Dunluce Castle is a medieval Irish Castle located on a clifftop along the Causeway Coast in County Antrim and is quite near to the Giant’s Causeway UNESCO site. It is about 1 hour drive from Belfast.
Address: 87 Dunluce Road, Bushmills, Co. Antrim, BT57 8UY, Ireland
The scenery in this part of County Antrim is simply spectacular, and Dunluce may be ONE of the most photographed castles on the island of Ireland.
We happened to visit Dunluce castle as a part of the day drip from Dublin to Northern Ireland. The Tour was organised by Wild Rover Tours, which is a Dublin-based family business who arrange tours throughout Ireland.
The normal itinerary for this tour includes Giants causeway, Belfast City and Carrick A Rede Rope Bridge. Carrick A Rede Rope Bridge was closed for maintenance and wildrover group arranged Dunluce castle as an alternative. Entry tickets to Dunluce castle was also included in the package.
We highly recommend this day trip with Wild Rover Tours. They tried everything possible to make this trip a memorable one. The guide and the pilot were very friendly and supportive.
Details : https://wildrovertours.com/activity/giants-causeway-belfast-city-carrick-a-rede-rope-bridge/
Ideally, there are multiple ways to reach this place:
- Train:
You can get trains (Derry Direction) from Belfast Lanyon or Great Victoria Street Train station. You will reach a station (around 1.45 hours) named Coleraine. From there you can hire a taxi (around 15 min)
- Bus:
You can get bus 218a from Great Victoria Bus station to Coleraine Bus Stand. From there you can hire a taxi (around 15 min)
- Car:
This might be the most preferred means of travel as the route is very scenic. (around 1.25 Hours)
Take the M2 motorway / A26 Combination from Belfast.
The route towards Dunluce Castle from Belfast city is quite scenic.
Please note that there are very less parking (means really less 😊) options available near Dunluce castle.
The castle stands mostly in ruins today, but the walls and remains of some of the buildings can still be seen. This castle was mainly built out of local basalt stone, known for its strength and durability.
There is a path beside the castle which takes you down towards the sea. As the title says there are 109 steps which was fine going down a little challenging on the way back.
Dunluce Castle has been a location for many movies like Game of Thrones.
Its also said that the castle was once owned by Winston Churchill.
This castle is a great place to enjoy the history of Ireland and to take in the beautiful scenery of the land.
There is a huge history behind this place. So its worth spending some time in google (Key word 😊 : MacQuillan family ) , if you are really interested to know that.
Points worth to note:
- Opening hours:
- February to November : Daily 9.30am to 5pm.
- December/January : Daily 9.30am to 4pm.
- Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
- Adult 18+ Years – £6 per ticket
- Child 5-17 Years – £4 per ticket
- Child Under 5 – Free
- It is excellent for visitors of all ages.
- Restrooms are available.
- There is a little gift shop available.
The closest town is Bushmills, home to the world-famous Old Bushmills Distillery.
The tour company had guided us for lunch to a restaurant named ‘The Giants Barn’, which was just 8 minutes drive from the Dunluce Castle.
This restaurant is also located in a very scenic location.
Some places nearby:
- Bushmills Distillery (around 10 minutes’ drive)
This is the oldest whiskey distillery in the world.
- Few of the Antrim coast attractions like Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-rede, Ballintoy Harbour and so on
- Portrush Beach
SUMMARY : Dunluce castle is a great tourist destination and you should never miss this place if you are preparing a Northern Ireland or County Antrim itinerary.
Amazing work Prabhith 🙂