending on whether you’re visiting in the peak or off-peak season. Your ticket includes parking as well as an audio guide, which is particularly interesting if you’re not familiar with the history.
When you decide to head down to “the rocks,” as they call them, you’ll walk down a winding path between giant, fluffy, green hills. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I stepped out of the visitor’s center. Imposing black cliffs loom in the near distance, the steel blue water relentlessly pounding the base. It takes about 20 minutes of walking down the path to reach the rocks — assuming you don’t stop every 10 feet to take photos, which you probably will.
“The rocks” are columns of basalt, caused by volcanic rock thousands of years ago. They jut out of the sea at varying levels, almost like stairsteps, and most of them are very flat and angular, in the shape of hexagons. You can walk out on them, but don’t get too close to the edge, because they can be slippery. If you aren’t able to walk the distance from the visitor’s center to the rocks, you can also take a shuttle down and back up for an additional fee. After you’ve seen it all, you can either go back up the hill, or you can explore other parts of the area by foot. We saw people climbing on every part of impossibly high rocks and hills.
Standing on “the rocks”
Final thoughts: Dublin to Giant’s Causeway
Before planning the trip, I was a little unsure about how it would turn out. Most of all, I wondered if we were trying to squeeze too much into one day. Ireland isn’t known for amazing weather, and in mid-February, it’s not exactly a time of year with lots and lots of daylight. I thought our plan to go up north, without staying overnight, might be too ambitious.
However, I’m really glad that I didn’t let a little bit of doubt stop us. We were able to see everything we wanted to, picking up the car around 9am and returning it to the airport at 8pm that night. We didn’t feel rushed or like our day had been too much of a whirlwind. A couple of things we were interested in seeing — Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Dunluce Castle — closed pretty early so we weren’t able to check them out. But if we’d done a little more research in advance, we could have rearranged some things to fit them in.
Overall, I would encourage anyone who’s thinking about a day trip up north from Dublin to feel confident in everything they can accomplish in one day! I would definitely do it again, and I hope it’s sooner rather than later.
Plan Your Ireland Trip
Best Hotels in Dublin Ireland: Dublin Hotels
Top Things To Do in Dublin: Dublin Highlights and Hidden Gems Guided Walking Tour // Dublin Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours // Forge a Hammered Silver Ring Drury Street // Jameson Distillery and Guinness Storehouse Guided Tour
Have you ever ventured up to Northern Ireland? Or have you taken a trip from Dublin to Giant’s Causeway? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
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Originally Published on February 25, 2019.
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