The horrible Giant’s Causeway Visitor’s Centre
Like thousands of other people who visit Northern Ireland each year, I was very excited to see the Giant’s Causeway during my trip this past summer. I got off the bus after a beautiful (and slightly terrifying) ride along the Antrim Coast, and then walked over to the Giant’s Causeway Visitor’s Centre.
Exterior of the Visitor’s Centre, with the sign clearly indicating that you must ENTER the visitor’s centre in order to see the Causeway.
I was greeted by a sign that clearly indicated I must ENTER the visitor’s centre in order to see the Causeway. I walked inside, only to be stopped at the front desk and told to pay £8.50 ($14 US). What a rip off! I asked if there was any way to see the Giant’s Causeway for free. Instead of responding to my question, I was asked if I parked my car here. I answered no. The employee responded that I was welcome to visit the Giant’s Causeway separately, but I couldn’t enter the Visitor’s Centre without paying.
So, I exited the Visitor’s Centre and wandered around outside, figuring I must have missed some other sign indicating the direct route to the Causeway to bypass the visitor’s centre. No such sign exists.
I asked a different employee how I could see the Causeway for free. Again the response was “Did you park your car here?” I answered no. (Turns out if you want to park your car, you MUST pay for entrance to the visitor’s centre.) Finally, this employee directed me to a completely unmarked route. “Walk that way and you’ll see the Causeway.”
The unmarked route to the causeway, between the building and the parking lot, partially blocked by benches. They clearly don’t want you to realize there is a free way to bypass the visitor’s centre.
This unmarked path was a swatch of grass between the visitor’s centre and the parking lot, and there were some long flat stones that looked like benches partially blocking the way. They clearly didn’t want you to realize there was a way to bypass the visitor’s centre.
Finally, I made it to the Causeway, and it was beautiful and breathtaking and everything I hoped it would be. Read about it and see my pictures here.
Upon returning the way I came, I wondered if I could go inside the Visitor’s Centre to buy souvenirs. I went inside and asked the lady at the desk if I could go inside for free if I didn’t go see the Causeway. Our exchange went as follows:
Employee: Did you park your car here?
Me: No, I took a bus. And I already saw the Causeway, I just want to buy souvenirs.
Employee: I’m sorry, you have to pay for entrance.
Me: Is there a discount if I don’t have a car?
Employee: Yes, I can sell you a ticket for £7.50.
Me: £7.50 just to walk inside a building? I want to spend money here.
Employee: £7.50 is a very reasonable price.
Me: I guess you guys don’t really want my money that badly. Goodbye.
So. This was my experience at the Giant’s Causeway Visitors Centre. They can’t require people to pay, since the causeway was made by NATURE, not MAN, so instead they either trick people into paying through lack of signage, or they force people to pay through parking fees. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Erin Explores 
I’m from northern Ireland and I’m disabled I took my daughter and 3 grandkids to the causeway
As I got there I seen the visitor centre and I went to park my car in the hotel car park as it has more free disabled spaces when i was was stoped by a national trust guy who asked me was I going to the causeway I replied yes
He told me of the price and also to pay a car park fee in the visitor centre and he gave me the price list I said thank you and was shown where to park in the hotel car park
My daughter knew of the tunnel and said she will take the kids as she wasn’t paying as the causeway is free so I thought I’d stay and get a cuppa in the visitor centre but guess what you have to pay to enter and car park fees so I left and went into the hotel for a cuppa and after all it was the hotels car park I was parked in
I then went for a walk around the hotel and there is paths which lead you around the top of the cliffs above the causeway which leads you also to steps down to the causeway
Also to note there is buses which can take you down to the stones from the tunnel of the visitor centre which costs £1
All in all I had a nice time I just ignore what the national trust guys told me and stay away from the visitor centre
Hiya, you can get into the giants cause way free if you park off site or come in a bus you can just walk through the tunnel at the car park, do not enter the visitor centre that’s a stupid money racket, there’s also another souvenir shop on site that you don’t have to pay to go into 👍
Where is the other souvenir shop??
The National Trust took the material the gift shop owning family owned in order to make their visitor centre displays, then kicked the rival business off site and turned their long standing shop into some toilets.
