Giant's Causeway day trip from Dublin: the tours from €60, the train and bus, the National Trust ticket at £16 and the UK ETA

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: The Giant’s Causeway is in Northern Ireland, about two hours past Belfast, so from Dublin it is a 12 to 14 hour tour or about 4 hours each way by Enterprise train to Belfast, a train to Coleraine and the Ulsterbus 402. The stones are free to walk to. The National Trust’s Visitor Experience is £16 for an adult (£8 child, £40 family) and includes parking, guided tours every hour and an audio guide. Northern Ireland is in the UK: US, Canadian, Australian and EU visitors need a UK ETA, £20 a person, before they travel, and a Dublin hotel does not count as living in Ireland. Or book a tour: Giants Causeway, Dark Hedges, Dunluce & Belfastad is from €80 for 12 hours (10,078 reviews), and Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle & Belfastad is from €60 for 12.5. A tour replaces the two changes and the timetable, and prices are in euros for departures from Dublin (GetYourGuide).

Getting there

The first Enterprise on a weekday leaves Dublin Connolly at 05:50 and reaches Belfast Grand Central at 07:58, and trains run hourly through the day. The last train from Belfast to Dublin leaves at 21:00 and reaches Connolly at 23:13. Translink’s online Enterprise fares start at £14.99 for a low single from Belfast, and the fare from Dublin is on irishrail.ie. The rest of the route is Translink’s: translink.co.uk has the times for the train to Coleraine and the 402 to the Causeway. The tour is the practical way to see the coast in a day; the train and bus suit a reader who sleeps in Belfast.

Tours

Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult, in euros for tours that leave Dublin.

A stop at the stones costs nothing. The National Trust’s £16 Visitor Experience is a separate purchase unless a listing says it is included, and the tour at €95 is the one that lists the Giant’s Causeway entry. It also lists the Titanic Experience ticket, which the operator sells at £24.95 online at Titanic Belfast. For a reader who is already in Belfast, From Belfast: Giant’s Causeway Full-Day Guided Tripad is a 9.5-hour day with 7,770 reviews.

The UK ETA

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, outside the Schengen area, so the UK’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA) applies even on a day trip from Dublin. There is no border post, but the UK’s entry rules apply.

• The ETA costs £20 a person, babies and children included, and is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner. Each visit can last up to 6 months.
• Apply in the UK ETA app or at gov.uk/eta. A decision usually arrives by email within a day and can take up to 3 working days, so apply before the day and wait for the email. Other websites charge more.
• A Dublin hotel is not residence. The exemption is for people who live in Ireland and travel from Ireland, and it asks for Irish proof of residence such as an Irish driving licence. A visitor staying in a Dublin hotel does not qualify.
• The ETA is linked to the passport you applied with.
• More. The sister site London Travel Geek has a UK ETA guide.

The same rules, with the entry rules for Ireland, are in what to book before you go to Dublin.

What to see

The National Trust site at the Causeway is the part to plan; the other stops are short coach stops.

Basalt columns beside the path at the Giant’s Causeway. Photo: P. Hughes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

The Causeway

Stones free · Visitor Experience £16 · coastline open dawn to dusk

The coastline is open from dawn to dusk and you can walk to the stones for nothing. The Visitor Experience adds the visitor centre, guided tours that leave every hour, an audio guide in 11 languages, the exhibition, the café and the shop, and parking for those who drive. It is free for National Trust members, and the Trust recommends booking ahead. Dogs on leads are welcome across the site. The visitor centre’s hours are on the National Trust page.

The stones at the Giant’s Causeway, with the headland beyond. Photo: P. Hughes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Dunluce Castle and the Dark Hedges

Coach stops on the Antrim coast

The tours list Dunluce Castle and the Dark Hedges as stops on the way along the coast. On the tour with the Titanic ticket, the Dunluce stop is for photographs.

Dunluce Castle on its cliff above the Antrim coast. Photo: Paul Buckingham, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Belfast

A stop on most tours

Most Dublin tours finish in Belfast. Belfast from Dublin has Titanic Belfast, the Enterprise train and the coaches for a reader who wants a day there instead.

Before you go

• The ETA. Apply a few days before the trip; a decision can take up to 3 working days.
• Passport. Carry it on the day.
• Currency. Northern Ireland uses pounds sterling. The National Trust, Titanic Belfast and Translink charge in pounds; GetYourGuide shows tours from Dublin in euros.
• The long day. The tours are 12 to 14 hours. Check the pick-up time and place on the listing.
• Booking. The National Trust recommends pre-booking the Visitor Experience.

The Causeway is one of the day trips from Dublin; the other long day is the Cliffs of Moher. 3 days in Dublin shows where a day out fits, where to stay in Dublin compares the areas, and the best time to visit Dublin covers the months. For Scotland, see Edinburgh.

Common questions

Can you visit the Giant's Causeway in a day from Dublin?

Yes, as a tour of 12 to 14 hours. The Causeway is in County Antrim, about two hours past Belfast. Going on your own is about 4 hours each way: the Enterprise train to Belfast takes 2 hours 8 minutes, then a train to Coleraine and the Ulsterbus 402.

Do I need a UK ETA for the Giant's Causeway from Dublin?

Yes, if you are a US, Canadian, Australian or non-Irish EU citizen. Northern Ireland is in the United Kingdom, and the ETA costs £20 for each person, babies included. Staying in a Dublin hotel does not make you resident in Ireland for the exemption. British and Irish citizens need none.

Is the Giant's Causeway free?

The stones are free to walk to. The National Trust's Visitor Experience is £16 for an adult, £8 for a child aged 5 to 17 and £40 for a family, and includes parking, guided tours that leave every hour and an audio guide in 11 languages.

Which Giant's Causeway tour from Dublin is the most popular?

Dublin: Giants Causeway, Dark Hedges, Dunluce & Belfast Tour, with 10,078 reviews on GetYourGuide, from €80 for 12 hours. It stops at the Dark Hedges, Dunluce Castle and Belfast. Titanic Belfast is a separate ticket unless a listing says it is included.

Do I need a passport for a day trip to Northern Ireland?

Carry one. There is no border post, but the trip enters the UK, and the ETA is linked to the passport you applied with.