Summary
Short description
History and natural beauty linked by scenic drives and unique accommodation
British Airways Sale now on
The British Airways Sale is now on, with savings to a wide range of destinations from the USA and Canada to Asia and the Middle East. Book by 3 October 2023.
Highlights
- Enjoy gorgeous coastal drives throughout
- Stay in manors and historic castles
- See the Giant's Causeway
- Enjoy the Irish countryside at its verdant best
- Compare the city heritage of Belfast and Derry
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
History & culture | Self-drive
Mapping the wild Causeway Coast and dipping through rolling Irish countryside, follow one of Europe's most scenic driving routes to link together the historic delights of Belfast and walled-city Londonderry. With nights spent in castles and country houses, you'll take in the natural wonders of the Giants Causeway and the Glens of Antrim, whose impossibly green verdure cloaks cragged cliffs and wild waterfalls. Together, this weeklong trip represents the best that Northern Ireland had to offer. What's more, there's also a no-fly option available.
Day by day itinerary
Days
1-2
Belfast
With complimentary lounge access included, board your flight to Belfast where you'll pick up your hire car and make the short trip to your hand-picked accommodation, centrally located right on the river. From here, you'll have all of the Northern Ireland capital's delights on your doorstep, from the world-famous Titanic museum and the centre's elegant spread of Victorian buildings to the city's superb dining scene and those evocative murals that remember the region's chequered past. You'll have two days to take it all in.
Stay: Radisson Blu, Belfast (Superior)
Meals: B
Days
3-4
Belfast to Ballygally Castle
Your scenic drive north today brings you into the beautiful Glens of Antrim, perhaps pausing to walk on forest trails past waterfalls, your base for exploring it all is an oak-beamed, 17th-century castle – one of Northern Ireland's leading hotels. You'll be able to relax among Ballygally's village charm before turning out for walks on windswept beaches and forested country parks.
Stay: Ballygally Castle, Ballygally, Northern Ireland (Superior)
Meals: B
Day
5
Ballygally Castle to Ballycastle to Bushmills
Choose to follow the impossibly verdant coastal route to Ballycastle, or alternatively, you might decide to detour inland to Ballymoney, the former home of the motorcycling brothers Joey and Robert Dunlop, and now more famously The Dark Hedges road featured in the epic Game of Thrones series.
Enjoy the golden windswept sands of Ballycastle before continuing along the cragged coast to the Bushmills Inn, a former coach house converted into a luxurious hotel. From here, you'll be perfectly poised to take in the famous Giant's Causeway. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a spectacle of distinctive basalt rock formations, which legend says were created during a fight between two giants. The excellent visitor centre provides the chance to learn about both the myth and the geological explanation for the causeway's existence.
Stay: Bushmills Inn, Bushmills (Superior)
Meals: B
Day
6
Bushmills to Londonderry
Plunging through rolling hinterlands and mapping remote bays, you'll arrive in Derry. Also known as Londonderry, it's Northern Ireland's second city and the only remaining example of an intact walled town in Ireland, making it one of the finest examples in all of Europe. Despite its 17th-century wonders, this inaugural UK City of Culture is alive with the present, its pubs ringing with live music, its walls resplendent in artsy murals and its redeveloped waterfront focusing on the ultra-contemporary Peace Bridge. You'll stay in a boutique city centre hotel.
Stay: Shipquay Hotel, Derry (Superior)
Meals: B
Day
7
Departure
After some time to explore further, drive back through Northern Ireland's rural heartlands to Belfast, where you'll board your flight home.
Meals: B
Map
Pricing
Any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.
7-day tailor-made self-drive
from £895 pp incl. flights (no-fly option available)
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