Forget Belfast day coach tours! Tour the Causeway Coast independently! Save money and time

Forget about a crowded escorted coach tour from Belfast to Giants Causeway, Rope Bridge, Bushmills whiskey distillery and castles along the Causeway/Antrim Coast.
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"

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, crossing is 9 pounds for adults, book online for timed admission

Giants Causeway

Causeway Coast

"Derry Girls" mural, Londonderry

Dunluce Castle from the bus window

Queensland's cheap public transport - Go Card Senior

It even comes with a card wallet and instruction leaflet

Our Senior Go Cards just arrived in the mail. Couldn't have easier.
My wife and I are living in Melbourne, Victoria. We plan to use public transport in Brisbane when we visit next month. We applied online, citing our Victorian Seniors Card numbers. The system in Sydney is more complicated and your Opal Card (Senior) only last 2 months for interstate visitors.
The card is free (you pay $10, but the $5 deposit is refundable and the card comes with $5 of pre-stored value).
You can use the card for 50% off travel on trains, buses, light rail (new Gold Coast link) and Brisbane River ferries/Citycats. If you travel off-peak ( between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., after 7 p.m. on weekdays and all on weekends) it is a further 20% discount.
You can use the card in Queensland tourist areas (Sunshine Coast and Cairns). Once you get your card (posted to any state or territory in Australia within 10 business days,) you can register online for auto top-ups. Validity of the Go Card Senior is 10 years. Queensland is certainly tourist-friendly.

Go to translink.com.au

Comfortable train journey to Brisbane from Varsity Lakes (closest station to Gold Coast Airport). Easy bus transfer from airport (Route 760).

City Cat ferry - great way to explore Brisbane 

You can travel to all stops on the Brisbane River for around $1.30 (round trip, if you stay on board). The red "City Hopper" ferry (limited stops) is a free service.

City Cat interior