Itinerary
Day 1: Dublin-Belfast
Stop At: Belfast Central Railway Station, East Bridge Street, Belfast BT1 3PB Northern Ireland
On arrival in Belfast (Ireland’s second largest city) at 15:35, there is a connecting train service to Belfast Great Victoria Street, where your hotel is located. The rest of the evening in the Northern Capital is free.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at a 4* Belfast hotel
Day 2: Belfast, Giant's Causeway, and Glens of Antrim
Stop At: National Trust - Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre, 44 Causeway Rd, Bushmills BT57 8SU, UK
There are about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and is owned and managed by the National Trust. However, legend has it that the Irish giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Phon: Fyun Ma Cool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight Benandonner. Legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he didn't arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Úna (Phon: oo-na) laid a blanket over Fionn and pretended he was Fionn's baby son. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed that Fionn must be gigantic indeed! He fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Dunluce Castle, 87 Dunluce Road Co. Antrim, Portrush BT57 8UY Northern Ireland
We head to Dunluce Castle for a photo stop and to stretch the legs.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, 119A Whitepark Road, Ballintoy BT54 6LS Northern Ireland
We stop at the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Its construction facilitated the local fishermen to access Sheep Island, where there is excellent fishing. The original single handrail was subsequently replaced by a two hand railed bridge and the present caged bridge was installed by the National Trust. There is a nominal charge to cross the bridge.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast: Enjoy a full Ulster fry in your 4* Belfast hotel
No accommodation included on this day.
See Availability.
Connolly, 1 Amiens St, North Dock, Dublin, Ireland
11:20 AM
2 days(approx.)
Returns to original departure point
PLEASE NOTE: If you are booking a double occupancy room, please specify in 'Special Requirements' whether you prefer a double or a twin-bed room (subject to availability).
Due to operational reasons it may, on occasion, be necessary to alter certain itineraries.
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel.
Service animals allowed
Children U16 cannot book independently. They must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times.
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
WHEELCHAIR POLICY: Railtours Ireland First Class ltd very successfully offers hosted railtours for the independent traveller. Our tours are a combination of train and luxury coach and include a moderate level of physical activity, such as short walks to meeting points etc. Unfortunately even the most modern luxury coaches (buses) are not wheelchair friendly, thus our tours are not suitable for those with mobility issues, and regretfully walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot be accommodated on our tours.
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Posted By : Linda_L
Great tour, cold and wet at the causeway. Not fun. Rained all day, our tour guide Ray was wonderful.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-05-01
Posted By : Rebecca R
My friend and I had a great experience on this tour. Everyone we worked with was very helpful and friendly. Our bus driver Patrick was totally great, and the folks at the Railtours were also great! We did this tour upon arriving in Ireland and I was nice to know we didn't have to plan or do much more than just show up on time. Hotel accommodations were great as well. I would recommend this tour hands down!
Rating :
Posted On : 2020-01-08
Posted By : Explorer23982598419
Sean, Paul, and Peter were knowledgeable and personable. They went over and above to make this a once in a lifetime experience!
Rating :
Posted On : 2019-10-11
Posted By : Annabella B
We were the last group to board McCombs' bus at Carrickfergus. Superior view seats were already occupied. Bus did not have panoramic windows which I would have expected on this coastal route. Disappointing to have very restricted view of coastline.
Did not visit Dunluce Castle as advertised.
I learnt interesting history about local fishermen's use of Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge when there. Sea-life is visible in the ocean below.
Lunch stop differed from advertised. Ours was called something like Londonderry Arms. Time allocated and rushed service was poor despite pre-ordering on-board.
Rock formations at Giant’s Causeway were stunning. Shuttle bus broke down and blocked the narrow road to all vehicles. Walked back to bus.
Arrived back in Belfast around 7pm taking the non-scenic route. No chance to see the coast again.
My included hotel, the Europa, was lovely.
First hop-on bus departs 10 am, thereafter every half hour. Despite pre-booking shuttle pick-up from hotel, the driver didn't stop. Representative surly when I complained. Titanic Museum was packed by the time I finally got there.
To conclude: Problems lay not with Railtours but with the companies they engage. Perhaps I struck a bad day. I would use Irish rail trains and Europa Hotel again. I wouldn’t bother with the bus tours offered. I would take a taxi to The Titanic Museum then a guided tour of the murals. I would also investigate car hire for The Giant’s Causeway or request panoramic windows when booking a bus tour.
Rating :
Posted On : 2019-09-16
Posted By : Carla_K
The train trip from Dublin to Belfast was very nice and a great way to see the Country. The hotel was in a great location and very spacious. The Giants Causeway was breathtaking as expected. Just plain beautiful. The bridge was closed due to windy weather but we were still able to walk the area and take in the scenery. Bushmills Distillery and the castle were added stops that we enjoyed. The local guide and bus driver were very knowledgable and gave histories and stories for the area. It was a long day but worth it for what we saw. Only negative is the trip advertised three free meals and we only received one, breakfast.. We thought lunch was included but we were told we needed to pay by the local guide.
Rating :
Posted On : 2018-10-08
Posted By : Rhonda_R
This was a great experience, everything from the train ride, right down to the tour back home. Wish we would have spent less time picking passengers up and more time at the Causeway. But other than that, everything was great.
Posted By : LaurelJ_M
Great tour with great sights. The carrick rope bridge exciting and fun, the giants causeway absolutely stunning. Loved this tour, would go again.
Posted By : Kristin_G
Top service by the guides, top hotel, top reccommondations and beautiful nature !
Posted By : Meredith_D
Hotel accommodations were great, and the bus tour was fantastic! Very informative, with plenty of time at all the different stops. Just wish we'd had more time to explore Belfast the day we arrived. Our RailTour guide was helpful, although he showed up later than we expected. After the bus tour ended, we had to trek a few blocks to the train station with all our luggage, and expected our guide to meet us, but he didn't. We didn't know what time the train back to Dublin was, and by the time we got there after hustling straight from the bus we had missed it by a few minutes and had to wait a couple hours for the next one. More detailed info about that portion of the trip would have been helpful!
Posted By : James_K
Having an escort from Dublin to Belfast was brilliant. The hotel accommodations were brilliant. II only give this a four instead of five, because it seems a walking tour could have been arranged for Belfast near the hotel. We were too late to go to the Titanic, but would have loved to see the city. would love to revisit Ireland, and this coach tour up to the Giant's Causeway was brilliant. Driver / Guide was brilliant.
