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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

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Original poster

Short break to Giant's Causeway

21 replies

ThePartyArtist · 06/03/2023 12:10

My 6 year old is really keen to see the Giant's Causeway. We're in North East England, I was thinking a flight to Belfast City or Belfast International would make sense. He is also interested in the Titanic so probably do that museum.

Any tips please?

Is it easy to hire a car with an English driving licence, and is driving in NI the same as here?

I presume accommodation near the Giant's Causeway would be necessary as too long a daytrip from Belfast?

We have never been to NI and don't know Belfast, so total beginners, any tips welcome.

OP posts:

twilightcafe · 06/03/2023 12:14

Book a hotel in Belfast. It's a 20-min walk to the Titanic exhibition (which was excellent). I believe you can get a bus to Giants Causeway from central Belfast.
We had a great time when we visited in October.

darjeelingrose · 06/03/2023 12:16

Are you not British then? It's part of the UK, surely everybody knows this? There's no such thing as an English driving licence, you don't have one of those.

Oakbeam · 06/03/2023 12:18

If there are any differences in driving, I’ve never noticed any. I’ve never hired a car there but can’t imagine that it is any more difficult than anywhere else in the UK.

VixenTodd · 06/03/2023 12:19

You could drive across and take a ferry via Liverpool. It is a nice part of Belfast and both are worth seeing.

softmummytummy · 06/03/2023 12:20

It's absolutely fab. Recommend hiring a car and self catering accommodation. I think we used Air BnB and got a lovely coastal cottage very reasonably but that was over 5 years ago. It's absolutely gorgeous and scenic there.

softmummytummy · 06/03/2023 12:20

hired a car from the airport. It's all very compact and nice to drive around.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 06/03/2023 12:20

Very easy day trip from Belfast

Original poster

ThePartyArtist · 06/03/2023 12:24

Thank you. As I said, we have never been to NI and don't know Belfast so I am asking something for advice. If you can assist please feel free to comment.

OP posts:

Original poster

ThePartyArtist · 06/03/2023 12:25

darjeelingrose · 06/03/2023 12:16

Are you not British then? It's part of the UK, surely everybody knows this? There's no such thing as an English driving licence, you don't have one of those.

Thank you. As I said, we have never been to NI and don't know Belfast so I am asking something for advice. If you can assist please feel free to comment.

OP posts:

JenniferBarkley · 06/03/2023 12:26

ThePartyArtist · 06/03/2023 12:25

Thank you. As I said, we have never been to NI and don't know Belfast so I am asking something for advice. If you can assist please feel free to comment.

Show quote history

You do know it's part of the UK though? I feel like that's hit the news the odd time.

GreenSalon · 06/03/2023 12:30

NI is part of the UK (hence all the protocol issues in the news since Brexit!!) so no issues driving.

You can hire a car easily at either airport but if flying to International, I’ve found Sixt to be good and affordable.

Agree to stay in Belfast as it is drivable in a day - set off after breakfast. Most people drive via motorway and main roads directly to there and then drive back if light via the coast road to Belfast as the views are spectacular and you can stop off at beaches and harbours en route. Dunluce Castle is a good visit too and nearby. Some really nice cafes and restaurants in Portstewart and drivable too from Causeway.

I just did this trip last week so all do-able and although I don’t live there now, I did until v recently so would recommend.

loads to do in Belfast too - the museum in the university area is free and interesting as is the Palm House and my children liked there at your son’s age. If you have a car you could also go to the zoo in north Belfast and in the other direction, the playground at Stormont is great.

if you don’t hire a car you can get a tour coach to the causeway.

Toooldtocareanymore · 06/03/2023 12:41

We did something like this a few years ago when weekend building work was going on in house next door vibrating up through foundations and we had to leave for a few days, mid summer options were limited, but it was great. Belfast airport is quite near city I didn't hire a car we stayed in a premier inn type place in titanic quarters, I didn't want hassle of parking, driving around strange place,etc there is a fantastic interactive kids museum just beside the titanic museum called w5 i think which my son loved , there was a pizza place outside, another score , I then booked one of those all day tours where we were picked up early from our hotel and brought to the giants causeway, this made it easy for me and as we stopped along way kids liked the coach, got off to walk across a bridge cant recall name now but kids lived it, some people on coach had done a king of thrones tour day before and liked it so much booked the one we were on.
Titanic museum I found a bit expensive and wearisome after first hour or so, kids were loosing will to look at stuff. One day we got a hop on hop off bus tour that let us see sights i cant remember stop exactly but as teh Belfast arena and the Holland and Woolf dockyards are nearby the HOHO bus was walking distance from our hotel and we could see sights from shelter as it was raining, that day we mostly stayed on but but hopped of in the city center, say some sights ate etc. We left day 4 feeling we could have done a lot more in area.