Oh gosh as a local i am totally embarrassed by this. Our vistors from over seas should not be treated like this. Our tourist aractions are about whats good about northern ireland. Dont turn it into a shambles. I am so sorry this happened please except sincer appoligies from a resident. X
Thanks!
It’s the National Trust that charge, having said that I wouldn’t hold my breath on their response to complaints. I went to the National Trust property Mount Stewart when it was being refurbished and they charged to see the renovations; an old cigarette box etc. Found under floor boards and someone hoovering a curtain. It was seriously underwhelming and pretty disgusting they took money for it. But then that’s what the national trust excel at.
I am also local and feel exactly the same as you. Well put x
We had a wonderful time at the visitors center.
16 family members from the US. The visitors center has interactive videos and information explaining theories on the causeways formation. Bathrooms,shuttle down to the causeway and auditory aids to guide you around the causeway. The money goes to help preserve the area. Shame on you for being so cheap.
I was just going to ask you Christine, if we had paid that much. I too thought it was amazing. The gifts that I bought there were quite reasonable. I am sorry to hear that without paying, it wouldn’t be available to just sightsee. It would be like paying to go to Yellowstone National Park. Never had to do that.
Yellowstone is a national park and the entrance fee is $30. $15 for a person on foot.
soo good to see this comment! We are members of NT as we believe in the very necessary good work that they do to preserve our national treasures! It is a shame that many locals just dont get it! we live 1 mile away and understand the greater vision of the NT :0) xx
I wouldn’t call them cheap! People don’t like being ripped off! Shame on you for name calling!
I don’t think you need to apologise. It costs a lot of money to ensure the upkeep, cleanliness, and safety of visitors who wish to enjoy the stunning giants causeway. I don’t think £7/8 is much to ask. People want everything for free but are the first to complain if the place looks unkempt or first to claim if they fall on a loose stone!
But unfortunately it takes a lot of money to upkeep a beautiful place like this! I for one would rather help towards this than let it be abused & not cared for!
TRy telling that to a family of 5 or 6. Expensive day out. If they have to charge to enter a shop they shouldn’t charge that much. Ridiculous
where else have you been with family?? your are paying for a wonderful piece of history to be preserved for generations to come!
The stones have been there for thousands of years and will be there for thousands more it doesn’t cost anything for their up keep! The national trust have put these charges on to pay for their flop of a visitor centre which doesn’t even have adequate parking!!!
You are absolutely spot on. Remember you used to be able to continue the walk past the Chimneys formation? That is, until a rock fall just around the headland at the Chimneys occurred and the NT decided not to repair the ‘damage’, let nature take its own course, and closed the path at the Chimneys. The columns have been there for MILLIONS of years and have withstood glaciation. A few NT wardens are hardly going to preserve them! I don’t kind paying an entry fee to NT houses as they do need preserving and restoring, but the parking/entry arrangements at the Causeway are misleading, sly, and devious. I’m happy to bring visitors to the Causeway, but we park and eat at the hotel and walk down the side of the visitors’ centre, and leave without setting foot inside it. It really leaves a siur taste in my mouth when I bring visitors there.
Totally agree !!!
This is an amazing place and requires expensive upkeep in order to maintain it so as we can all continue to enjoy it !!!
Totally agree Christine !!
Had a great day there did not mind paying as it is well kept by the trust. I agree with you Christine.
Seriously? The stones have been there for millions of years. The money is for the National trust and the Centre…not for the stones. I am local…you have been misinformed by…The National Trust.
I agree , this beautiful place needs cared for and the visitors centre is part of that it is very well layed out inside and shows the history of the Giants Causeway via large screens and other boards .I don’t agree with public trying to bypass it .Dont forget that this visitors centre is also keeping people in much needed jobs !!
They should not be charging to get into a shop nor to see a non man made attraction. I went there with the school many years ago and we were well enough informed of its history (no charge!)
I’ve been going for years…now you think I should pay every time I go?
I have read that it takes a lot of money to upkeep the causeway. Funny, I understood the the stones have been standing for a million years, or 4000 depending on your beliefs, without upkeep.
This is just the National Trusts way of extorting money from the general public. Another example is the charging to enter Portstewart strand. They claim ownership except it is generally known that the beach is part of the crown estate. The Trust only own 6 feet of road entering the beach, and if you are a member of Portstewart Golf club, you can enter for free. I believe it owns land beyond what is claimed by the “Trust”.
