Vacation Tours of Ireland5-Day Northern Ireland and Atlantic Coast Tour
Among Northern Ireland tours from Dublin, this Rabbie's route is the one that keeps going after the Giant's Causeway. Five days and four nights take you through Belfast, the Antrim coast, Derry, Donegal, Mayo and Connemara in a mini-coach of no more than 16. Four nights of en-suite rooms with breakfast come in the price, and you choose a B&B or a 3-star hotel when you book. Admission fees do not come with the ticket, so you budget for them yourself in pounds and euros. This page sets out the route, the real costs on the road, and how it compares with the rest of the vacation tours of Ireland on the site.
About This Tour
Rabbie's runs this 5-day loop from Dublin in an air-conditioned mini-coach with an expert local driver-guide, capped at 16 passengers. Day one crosses into Northern Ireland for Belfast's Titanic Quarter and the Giant's Causeway, day two reaches Derry's walls and Donegal, days three and four move through Mayo and Connemara, and day five returns to Dublin via Cong and Galway City.
The price covers transport, the driver-guide and four nights of en-suite accommodation with breakfast in Portrush, Donegal and Westport. It does not cover lunch or dinner, admission fees or gratuities, so you pay those as you go. You pick your room type at booking, from a B&B double to a hotel single.
$1,486.20 per person for a B&B double or twin with breakfast. A 3-star hotel double or twin is from $1,639.68, a B&B single room is from $1,895.49 and a hotel single room is from $2,157.54.
5 days, 4 nights, by air-conditioned mini-coach.
Opposite the Kilkenny Shop, Nassau Street, Dublin. Check in at least 15 minutes before departure. The departure time is not stated.
Maximum 16 passengers with an expert local driver-guide. English-speaking.
4 nights en-suite rooms with breakfast in Portrush, Donegal and Westport, transport and the driver-guide. Admission fees, meals other than breakfast and gratuities are not included.
Full refund if you cancel at least 21 full days before departure. 0% refund within 21 days.
Check Dates and Availability
Live dates and the current price sit on the booking panel. Rooms are added to the basket separately when you book for three or more people.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Price, rooms and what to budget
This 5-day small-group tour from Dublin costs from $1,486.20 per person with four nights of B&B accommodation with breakfast, in a mini-coach of up to 16. Admission fees are not included.
Key takeaways
- Rooms run from a B&B double at $1,486.20 to a hotel single at $2,157.54.
- Budget in pounds for the north: Titanic Belfast and the Giant's Causeway fees are paid at the door.
- The route runs day by day through Belfast, Derry, Donegal, Mayo and Connemara.
- If five days is too long, the 2-day Paddywagon trip covers Belfast and the Causeway only.
What the Price Actually Covers
The listing is clear about the split: rooms, breakfast, transport and the guide are in. Everything else you buy on the road, so here is the full account.
The Four Room Choices
You choose the room when you book, and each option has its own price. The from price of $1,486.20 buys a B&B double or twin with breakfast. A 3-star hotel double or twin starts at $1,639.68.
Solo travellers need their own room, priced from $1,895.49 in a B&B and $2,157.54 in a hotel. All rooms are en-suite with breakfast in Portrush, Donegal and Westport.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| B&B double or twin | From $1,486.20 per person | En-suite room with breakfast |
| 3-star hotel double or twin | From $1,639.68 per person | One large bed or two singles |
| B&B single room | From $1,895.49 per person | One person, en-suite |
| 3-star hotel single room | From $2,157.54 per person | One person, en-suite |
| Mini-coach transport and driver-guide | Yes | Air-conditioned, maximum 16 passengers |
| Breakfast on 4 mornings | Yes | Other meals not included |
| Lunch and dinner | No | Buy as you go in each town |
| Admission fees | No | Pay at each attraction |
| Gratuities | No | €€€2 to €5 a day is a listed norm for guides on multi-day tours |
What You Will Pay at the Stops
Admission fees are excluded, and the northern stops charge in pounds sterling because Northern Ireland uses pounds, not euros. Titanic Belfast adult tickets cost £24.95 online and £26.95 at the door, with children aged 5 to 15 at £11 online. Giant's Causeway entry to the visitor centre experience starts from £16 for adults and £8 for children, though the stones and the coastline themselves are free to walk at any time.
Bring some sterling for the first two days.
The Honest Notes
There is no refund inside 21 days of departure, so buy cancellation cover if your plans might move. The mini-coach holds at most 16, which is the point of the small-group format, but it also means no hotel pickup: you make your own way to Nassau Street. Luggage is capped at 20 kg per person, one carry-on-sized piece plus a small onboard bag.
