One of our favorite parts of visiting Ireland was getting to see all of the amazing old buildings, cathedrals, and castles. Especially the amazing old castles. On top of being some of the most incredibly beautiful buildings, the history behind these castles is really neat to learn about. We just could not get enough of the castles.
One of the more amazing castles that we got to see in Ireland was the Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. The castle itself has seen better days, as you can see by the pictures, but the location where the castle was built is absolutely breathtaking. Talk about your prime real-estate.
The original Castle was built in the 13th Century by Richard Óg de Burgh, the second Earl of Ulster. The castle was in the hands of the McQuillan family for much of the 13th century until they were defeated in two major battles by the MacDonnell clan in the late 16th century. Dunluce Castle served as the seat for the Earl of Antrim until after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when the MacDonnell family became impoverished. In the last three centuries, the castle has deteriorated, with parts used for other nearby buildings, to its present-day condition.
We would definitely recommend visiting the Dunluce Castle on any trip to the north coast of Northern Ireland. It is not every day that you get to see a castle built in such a unique and beautiful landscape. It’s a shame that the castle has deteriorated so much, but in some ways, its condition only adds to the beauty and mystique of this amazing fortress.
How to Get There
The Dunluce Castle’s close proximity to the Giant’s Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede Bridge make this area a great stop during any visit to Northern Ireland. It is such a beautiful area with so much to see. Not to mention, the people in Northern Ireland could not be any friendlier.
Getting to the castle is pretty easy. Dunluce Castle is located on the north coast of Northern Ireland and is situated roughly halfway in between the town of Portrush (3.5 miles away) and the Giant’s Causeway (4.4 miles away). The closest town to the Dunluce Castle is Bushmills, which sits just 2.5 miles to the East. It’s a great place to stop for food in between exploring.
While it was a really fantastic experience to be able to get up close to the castle, some of the best pictures we got of the castle were from a viewpoint nearby. It was from this viewpoint that I took the picture above. In case you are interested, I have included a screenshot of the map of my shots I pulled from Adobe Lightroom. This will let you know exactly where I got my shots.
Best Time to Visit
Northern Ireland is an amazing place to visit year-round, but like most other places in this world, certain times of the year are better than others. In order to assist you in determining which time of year would be best for you to make your visit, I have outlined several weather and tourism factors below to help you make an informed decision.
Temperature (F)
While Northern Ireland is blessed in that the temperature typically doesn’t get too hot or too cold for comfort, the temperature does fluctuate throughout the year. In fact, throughout much of the year, the temperature seems to hover right on the threshold of being too cold to not have a jacket, but too warm to wear it. To give you a better idea of what kind of whether you can expect on your trip, I have included a chart below that outlines the average high and low temperatures throughout the year.
Precipitation (Inches)
As you can see by the chart below, Northern Ireland tends to get quite a bit of rain throughout the year. This is especially true along the coastline. If you are looking to avoid the rain, I would suggest targeting the late spring months of April and May as they tend to see the lowest amount of rain during the year.
Number of Visitors (International Tourists)
Northern Ireland tends to get a fairly steady stream of tourists from the rest of the UK and elsewhere in Europe throughout the year, but it sees the number of tourists from North America and elsewhere around the world steadily grow throughout the spring into summer. The peak tourist months for Northern Ireland are undoubtedly the summer months of July and August. If you are looking to avoid the crowds, I would suggest you look at visiting sometime between November and March.
Where to Stay
There are quite a few tourist attractions bunched up into one small area on the Northern coast of Northern Ireland so I would recommend staying somewhere in that area to be close to all of the sights. To assist you in finding the right accommodations for you, I have included a list of recommended hotels and other accommodations and different price points for you to review below.
Where to Eat
After you have spent an afternoon exploring the Dunluce and the surrounding area, you are going to want to find a good place to eat. The following restaurants are the most recommended restaurants in the area on TripAdvisor.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Tartine Restaurant | Irish, European, British | $$ – $$$ |
| The French Rooms | European, Vegetarian Friendly | $$ – $$$ |
| The Red Door Tea Room | Irish, Vegetarian Friendly | $$ – $$$ |
| Causeway Hotel Restaurant | Irish, Bar, European | $$ – $$$ |
| Roark’s Kitchen | Dessert, Irish, Cafe | $ |
Other Things to See in the Area
In addition to Dunluce Castle, there are a number of other popular tourist attractions in the area that you can see. If you are looking for some additional things to do, I have included a list of additional stops that I recommend below.
Visiting the Dunluce Castle
In case you would like a better sense of what it is like to visit the Dunluce Castle, we have included a short video tour for you below. You can see first-hand just how beautiful the castle is perched upon the high cliffs.
Photo Gallery
Below is a gallery of some of the beautiful pictures we were able to take of the Dunluce Castle. It really is a fantastic landscape for pictures and an incredible location for a castle.
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. 
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. Coastline near the Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. 
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. 
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. 
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. 
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. 
The Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland.
Get My Ultimate Travel Guide
Sign-up to receive the latest updates from my travel blog and start receiving premium content that you will not find on this blog, starting with my Ultimate Travel Guide. This comprehensive guide outlines the process that I use to book all of my trips and includes tips and tricks for streamlining the travel planning process and saving you money on travel.
Categories: Castles, Europe, Ireland, Recommendations, Travel Guides, United Kingdom
Australia
Great article. I hope to get to Ireland one day.
Thank you!
Lovely shots, nice work!
Thank you so much!
Those pictures are stunning! I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland. I have a lot of ancestry there anyway – but def will visit the coast and castles for sure! There’s another castle to add to my list to visit 😁
Thank you Jeni! It is definitely a beautiful area!
Thank you for this blog – I am planning a trip to Northern Ireland and now I have to see Dunluce Castle. Oh, and your photos are beautiful!! <3
I am so happy to hear you found the info useful! Thank you so much for the kind words. You are going to love Northern Ireland!
Indeed our visit was amazing too.
Beautiful. Some new videotography of Ireland you might like. https://thestreetphotographersguide.blog/2018/05/21/photographic-video-of-ireland/
Thank you so much! I will check it out.
Thanks Josh
What an awesome location for a castle! Will have to visit soon!
It’s amazing!!