One road, ten brilliant days out. The stretch of coast between Castlerock and Ballycastle packs in more than anywhere else in Northern Ireland — and six of these ten are completely free.
The patch — all ten sit along roughly 25 miles of the Causeway Coastal Route. Nothing here is more than about 40 minutes from anything else, so pick two or three and make a full day of it.
Cost — six are free to visit (a couple charge for parking), and the paid ones earn their keep. Every entry below links to our full guide with current prices, hours and parking.
Two need booking ahead.Carrick-a-Rede is timed tickets only — summer slots sell out — and on-site parking at the Giant's Causeway is pre-book for ticket holders. Sort both before you set off.
Swimming — flags first. RNLI lifeguards patrol Whiterocks, Portstewart Strand and Ballycastle in July and August; swim between the flags and mind the tides.
Food — this coast feeds you well: Harry's Shack on the sand at Portstewart, Roark's Kitchen on the quay at Ballintoy, and the cafés and chip shops of Portrush and Ballycastle. A picnic works everywhere.
When — long summer evenings are the secret weapon: the big sights go quiet after 4pm, and the light on this coast at 8pm is something you'll talk about for weeks.
An estimated 40,000 six-sided stone columns stepping down into the Atlantic — the giant Finn McCool gets the credit in the old legend, geologists reckon it was cooling lava. Either way, clambering the flat-topped stones with the sea booming around you is one of those days children remember as adults. Hunt out the Giant's Boot and the Wishing Chair, poke the rock pools, and if the legs are willing, take the clifftop path for the full drama. The shore itself is free, dawn to dusk — the ticket is for parking, the exhibition and the audio guide.
Half a dayStones free · NT members freeOn-site parking is pre-book — or use the Bushmills Park & Ride
Ballintoy · About £16 adult, £8 child · NT members free
A single-file rope bridge slung across a chasm to a tiny island, said to hang almost 100 feet above the Atlantic — cross it and you've earned the story for life. The clifftop walk out is a stunner in its own right, with views to Rathlin and, on a clear day, Scotland. Allow about an hour and a half for the walk, the wobble and time on the island. Best for surefooted families and older children; dogs can't cross the bridge.
~1.5 hoursCafé & toilets at the visitor pointTimed tickets only — book before you go, summer slots sell out
A Blue Flag sandy beach beneath white limestone cliffs carved into caves, arches and sea stacks — and one of the north coast's best surf spots. Little ones get buckets-and-spades sand, older ones get proper rolling waves, and a seasonal surf outlet hires boards and wetsuits right on site. At low tide the rock pools and caves come out to play — just check the tide times before you explore, because the cliff base cuts off as the sea comes in. Lifeguards patrol in July and August.
2–4 hours, easily a dayFree, with free parkingStrong sea — swim between the lifeguard flags
Between Portrush & Bushmills · About £6 adult, £4 child
A ruined medieval castle perched right on the cliff edge, on its own sea stack — you cross a bridge and walk straight into it. Drum towers, big sweeping sea views, a cove and sea cave below, and a visitor centre that tells the story well, including the night the kitchen is said to have fallen into the sea. It's said to be one of the Game of Thrones filming backdrops too. Most families do the whole site in about an hour, which makes it the perfect stop between Whiterocks and the Causeway.
45 mins – 1 hourFree parking beside the castleExposed cliff edges — keep small children close
Portstewart · Free to walk · Charge to drive on (NT members free)
Two miles of golden National Trust sand where you drive on and park right on the beach — the boot becomes the picnic table, and nobody carries a windbreak half a mile. One of the best beaches on the island: clean water, rolling surf, dune trails through the Bann Estuary nature reserve behind, and Harry's Shack serving proper food on the sand. Free to walk on; the charge is for driving on (card only). Stick to the firm sand — the soft stuff near the dunes will bog a car down.
Half a day or moreHarry's Shack · seasonal toiletsSummer dog restrictions on the main strand — check the signs
A picture-perfect little working harbour tucked below the cliffs — whitewashed quay, moored boats, jagged sea stacks offshore and rock pools all over the limestone foreshore. Game of Thrones fans will know it as the Iron Islands. It's a short scenic stop of 30–60 minutes that regularly turns into two hours once the rock-pooling starts, and Roark's Kitchen does tea and traybakes on the quay in season. The road down is very steep and narrow, so take it slowly — and if the small car park is full, park in the village and walk down.
30–60 mins (or longer)Free to visitSteep narrow road down · small car park fills fast in summer
Portrush · Free to walk in · Pay per ride with tokens
Portrush's seaside amusement park — the old Barry's, a rite of passage for generations — where you walk in free and spend on tokens ride by ride. The Big Dipper, the taxi dodgems, the ghost train, the waltzer and a 40-metre swing tower, plus a big loud arcade of 2p pushers and grabbers that doubles as the warm, dry plan if a shower rolls in off the sea. Derry Girls fans will recognise the Big Dipper and the ghost train. Runs through the warmer months, roughly Easter to early September, from around noon.
1–3 hoursFree entry · tokens per rideNo wristbands — set a token budget with the kids first
Bushmills · Around £8 adult, £6 child, family ~£27
A pocket-sized heritage railway that trundles two miles along the very edge of the coast between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway — dunes and open sea out one window, the River Bush out the other, about 20 minutes each way. Train-mad small children and their grandparents come off it wearing the same grin. It's the perfect way to arrive at the Causeway: ride down, walk the stones, ride back. Volunteer-run and seasonal, so check the timetable before you set off.
~1 hour there & backFree parking at Bushmills stationRuns on operating days only — check the timetable first
Castlerock · Grounds free · Parking £10 (NT members free)
A small round temple standing alone on the cliff edge, 120 feet above the longest beach view in the country — said to be one of the most photographed spots in Ireland, and summer evening light is when it earns that title. Behind it sits the roofless shell of Downhill House, which you can wander freely, and a restored walled garden. The grounds are open dawn to dusk all year and walking them is free; it's £10 to park (card only). An easy hour or two of open grass, coastal air and views west to Donegal.
1–2 hoursDogs welcome on leadsUnfenced cliff ground by the temple — keep an eye on children
A long sandy town beach with a proper promenade and a grand view across to Rathlin Island and Fair Head — with cafés, chip shops and ice cream a two-minute walk away. It's the easy, level, all-ages end to a Causeway Coast day: paddle in the shallows, build the castle, stroll round to the harbour. And if you're up for turning a beach afternoon into an adventure, the Rathlin Island ferry leaves from that harbour — puffins, a lighthouse and Northern Ireland's only inhabited offshore island.
2–3 hours, a day with RathlinTown cafés & toilets minutes awayLifeguards July & August only · summer dog rules apply
