(Last Updated On: July 8, 2022)The Giant’s Causeway World Heritage site in Northern Ireland is a geologic wonder steeped in legend.
The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Northern Ireland.
This post was completely revised and updated in June 2022.
The Giant’s Causeway UNESCO site was on the top of my must-see list on my first visit to Ireland in 2004. However, gale force winds made it impossible to stand in one place unless you were holding on to something very sturdy – that ruled out exploring rocks along the sea.
Fast forward to a return visit with friends in 2009. The weather is perfect (warm and dry with no wind) and the hiker in our small group convinces us to continue on far longer than I would have otherwise. It is a lovely day at an extraordinary place.
Keep reading to find out what it’s like to visit the Giant’s Causeway, learn about Finn McCool and the site’s odd geology, and find out everything you need to know to plan your own trip, including where to stay.
Exploring the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast
The northern coast of Northern Ireland is a rugged, windswept place with plenty of eye-catching scenery. But the area’s most striking feature, a swath of stone columns that lead to the sea, is the centerpiece of the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast UNESCO World Heritage site.
Legends say Finn McCool built the causeway so he could fight a giant from Scotland. Scientists say it is the result of volcanic activity 50 or 60 million years ago.
Today an architecturally dramatic Visitor Center stands outside the World Heritage site’s main entrance. But in 2009 there is no visitor center. The UNESCO site’s entrance is marked only by a sign, a parking lot, and a fenced-off plot where a visitor center stood before being destroyed in a fire seven years earlier.
We head down the road toward the sea, discovering plenty of rugged scenery along the way.
That’s Finn McCool’s camel sleeping in Portnaboe Bay (Cow Bay).
This is a land where wind and waves can smash ships into splinters and send castles tumbling into the sea. But today the air is hot and almost completely still, as if the sea is holding its breath. It’s a calm that belies the area’s turbulent geologic history.
All around us the landscape reveals that ancient story of violent volcanic activity. 50 or 60 million years ago great pools of lava flowed over this place before drying, cracking, and hardening into rock. Millions of years of erosion weathered and exposed the dramatic rock formations that now draw visitors from near and far.
Hexagonal pillars form a pathway to the sea at the Giant’s Causeway
Hiking the Causeway Coast
The Causeway itself is where the tops of basalt columns form a flat “pavement” that steps down to the sea. It’s the most popular part of the site. But is only part of what you can see along the Causeway Coast.
So, instead of mixing with crowds along the Causeway, we head through a formation called the Giant’s Gate and stroll around a small bay on the other side.
The Giant’s Gate provides access to the other side of the site.
The path takes us through lush coastal meadows before winding up along the headlands.
A yellow iris grows in a marshy area along the Causeway Coast.
As the path begins to rise, the Giant’s Gate and the Causeway behind it seem very far away.
The Giant’s Gate as seen from the path above.
Ahead we can see a trail winding above us that leads to a lookout point above Port Reostan.
Lacada Point and the Chimneys rise in the distance.
It looks like a very cool spot to hike up to, but I’m both hot and a wimp. So, instead, we make our goal a much closer formation known as the Giant’s Organ (or the Organ Pipes).
From a distance, the Giant’s Organ looks like an enormous pipe organ. (Note the tiny people on the path.)
Even though we are climbing, the trail is easy. And the scenery is never dull.
Most of the hiking is pretty easy around the Giant’s Causeway.
The Giant’s Pipe Organ
Soon we are at the Giant’s Organ, which does resemble a rank of pipes for a gigantic organ.
Those are some mighty big organ pipes.
This is a basalt formation like the one that forms the causeway itself. There are about sixty columns in this formation and they are about 40 feet tall. . . so there’s no walking on them!
The top of the Giant’s Organ is about 40 feet above us.
The Amphitheater
Now I really want to continue on. Our friend Andrew is eager to do so as well, and he assures us we will have another lovely view as we round the point ahead.
We can see he is right even before we reach the Amphitheater.
The Middle Trail above the Causeway Coast takes hikers into an area known as the Amphitheater.
The Amphitheater area is a huge convex wall of rock that exposes the deep layers of lava that created this site.
The Amphitheater exposes multiple layers of hardened lava.
A lookout offers views up to the top of the cliff and out along the coast.
It’s a long way up to the top of the cliff!
The coastline is pretty dramatic all along the Causeway Coast.
