The Best Day Trips from Belfast

The capital is the gateway to near mythical feats of nature and tucked-away historic gems. Here are some of the best places to visit near Belfast for some unforgettable day trips.

Game of Thrones Filming Locations

Another day, another Game of Thrones tour. So much of the hit HBO show was filmed close to Belfast it’s tough to know where to start exploring George RR Martin’s fantastical world. Plunge into the deep, lush groves of Tollymore Forest Park where the White Walkers marched, poke your head into the 400-million-year-old Cushendun Caves where Melisandre gave birth to a Shadow creature, or stroll the whispering halls of Castle Ward, otherwise known as Winterfell.

Mother of Dragons fans should step lightly towards Mussenden Temple, where they’ll recognize Dragonstone or, alternatively, Shillanavogy Valley – the sweeping Dothraki Grasslands. You needn’t feel guilty about dragging your less fanatical companions around with you – each jaw-dropping location just so happens to be among Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions.

As the locations on Northern Ireland’s Game of Thrones tour map are split roughly an hour’s drive north and south of Belfast, it might be worth taking two separate day trips so you don’t have to rush around the sites. When venturing south, take the 90-minute drive from central Belfast to Tollymore Forest Park first, followed by Castle Ward, just another hour away. Once you’ve finished searching for direwolves, your return to Belfast will only take an hour. When heading north, travel first to Cushendun Caves, then Mussenden Temple, and finally Shillanavogy Valley, to loop back to Belfast, only 40 minutes away.

Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway

A tour of Northern Ireland isn’t complete without a visit to the country’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Giant’s Causeway. The coastal path is open from dawn until dusk, and it’s just a 90-minute drive from Belfast along the M2. Check the National Trust website for details on opening hours and tours.

Made up of some 40,000 basalt columns spread across a trio of immense rock outcrops, you can see why it’s considered the stuff of legend. Take the onsite tour or explore at your leisure with a handy audio guide from the visitor center. Its top attractions include the Grand Causeway – the largest and most formidable of the outcrops – along with the Giant’s Boot, a colossal, shoe-like rock said to belong to a Scottish giant called Benandonner (here’s hoping he doesn’t come back for it).

If you’ve got time to spare, join one of the guided five-mile hikes of the cliff-top path above the causeway, which offers a supreme vantage point over the clustered columns and glistening sea.

Belfast to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

If you hate the idea of swaying 100 feet above sea level on a rope bridge, this isn’t the place for you. But, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, once used by salmon fishermen in the 1700s, offers some of the best views in Northern Ireland for those who brave it. Rest assured, it’s now made of more modern – and much stronger – materials.

Spot shimmering crystal shores, atmospheric caves and even basking sharks, dolphins, and porpoises down below as you make the crossing to the island of Carrick-a-Rede. Squint towards the horizon and you might even see Rathlin Island and the coast of Scotland. Once you’ve reached the other side, take some time to appreciate the serene solitude of this picturesque, quaint island. Home to just a single building – an old fisherman’s cottage – it’s quite the contrast to the busy capital. It’s just over an hour’s drive away along the M2, so combine it with a trip to the Giant’s Causeway, which is only another 15 minutes or so further.

Belfast to the Old Bushmills Distillery

Fall under the spell of whiskey-making magic at the Old Bushmills Distillery, the oldest operating whiskey distillery in Northern Ireland. Open since 1608, the facility is to thank for no fewer than five of the country’s award-winning whiskeys, including Black Bush and Bushmills Original. Its accolades are well-earned – you’ll see for yourself how much passion, care, and attention to detail is put into each bottle.

From learning about the site’s impressive history to watching the whiskey-making process take place at Bushmills village and sampling some of its most famous concoctions for yourself, this is a treat for whiskey aficionados. The attraction also houses a restaurant, and, of course, a specialist gift and whiskey shop, so you can take your favorite tipple home.

The Bushmills Distillery tour times vary throughout the day, but you can reserve a spot-on arrival between 9am and 1pm, and up to 30 minutes before they start. It’s about an hour’s drive from central Belfast, 10 minutes from the Giant’s Causeway, and 20 minutes from the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

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