Best of the Antrim Coast & Giant's Causeway
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Port
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$199.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 8½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
Travel to Larne to join the Antrim Coast road for a three-hour panoramic drive with gorgeous vistas of windswept coastline, unrivaled seascapes, towering cliffs, white sandy beaches, tranquil glens and lush forest parks. Around each bend in the road are pretty fishing villages or dramatic headlands. View Scotland's Mull of Kintyre and the mysterious island of Rathlin.
Leave the coach to stretch your legs at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge viewpoint. Spanning a chasm some 80 feet deep, this bridge once consisted of a single rope handrail and widely spaced slats. Fishermen would traverse it while holding the salmon they caught -- not for the faint-hearted. There is now a much more sensible, two-railed bridge with no wide gaps or missing boards -- not nearly as exciting as the old one.
Continue along the coast, pausing for photos at Dunluce Castle. Built in the 14th century, Dunluce is perched at the edge of a cliff with the fierce Atlantic Ocean as its backdrop. Most of the fortifications here date from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Lunch is served at a local hotel.
Visit the Giant's Causeway -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stories about the area's rich mythology, history, geology, flora and fauna introduce you to the Causeway; then, walk the Causeway to see how this unique rock formation has stood as a natural rampart against the unbridled ferocity of Atlantic storms for millions of years. The rugged symmetry of the columns never fails to intrigue and inspire.
Return to Belfast via the inland route of Bushmills and Ballymena -- a 90-minute drive.
Notes:
Available only on select sailings. There is a small shuttle bus available to Holland America Line guests operating between the Visitor Center and the Causeway.