It’s an impressive view.
But it’s also the end of the trail, as rockslides within the Amphitheater led to closure of the trail beyond this point years earlier.
You can see a section of the now-closed path running through a rockslide.
Walking the Giant’s Grand Causeway
Back down at the shore, it’s time to take a little closer at the Giant’s Causeway (sometimes called the Grand Causeway) itself.
The Grand Causeway is a fascinating place to explore.
The causeway formation slopes down to the sea. Although the whole structure is made up of polygonal pillars (with a few volcanic boulders just to keep things interesting), millions of years of weathering has created different colors and textures.
In some places the stones have been broken and worn away so they almost form a flat pavement.
It’s not the smoothest pavement in the world, but it’s definitely walkable!
In other areas the columns rise up as much as head-high to create a jagged hill of stepping stones.
There are plenty of places to explore – or just sit and watch the sea – on the Giant’s Causeway.
It would be easy to spend hours just taking it all in.
How was the Giant’s Causeway created?
The Grand Causeway was either built by a giant known as Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhail) or formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.
The Giant’s Causeway looks as if the stone were cut and fit together by (giant) human hands.
You can choose what to believe.
The legend of Finn McCool
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, ancient stories tell us there was a man named Finn McCool.
Most stories about Finn McCool come from a collection of Irish poems, stories, and songs created between the 7th-14th centuries. This is the Fenian Cycle. And, in these stories, McCool is a figuratively larger-than-life hero who leads wandering groups of hunter-warriors called the Fianna. His home is in a more southerly part of Ireland and he is noted for both his strength and his (largely magically-derived) wisdom. However, none of these stories indicate he was of unusual size.
Fianna (roving groups of aristocratic and other freeborn young men who hadn’t yet inherited property) existed in Ireland during the Iron Age and on into the Middle Ages. At least some groups still existed when the earliest known pieces of the Fenian Cycle were created. It is possible that a 3rd century chieftain named Finn McCool actually existed, but his exploits seem to have attained legendary status long before the stories we have today were recorded. And none of those stories reference anything resembling the causeway.
The site’s Irish name translates to “the stepping stones of giants,” with “giants” referring to a specific race of mythological giants with supernatural powers. The Finn McCool of legend has some supernatural attributes, but the Fenian Cycle does not depict him as a giant.
So, it’s not clear how very ancient stories of giants and the exploits of Finn McCool merged to create a new legend, but that seems to be what happened
None of which tells us why Finn McCool (or some unknown giant) built the Giant’s Causeway.
Why did Finn McCool build a causeway?
Like all the other stories having to do with either Finn McCool or the Giant’s Causeway, there are also several versions of this story. The most common one goes like this:
Once upon a time a Scottish Giant named Benandonner (the Red Man) hurled insults and threats at Ireland from across the sea. Tired of this abuse, Finn McCool decided to confront the island’s tormentor. But he didn’t want to get his feet wet in the process, so he built a causeway across the sea to Scotland.
When finished, he started down the causeway toward Scotland until he could see Benandonner in the distance. The Scottish giant was huge – much, much larger and stronger than Finn McCool himself. Now terrified, McCool raced back to Ireland with Benandonner in hot pursuit.
Unsure where to hide, McCool’s wife came up with a plan. She wrapped him in a sheet as if he were a baby. When Benandonner arrived, she told him her husband was out hunting and welcomed him inside to wait with her and the baby.
One look at the size of Finn McCool’s “baby” was enough to send Benandonner running home in terror, as he feared the father of a baby that size must be truly gigantic. And, as he ran, he tore the causeway apart so the Irish giant could not follow him back to Scotland.
What we see today in Ireland and Scotland (a cave in Scotland has similar polygonal columns, although it is not directly across from the Irish formations) is what remains of Finn McCool’s causeway.
The geology of the Giant’s Causeway
Of course, geologists claim that these weird polygonal basalt columns formed here due to volcanic activity 60-plus million years ago. Over three periods of volcanic activity, thick layers of molten lava spread over the land, cracking into polygonal (multi-sided) columns as they cooled and hardened from the surface down.
This all became part of giant basalt plateau that then split apart as the North Atlantic opened. Today we can see visible visible traces of this plateau in Ireland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and beyond.
Millions of years of weathering both eroded and exposed the hardened columns, creating the features we see today.
