Antrim (Irish: Aontroim, "lone ridge") is an historical town with many interesting sights, situated on the shore of lough Neagh with a caravan park located on the shore. The shoppers amongst you will enjoy the combination of town centre and the large outlet mall just outside the town, if your about on a Saturday morning there is one of the biggest car boot sales in Ireland at Dunsilly every Saturday all year round.

Antrim is a small, working class town not which is not frequently visited by tourists. As such, most tourists to Northern Ireland will spend their time in Belfast or Derry. The number of tourists is growing however and the town may suit tourists looking for a quieter setting who are interested in Irish history.

Get in

By train

• 1 Antrim railway station. A joint bus and train station on the Belfast-Derry line. Both trains and buses are operating frequent routes to all over Northern Ireland and to Dublin. Trains going to Londonderry/Derry (via Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Castlerock) or to Portrush (via Coleraine) depart from platform 1. Trains towards Belfast Great Victoria Street depart from platform 2 up over the footbridge. Check the digital departure boards above each platform for train information. Buses to and from Belfast are frequent and run every 20 - 40 minutes depending on the time and day.  

By bus

Public transport is relatively expensive in Northern Ireland, with a 20 minute return journey to Belfast costing around £6 or £7. As with the rest of the United Kingdom, buses especially cannot be relied upon for their timekeeping, so if you have a schedule to keep it is advisable to leave plenty of time when travelling.

By plane

• Belfast International Airport (BFS ^IATA) is situated near the town and is convenient for exploring the region.

Get around

There are many taxi companies in Antrim which will take you anywhere in the town for approximately £3.

See

• 1 Antrim Castle Gardens & Clotworthy House. Mon, Wed & Fri 09:30 - 17:00, Tue & Thu 09:30 - 21:30, Sat & Sun 10:00 - 17:00. Gardens in the grounds of the castle dating from 1610 (but destroyed by a fire in 1922). free. (updated Nov 2016)
• 2 Shane's Castle. ruined castle (updated Jan 2017)

Eat

• 1 McLarnon's The Ramble Inn, 236 Lisnevenagh Rd, ☏ +44 28 9442 8888. 
• 2 Top Of The Town, 77 Fountain St., ☏ +44 28 9442 8146. 

Sleep

• 1 Holiday Inn Express Antrim, Ballymena Road (M 2 Jct.1), ☏ +44 28 9442 5500. (updated Dec 2016)
• 2 Dunsilly Hotel, 20 Dunsilly Rd, ☏ +44 28 9446 2929. (updated Jan 2017)

Go next

• Newtownabbey
• Ballymena