Nonsense! The stones are very fragile and have to be replaced frequently by hand, at night by specially trained leprechauns and fairies. Give us your money so the stones will be there for future generations.
Love it. I used to ride my pony down around the Causeway before the Ceasefire when there were hardly any tourists flocking to see this beautiful part of the world and before the National Trust suddenly had an interest in the Causeway. I remember seeing the exhausted leprechauns and fairies dragging themselves back to the bottom of the locals gardens for their well earned rest before the next night of hard work replacing these million year old, hard to maintain rocks!!!!
I just came back from taking five guests from Canada, Dublin and Austrailia to see the Giant’s Causeway. Lucky for them I knew where to park and showed them the nature’s way to the Giant’s Causeway.
I was there the week the new centre opened. Although I am a member of the National Trust, and therefore could enter for free, I chose NOT TO As I had again, foreign guests who didn’t want to enter the building.
I pointed out to a member of staff then and again when I was there the other day, why do you have to pay to enter the building in order to purchase momentos if the Causeway, purchase food and drink, or to go to the toilet!
Both times the staff had said they agreed but the management won’t do anything about it!
For those who wish to see the Giant’s Causeway for free. Go passed the causeway showroom and turn right. Follow the path, and the people to see the Causeway for free.
Notional Trust, you are losing money hand over fist by stopping people entering your building for gifts and food!
The money goes towards the upkeep of the place. Picking up litter after selfish people drop it on our beautiful causeway. They run a free shuttle bus to and from the stones.. up and down all day… so petrol and wages need paid.. lots of places charge to enter so be a but more thoughtful.. we have to protect our beautiful causeway.
I think you will find that the shuttle bus is not free as translink have a charge on it of approx £1- £1.50 .
Also the trust has a total disregard for health and safety as they refuse to allow buses to set down passengers within they’re drop off area if the bus isn’t booked in and that’s not booked in to drop off but not booked in to use the visitor centre so all non booked passengers have to be dropped off on the main road and this also means disabled passengers which again they discriminate against if the bus company that they travel with isn’t booked to use they’re centre
Shuttle bus isn’t FREE!! It’s included in the price for the visitor’s centre!! so not available for everyone
The shuttle bus charges on the bus. It isn’t included in the cost of entry as it is run by translink and is separate
The shuttle bus isn’t free. Also the “upkeep” is actually maintained by volunteers, not paid employees. There are several signs calling out for volunteers.
It’s nothing short of a dupe to extort money out of tourists and even locals. Pretty disgusting really.
It’s also the only place I know that charges per person parking, not the car spot itself. A family of 5 or 1 person visiting in a car takes up the same amount of car spaces. Everything is set up to be knowingly deceitful. It’s pretty appalling for one of the top tourist spots in Northern Ireland. Indefensible really.
Our family membership for two adults and they we children costs £9.55 per month and includes access, entry and parking as well as discounted events throughout the year. At less than £2.50 per week, it is cheaper than any other family day out and we pack a picnic and a flask and see incredible sites and places of national heritage and importance that without the National Trust would be derelict or without facilities. Think about your contribution to tourism in NI when a prospective visitor decides to leave this part of the country out of their travel itinerary because of your comments. Consider the local people for whom their job at the Causeway feeds a family. Enough is enough: it is a stunning place with a state of the art visitors centre. You have to pay a small fee for a shuttle bus or you could walk. As it is run by TransLink there are Blue Badge concessions and rules. The comments on this thread say more about you personally than they do about the place. My concern is that tourists will consider both so don’t complain when Co. Antrim is left off their tourist trail as a result!!
Well said
Mcconaghy’s shop would have sold you all the souvenirs you wanted at no extra charge!!!!
I live in the area and I have been a few times every year for almost 30 years! I work on the premise thats I pay once a year, just to contribute somewhat to the upkeep and the conservation work, but granted, it is expensive and given our other coastal walks, I would just go elsewhere if it was required every single time!
And they charge per person in the car not just per car!! It’s an absolute rip off.
Six pounds to park on the beach when you visit Harry’s on the beach at Portstewart nearby.
