Road trips
Northern Ireland road trips: best routes & destinations
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If you never experienced Northern Ireland road trips, you’re really missing out. This small country has some of the greatest roadtrips in the UK – the scenery is spectacular and the size compact enough to get around on one trip.
But Northern Ireland/NI is a destination where you can miss out on so much without expert advice on where to go and what to see. Everyone heads for the world-famous destinations like the Giant’s Causeway and the glens of Antrim, but NI has heaps of other gems you won’t want to miss: Mussenden Temple , Lough Neagh , Rathlin Island and Torr Head are just a few.
We highlight our top picks here in our definitive guide to Northern Ireland road trip ideas, covering how to plan a road trip in Northern Ireland and what best to see.
Must-see visit places on a Northern Ireland road trip
Any trip to NI should take in both the country’s main cities, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry , for sights such as the Titanic Museum, a tour of Belfast City Hall and a walk on Derry’s famous city walls.
Or explore Northern Ireland by theme , such as TV ( Game of Thrones , Derry Girls ); activity (fishing in the Fermanagh Lakelands or hiking the Antrim coast); heritage sites ( Titanic Belfast , St Patrick legend or the UNESCO-listed Giant’s Causeway); or simply on a scenic drive, stopping off at the most beautiful places for Northern Ireland photographs. There’s plenty to see, and because of the small size of the country, plenty of time to see it all.
If you’re on a UK road trip, you can arrive in NI by ferry via Stranraer or Cairnryan in Scotland (to Larne) and from Liverpool (Birkenhead) to Belfast. Belfast is the most convenient starting place for a Northern Ireland road trip itinerary, but make sure you include at least a day in the city too: the Ulster Museum, Belfast Castle , Botanic Gardens, Colin Glen Forest Park and a Belfast sightseeing tour by bus or black taxi are all recommended.
Most famous road trip in Northern Ireland
The most famous road trip in Northern Ireland – and undoubtedly the best-known destination outside the two main cities – is the Causeway Coastal Route , following the landscape around north Antrim and including NI’s most famous landmark Giant’s Causeway.
This gorgeous road trip runs north from Larne and includes the Glens of Antrim and the Giant’s Causeway: we cover it in full detail below.
Game of Thrones road trip Northern Ireland
In recent years travellers have arrived from all over the world to explore the beautiful and remote NI locations showcased to the world in the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Castle Ward (Winterfell Castle), the Dark Hedges (the King’s Road) and Tollymore Forest Park (the Haunted Forest) are popular destinations; others include Cushendun Caves (the birthplace of Shadow Assassin), Ballintoy Harbour (Pyke Harbour) and Larrybane Quarry (Renly’s Camp), all easily accessible on a self-drive Game of Thrones tour.
For a Northern Ireland GoT tour, drive south from Belfast to Tollymore Forest Park just outside Newcastle to wander Westboro’s Haunted Forest, then north again to 12th-century Inch Abbey where the War of the Five Kings began.
Next is Castle Ward (Winterfell Castle) just north-east of Inch Abbey – here you can try Game of Thrones-inspired events like archery, wanderCastle Ward’s Game of Thrones filming locations route and try on some GoT attire.
A couple of miles from Castle Ward, the Cuan Guesthouse has a door inspired from the sixth season of Game of Thrones, carved from the wood of the beech trees at the Dark Hedges.
Drive inland to the next stop, Lough Neagh and the Toome Canal aka the Old Valyrian Canal, then east to the Antrim coast and the location used for GoT’s The Neck.
From here, it’s an easy drive around the north Antrim coast to reach Galboly, near Glenariff (Runestone); the 400 million-year-old Cushendun Caves ; Murlough Bay and Torr Head (where Tyrion Lannister and Jorah Mormont meet slavers on their way to Meereen); the Dark Hedges; Ballintoy Harbour (the Iron Islands), and Dunluce Castle (Pyke Castle of House Greyjoy).
