Top 15 things to do and attractions in Ballintoy

Great locale that was shown to us via a game of thrones tour. A beautiful place and should definitely be respected as such. Shoreline is amazing and great views of the small peninsula across the way that has the famous bridge across it. Definitely worth a walk while you are here. Amazing stop.

Free to enter. Short walk from the car park along some hills. Once there I was on my own, looking at beautiful rugged coast line and seals dancing about in the waters. Highly recommended

Amazing! Breathtaking! Game of thrones filmed here. Also a rope bridge to walk over and nature trails. Gift shop. You can see Scotland from the distance on a clear day. Giant Coseway down the road. Stone castle and look out tower.

Very atmospheric for a quarry and a car park... must be a reason that Game of Thrones chose it as a venue! It is not really possible to launch kayaks from here as the journey from parking to sea is a bit far, and there is a rocky foreshore without a direct path access, so if you want to paddle to Carrick a rede, it is better to go in at Ballintoy harbour.

Pretty cool. Not much to do, but it is so close to Carrick-a-rede you can't pass up the opportunity. If you are into Game of Thrones, I'm sure you would be fascinated. The cliffs are sprawling the coast here and, if you find a place to sit, you could stay for hours just staring at the landscape. I would definitely say you must visit this area if you come to Ireland. This location is included in tours offered by PaddyWagon. They are a decent company and the prices are not unreasonable.

Amazing view of nature. I loved it as I am fond of scenic beauty. Very relaxing and refreshing. But be ready to walk a lot :-)

Beautiful driving area. Scenic views regardless of the weather conditions. This area is definitely like the story book areas we envision Ireland to be about.

Lovely, tight, windy road down to the harbour! The views are stunning with gorgeous waters. Take boots if you're wanting to venture into the caves. There's public toilets available and plenty parking for vans etc. The fishing from the harbour side looks brilliant by the way!

Here is a wonderful scenic small harbour, that has been carved out of the cliff face by nature. An important harbour for shipping in its time as there were no other places to access the sea in this area. A narrow winding road takes you down from the cliff top to the sea. There is a small beach for swimming here and a separate boat launch. The area has many rock outcrops coming from the sea, which make it a very scenic spot. There is a small building at the bottom where you can buy ice cream and snacks. You can also rent kayaks and gear here. And some people selling souvenirs from trailers. There is free parking at the bottom, but the spaces are limited and on a sunny day it can get very busy. I had to wait sometime to get a spot to park.

Walked along the sea walk. Had a coffee and superb cake at the tiny but perfect coffee shop. Megan's cakes are sublime . An unexpected happy expi.

Stunning harbour with a lovely coffee cake shop BUT there is zero internet and so the shop is cash only. No card payments can be taken. It was a game of thrones venue.

Parking is soooo hard to come by, even on a Tuesday when I visited. I had to make my own spot and then 10 others joined in and lined up behind me. This is also the access point to elephant rock, along with shops, swimming, and kayaking. A lot to do in such a small area!

Stunning Harbour ..truly loved our visit it's not to be missed..not forgetting it has also been used in the popular Game of thrones series so can be busy ..there's a cafe and coffee van . just be aware steep road in and out

Beautiful little bay with wc facilities, caves and stunning views and a friendly black cat 😊

Beautiful amazing church. The views are amazing. Shame the church was locked and couldn't see inside. But well worth the look. 300 years. Wow

During our walk along Northern Ireland's incredibly beautiful nature, we arrive at the lovely Ballintoys Church.

Lovely white church vividly standing out against a colourful backdrop

Pretty little church

What a lovely little church overlooking the sea.

Did you know that Ballintoy church has a vertical dial? Follow the line of roof gutter until it meets the church tower. There you will find a dial on the wall. But it's not a sun dial. Some say it's a moon dial, others a tide dial. Could it be both?

Stunning church in stunning location

We walked from Coleraine to Carrick-a-Rede. After Giants Causeway, the path became empty of people. The wind, beautiful cliffs and ocean view were amazing. Just be prepared woth plenty of water and snacks.

