No tipping. No tourist traps/souvenir shopping. No waiting for all the passengers to return to the coach.
Coach tours charge you for admission (10 -12 pounds) to the Giants Causeway Visitors Centre. Admission to the causeway is FREE if you take the public path next to the visitors centre.
Translink (Ulsterbus) public bus drops you right at the entrance to all sites visited by the tour buses.
Buy a 24 hour iLink Smart card (Zone 4) for 16 pounds (about $US20). This card gives you unlimited train, bus and express coach travel. Order online and the one pound card charge is waivered. Just pick up your Smart card at the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre (9 Donegall Square in CBD).
In one day we visited the Causeway Coast, then Londonderry, before returning to Belfast.
Sample Itinerary:
Travel from Belfast by train. Get an early train (before 8:30 a.m.) so you beat the day coaches.
Get off at Coleraine. Bus stop is just outside station (left exit). Route 402 serves Causeway Coast.
Download bus timetables. Buses travel in both directions.
Travel straight to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Sit on left side of bus for spectacular coastal views. Allow 1-2 hours. Bus back to Giants Causeway (Allow 1-2 hours for visit).
Bus back to Coleraine. Train to Londonderry. Tour walled city (Buses are coordinated with trains).
Return to Belfast either by train or coach (Goldline coaches are comfortable, free wifi), depending on your timetable. We were back in Belfast by 5 p.m.
There is an excellent Causeway Coast Walk pdf to download if you want to hike some sections rather than wait for buses. See: "WalkNI.com"
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| Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, crossing is 9 pounds for adults, book online for timed admission |
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| Giants Causeway |
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| Causeway Coast |
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| "Derry Girls" mural, Londonderry |
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| Dunluce Castle from the bus window |
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