Giant's Causeway & Causeway Coast

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom; here, you pay with Pound Sterling, and EU citizens need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for entry, even if there are no checks at the land border with the Republic. The capital Belfast tells of its shipyard history with the Titanic Belfast museum, and of decades of conflict through murals and peace walls.Along the Causeway Coast on the north coast are the basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and the ruins of Dunluce Castle. From Dublin, you can reach Belfast by car, bus, or the Enterprise train, which crosses the border without changing.

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and was once a shipbuilding hub: The Titanic was built at the Harland & Wolff shipyard. In the Titanic Quarter, the Titanic Belfast museum, opened in 2012, tells the story of the shipyard and the ship in nine galleries; nearby are the SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line vessel, and the historic slipways.In the city center, Donegall Square is home to the City Hall, opened in 1906, with the lively Cathedral Quarter surrounding St Anne's Cathedral to its north. The Ulster Museum in the Botanic Gardens is free. The Peace Walls between Falls Road and Shankill and their murals recall the time of the Troubles; many visitors explore them on a Black Taxi Tour.

Glenveagh National Park in northwest County Donegal spans approximately 16,000 hectares of mountains, moors, and lakes; golden eagles have been reintroduced here since 2000. At its heart lies Glenveagh Castle on the shore of Lough Veagh, a castle built between 1867 and 1873 with extensive gardens, which was later handed over to the state.Access to the park is free; a shuttle bus runs from the visitor centre to the castle, which you can visit with a guided tour. The castle is closed on some weekdays, so check opening hours in advance.

The Northwest is the most remote and least visited part of the Republic. In County Sligo, the landscape is shaped by the flat-topped Benbulben, surf beaches, and the memory of poet W. B. Yeats; in Donegal, the Slieve League cliffs plunge over 600 meters down to the sea, and in Glenveagh National Park, a castle stands by a lonely lake.The distances are long and the roads are narrow, but beaches and viewpoints are often empty even in summer. Without a car, the region is difficult to explore.

The Cliffs of Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) on the southwest coast of County Donegal rise to 601 metres, making them among Europe's highest sea cliffs. From the Bunglass viewpoint, which you reach via a narrow road from Teelin, you overlook the entire cliff face extending to the Atlantic.Experienced hikers can continue along the narrow ridge of One Man's Path, which is dangerous in bad weather and temporarily closed. The visitor centre is located several kilometres from the cliffs; a shuttle bus operates in summer.