If you want admissions bundled into the ticket, the 10-day small-group route 10-Day Ireland Tour includes the Giant's Causeway experience and the Titanic Experience, and the 2-day Paddywagon trip 2-Day Northern Ireland Tour includes both visitor centre entries.
Sources: Ireland.com, Met Éireann
The ruins of Dunluce Castle on the Antrim cliff edge. Photo: Paul Buckingham, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Day by Day
Five days, three bases and one loop from Dublin through the north and down the Atlantic coast. The stops below come from the operator's own itinerary.
Day 1: Dublin to Belfast, the Titanic Museum and the Giant's Causeway
Check in at least 15 minutes early opposite the Kilkenny Shop and meet your driver-guide. The day crosses the border to Belfast, where the listing has you see the regenerated waterfront where the Titanic was constructed. Belfast's shipyards built RMS Titanic, and Titanic Belfast opened in 2012 on the former Harland and Wolff yard and drew 953,554 visitors, the most visited attraction in Northern Ireland.
The route then runs along the Antrim coast to the Giant's Causeway, whose roughly 40,000 basalt columns formed tens of millions of years ago and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The night is spent in Portrush.
Day 2: Portrush to Derry and Donegal
The coach moves west to Derry, the only completely walled city in Britain and Ireland, where the listing promises markets, spires and museums. The walls were built between 1613 and 1619 and run about one mile around, and the Siege of Derry in 1689 lasted 105 days. From there the tour crosses into County Donegal in the Republic, a land the listing describes as castles, rugged coasts and thick forest with Gaelic culture writ large.
You overnight in Donegal.
Day 3: Donegal Through County Mayo to Westport
Day three heads into County Mayo, an area the listing says was ravaged by the Great Potato Famine, with winding roads through farmland, bogs and open moors and views to the Atlantic. Achill Island is named as a stop, with time to take in the rugged sea. The weather on this coast is wetter than the east: Belmullet in Mayo averages 1,241.6 mm of rain a year against 772.5 mm at Dublin Airport, with April to June the driest months.
The night is spent in Westport, your base for two nights.
Day 4: Westport to Connemara
The loop swings south into Connemara in County Galway, west of Lough Corrib. The listing names the Twelve Bens peaks and the panoramic Sky Road inside the famously serene park. Connemara is the largest Gaeltacht in Ireland, with roughly 20,000 to 24,000 native Irish speakers, and the region holds Connemara National Park and the town of Clifden.
Kylemore Abbey was built here from 1867, though the listing does not promise a stop. You return to Westport for the second night there.
Day 5: Westport to Cong, Galway City and Dublin
The last day runs east through Cong to Galway City, where the listing has you among stone-clad buildings, winding lanes, medieval walls and traditional music from the pubs. Galway had 85,910 residents at the 2022 census and is the fourth most populous city in the Republic, with landmarks including the Spanish Arch and Galway Cathedral. From Galway the coach makes the run back to Dublin, where the tour ends.
The listing gives no return time, so do not book onward travel for that evening.
Who This Tour Rules Out
Small-group touring has trade-offs. Some of them will steer you to a different listing.
Children Under 5 and the Refund Rule
Children under 5 cannot join. The listing says travel will be refused without a refund if the policy is not followed, and the pricing treats ages 16 to 99 as adults. The 2-day Paddywagon trip 2-Day Northern Ireland Tour lists no minimum age and offers infant seats, so it suits families with toddlers better.
No Refund Inside 21 Days
Cancelling within 21 full days of departure returns 0%. If your dates are not certain, buy cancellation cover or look at a tour with a shorter window, such as the 10-Day Wild Ireland Tour with free cancellation to 24 hours.
Five Days Is a Commitment
If you only want the Causeway and Belfast, a 12-hour Giant's Causeway day tour from Dublin does the coast in one day. If you want the whole island including the south-west, the 6-day All Ireland Tour runs a bigger coach at a lower fare, though with up to 56 passengers and no refund at all.
Budget and Singles
The from price buys a B&B double or twin, so the cheapest seat assumes two people sharing. Solo travellers pay from $1,895.49 in a B&B. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels, but you will walk on uneven basalt ground at the Causeway if you leave the visitor centre, and Atlantic weather can change a day's plans. The bag limit of 20 kg also rules out anyone travelling with large suitcases.
The Carrowbeg River and its stone bridge in the centre of Westport, County Mayo. Photo: Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting to the Start and Making a Trip of It
The tour starts and ends in Dublin city, so the practical questions are how to reach Nassau Street and what to add before or after.