Gorgeous drive, stunning scenery and lots of view points along the way. Rated as one of Europe’s prettiest drives and I agree it is!

We wanted the children to enjoy places they've never been but have passed many times. We started at Dunseverick castle car park and the views were amazing. It's rare to see areas that have r been ruined by little etc.. Be prepared to go up and down steps.. That's more hard work than the hills

Had a motorcycle day from Cairnryan with P&O ferries, from Larne ventured up this beautiful coastline, weather was stunning and the scenery did not disappoint. Had a visit to Bushmills Distillery. Thoroughly enjoyed my day trip and will definitely visit again.

Amazing landscapes, beautiful trail along the coast. Not so hard to make hiking.

Amazing view, cool breeze, relaxing.

Absolutly stunning, put in Tons of steps, and was blown away by the low cost, warm greetings, Free Coffee and an all around wonderful experience

I cannot say enough about the hospitality. My husband and I stayed two nights in room 11 for The Open and had an amazing stay. Had dinner one night and it was the best meal we had in Ireland. Breakfast the last morning was great and we even grabbed a few items from the store. Definitely stay here!!!

This was a great stop-off on our coach trip to Giant's Causeway. Our driver had pre-ordered our meals so it was like clockwork when we arrived and we were seated and fed quickly. One staff member did make us feel uncomfortable a couple of times - checking our daughter (who had not ordered a meal) was not eating her sandwich in the pub (she wasn't) and also he seemed not to believe me when I told him we had already been up and paid at the bar. However, was a quick visit and the Guinness & Steak pie / Chicken Caesar salad made a very enjoyable lunch.

Had a wonderful Beef and Guinness stew here with some chips. Wonderful flavor and the beef was very, very tender. Service was quick for lunch and the servers were very good at what they did. Comfy seating, classic decor, and overall very cozy. If you are so inclined, finish the meal off with one of their Irish Coffees. Mine was the best I have had since I have been in Ireland!

Just home from a 2 night weekend stay in the Fullerton Arms, such a great place at a brilliant price. Room was clean, lovely decor and a beautiful bathroom. Bar staff very welcoming and friendly, nothing was a bother as we witnessed over our stay when it got very busy in the bar and restaurant with a lot of people passing through for their lovely food and drinks. Big shout out to Helen for making us feel so welcome. Highly recommend and we will definitely be back again.

We visited for dinner with friends that were staying with us, and what a fantastic place to eat and drink! The service, atmosphere, food and drink were superb. I would thoroughly recommend the mussels. There is a wide range of sauces you can have. I chose the Jaw Box Gin and cream. Thank you everyone and we will be back very soon.

Had a great 1 night stay here. The room was quite big and a large clean bathroom, only grumble was the heating was on and wouldn't turn down. Breakfast was lovely and a great price, would recommend a stay.

We enjoyed our stay at this beautiful, well-maintained property in Ballintoy. Brian was very friendly and helpful in delivering our luggage to our room for us and giving us some suggestions on what to do in the local area. The pub/restaurant is quaint, with quality food and drinks. Our room had everything we needed for a comfortable stay.

Home cooked food, best staff, and amazing coffee. Cakes to bust your belly for and then go for a 10 mile run. All home made. Famous for Episode 1 of Game of Thrones. The Iron Islands with its harbour and dramatic rocks. If you have not been here. You don't know what youbare missing. Its a memory to take home with you forever.. No Internet so it's a CASH only cafe, not because of anything sidewards. Just ZERO phone signal for a card machine. They will take cash, euros and pay pal. Enjoy and Bon appetite. ❤️🎂🎂🎂

The best little port on a cold wet day. We visited Ballintoy on a typically dreary day and the cafe was so cosy warm and welcoming. Staff are wonderful, coffee was fabulous and the cakes were out of this world. Some great views too. Highly recommend!

Busy in a Saturday afternoon, so we returned Sunday morning. Lovely food - simple but delicious, and the homemade cakes sold are divine!

Absolutely loved our visit. Really nice people, great vibe. Felt like home. The best Apple pie I ever had! Can’t wait to go back!!

