I’m sure that if you’re from Dublin, you must have heard about Paddy Wagon Tours or at least seen their green buses on the streets.
Well, get ready for an honest review of this popular tour company. Firstly, they offer many different trips from different locations, but my friends and I wanted to explore Northern Ireland and hence choose the Dublin to Giant’s Causeway one.
They have covered all the famous tourist spots in their trips, and from a week’s trip to just a one-day outing, you’ll get it all.
The best part is that they’re willing to have people of all age groups on board, so a fantastic family trip can be easily arranged. In addition, you’ll get a chance to meet all kinds of people, be it Irish locals or American tourists.
Let’s start with Paddy Wagon Tour Review – Giants Causeway:
Price And Pick Up Points?
The price is €65 for adults and €60 for students.
They have three pick-up points at different time intervals; make sure that you choose the one near your place and try to be on time as there will be other passengers who’ll be waiting for you.
- 07:00 am – Tourist Office, Suffolk Street (Molly Malone Statue)
- 07:20 am – O’Connell Street – “Discover Ireland” Office, next to Savoy Cinema
- 07:30 am – Paddys Palace, Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin
How Was The Guide And The Driver Of The Bus?
The guide was amicable and gave us a deeper insight into every location that we went to. In addition, he kept us entertained throughout the journey by telling us some interesting mythological facts about the place.
He was also very particular with time and kept a check on the count of all of the passengers at every tourist spot departure. In addition, he made sure that we all follow the COVID protocols at all times. I would say that we were fortunate to get such a cooperative and supportive guide.
My drone accidentally hit the bus’s mirror, and I kept apologizing to him about it, but instead of arguing with me, he was so considerate and kept calm and was concerned about my drone.
I hope that you also get such an experienced and cooperative guide for your trip.
Food Breaks During The Trip?
We had a lunch break of around an hour, which I think was pretty sufficient. But if you need to munch something during the journey, I recommend you carry some snacks and water with you for the bus travel.
Overall Schedule Of All The Locations That Were Covered
The trip starts from Dublin, and you need to get to your pick-up point a bit before the time allotted to you. They’ll also give a brief halt so that every passenger can freshen up and get ready for this long road trip.
On the way towards the north, first up, you’ll pass by the Glens of Antrim, which are a collection of nine glens, i.e., valleys. The scenic route from here is truly magical, and you’ll have the feel of being in the lap of nature. The breathtakingly beautiful drive through this countryside was a great start to our trip.
The very first stop that you’ll have is, The Dark Hedges. You must have seen them in the TV show Game Of Thrones, popularly known as the King’s Road. It is an amazing spot for clicking some Instagramable nature aesthetic pictures. We were here for around 15-20 minutes.
Have a walk along the route, get to know about the history of the place, and make sure to have a memorable time.
I’ve written a detailed article for the Dark Hedges; if you’re willing to know more, do check out my blog.
Then we headed to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge along the Causeway Coast, which was a spectacular view. The bridge is near Ballintoy, which is a small charming town. We were there for about 15 minutes and had a lovely time. The stories about this place are something that you would want to know.
If you’re not willing to cross the bridge, then you can sit down at a tea room nearby and have a relaxing time there.
Head on to my blog for a detailed guide about the place.
Then comes the Giant’s Causeway, which is obviously the highlight of the trip. It is one of the most visited places in Northern Ireland. We got to spend around 45 minutes here. There’s also a Causeway Visitor Centre nearby, which was included in the trip, but due to COVID restrictions, we were not allowed to go inside.
To know more about these hexagonal columns’ famous tourist attractions, head on to my blog.
The next stop was Dunluce Castle, located right beside a cliff and thus makes up to a spectacular view; we had a halt of around 20 minutes there. This castle has faced many tragedies, and a part of it even fell into the sea in the 1600s. As a result, there are multiple horror stories about the place, and it was also featured in the Game Of Thrones series.
Next up was Belfast City, which I was initially excited about, but they made our stay there just for around 20 minutes near the City Hall. They were very particular about the time, so we didn’t get the chance to spend a lot of time in the city, but some one-day tours are especially for exploring Belfast City. So, if you’re looking forward to exploring the city, then you should check that out.
This called an end to our amazing trip, and we got back to Dublin by 8:30 pm.
Conclusion
My experience with Paddy Wagon Tours was definitely a success, and I would recommend you guys to get in touch with them if you do not have the facility to rent a car or are bound to the time constraint in the place.
But if you’re looking forward to genuinely exploring the tourist spots, then I would say that you should plan your own trip so that you’ll be able to spend more time at all the locations.
Let me know in the comment section about your trip review with Paddy Wagons.
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