So why are most of the polygons hexagonal (six-sided)?
Although not all of the 40,000-plus columns at the Giant’s Causeway have six sides, most do. And that’s also true of columns at similar sites around the world.
Hexagonal-shaped columns are the most common because of the way lava and other molten materials shrink and crack as they cool. The first cracks to form actually appear at 90-degree angles. But as lava (and other materials) cool further below the surface, those small cracks begin to meet and form larger ones. And the angle between those larger cracks tends to shift to about 120 degrees, which creates a hexagonal pattern. A pattern that is maintained when the lava is completely cool.
Exposed column tops at the Giant’s Causeway are more-or-less hexagonal.
Plan your trip to the Giant’s Causeway
The Giant’s Causeway and the Causeway Coast UNESCO World Heritage site is a beautiful and geologically fascinating spot along the rugged coast of Northern Ireland’s County Antrim. And you’ll find plenty of other things to see and do in the area too.
Here are some tips to help you plan your visit:
Where is the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage site located?
The Giant’s Causeway is located about an hour’s drive north of Belfast on the north coast, about two miles beyond Bushmills village.
How to get to the Giant’s Causeway
The closest airports to the Giant’s Causeway are Belfast International and Derry City.
The easiest way to get from Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway is by driving. It’s about 60 miles with a travel time around 1½ hours. The distance from Derry to the Giant’s Causeway is slightly shorter with a correspondingly shorter travel time. Transit is available from either city via a transfer from rail to bus in Coleraine.
Visitors coming from Dublin should expect the drive to take at least 3 hours. It’s about twice that to make the trip by transit.
The National Cycle Network in Northern Ireland runs along the Causeway Coast and the Giant’s Causeway via Route 93. This offers both long-distance routes and options for short trips in the area around the Causeway Coast, including access to the World Heritage site.
Transportation options around the Causeway coast
Regular public bus service runs from Portrush to the Giant’s Causeway. The trip takes about 20 minutes.
Inexpensive bus service is also available from Bushmills and other nearby towns and tourist sites via the Causeway Rambler. This is ideal for visitors staying almost anywhere in the area between Coleraine and Carrick-a-Rede. However, service is seasonal and Translink doesn’t have a web page or up-to-date flier for the service. Ask for current information at your hotel or a local visitor center.
The Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills Railway runs between Bushmills village and the World Heritage site. It’s a narrow gage train that serves as both transportation to the World Heritage site and a tourist activity.
Giant’s Causeway tours
You can book a Giant’s Causeway tour from Belfast, Dublin, or Derry (Londonderry). However, the travel time between Dublin and the Giant’s Causeway make this a poor day-trip option if you want to do much more than sit in a bus. It’s a much better option if you are staying in Belfast or Derry. Tours usually include some sight-seeing besides the UNESCO site.
I love driving the Irish countryside, but if your time is limited or independent travel isn’t your thing, GetYourGuide (affiliate link) offers a wide variety of tours in the area, including many that depart from Belfast. Viator (another affiliate link) also offers a couple of tours from Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway. In Derry you’ll need to find and book a tour directly with the tour company. (As a responsible traveler it’s always better to book with the tour company directly, but GetYourGuide and Viator make it easy to start searching for options.)
Walking tours are available through the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Center. The Visitor Center’s Experience ticket includes an hour tour or an audio guide, but a longer clifftop tour is also available as a separate ticket.
When is the best time to visit the Giant’s Causeway?
Weather at the Giant’s Causeway can be really terrible. And it can be absolutely glorious.
You’re most likely to get good weather (sunshine without too much wind) from late spring through summer. Late fall and winter can get dangerously cold, wet, and windy. But at any time of year, check the forecast before your visit. (I first tried visiting in April 2004 and had gale force winds, rain, and even a bit of hail.) In addition to the hazards caused by wind and high waves, the rocks are slippery when wet. It is NOT SAFE to walk on the rocks above the sea or on trails along the cliff edge when the weather is wet and windy.
Most visitors arrive in the middle of the day, as that’s when bus tours are at the site, along with everyone else who wanted to sleep in a bit and enjoy a good breakfast before heading out for the day. Early morning and evening visitors will share the area with relatively few others. If you’re up for sunrise, you might even have the place to yourself.
