Best of the Antrim Coast & Giant's Causeway in partnership with The HISTORY Channel
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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
$219.95
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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
Discover the history and heritage of Ireland’s Antrim coast with The HISTORY Channel.
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. Around 1755, a rope bridge was first built to make it easier for salmon fisherman to reach Carrick-a-Rede. Spanning a chasm about 100 feet deep and 65 feet wide, the bridge has been rebuilt many times. The current version, built in 2008, is made of wire rope and Douglas fir decking.
Continue along the coast, pausing for photos at Dunluce Castle. First built around 1500, 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.