I totally agree it should be free and it’s the only place I know that charges to enter to spend money it like a restaurant charging you to see the menu
The shuttle bus isn’t free sadly-you have to,pay more for it after you’ve paid to get in.
I live in Northern Ireland and when I was young I visited the Giant’s Causeway with my parents and siblings many times. I have only gone on a couple of occasions with my own children as the parking fee is charged for EACH occupant in the car. So if there’s 5 people it’s £8.50 x 5 – my husband & I and our 3 children – AND this applies whether or not you go into the Visit’s. Centre!!! Really disappointed that it’s been made into such a money spinner for the National Trust
it is sad why the vistors centre is losing more income from treats of the visit a grand place it is , fair enough for cold con dotaion for upkeep or such but bad thoughts are worse sad to hear folk having bad experiences would be interesting for vistors centre to reply to comments to be fair
The underhandedness is certainly sending the wrong signal. It would be interesting to know exactly what upkeep is undertaken by the Trust, For example, does it undertake to keep paths in good repair?
The National Trust does usually have a child’s tickets, and a family ticket.
I do believe that there should be a small charge which can go towards the upkeep and staff overheads but the charges are ridiculous. A reasonably priced car parking ticket per car would suffice and a small entrance fee. Maybe also one that if you pay once you get free unlimited visits for the year. Lots of places in England do that. It’s exploitation all round. I always go through the free way and then go into the visitors centre too! Never been stopped 😊
Terrible unfortunately this is the experience of too many . My father in law owns a souvenir shop here MCCONAGHYs they also have his little shop hid away at the side of the hotel ! It’s been at the causeway for generations.
You can buy souvenirs here tea coffee ice cream a lot cheaper than visitor centre and walk on over to the causeway without paying . Hope this helps someone x
Absolute rip off…as others have said,its not man made its nature…As for those saying it costs a lot to upkeep our Causeway??..Its been upkeeping itself for millenia without help and without ripping off tourists ..
Absolutely dreadful customer service I had exactly the same experience when I visited last summer … I took my son whom was his first visit to Giants Causeway as a visitor from Jersey we encountered the same … no sign to direct the walkers who did not park their car in the car park … you could not go into the centre for a look at gifts without paying a fee ???? So no gifts bought the Gaints Causeway forever Breathtaking as I remembered from a school trip way back in 1971 the staff need some learning customer skills to make people feel welcome not confused spoiling the day out ….
It never fails! People are always happy to complain! Do you ever take the time to be thankful and appreciate your surrounding and put aside the cost? This location is breathtaking and to upkeep the grounds and surrounding area you have to charge just like any famous monuments all over the world! I am dumbfounded viewing YELP, Tripadvisor, cruise critic and now Facebook on how many complaints come from citizens of this great country USA. I sincerely think these type of people do not want to educate themselves and live of complaining daily! I highly recommend staying at home!!! Trust me Europe can survive without you.
I love to travel and take each country I visit for what’s it worth and learn from it. Ireland is beautiful and the people are warm-hearted.
Volunteers look after the Causeway…not the National Trust. The complaint is less about the cost and more about the deceits being practiced.
Have a look at the cliffs of mother in county clare to see how it should be done. Excellent car parking for a reasonable fee, free entry to stunning visitor centre and free accesss to the cliffs.
We were at the cliffs of moher last week and it was 6 Euro per person, regardless that we were travelling in same car and thus only requiring one parking spot. This also covered access to visitor centre etc. So slightly cheaper but wouldn’t say it’s all that much different from Giant’s causeway.
What a rip off 5 of us went for my dads 70th cost us almost £50 to enter visitor centre never again – there was not much to see in the visitors centre it was a waste of money. Just another way to rip off the public!
American here. In the 1990s I stopped at the Giant’s Causeway with a business associate from NI, This was before the current system was in place. There was a shuttle to take visitors down. But if was off-season and we two were the only ones there. They wouldn’t run the bus just for us. So in business suits and high heel shoes, we managed to get through the rocks and sand. (The bus driver, leaned on the bus, smoking and watching us struggle.)
We got back to the visitors center 30 minutes before the posted closing time. They followed us from room to room turning off lights behind us. When we tried to buy postcards, they told us the registers were closed for the day. Even then, they seemed uninterested in visitors. My friend contacted the NI Tourist authorities to complain. I don’t think they ever responded.
