A Causeway Coast itinerary from Belfast

Day by day

1. Day 1

   Belfast and the maritime waterfront

   Make Belfast the starting overnight and give Titanic Belfast the main visit before beginning the coastal road trip. Add SS Nomadic or the outdoor slipways if the group wants more maritime history, keeping the waterfront walk flexible in rain. Visit City Hall in the centre if time remains. Keep the first overnight in Belfast, with the coastal drive starting the next day. Stay in the city centre or the Linen Quarter for this part of the trip.

   Overnight: Belfast

2. Day 2

   Carrickfergus, Glenariff and Ballycastle

   Leave Belfast for Carrickfergus Castle, using the official visitor information for entry to the castle. Continue to the Antrim glens and make Glenariff Forest Park the main outdoor stop, choosing a path from the current Forest Service information. Finish in Ballycastle with only a short promenade walk if the group still wants time outside. Stay around the harbour or town centre, keeping the same base for the following island day.

   Overnight: Ballycastle

3. Day 3

   A separate Rathlin Island day

   Book an outward and return crossing with Rathlin Ferry from Ballycastle before choosing the island activities. Choose the activities ashore separately from the ferry booking, and use the luggage rules for your chosen vessel. Keep the mainland evening in Ballycastle instead of making the ferry return the start of another long coastal stage. If the crossing is unsuitable, use the town beach and heritage choices when conditions allow, then keep the same overnight.

   Overnight: Ballycastle

4. Day 4

   Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant's Causeway

   Move west from Ballycastle with Carrick-a-Rede as the first planned visit, using the bridge's booking information and making sure the group is comfortable with steps and heights. Give the Giant's Causeway the main share of the afternoon, choosing an official trail that suits the conditions. Save a longer clifftop route for suitable walking weather and a group that wants the extra walk. Leave White Park Bay out of this day unless one of the two main visits has been removed. Finish in central Portrush for the next overnight.

   Overnight: Portrush

5. Day 5

   Dunluce, Portrush and Downhill

   Use Dunluce Castle for a heritage stop, then choose between beach time in Portrush and the estate at Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne. Choose East Strand for sand and a promenade, or Downhill for the clifftop temple and house ruins. Spend the rest of the day at your chosen beach or estate, with the other saved for another visit. Stay in Portrush again if continuing locally, with the onward departure arranged separately from this sightseeing day.

   Overnight: Portrush

Want a route that fits your own dates? Try the trip planner.

Why these overnight bases fit the route

Belfast gives the city attractions their own time before the coastal drive. It also allows a rail arrival from Dublin on the Enterprise, with any road vehicle collected for the rural portion. Use the Belfast night for city sightseeing, with beach time later in Ballycastle and Portrush. Keeping the first night in the city avoids treating Titanic as a hurried stop on an already busy coastal transfer day.

Ballycastle serves the eastern coast and the Rathlin ferry. Bayview Road is the operator's mainland address, so stay by the harbour for the island day. The town also has its own beach and heritage trail. Two nights here mean the room remains available after the ferry return, instead of making an island outing depend on a tight onward move to another coast town.

Portrush provides the western base after the Causeway visit. East Strand, West Strand and the harbour give a local day if a longer excursion is cut. The railway branch also connects the town with Coleraine. Choose a town-centre stay for that mixed local and transport use. An outlying coastal address may suit a driving holiday, but it does not provide the same railway-based departure.

What to cut if the trip is shorter

For a shorter version, remove the Rathlin day first unless the island is the main priority. Keep one Ballycastle overnight after the glens, then continue west the next day. You keep the glens, coastal stops and east-to-west journey, with no ferry day to arrange. Leave enough time for each remaining visit instead of filling the saved day with extra sites.

If there is only one full coast day from Belfast, use the Belfast day-trip guide and choose the Giant's Causeway as the main destination. Add Dunluce only when it fits the booked tour or the train and bus returns you have chosen. Leave Glenariff, Rathlin and Downhill for another visit. Each needs time in a separate part of the coast or glens. Save them for a trip with nights in the coastal bases.

Cut Carrick-a-Rede when the bridge is not an appealing activity for the group. The National Trust describes steps and uneven terrain on the approach, so choose it only if those suit the family's walking ability. Use the saved part of the day at the Causeway or on a selected beach. The route can still keep the same Ballycastle-to-Portrush accommodation move.

Wet-weather changes

Use Belfast's indoor attractions before leaving if the first outdoor day is unsuitable. Titanic Belfast and Ulster Museum provide substantial alternatives, while the maritime slipways remain outdoors. On the coast, shorten a walk or change the order of outdoor visits only when conditions support the replacement. For shelter, stay with an indoor city visit instead of moving from a beach to another exposed headland.

Ballycastle Museum cannot be the rain fallback in this route because the council lists it as closed for restoration. Portrush Coastal Zone has marine displays and seasonal visitor access. Check before you go if you need it for an indoor stop. Keep coast nights for the beaches, towns and ferry, with fewer indoor choices than Belfast. A longer spell of poor weather may justify giving Belfast more time and cutting a coastal stage.

Keep Rathlin flexible around the operator's actual arrangements. A Ballycastle room removes a mainland transfer before the ferry. Keep a local option if the operator changes the crossing. If the island visit is removed, use suitable local choices such as the beach, town trail or Bonamargy Friary. The friary and trail are outdoor visits too. Use their visitor information to choose an accessible stop that suits the weather.

Doing part of the route without a car

The full rural sequence here is a driving plan. A car-free version should use Belfast, Portrush and possibly Ballycastle as bases with selected outings. NI Railways reaches Portrush through Coleraine, while the 172/402 coastal bus information connects Coleraine with Ballycastle. Arrange the final journey to Glenariff and rural headlands separately. The train and coastal bus serve selected places, so find transport to the particular entrance or walk you want.

Use the linked guide to Dublin, Belfast and the coast without a car for transfers between overnight bases. Choose each return before booking a site visit, especially where a bus must connect with a train. Exact last services and seasonal dates stay with the operator's current information. Book a taxi or tour for the journey if that solves a gap. Leave a stop out if you cannot arrange the last part of the trip.