Diehard fans can also drive to Paint Hall Studios in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter (the largest film studio in Europe), where many interior Game of Thrones scenes were filmed. Another option is to park up at a caravan park near Belfast and journey back into the city to join a dedicated**Game of Thrones tour**.
The Causeway Coastal Route
Best Northern Ireland coast road trip
Distance: 115 miles
Suggested Road Trip Duration: 2 days
Like the Game of Thrones tour, taking a lengthy route along the coast is a hugely popular Northern Irish road trip. The Causeway Coastal Route is the easiest way to see this spectacula r part of Northern Ireland, with lots of stop-offs at famous attractions and hidden gems along the way. Here’s our take on it.
The Causeway Coastal Route is the easiest way to see this spectacular part of Northern Ireland
As with all Northern Ireland road trip routes, start this one in Belfast , again allowing for at least a day in the city (stay overnight nearby at somewhere like Dundonald and Newtownabbey if you intend to have two days in Belfast). From Belfast, drive northwards to Carrickfergus and Whitehead, then west along the coast to Carnlough, Cushendun and Torr Head to arrive at Ballycastle.
It’s possible to do the Causeway Coastal Route in one day, but we recommend breaking the journey at Ballycastle to stay overnight, then have a day trip to Rathlin Island the following day (catch the Rathlin ferry from Ballycastle harbour).
Stay in Ballycastle for a second night then drive further along the coast to Ballintoy and the Giant’s Causeway with an optional detour inland to the Old Bushmills Distillery. Then drive to Portrush and Portstewart for a beach and funfair day, then inland to Derry or back along the coast to Belfast.
Road trip around Northern Ireland
Because Northern Ireland’s so small, you can see a great deal of it on one trip. We have a couple of different options to see as much of the country as possible, including its most famous highlights:
Belfast (City Hall, bus or black taxi tour, Crumlin Road Gaol)
Belfast (Colin Glen Forest Park)
Belfast to Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh to Armagh , Newry and the Mourne Mountains
Newry to Belleek, Co Fermanagh and Lough Erne
Belleek to Derry via Omagh and the Ulster American Folk Park
Derry to Portrush
Portrush to Ballycastle via Giant’s Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge
Or:
Belfast (City Hall, bus or black taxi tour, Crumlin Road Gaol)
Belfast (Colin Glen Forest Park)
Belfast to Whitehead and Ballycastle
Ballycastle to Rathlin Island
Ballycastle to the Giant’s Causeway and Portrush
Portrush to Derry
Derry to Co Fermanagh
Co Fermanagh to Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh to the Mourne Mountains
Mourne Mountains to Newcastle
Newcastle to Strangford Lough and back to Belfast
Planning your road trip and itinerary
Two-day road trip Northern Ireland
What are the top things to see in Northern Ireland? If you only have a couple of days, these routes take in the best of the country:
Route A:
Day 1: arrive in Belfast and drive to Ballycastle via the Causeway Coastal Route and the Giant’s Causeway
Day 2: drive from Ballycastle to Derry , then back to Belfast
Route B:
Day 1: arrive in Belfast and drive to Lough Neagh (morning) then south to the Mourne Mountains (afternoon). Have dinner in Newry and stop overnight at a caravan park nearby.
Day 2: drive from the Mournes/Newry across the country to Derry , then return to Belfast via the Causeway Coastal Route.
Route C:
Day 1: arrive in Belfast and drive across the country to Strabane , passing the upper end of Lough Neagh. From Strabane, drive to Derry and then Portrush.
Day 2: drive from Portrush to the Giant’s Causeway , Old Bushmills Distillery and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge , returning to Belfast in the evening.