The beauty of the site was overshadowed by the inhospitable treatment by staff.
I have been to the causeway 3 times, once before the new visitors center was there. Each visit is memorable. The center is a beautiful building capturing the look of this wonder of nature. Great visual aids for kids etc. I am willing to pay for the upkeep, safety and access to this site. I have been to many winderous sites around the world and unfotunately the ones that do not require admission or donation are vandalized, falling apart. Great job NI! I’ll see you soon !. Seattle, USA.
Have you been to the Cliffs of Moher? Where’s the vandalism?
We had a wonderful time at the visitors center.
16 family members from the US. The visitors center has interactive videos and information explaining theories on the causeways formation. Bathrooms,shuttle down to the causeway and auditory aids to guide you around the causeway. The money goes to help preserve the area. Shame on you for being so cheap.
Deja vu.
Anyway…the money keeps the centre going…not the Giants Causeway which is looked after by volunteers.
It is National Trust property, so all these places are pretty much the same price to get in. You are paying for the upkeep of the place. And the visitors centre is quite nice. Sure you can also get into Castle Ward and Silent Valley through the back door if you really want to. But staff should have been more considerate in your case.
National Trust own the centre…not the Causeway.
Wrong……The stones and 15 miles of footpaths along the causeway coast are managed and maintained by the National Trust, who will also manage the Visitor Centre and car park (rented from the local council).
Does the visitor centre still have the exhibition that offers the biblical alternative history of the world? Alternative to science, evolution, facts…that kind of thing.
Sorry to read of your experience. Sadly I have encountered others who have had similar experiences in recent times.
I used to visit the Giants Causeway in the 80s and 90s. Unique scenery. Although my preference has always been other parts of that stunning north coast…..Dunluce Castle, Mussenden Temple, the wonderful long empty beaches. My favourite coastline in Europe.
There is nothing to beat a good summer day, and slowly traveling up the coastal road, from above Larne, up around that stunning coastline (Cushendun, Portballintrae, Portrush, Downhill, etc). Heaven.
The Giants Causeway was one of my favorite spots the 3 times I was in Ireland. I am sorry I have not been there for a long time but I am even more sorry that the Giants Causeway has been commercialized.
Strangely it is less commercial than it was say 40 years ago…but the National Trust are practicing deceit.
i have been visiting there for years it’s the national trust trying to cash in on an ancient volcanic eruption !!
It gets worse, the car park is charged by the number of people in the car…. So if there are 5 people in the car it costs 5*€8.50, €42.50 to park a car!!! I let my passengers out at the entrance and only paid the €8.50 for myself, but it was still a rip off.
I’m Irish and disgusted that our visitors are being ripped off like this.
It’s a disgrace. The giants causeway is seen as one of the wonders of the world. The council are just being so greedy. This needs stopped.
You’re insinuating from the title of this post that the centre itself is a horrible experience, yet you didn’t even see any of it as you didn’t pay? Unfortunately these things cannot be looked after and maintained with absolutely no money, that’s where the wonderful national trust come in to keep beautiful landmarks such as the Giants Causeway in peak condition for future visitors for years to come.
Volunteers look after the Causeway…the money is for the centre.
I’m sorry, but I know people who work at the Giant’s Causeway and they do litter picks and grounds maintenance throughout the entire site. Yes volunteers play a huge role in maintaining the actual causeway and the wildlife surrounding it, but the visitor centre and pathway around the causeway – including the top path and Runkerry path – is done by paid employees more often than not
Wrong….The stones and 15 miles of footpaths along the causeway coast are managed and maintained by the National Trust, who will also manage the Visitor Centre and car park (rented from the local council).
I lived in NI for 3 years and the Antrim Coast and all it’s sights, including the Giant’s Causway, were always on our list of tours for visitors. Back when I live there (97-2000) there was no visitors center! We parked at the top of the hill and walked down thru the fields, sometimes going to the hotel for tea or lunch. In 2012 I had a friend visit from the states and we took the car from Scotland (where I live now) over to Ireland for a few days. We did Cushendun, Portrush, the Bridge, many other places (GOT ‘tour’) and GC. In all these places she bought t-shirts, hats, AND hoodies for her 3 children~lots of money. But I need to correct myself…we couldn’t get into the GC visitor center to spend money! I never heard of a place that makes you pay to get in for the privilage of spending money! Couln’t buy souveniers, lunch, even a cuppa. I posit that they are losing a ton more money than they are making. You should be able to get into those bits and spend your money without going in to the museum part. Everyone doesn’t care about that and everyone who takes someone there doesn’t want to go thru it for the 12th time. But everyone wants a souvenier and a cold drink.