typopro · 06/03/2023 12:45

Please note that you can access the Giants Causeway without have to go into ( and pay for!) the visitors centre.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. I'd probably recommend getting the ferry and just driving over. If staying in Belfast you should visit the Titanic exhibition

ItsReallyOnlyMe · 06/03/2023 12:46

Yes it's easy to hire a car and drive in Northern Ireland. Please do remember your passport though as the car hire place we used insisted on it (the couple in front of us were refused a car as they did not have their passports with them).

For the Giants Causeway you can save money by parking in the station car park rather than the National Trust one. It's only about 5 mins walk and is £2ish vs £8ish.

Alsonification · 06/03/2023 13:13

Myself & a friend & my ds stayed in Ballylinney holiday cottages. Just down the road from the giants causeway visitors centre. Our cottage was gorgeous & very comfortable. Now this was June 2019 but I recommend looking them up. There's a hotel right beside the giants causeway which my friend had stayed in several times and would have gone back but we wanted self catering. We did have dinner one night in the hotel & it was delicious.

Alsonification · 06/03/2023 13:14

Also i highly recommend getting a guided tour. Our guide was brilliant & the story of the giant was fantastic.

BitOutOfPractice · 06/03/2023 13:16

Very do-able as a day trip from Belfast.

snd of course the driving is exactly the same as the rest of the uk you narna!

Crumlin Road Jail is well worth a visit too if the weather is bad.

We absolutely love visiting Northern Ireland!

TeenTraumaTrials · 06/03/2023 13:27

Please note that you can access the Giants Causeway without have to go into ( and pay for!) the visitors centre.

You don't pay for the Visitor's centre - you pay for the car park. It's a lovely part of the country that we've visited so many times due to having friends who live nearby (and used to work at the Causeway!)

Highly recommend the Belfast bus tour - it's really really interesting. But a lot of the stuff is maybe a bit much for a 6-year old

hopeishere · 06/03/2023 13:41

Bridge was Carrick A Rede? It's good but scary!

Nookable · 06/03/2023 14:52

I visited Belfast twice last year and did the causeway on my second visit.

Belfast City Airport is really close to the city and super convenient. The International one is further out so you need to allow more time to get there but there's a regular bus running from the centre to it. I've found that flights are usually cheaper to international but that could just be my local airport routes. You could also drive to Liverpool and catch the ferry, I've never done it but my sister has, it takes 8 hours and is more expensive than a flight so depends on the number of people as to whether its worth doing.

We hired a car and did Giants Causeway as a day trip, I think it was about an hour each way. If you wanted you stay up there there is other things to see though, Bushmills whisky distillery tour is meant to be good. If you hire a car driving is the same although worth noting that in Northern Ireland enterprise require a credit card for security if you're not a resident. There are also coach trips that do Giants Causeway but we didn't want to do these as they're long days but with lots of short photo opportunity stops and we wanted to spend longer at the causeway than they did.

For in Belfast itself the troubles taxi tour is really interesting.
Titanic is good, there's a ride section halfway through which breaks it up a bit for the kids.
The Gaol is interesting but a lot of reading. Although it does have a fantastic animation that I wish was online. It manages to sum up 600 years of history in a about 10 minutes.
The maritime mile is nice to walk around if the weather is good.

Ahnobother · 06/03/2023 18:33

The Titanic has just opened a new upgraded exhibition part and W5, the science museum beside it is brilliant for kids. What age is your son?
Definitely fly to Belfast City and stay in Belfast if you are only going for two nights but otherwise you could stay up near the Giants Causeway as it is beautiful scenery.
Just over an hour to drive from Belfast if you go the most direct route but as someone else said, the coastal route is absolutely incredible.
Look also at The Gobbins which is a path along the sea tucked under cliffs. I haven't done it yet but it's on my list for this summer when I'm back there.
Enjoy the trip.

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