Northern Ireland

How to avoid the crowds at the Giant's Causeway

One million people a year visit the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. It's one of only four UNESCO World Heritage sites on our island and is the most accessible one, which means crowds.

The Giant's Causeway is worthy of the UNESCO honour, but hordes of people takes away from the magic of the place.

I've been to the site many times and have learned the best ways to avoid the crowds.

Looking down at the Giant's Causeway. The stone area is small!

Stay Overnight at the Giant's Causeway

Everybody does the same thing. They start their morning in Ballycastle, Belfast, or another town and drive the Causeway Coastal Route. They stop at the sights along the way and arrive at the Giant's Causeway between 11am and 3pm.

Peak time.

The Giant's Causeway day tours from Dublin and Belfast arrive at the same time.

It's impossible to take photos without a dozen strangers in the background. No thank you. This is a once in a lifetime visit. Get that perfect photo.

Beat them all here by staying close to the Giant's Causeway overnight. The site is empty in the morning and evening. And you can see this stunning site at sunset. Early risers can enjoy their coffee watching the sunrise over the hexagonal stones with just a few seagulls for company.

🛏️ The Causeway Hotel is at the entrance to the Giant's Causeway. When the day trippers have gone, you can stroll down and enjoy it all on your own.

🛏️ The Bushmills Inn is in the famous whiskey town, just five minutes away. Stay here if you like a village feel at night.

The bonus of staying here is that you stay a step ahead of the crowds all day at the other popular sites too.

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Walk The Scenic Cliff Path from Portballintrae

This is my favourite way of visiting the Giant's Causeway. You approach the Giant's Causeway from the cliffs above, you're all on your own. I felt like I was in First Class in a plane looking down at all the economy folks crawling like ants over the stones.

Portballintrae is seaside village just 2 miles from the Giant's Causeway. Park at the Salmon Rock Beach car park and walk an hour along the absolutely gorgeous cliff path to the Giant's Causeway.

The walk starts at the beach and then goes slowly up the cliffs overlooking the Giant's Causeway. I actually preferred this part to visiting the Causeway itself.

You walk from the beach in the background along the cliffs

I got photos that 99.9% of other visitors don't get. Last time I did it, I only met two other people and some sheep along the way. I visited the Giant's Causeway and then walked back to my car along the railway tracks. All very easy to follow.

🛏️ Stay at the Bayview Hotel and enjoy the calm of the beach after a day of driving. Do the cliff walk in the morning before the crowds get there.

At the Giant's Causeway

The hexagonal stones are the famous part that you see in all the photos. They are a 1 mile walk from the visitors centre or take the shuttle bus.

But there's much more than just the stones here

The Amphitheatre. You could be in Rome, not N. Ireland.
The Bay of the Cow. The cliff walk has a fantastic view of this.
The Giant's Organ pipes. 40ft high pipes of basalt.
The Shepherd's Steps. From the peak to the beach in 162 steps.

The site is free to enter but you will pay to park if you drive there.

You can park at the official visitor's centre.
Pay to park at the Causeway Hotel & get a voucher redeemable in their restaurant
Park in the town of Bushmills and take a bus over.

Plan to spend a minimum of an hour here, but you can easily spend two or three if you explore the whole site and follow the trails.

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