I live near the Giant’s Causeway, along with other natural tourist attractions. If you stopped to think about the fact that the National Trust is a charity that relies on public funding to keep them operating in areas such as The Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and to pay the staff who so obviously offended you by doing their jobs, perhaps you would have paid the £7.50.
Other National Trust sites are free to visit throughout the UK, and it is the likes of the Giant’s Causeway that keep thme open by charging for entry to the centre and parking.
Perhaps this helps you to better understand why it is so important that they charge visitors. It is not a cost to see the stonest themselves, it is for the maintenance that goes into the site every day. Litter picks are done by centre staff, first aid training needs to be updated for all tour guides and so on. There is more to running a national heritage site than most people realise.
Tip – they can’t make you pay for parking either. That’s a con too. To pay for parking you have to actually go inside the visitor’s centre. There are no barriers in the car park, just a guide who has no authority to charge you. Just walk under the tunnel from the car park. It also looks like you’re not meant to go there, but I can assure you it is indeed an official FREE way in.
If you say you are going into hotel for something to eat or drink. They let u in and if u keep your receipt u don’t have to pay. So u could go in buy one cup tea and walk down to causeway for free
I also found this inquisition type experience…. very off putting… questions, then instructions to stand in a queue. Surely when people are going to spend money on souvenirs, eat and drink in the cafe a charge of £8.50 is criminal . I haven’t returned as a result of this greedy approach.
You know what. It costs tens of thousands to maintain these sites. You can access the Causeway for free if you don’t want to park or use the amenities. Its a small price to pay to help support a world heritage site. Bloody internet griper.
The National Trust maintains the access roads and paths around the Causeway. So I don’t mind paying a few quid to help them with their charitable ambitions. They also look after other loss making sites around the country, so have to oversee them all to keep our heritage sites in good order. It’s a thankless task for employees and volunteers. It’s easy to criticise on social media, but expect to see everything for free, yet expect it to be maintained for nothing.
Next time you visit a heritage site, then offer to volunteer for a day to see how hard they work 😃
This article is embarrassing. It is clear people like you don’t understand the cost of maintaining an area of outstanding beauty. It is understandable you would have to pay £7.50 to experience the giants causeways visitor centre. Do you think those employees (who were very helpful to me when I visited) are paid in peanuts?
Have to laugh that you would pay for transport to get to the giants causeway, but not pay to enjoy the full experience, as I believe the visitors centre is an experience in itself. There is no pleasing people like you!
Seriously??!! Obviously the money they charge goes to the upkeep, maintenance, staffing and insurance of the giants causeway. It allows visitors to enjoy a clean, safe, well maintained experience of such a stunning attraction. Shame on the author. She would probably be the first to claim if she fell!! The price they charge is very reasonable.
I actually have no problems with paying to see the causeway the problem is at £7/£8 a person as a family day trip it’s far too expensive perhaps if they offered a sensible price for entry it may become a popular affordable attraction
In my humble opinion the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre is a complete rip off. It’s like a store asking you to pay to go in and spend money there!
1. It isn’t horrible; it’s a great piece of architecture that is invisible from the cliffside yet recognisable from the land side.
2. The stones and 15 miles of footpaths along the causeway coast are managed and maintained by the National Trust, who will also manage the Visitor Centre and car park (rented from the local council).
3. The cost is in-line with many similar attractions throughout UK and Ireland.
4. Some 800k tourists visit the site per year, if they all decided to do what you suggest then the Causeway would suffer immensely. The money helps preserve this attraction as well as funding less profitable attractions the NT have throughout the UK/NI.
5. Join the National Trust if you reside in UK/ROI….then you can avail of all the NT has to offer and visit as much as you like; without these not unreasonable one-off admission fees. When you visit any attraction whilst on holiday you expect to pay an admission fee!