Place could be so much more. The food is gorgeous altho the cake slice was so thin it was literally crumbles on my cardboard tray. And crass signs saying cash only..... really !!!! Coffee was good however serving food on proper plates with proper forks and cups would enhance the quaint irish cottage theme as would more traditional music. Years ago it was more traditional now it's recycling mania which I understand to a point but come on service, atmosphere and experience is more important. Especially for tourists. I live not far from here and was embarrassed by the rushed dismissive attitude of the young girls and the sourly face of the male chef and the need for cardboard for everything. Such a beautiful spot to be treated like a cash cow. Has so much more potential as it was not that busy for the number of thronging tourists at the site.

Beautiful location. Beautiful food. Beautiful people that work there. Really enjoyed the chowder, pastries, coffee and friendship. Two large sea caves nearby as well as Elephant Rock. This place is a dream on the sea.

Stopped in after wife hiked from the rope bridges to Ballintoy. The food was not fancy but delicious. I had the Irish stew and husband had the champ with gravy, bacon and sausage. Liked how the baked goods were made fresh on site. It's not fine dining, but the service was good and food excellent. Also as the only restaurant down in the harbor they could really gouge customers but thought the prices were fair.

Thank you, Anne, for amazing communication, thank you, Barry and Karl, the best guides! After a few reschedules, thanks to changeable weather, my 16 and 18 year old had the most amazing experience! 110% recommended!

Absolutely brilliant experience with Causeway Coast Kayaking Tours. We brought a large group and the team managed it with total professionalism and ease. Anne was outstanding, and a big thank you to Anthony, Kyle, and Kyle who were fantastic with the young people on the water. Friendly, safe, and unforgettable – highly recommended!

Fabulous experience, supported by Ann & her team. Chris & Kyle had our backs from start to finish 🙂👏🥂 Safety & fun are their focus. See you again soon guys 🤙

We did the Elephant Rock kayaking tour as a group of five friends. We were coming from Portrush and got delayed in traffic, so we contacted the team to let them know. They responded quickly and were really understanding, which we appreciated. The tour itself was great — relaxed, well-organized, and a unique way to see the coastline. The guides didn’t rush us and made sure we had a good experience throughout. Would definitely recommend if you’re in the area and looking for fun and adventurous.

What an experience with our guides Chris and Andy would highly recommend Causeway Coast kayaking the crack and banter was amazing 🛶😁

Fantastic kayaking experience! Kyle and Kyle were great tour guides and Ann was delightful. Good exercise and fantastic views but not too strenuous

Disappointing. Booked in the morning for a nice day out, drove over an hour to get there, on arrival could find nobody, just an email that the booking had been cancelled 7 mins before start time: "Sorry the system should not have let you bopk for today as we are not operating. We have refunded your payment. Sorry for any disappointment caused." Unprofessional operation which ruined our day. Nice harbour though!

Had an amazing day out with Jamie (guide) on 23rd August 2021. All jumps are voluntary but everyone in our group managed the big one including my 12 year old son. Very professional, great craic and all equipment provided. Will definitely be booking again. Thanks for a great day

We had a team building day with Coasteering NI. It was fantastic. Our instructor Jamie was great craic and I would highly recommend it.

What an experience! Jordy is an excellent guide/instructor, clearly been leading coasteering trips for many years. It was immense fun; my 16 and 18 year old kids absolutely loved it. Being considerably older, I was a little nervous, but I still loved it. No pressure to do any of the jumps of you didn't want to (I did them all, even the 12 metre (40 feet) one. Five solid stars out of 5.

Brilliant afternoon out in Ballintoy. We were a private group of 13 for a stag do and Bobby, our guide, was informative, fun & we had a brilliant time. Kit that was provided was great too

Really fun, very salty, well organised, plenty of kit, and good value for money. Jordan made it good fun for everyone in the group from seven to seventy years old!

One of the best days craic we had on our weeks holiday. Thank you very much Bob and Matt. Great for all abilities, very encouraging for nervous people also.