Four-day road trip Northern Ireland
Our first four-day route builds on the Belfast – Ballycastle – Derry – Belfast route above (see the map), but allows extra time on the coast and a day on the tiny island six miles off the Ballycastle coast:
Day 1: Belfast
Day 2: Belfast to Ballycastle
Day 3: Ballycastle to Rathlin Island
Day 4: Ballycastle to Portrush
Alternatively, road-trip around the north-west coast (map) and stop off at one of the most famous golf courses in the world):
Day 1: Derry
Day 2: Portrush and Portstewart ; optional stop at Royal Portrush Golf Club (former host of the Open Championship)
Day 3: the Antrim coast : Ballycastle , the Giant’s Causeway and the Antrim glens
Day 4: Rathlin Island ; return to Derry
Or include a Belfast day in your visit and explore the eastern side of the country :
Day 1: Belfast
Day 2: the Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough , Northern Ireland's first Marine Conservation Zone
Day 3: Bangor, Helen’s Bay and Whitehead
Day 4: Newcastle; return to Belfast
Seven-day road trip Northern Ireland
A week is a perfect length of time for a road trip around NI. We recommend this seven-day itinerary (see the map):
Day 1: Belfast
Day 2: Belfast to the Glens of Antrim
Day 3: the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede
Day 4: Derry
Day 5: Co Fermanagh and the Fermanagh Lakelands
Day 6: Lough Neagh
Day 7: the Mourne Mountains
A somewhat busier timetable allows this (here's the map):
Day 1: Belfast to Carrickfergus and Carrickfergus Castle on the Causeway Coastal Route , then to the Glens of Antrim and Glenariff Forest Park
Day 2: drive to Cushendun and Torr Head , then to the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede via Ballycastle
Day 3: explore Dunluce Castle and have an afternoon at the fair at Barry's Amusements in Portrush
Day 4: sightsee in Derry then drive via the Sperrin Mountains to the Ulster American Folk Park just outside Omagh
Day 5: explore the Fermanagh Lakelands and Lough Erne
Day 6: drive from Co Fermanagh to Armagh and the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium ; optional stop at Lough Neagh
Day 7: Strangford Lough , Portaferry and Bangor.
Ten-day road trip Northern Ireland
This trip takes in many of the main sights at a more leisurely pace (see the map):
Days 1 and 2: Belfast
Day 3: Causeway Coastal Route to Ballycastle
Day 4: Rathlin Island
Day 5: Causeway coast to Bushmills , Portrush and the Giant’s Causeway
Day 6: Derry
Day 7: Omagh and the Ulster American Folk Park
Day 8: the Fermanagh Lakelands and Lough Erne
Day 9: Lough Neagh and Armagh OR the Mourne Mountains and Newry
Day 10: Strangford Lough and Bangor
Two-week road trip Northern Ireland
If you have time, this is the trip we recommend, taking in heritage sites, world-famous destinations, Game of Thrones locations, both main cities and much more (get the map):
Days 1 and 2: Belfast
Day 3: Causeway Coastal Route to Ballycastle
Day 4: hike Ballycastle to Portstewart along part of the Ulster Way
Day 5: the Giant’s Causeway , Carrick-a-Rede and Ballintoy
Day 6: Portrush and Portstewart
Days 7 and 8: Derry
Day 9: the Fermanagh Lakelands and Lough Erne
Day 10: Lough Neagh
Day 11: the Mourne Mountains
Day 12: Newcastle
Day 13: Strangford Lough and Bangor
Day 14: Whitehead and Helen’s Bay
What to take on a road trip to Northern Ireland
Of all the UK countries, Northern Ireland is most similar to Scotland in climate and rainfall, which essentially means you’ll need rain gear/waterproofs and at least one sturdy raincoat.
It can get cold at night even in summer, so pack a hat, gloves and a warm jersey or fleece too, plus a couple of extra changes of clothes for the evenings if your day gear has got wet.
Also bring sturdy waterproof boots and thick socks for hiking and climbing: even if you’re not a hiker, the beauty of destinations like the Glens of Antrim and the Mourne Mountains mean you’ll probably want to give it a go.
If you’re a UK citizen or hold a UK visa, you don’t need an additional visa to travel to Northern Ireland.
Plan your trip today
Ready for your Northern Ireland road trip? Hiring a van is the best way to see the country : you’ll get to go off the beaten track, stop wherever you like, and meet other travellers when you connect to services at Northern Ireland caravan parks. Browse our vans for hire in Northern Ireland and get planning your epic trip!
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