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The Causeway Coastal Route – Ireland’s Best Road Trip

The Causeway Coastal Route – Ireland’s Best Road Trip

October 26, 2016

Known as one of the world’s great road journeys, the Causeway Coastal Route is perfect for road trips lovers, consisting in a four or five days trip around the coast of Northern Ireland, between the cities of Belfast and Londonderry. The landscape is impressing and really varied, with coastal roads, mountain tops, vibrant cities and quiet villages. If you prefer to drive in a relaxed manner and take your time to visit the most important attractions, your trip should last five days, so you will be able to admire the stunning views and the ever-changing tapestry of scenery and colors.

● So this amazing experience will begin in Belfast, as we said before. Here, the urban metropolis has much to offer. It is the spiritual home of the Titanic, Titanic Belfast being the largest museum in the world which approaches this theme, with nine interactive galleries charting the story from the beginning to the tragic end. Don’t miss visiting the Waterfront Hall, the Bohemian Cathedral Quarter and don’t forget about the Victorian pubs and the fine restaurants of the city.

Titanic Belfast Museum (inside you can watch videos of the wreck)

Titanic Belfast Museum (inside you can watch videos of the wreck)

● Then you leave Belfast and drive to Newtownabbey, on Causeway Coastal Route. Here you can admire the amazing Belfast Lough, before making a stop at Newtownabbey Loughshore Park, to see ships sailing from Belfast, where the fateful Titanic first sailed.

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Gobbins Cliffs

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Newtownabbey Loughshore Park

● The next destination is the gorgeous seaside town of Carrickfergus, where you should visit the Carrickfergus Museum, the 12th century Norman Castle and the Saint Nicholas Church. The route leads next to Kilroot and Larne,

where you arrive to the beautiful Glens of Atrim. Spend some time in Carnfunnock Country Park and also visit the Gobbins Cliffs to see the impressing variety of seabirds.

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● Then it comes Antrim Coast Road, where the route passes by the foot of each of the nine glens, after which you arrive at the Glenarm village. Here you can make a stop to visit Glenarm Castle and the public park.

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Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

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Glenarm Village

● Following the road, you will arrive in Cushendun, where you have multiple options: you can spend some time in the seaside resort of Balleycastle, where ferries leave for Rathlin Island, you can go to Causeway Coast Discovery Centre to find out more exciting stories about these places or you can go for a walk on Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which spans a 24 meters chasm, providing a spectacular view.

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Giant’s Causeway

● The trip continues in Bushmills, where the experience becomes more exciting. The main attractions here are the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Giant’s Causeway, the romantic ruin of Dunluce Castle and the beautiful Bann Valley. Driving along by Castlerock, make a stop and visit the glorious Mussenden Temple, then change the scenery and go for a walk on Migilligan or Benone Beach. These large dramatic beaches are so long that you often won’t see anybody around.

● In the end, you arrive in Londonderry, which is the only completely walled city in the British Islands. Inside the walls, there is a dynamic life, many cultural sights, theaters, restaurants and old streets worth seeing. So it is the perfect way to end this memorable journey.

The route is 190 kilometres long, it lasts just for a few days, so it’s perfect for a break whenever you want to escape routine and begin a new adventure. So go to Ireland and try it! Plan your journey with TripEconomy, you have a complete list of flights to Ireland from which you can choose what suits you best.

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