Really fab time with Jordy. Fantastic location and brilliant setup & equipment. Highly recommended!!!

Wonderful location, right where they film Game of Thrones, if you're into that amazing series! Cakes were gorgeous to look at and equally delicious to eat! Great parking, quaint little tearoom and the staff were chatty and friendly. Will definitely be back

So friendly, helpful, and delicious! They had a table for 6 ready even though we turned up at 1 pm with no booking. The Irish stew was fantastic, as was the pie. Great for kids!

A wonderful and cozy place in a beautiful setting. The staff is by far some of the friendliest I've encountered while the food is very good. Definitely save room for dessert as the dessert was even better than dinner.

Nice little place just off the road to the Giants causeway. They serve sandwiches, drinks and great tasting cake. Very friendly people and just ask where you can see where game of thrones iron islands scenes were shot and they will direct you. It's just a short drive to the water.

Lovely cottage like established, friendly staff with nice outside seating. We had the soup, some fries and the 'game of thrones cake'. All good, the cake amazing.

We were on the way to the harbour to do the coasteering...and we found this little cute place hidden from the road... Oooh wooow...such beautiful place...they inside and outside sitting... The boy who served us super friendly...and the food...amazing... This is my first time trying the "steak&guiness" pie.. hmmm...love it... So if you in the area and looking for beautiful Sunday breakfast, lunch or dinner...then this is the place you want to go... 5 stars all the way...

Incredibly beautiful cottage you would not expect to find in a lost countryside. Food is really good and affordable, staff were very friendly

I had an awesome stay at this hostel in Newcastle. The host, Aileen, was incredibly kind, welcoming, and accommodating. The place was clean, comfortable, and had great self-catering facilities. She did recommend the beach near the harbour which is hidden beneath the cliffs which was a beautiful place. I definitely could spend a whole week there without getting bored. I also had the chance to make new friends during my stay who recommended many places nearby which made the experience even more special. Highly recommended!

Stayed at Sheep Island Hostel on a work trip. There was 13 of us on total. The accommodation was lovely. The breakfast in the morning was very tasty and plenty of variety. Nothing was a bother and the kitchen is massive so plenty of space

I can't gush enough about Sheep Island View Accommodation. The facilities were modern and clean. The kitchen had everything we needed and more. The location - near Giant's Causeway and right on Ulster Way - made it an ideal location to explore the coast. The owners go above and beyond. My husband injured his ankle while we were on a bike tour of Ireland and the owners helped us with the logistics to get ourselves and our bikes to Belfast. When a hiccup arose with the bike transport, Aileen even drove me to Coleraine. Thank you for a wonderful stay and all the help you provided!

Fantastic location along the north coast , rooms are new and very clean, shared kitchen has plenty of space as does the lounge area. Couple of pubs just up the road and the rope ridge and giants causeway are not far away. Ideal place for groups, we came on motorbikes and had no worries leaving them in the large car park on the grounds. Staff were very friendly and helpful offering advice on routes etc will definitely stay here again !

we had the best fam holliday ever at sheep island view. it's a hostel with everything you could want and then some. ballintoy is a lovely for food,hikes and great pub. we felt so welcome and no ask was to much for the lady's who run the hostel. thanks for making our stay memorable. we will be back for sure. a five star thanks from holland

A good place for small group retreats. Accommodation is clean, simple, and affordable. Adequate kitchen facilities for self-catering. The communal sitting place can serve as a small conference hall or meeting room. The facility has wifi but a poor mobile network connection. However, it's a place to help disconnect from modern noise and technology and connect with the sea and nature especially.

We were a group of 24 hikers (Fermanagh Ramblers). The owners - Josie and Aileen couldn't have done more for us. Breakfasts were superb, rooms were very comfortable and bathrooms and kitchen were very clean. All the group agreed, the accomodation was ideally located and superb value. (John Griffin)

Lovely stop for a quick break on a long journey.

Plenty of spaces and it's nice to park here with a coffee and just looking out at the views

Free car parking for around 15 cars. The road access to it is steep, narrow and twisting so keep your speed down. Toilets available. A nice place to see the sea and the local geology.