Once you get to the Giant’s Causeway
While the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Center maintains regular hours, the UNSECO site itself is always open. So, if you want to walk into the site and look around on your own, you can do that whenever you want.
However, there are a few things you need to know before you arrive. Most of those are discussed below, but check the website for changes before you set out.
Access to the World Heritage site is free
Access to the trails is always free. You can simply walk in by following the road past the Causeway Hotel down to the site or via the clifftop trails. However, you just can’t park at the site, use the shuttle, or make use of most services inside the Visitor Center whenever you want or without a fee.
Fees
Fees for parking
While you can walk into the site for free, free parking really isn’t available nearby unless you are staying at the Causeway Hotel.
Paid parking is available 24 hours a day to the east of the Visitor Center parking area along Causeway Road. (NOT at the Visitor Center parking area.) The lot is available 24 hours a day with payment made via phone.
Don’t park along the road. Almost all of it is a no parking zone and you will likely be ticketed and towed.
Fees for the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Experience
The Giant’s Causeway Visitor Center is privately run and is not part of the UNESCO site itself.
Entrance to the new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Center (2022 photo by my friend Penney Anderson)
A timed entry Visitor Experience ticket is required to park at the Visitor Center or use most facilities, including the Giant’s Causeway gift shop, restaurant, and exhibition area. Visitor Experience tickets also include a guided tour of the Grand Causeway area or an audio guide.
While you are encouraged to buy tickets in advance, they are also sold at the site, subject to availability.
Rates vary, but regular admission fees are more than 30£ for two adults or a family of five. Tickets are free for National Trust members, personal care assistants accompanying a disabled visitor, and local pass holders. If you plan to visit a lot of National Trust sites in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK, a National Trust Membership (affiliate link) might save you money. But, if you are trying to save money, do the math first, because a membership isn’t cheap.
Fees for the shuttlebus
A shuttle bus is available to take visitors from the entrance down to the causeway area and back up again. All visitors, including Visitor Experience ticket holders, must pay a small fee to use the shuttle.
Because part of the Blue Route that goes down to the causeway is steep, wheelchair users are advised to use the shuttle.
Services
The only toilets are at the Visitor Center. (You can use the ones outside the center without buying a Visitor Experience ticket.) Apparently, there are no restrooms anywhere on the site beyond that point.
Wheelchairs and motorized scooters are available for a fee at the Visitor Center.
Food and beverages are available inside the Visitor Center, but seemingly only for ticket holders. (The Nook and the Causeway Hotel are very nearby and both serve food.)
Maps and trails
The trails identified on the National Trust website are a little confusing, but it’s not that hard to get around even without a map. And, although the maps on the National Trust’s website have more detail, the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust website has a map (PDF) that provides a better picture of where all the elements of the site and paths are located in relation to each other. It even shows the Girona wreck site and paths that are now closed.
Most trails are pretty easy except when you are moving up or down from the cliff top. That includes the Blue Trail (the road), which is an easy surface to walk on, but quite steep at the top. For that reason, the shuttlebus is a nice option if you are exiting the site on this route.
I walked up from the beach along the Middle Trail and came back down the same way because that trail dead-ends at the Amphitheater. The path did climb, but it wasn’t particularly steep at most points.
Most paths in the Giant’s Causeway UNESCO site are not particularly challenging.
If you start from the clifftop and work your way down, you can avoid both ascending and backtracking, but the options for doing that tend to be a little longer and have at least one section that is a little more challenging. The most challenging of these are the Shepherd’s Steps, which are both very narrow and very steep. (They were designed for sheep to run up and down.) Approach these with an abundance of caution.
The Green Route that stays along the clifftop is wheelchair accessible. It’s also fenced, so there’s no need to worry about children getting too close to the cliff edge.
If you are looking for a longer hike, check out the North Antrim Cliff Path. It about 5 miles and runs between the Giant’s Causeway and Dunseverick Castle.
The wreck of the Girona
As you may recall from history class, the 130 ships of the Spanish Armada did not fare well in their battle against the English. About 110 of those ships – many badly damaged – ended up in the unforgiving waters of the North Sea. And as many as a quarter of them ended up along the Irish cost – often far too close to the coast.
One of those was the Girona, a Spanish military ship called a galleass that used both sails and oars. In October 1588 she left Donegal (in western Ireland) after pulling into port for repairs to her rudder. But, before leaving, she also took on 800 survivors from two other Spanish ships that had run aground. Now loaded with 1300 people and tons of treasure, the Girona set sail for Scotland. A storm drove the ship onto the rocks at Lacada Point, where it sank.
