Visit the Giant’s Causeway For Free: The Nomadic Backpacker Guide

Explore Northern Ireland’s famous basalt columns at the Giant’s Causeway. Boots-on-the-ground logistics for a day trip.

Just a couple of miles east of the small town of Bushmills in County Antrim, you’ll find the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s most famous natural phenomenon and biggest tourist attraction.

The Giant’s Causeway will blow your mind, and will be the highlight of your trip to Northern Ireland.

How was the Giant’s Causeway formed?

The interlocking basalt columns were formed by volcanic explosions over 60 million years ago. Around 40,000 of them. They look like stepping stones leading down to the sea.

Giant’s Causeway Legend:

Legend has it that the basalt columns are the remains of a causeway built by the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool), from the Fenian Cycle of Gaelic mythology. The story goes that he was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two could meet.

Check out these amazing Giant’s Causeway photos:

How to get to Giant’s Causeway:

The town of Bushmills is the gateway to the Giant’s Causeway. I stayed at what is now the Bushmills Hostel (reopened under new management).

From the centre of town, you can get a bus towards Ballycastle and get off at Causeway Head.

Or you can take the cute little tram if it is running. And if the tram isn’t running, you can walk on the cycle path alongside the tracks, which is what I did. It isn’t very far. 2 miles is all.

There is no charge to visit the Giant’s Causeway.

From the National Trust office, you can get an audio guide for £15 if you would like one.

There is also a shuttle bus from the visitor centre to the Giant’s Causeway itself, but of course, I walked and not just to save money. I love walking. In a previous life, I walked the 1071 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats. There ain’t much you can tell me about walking!

After, I continued heading east on the footpath. The views are outstanding. And then I retraced my steps, stopping in The Nook for a pint of black and a Bushmills Whiskey on the side before continuing, walking on the beach to Portballintrae and finally back to Bushmills.

Don’t forget to visit the Old Bushmills Distillery before leaving town.