Famous road · 5 mi off the route
UKscenic
Causeway Coastal Route
Belfast to Derry along Northern Ireland's cliff-edge coast, via Game of Thrones country
- Distance
- 124 mi
- 200 km
- Driving
- 3 hr 18 min
- excl. stops
- Suggested
- 3 days
- balanced split
- Stops
- 7
- curated
Distance and driving time are measured along the mapped route through the 7 stops listed below. Officially signed versions of famous routes often quote a longer figure, since they include promoted detours this line doesn't take.
The Gobbins · Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Opens the planner with every stop loaded. Free, no card needed.
Day by day
Distances are measured along the actual road geometry, not straight-line. Drive times exclude stops, traffic and ferry waits.
What the drive is like
It's split between the A2, the A37 and the B94, with no single road carrying more than 22% of it.
It never gets very high, around 383 m at most near Ballycastle, but it's rarely flat: something like 1,579 m of climbing over the whole drive, much of it short and steep.
The bigger places on the way are Ballyclare, Ballycastle and Coleraine, handy for fuel and food between the stops.
The Causeway Coastal Route (A2 Antrim Coast Road) is 5 mi off the route if you have time for a detour.
- A222%
- A379%
- B946%
- C815%
How high it goes
Passes and famous roads
From the 500-plus roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app.
Before you go
Best time to drive it
April to September
Open all year. Summer weekends are busy at the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede, so go early in the day.
Indicative costs
- Fuel (40 mpg petrol)£21
- TollsFree
Fuel prices move constantly: treat these as a range, not a quote.
Driving rules
Emission zones, mandatory equipment and licence requirements change country by country, and in 2026 several of them changed mid-year.
Driving in United KingdomEvery stop on the Causeway Coastal Route
Belfast
Start
Carrickfergus
+11 mi from the last stop
Glens of Antrim
+39 mi from the last stop
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
+21 mi from the last stop
Giant's Causeway
+8 mi from the last stop
Dunluce Castle
+4 mi from the last stop
Derry
+40 mi from the last stop
Worth a detour
Curated places within 25 km of the road.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
landmark
Thrilling rope bridge swaying 30 metres above the sea connecting the mainland to a tiny island, originally used by salmon fishermen.
Bushmills Distillery
landmark
The world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery, producing Irish whiskey since 1608 on the Antrim coast near the Giant's Causeway.
Carrickfergus Castle
castle
One of the best-preserved Norman castles in Ireland, guarding Belfast Lough for over 800 years from its commanding waterfront position.
Dunluce Castle
castle
Dramatic ruined medieval castle perched on the edge of a basalt cliff with a cave underneath, partly inspired Castle Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.
Titanic Belfast
museum
World-leading visitor attraction in a striking angular building on the exact spot where RMS Titanic was designed, built and launched in 1912.
Giant's Causeway Visitor Experience
museum
Award-winning visitor centre interpreting the geology and legends of the Giant's Causeway through immersive exhibitions.
Show 6 moreShow fewer
Causeway Coastal Route
coastal drive
Northern Ireland's stunning coastal drive from Belfast to Derry passing the Giant's Causeway and dramatic Antrim cliffs.
Giant's Causeway
landmark
Extraordinary formation of roughly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns created by an ancient volcanic eruption.
The Dark Hedges
famous road
An eerie tunnel of intertwined beech trees made world-famous as the Kingsroad in Game of Thrones.
Antrim Coast Road
coastal drive
A breathtaking coastal drive hugging cliffs and beaches from Larne past the Glens of Antrim toward the Causeway.
The Gobbins
scenic viewpoint
A dramatic Edwardian cliff-path of bridges and tunnels clinging to the basalt cliffs of Islandmagee.
Derry City Walls
landmark
The only completely intact walled city in Ireland, a 1.5km 17th-century rampart circling historic Derry.
Common questions about the Causeway Coastal Route
How long does the Causeway Coastal Route take?
The driving itself is about 3 hr 18 min across 124 miles (200 km). Most people spread it over 3 days: the day-by-day breakdown on this page splits it into balanced stretches rather than equal ones, so no single day is all driving.
How many miles is the Causeway Coastal Route?
124 miles, or 200 km, measured along the actual road rather than straight-line between towns.
When is the best time to drive the Causeway Coastal Route?
April to September. Open all year. Summer weekends are busy at the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede, so go early in the day.
What does the Causeway Coastal Route cost in fuel?
Roughly £21 in fuel for a petrol car averaging 40 mpg. Motorways on this route are toll-free. Indicative only: fuel prices move.
More routes like this
UK
Snake Pass + Peak District
Cobblestone villages, Bronte-novel moors, and the moodiest 14 miles of road in England
65 mi · 2 hr
UK
Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
Cornish surf beaches, smuggler's coves, and the Westcountry pasty trail
86 mi · 2 hr 30 min
UK
NC500: North Coast 500
Scotland's answer to Route 66: 516 miles of mountains, single-track roads, and empty beaches
469 mi · 11 hr 24 min
Italy
Amalfi Coast Drive
30 miles of stomach-churning sea-cliff hairpins, lemon groves, and pastel villages
42 mi · 1 hr 24 min
France
Verdon Gorge: Route des Crêtes
Europe's deepest canyon, turquoise water 700m below, and a clifftop road with no barriers
65 mi · 3 hr
Germany
Black Forest High Road (B500)
Cuckoo clocks, dark-wood villages, cake, and a high road that floats above the canopy
98 mi · 3 hr 12 min