If you have limited days in Ireland, taking day tours from Dublin is most preferred way of seeing the famous must-go spots in Ireland. This is exactly what we opted for!
We only had total of 3 days in Ireland, we spent the first day exploring Dublin – check out A Tour Around Dublin - Exploring the Capital City's Historical Sites and Landmarks, and opted for day trips from Dublin the next two days. Our first tour was to Northern Ireland - Giants Causeway & Belfast City Day Tour from Dublin. We pre-booked our tours online prior to our arrival with WILD ROVER TOURS, we booked both our day tours from them as they offered discount on the second booked tour, Cliffs of Moher, Atlantic Edge Ocean Walk & Galway City Day Tour from Dublin.
The downside of taking tours is the early morning and late arrivals, the bus picked us up before 7am around O’Connell Street – pretty convenient as this was walking distance from our hotel. We stayed in Holiday Inn Express. It is recommended to pack your breakfast as it takes 2 hours to arrive in Belfast and the bus stopped once for comfort break.
Exploring Titanic Belfast is a most enriching experience in the tour! I expected an average theory-based museum, but this was exceptional! It has all the smallest detailed, engaging contents and great storytelling. We were only given 45 minutes in total – the place at least required minimum an hour. Our entrance tickets were included in the tour package, but if you are looking to purchase can be easily bought from their official site THE TITANIC EXPERIENCE. There was a short ride, The Shipyard Ride, the complete history of the launch and sinking of the ship, 3D models replicas and virtual presentation of the ship’s interior. Definitely a don’t-skip location if you are in Belfast!
Northern Ireland Drive
The Launch
3D Model Replica of Titanic
The Sinking
The Titanic Belfast
S .S .Titanic
Our next stop was Dunluce Castle, a picturesque Irish castle. We spent less than 30 minutes here, mostly just taking pictures. There was an entrance ticket payment required for the castle, details can be found here: Dunluce Castle.
Our final stop was the highlight of the trip, UNESCO World Heritage-listed site, The Giant’s Causeway. It will be one of your most memorable trips - the stunning geological formation, rich in nature, mesmerizing view of the causeway and ocean, you could stand there for hours looking at the view. Unfortunately, we were only given one and half hour by the tour company ☹, and that’s including our lunch break. The place did not have many choices for food, only two restaurants and both with long queue, packing your food for the day tour definitely recommended!
We were dropped at the entrance of the Causeway, and it required a long walk to the actual site, close to 10-15 minutes, there was an optional shuttle buses with additional charges, but of course we walked as it was an amazing view to take in and we loved the walk! There were plenty of places for good photographs, you can stop and explore on your own pace. You might need good boots as you will need to climb up some of the rocks around to get a good view of the surrounding. Planning your trip during non-peak time also important as the crowd made it quite difficult to get good spots. You can opt to have meals in the hotel nearby, or another restaurant right at the entrance. We had ours in the hotel, but it was a rushed one as the timing provided was not sufficient to spend time in the causeway.
The drive back took close to two and half hours, with only one stop for comfort break as well. We arrived in Dublin close to 8pm, dropped off at the O’Connell Street.