All but nine or ten on board died. 260 were buried in a mass grave at the local church. In the decades that followed the beach was said to be buried so deeply under bleached bones that it was white. While the Girona wasn’t the only ship to founder and sink along this shore, it was likely the largest contributor to this tragic collection.
The wreck itself wasn’t discovered until 1967. Today it is a protected historic wreck within the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast UNESCO site. That means divers are not allowed to visit without special authorization.
Many items salvaged from the wreck in the 1960s are on display at the Ulster Museum in Belfast.
Places to stay near the Giant’s Causeway
The coastal areas of Northern Ireland are beautiful, so I’d recommend staying there for a night or two instead of visiting on a daytrip from Belfast. (Not that Belfast doesn’t have a lot to see too!)
All links in this section are affiliate links.
Note that Rakutan members can get cash back for bookings made through TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Travelocity! Not a member? US and Canadian residents can use this link to join and start earning cash back on purchases from these and many other merchants.
Lodging near the Giant’s Causeway
If you are looking for a hotel near the Giant’s Causeway, you can’t get any closer than the Causeway Hotel. Sometimes referred to as the Giant’s Causeway Hotel, the this is where I stayed when I tried to visit in 2004. It’s a large, rather barnlike structure that’s been expanded a few times. The room I had back then was big and airy with a sea view. It also has a bar and a full-service restaurant so, if the weather turns on you, you have everything you need right there.
You can’t get any closer than the Causeway Hotel (2022 photo by Penny Anderson)
And it’s located right at the entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage site, so you can just walk in any time you want. Of course, you do pay extra to be so close.
Check reviews and book the Causeway Hotel at TripAdvisor or see what sort of deal you can find on Hotels.com, Expedia, Booking.com or Travelocity.
A few other options are available between Bushmills and the Causeway Hotel, but you’ll want to use the map view option to see exactly where they are. Link directly to a map and book on TripAdvisor, Expedia, or Hotels.com.
Lodging in Portrush
Portrush is a popular tourist destination with a variety of options for lodging, dining, activities, and shopping. And it’s only 10 miles from the Giant’s Causeway.
See what’s available in Portrush, read reviews, and book on TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, or Travelocity.
Other things to do near the Giant’s Causeway
The area around the Giant’s Causeway is pretty rural, with small farms, a gorgeous coastline, beautiful beaches, charming villages, and plenty of history. It’s worth spending a few days to check out some of what the area has to offer.
The Old Bushmills Distillery
Claiming to be the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery, the Old Bushmills Distillery has been producing whiskey for over 400 years. That license was granted to a local landowner in 1608 – the Bushmills Old Distillery Company wasn’t founded until 1784, but operates under the original license. Today the distillery is owned by Jose Cuervo (known for its tequila), but continues to handle all aspects of production at its original site.
Check out a whiskey tradition that goes back over 400 years at the Old Bushmills Distillery.
Both distillery tours and whiskey tastings are available.
Dunluce Castle
The ruins of Dunluce Castle sit on a rock outcrop a short distance from shore. While the site has likely been fortified since the 13th century, the remaining ruins largely date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.
Legends claim the kitchen fell into the sea during a 17th century dinner party, but it appears that portion of the castle probably wasn’t the kitchen and actually collapsed at some point well after that time.
The ruins of Dunluce Castle remain along the coast of Northern Ireland.
Dunluce Castle is located just outside Portrush along the road to the Giant’s Causeway. It’s open throughout the year. Informational signage and toilets are always available. Concerts and other events are also held here at various times.
Carrick-a-Rede Bridge
Formerly a very basic seasonal rope bridge used by fisherman to reach a small island called Carrick-a-Rede, today’s Carrick-a-Rede Bridge is a much sturdier structure. The salmon fishery that drew fisherman here for hundreds of years is gone now, but the bridge draws thousands of tourists to this tiny island where the air is filled with seabirds.
The modern version of the Carrick-a-Reed “rope” bridge still offers thrills.
The footbridge is only about 65 feet long, but it swings 100 feet above the sea and rocks below. And, even in its modern incarnation, only a handful of people can cross at one time, making a reservations essential.
