Visit the North Coast

The North Coast was one of the first things I saw of Northern Ireland, and it is still the number one thing I tell people to do when they visit! Up the North coast you can take many tours depending on what you want to see or do, but if you have the luxury of a car you can also drive it yourself. The options are pretty much endless - spend a day doing a guided tour where you don't have to worry about planning, or take a day in the car without any time limitations and more freedom.

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One of the times I visited the North coast was with my mom, as we decided to take one of the Game of Thrones tours. It varies depending on how many people book in, but the time me and my mom went it was a smaller bus with no more than 15 people. When my dad and his friends went they went on a bigger bus with more people, so this depends on time of the year and demand. The duration of this tour is a little more than half a day, and the price was 45 pounds. It is not suitable for people that struggle with longer walks, or families with young children (as there is a lot of walking and time spent in the bus).

"The Dark Hedges is one of Northern Irelands most photographed locations, and the place where Aria Stark dresses as a boy to escape from King's Landing."

On this tour you get to see filming locations from Game of Thrones, but the guide also tells you about Northern Irelands history and you do stops at Giants Causeway and the famous rope bridge Carrick-A-Rede. If you want to walk over the bridge you will need to pay extra, and me and my mom are both way too scared of heights to even start to discuss walking over it, so we took a stroll around the area where you can find amazing views to soak in.

Other stops included Carrickfergus castle, Ballintoy Harbour, Lordsports (the cave where Melisandre of Asshai gave birth to her 'shadow assassin') and the Dark Hedges (Kings Road). The Dark Hedges is one of Northern Irelands most photographed locations, and the place where Aria Stark dresses as a boy to escape from King's Landing. When we went we were also handed a map with instructions of where to find the famous "Game of Thrones doors", which are all scattered across Northern Ireland. We were able to find four of them during the tour, but there is ten in total, so if you are very invested in Game of Thrones then you can make a day (or two) of it!

The tour starts in Belfast and this is also where you get dropped off. We booked this tour via Visit Belfast, who has loads of different tours. Check them out here!