2 Day Tour from Dublin: Belfast, the Titanic and the Giant's Causeway

Room Options and What They Cost

The listing sells three room levels. Backpacker is a bed in a shared hostel dorm with a basic breakfast included. Economy is a private en-suite room in a B&B, apartment or budget hotel, in double, twin or triple format, with breakfast.

Economy Single gives one passenger a room to themselves. The operator asks Economy bookings to confirm after booking whether they want a twin (two single beds) or a double (one double bed), and a booking of three Economy passengers gets a triple room automatically. Economy needs at least 2 people per booking.

The Refund Rule and How to Cover It

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations, at any point, for any reason. That is the single biggest risk of booking this tour, because a missed flight or a sick child costs you the full fare.

The practical fix is a travel insurance policy with trip cancellation cover bought at the time you book, so an insured reason for cancelling is paid by the insurer rather than the operator. The operator also runs changes to pickup locations only if you contact them by phone or email by 17:00 the evening before, and only once confirmed in writing.

Money You Will Need on the Road

Northern Ireland uses the pound sterling, not the euro, so bring some pounds for lunches and extras in Belfast and on the coast. The optional Black Taxi Tour is quoted at about £90, or £10 in one part of the day-one itinerary text, paid to the driver. For context, Titanic Belfast sells its own adult tickets at 24.95 pounds online, and a Giant's Causeway ticket starts from 16 pounds for adults, so the two included entries are worth real money.

Tips are not covered. A tip of €2 to €5 a day for guides on multi-day tours is a common norm in Ireland, and table-service tipping of about 10 percent applies when service is good.

Day 1: Dublin to Belfast

The coach departs around 8:15 am from Paddy's Palace (Dublin Central Hostel on Lower Gardiner Street), with pickups at 8:20 am on O'Connell Street in front of the Savoy cinema and 8:30 am at the Dublin Tourist Office on Suffolk Street. The listing calls the run to Belfast a short 2 hour drive on what it calls the Peace Highway. The first stop is the monastic site of Monasterboice, with a 10th century round tower and hand-carved Celtic crosses.

Then it is into Belfast for the Titanic Experience, where entry is included, followed by free time in the city. The optional Black Taxi Tour of the city's political murals and peace walls is offered here. The night is spent in Belfast city.

Day 2: Belfast to the Causeway Coast and Dublin

Breakfast is included, and the coach leaves Belfast at 9:30 am. The main stop is the Giant's Causeway, where entry to the visitor centre is in the price. The site has about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed tens of millions of years ago, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

Legend says the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill built it to reach Scotland. The route also takes in the Dark Hedges, an avenue of beech trees planted around 1775 of which about 75 remain, and Ballintoy harbour, both used in Game of Thrones. The final stop is Dunluce Castle, a 13th century ruin on a basalt outcrop, as a photo stop only.

After a comfort stop the coach arrives back in Dublin at about 20:00.

Anyone Who Might Need to Cancel

There is no refund, ever. The listing states all sales are final. If there is any real chance your plans will change, book a tour with a free cancellation window instead, such as the 5-day Northern Ireland small-group tour from Rabbie's, which allows free cancellation up to 21 days before departure.

Otherwise, buy cancellation insurance when you book this one.

Travellers Who Want a Private Room at the From Price

The $226.59 headline figure is a shared hostel dorm bed with a basic breakfast. If sharing a dorm with other tour members does not appeal, the private B&B room starts from $340.45 and the single room from $407.63, and Economy needs a minimum of 2 people per booking. If you would rather have a private room built into a smaller tour, the same operator's 4-day South West Ireland tour uses the same room structure, while Rabbie's 5-day trip puts you in a 3-star B&B or hotel from the first price tier.

People Who Dislike Big Coach Groups

This coach holds up to 56 passengers. There is no hotel pickup, so everyone gathers at 5 Beresford Pl in Dublin 1 for a departure around 8:15 am. If a 56-seat coach sounds like the opposite of what you came to Ireland for, small-group tours such as Rabbie's cap at 16 passengers and the 7-day Overland trip caps at 12.

If two coach days is simply too much, the one-day Giant's Causeway tour from Dublin covers the coast in a single 12-hour day with free cancellation 24 hours ahead.

Fitness, Ages and Access

The listing says the tour suits all physical fitness levels and has no minimum age, pricing from 0 to 99, with infant seats available and prams permitted. No wheelchair access is stated, so ask the operator directly if that matters. The walking is light: viewing stops at Monasterboice, the Titanic Experience, the Causeway path and a photo stop at Dunluce.

The Causeway stones themselves are uneven and exposed, so wear grippy shoes. All timings are approximate and at the driver's discretion, and the operator points travellers who want its famous Paddywagon group tour to its 3-day tours rather than this combined one. You can compare every option on the vacation tours of Ireland homepage.

Reaching the Start Point

From Dublin Airport, which is 7 km north of the city centre, the Aircoach route 700 costs about €8 to €10 and takes 30 to 40 minutes, while Dublin Express runs from 4am to 12:30am for about €9. Dublin Bus routes 16 and 41 cost €2 to €3.30 and take 30 to 50 minutes, and route 41 runs around the clock. A taxi costs roughly €30 to €45 and takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Be at the stop well before the 8:15 am departure.

Before or After the Tour

Dublin itself fills a day easily. A 9-hour Glendalough and Kilkenny day tour from $50 covers Wicklow's monastic valley and a medieval city if you have a spare day either side. The Guinness Storehouse Experience starts at €24 and includes a pint in the Gravity Bar.

The tour crosses into Northern Ireland, so plan for pounds sterling rather than euros for anything you buy in Belfast or on the coast. The Republic uses the euro and Northern Ireland uses the pound sterling, on the same island. Visitors who need a UK ETA must hold one to visit Northern Ireland even when arriving via the Republic, British and Irish citizens do not need one, and an ETA lasts two years or until the passport expires. Apply early, since decisions usually arrive within one day but can take up to three working days, and every family member including children needs their own. The Common Travel Area keeps border controls minimal. For a fuller northern circuit, the 5-day Northern Ireland and Atlantic Coast tour adds Derry, Donegal, Mayo and Connemara.