Reaching the Meeting Point
Dublin Airport is 7 km north of the city centre. Dublin Bus routes 16 and 41 cost €2 to €3.30 and take 30 to 50 minutes, with route 41 running around the clock. Aircoach route 700 costs about €8 to €10, Dublin Express about €9, and a taxi runs roughly €30 to €45 in 20 to 30 minutes.
The meeting point is opposite the Kilkenny Shop on Nassau Street. Heuston station has trains to Galway, Cork and Killarney.
The UK ETA Question
The tour crosses into Northern Ireland, which uses the pound sterling and has its own rules. Visitors who need a UK ETA must hold one to visit Northern Ireland, even arriving via the Republic, and British and Irish citizens do not need one. An ETA is valid for multiple entries within two years, GOV.UK says decisions usually arrive within one day, and every family member including children needs their own.
The site's guide to crossing into Northern Ireland covers the currency and the border in full.
Before and After the Tour
In Dublin before departure, Glendalough and Kilkenny in one day is a short add-on, and the Guinness Storehouse Experience starts at €24. The tour ends in Dublin, so a Cliffs of Moher and Galway day tour would repeat ground, but a southern trip such as the Ring of Kerry from Killarney pairs well if you keep travelling. More routes sit on the homepage of Ireland vacation tours.
The Five Days at a Glance
One step per day, from the operator's itinerary titles and overnight stops.
-
Day 1
Dublin to Portrush via Belfast and the Giant's Causeway
Check in early on Nassau Street, see Belfast's regenerated Titanic waterfront, see the Causeway's basalt columns, overnight in Portrush.
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Day 2
Portrush to Derry and Donegal
Enter the only completely walled city in Britain and Ireland, then cross into Donegal for the night.
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Day 3
Donegal to County Mayo and Westport
Moorland roads through Mayo with a visit to Achill Island, then on to Westport for the first of two nights.
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Day 4
Westport to Connemara and back
The Twelve Bens and the Sky Road in Connemara, returning to Westport for the second night.
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Day 5
Westport to Cong, Galway and Dublin
Cong and Galway City on the way east, arriving in Dublin where the tour ends.
What Works and What Does Not
A balanced read before you book.
What we genuinely like
- Northern Ireland and the Atlantic coast in one loop, so you see Belfast, the Causeway, Derry and Connemara without self-driving.
- Maximum 16 passengers, against up to 56 on the Paddywagon coaches.
- Four nights of en-suite rooms with breakfast included, with B&B or 3-star hotel chosen at booking.
- Rated 4.9 from 41 Viator and Tripadvisor verified reviews.
- Full refund up to 21 full days before departure.
The honest downsides
- No admissions included, so budget sterling for Titanic Belfast and the Giant's Causeway visitor centre.
- No refund at all within 21 days of departure.
- No hotel pickup, no stated departure time and no stated return time in the listing.
- Luggage capped at 20 kg in one carry-on-sized bag.
- Children under 5 are refused travel.
Who it's NOT for: Not for families with toddlers, for anyone who needs a full refund on short notice, or for travellers who want every admission bundled into one ticket.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the 5-day Northern Ireland tour cost?
From $1,486.20 per person for a B&B double or twin, up to $2,157.54 for a hotel single room. See the full room price table.
Are admission fees included?
No, admission fees are excluded, so you pay Titanic Belfast at £24.95 online and the Giant's Causeway visitor centre from £16 yourself in sterling. The 2-day Paddywagon trip does include both visitor centre entries.
Do I need a UK ETA for this tour?
Yes, if you need an ETA at all, since the route enters Northern Ireland, and each family member needs their own. The Northern Ireland planning section sets out who is exempt.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts opposite the Kilkenny Shop on Nassau Street in Dublin, check in 15 minutes early, and ends in Dublin after day five. There is no hotel pickup, so see getting to the start.
What is the cancellation policy?
A full refund if you cancel at least 21 full days before departure, and 0% within 21 days. The 10-day Wild Ireland Tour allows free cancellation to 24 hours if you need more flexibility.
What should I do about food money?
Breakfast on the four nights is included but lunch and dinner are not, so plan to buy meals in Portrush, Donegal and Westport. Tipping norms for guides on multi-day tours run €2 to €5 a day, and the what the price covers section lists every line.
How does it compare with a 12-hour day trip to the Causeway?
The Giant's Causeway day tour from Dublin covers the coast and Belfast in 12 hours from $89, while this tour adds Derry, Donegal, Mayo and Connemara over five days. The vacation tours of Ireland sets them side by side.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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