When planning my trip to Ireland, I knew I wanted to see the Giant's Causeway, an interesting geological formation of naturally formed hexagon shaped rocks. The myth behind the structure is that a giant named Finn MacCool was challenged to a fight with a Scottish giant and built the causeway to travel to Scotland. There is a similar geological location with hexagonal columns in Scotland which is thought to have been part of the causeway.

Northern Ireland may just seem like more of Ireland to visitors, but it's technically a part of UK, which introduces some interesting issues between the two countries that share a rather large border. During our two hour drive from Belfast to Giant's Causeway, we tuned into the radio to learn a little more about the news in this country, which is a great way to learn more about the country you're visiting.

We made it to Giant's Causeway just as the visitor center opened at 9 AM. However, to park at the visitor center, we were asked to pay 13 euros per person. This price seemed a little too steep for us so we looked up some other options for parking. Entry to the Giant's Causeway, however, is completely free!

The best place we found to park at the Giant's Causeway is at The Nook, provided you buy breakfast, lunch, or just coffee with them. The location was right next to the entrance from the visitor center and so convenient.

We arrived early enough that there weren't many people around yet. We chose the Blue trail to hike which is one of the easier routes and quickest ways to get to the Giant's Causeway, but there are several other trails that are along the cliff for more scenic views.

There is a shuttle that runs to and from Giant's Causeway from the Visitor Center that costs 1 euro per person per trip.

After the short hike and breakfast at the Giant's Causeway, we went to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge attraction that was 20 minutes away. I would recommend buying tickets (9 euros/person) before hand to avoid any disappointment about crossing the bridge. Even though it is a sturdy rope bridge now, it used to only have one rope to hold onto for fisherman to carry their catch across. While crossing the bridge was a fun touristy activity to take part in, the views from the other side of the bridge were incredible.

Finally, we decided to end our day in Northern Ireland by visiting Dunluce Castle only 15 minutes away from the Carrick-a-Rede bridge. The castle ruins were by far one of my favorites during my trip. We explored every nook and cranny of the ruins with no one else there. I wasn't able to make it inside every castle, but I was glad to have visited Dunluce Castle since it is situated a beautiful location right on the cliff and has an interesting history. The first record of the castle was in the 1500s and passed from family to family throughout the years. As I walked through the castle, I could imagine the dining hall and the horse stables. The site was actually used for one of the castles in Game of Thrones.

While these cliffs are not as tall as Cliffs of Moher, they are still lovely to watch the waves come in. Imagining why the Irish had wanted to build a castle at this location is not difficult. The castle can be quite windy, especially at these viewpoints so having a coat on hand is necessary.

I highly recommend a trip to Northern Ireland even if you only have a short visit to the Irish island. Even with only one day, we were able to cover a lot of the highlights of this area without feeling too rushed. There are several quaint bed and breakfast nearby to spend the night and revisit some of these site again in the morning if the weather turns for the worst but always have your rain coat handy whenever outside the car in Ireland. You never know!