Free car park, can get busy

Car Park right close to the beach with public Toilets.

Close to the sea and free.

I park here loads

Beautiful place. Unfortunately the rope crossing was closed (around 330pm) when we arrived. Staff said due to strong wind, but when we arrived at the rope area around 4pm, I don't think the wind was that strong anymore (heavy rain around 3pm). The weather also wasn't that bad by the time we were at the rope area.

Fun hike for the whole family. The difficulty is negligible and all age groups were seen traversing the different paths (1 path broken into 3 parts). There is a small cafe on site with limited options, but enough to get you through. There are washrooms there too, but you're there for the views. The views are incredible and the suspension bridge is a bit of a thrill. Worth it to find a seat on a rock on the other side and breath the ocean air in. Glad we did it. Our group ranged from ages 11 to 70.

This was so cool! The hike to the bridge may be a little lengthy for some people and the hike back to the parking lot is steep! If the bridge is closed before you arrive, don’t worry. There’s still the chance for the weather to clear up by the time you arrive at the bridge (happened to me. Was closed but it opened up while I hiked up to the bridge!)

This was one of the highlights of our Scotland and Ireland trip (and even though the trip isn’t over yet, it’s definitely going to be in our top 3). The color of the water, the rock formations, the friendly staff, and the scenic walk to and from the rope bridge, Carrick-a-Rede was absolutely unforgettable. It reminded me a bit of Big Sur in California, but with a completely different vibe. During peak season, around 2,000 people visit each day, and tickets must be booked in advance for a specific time slot. In November though, advance booking isn’t really necessary, and the experience might actually be even better without the crowds as long as the weather cooperates.

A lovely walk along the cliffs (20 minutes), with fantastic views. Crossing the bridge was interesting & not scary. There was a bit of a wait to take turns at crossing, it's possibly quite frustrating when it's busy.

Great place to visit,steep gravel walk to the bridge with many steps.About 1km hike,small queue for the bridge itself;nothing worth seeing on the other side.15 pound entrance fee was a bit much I thought but the area is very well maintained. Small cafe and bathrooms at the carpark.

Stunnning location with a very nice walk all along the coastline you can go down to the harbor. We did not have to pay to park they do have an ice cream and coffee shop right there with free restrooms the bridge itself is terribly overpriced but you can go and enjoy everything else without doing the bridge

This is a beautiful beach to go and swim or relax. The water is cold, as expected! The waves are strong, as expected. There is a parking lot with no fees. Although it is a nice walk down the hill, it does take some time to climb back up the trail the up numerous steps. So be mindful of the walk back up. Along the walk we saw numerous cows, so also watch your step, as there may be some droppings along the way

Fantastic beach, perfect for any one who enjoys wide open space, a climb down & up but worth it. Sit in the dunes for a picnic, or on the beach, if you feel brave try the (chilly) waters!! Sometimes there are cows there too.Perfect for dog walks & ball chasing

This is an amazing beach to go walking and exprience the north coast. It is totally unspoilt and well kept. Love it here away from the other busy beaches in the area of Portrush. I'm not sure it is safe for swimming, so be careful respect the open water. Enjoy this lovely place

A place of incredible beauty. The snow-white beach attracts and pleases the eye! A wonderful place for a picnic. There is one problem with parking. Very few parking places.

Visiting friends in Northern Island. Took us here on first afternoon. Beautiful place.

This beach is absolutely beautiful a great place to walk and enjoy the scenery. Local artists taking pictures. The only thing to spoil this was the amount of poo bags left by people who couldn't be bothered to bin them in the car park.

A beautiful long and wide beach that is a SSI. No surfing or bathing means that it is more tranquil than might be expected. At this time of year there is an abundance of wild flowers including primroses, anemones and violets. Wild rabbits graze in the dunes and the beach has much to engage those who love searching for interesting examples of the local geology. Free parking and a decent coffee cabin that serves some gluten free food are a moderate walk from the beach.