For other places with the same name, see Antrim (disambiguation).

County Antrim is a county in Northern Ireland. The Antrim coast is one of the most beautiful parts of Northern Ireland, with the Antrim Coast Road taking in some of the best scenery in the country.

Understand

The Glens of Antrim offer isolated rugged landscapes, the Giant's Causeway is one of the most striking landscapes on Earth and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, Bushmills produces legendary whiskey, and Portrush is where mostly farmers go to party, with most heading for a better night out in Belfast. It is one of Ireland's most fascinating counties. It is also home of the Ulster Grand Prix, set in the tiny village of Dundrod and is the world's fastest motorcycle racing circuit.

Antrim the county town is worth a visit with many historical locations and for the bargain hunters a large outlet centre and huge Saturday morning bootsale at dunsilly

Cities, towns and villages

Map of Antrim

Cities

• Belfast - partly in County Antrim and County Down
• Lisburn - partly in County Antrim and County Down

Towns

• Antrim
• Ballycastle
• Ballymena
• Ballymoney
• Carrickfergus
• Larne
• Portrush

Villages

• Cushendall
• Kells

Other destinations

• Rathlin Island
• Glens of Antrim
• Giant's Causeway
• Carrickfergus Castle
• Dunluce Castle

Get in

Belfast International Airport is situated near the town of Antrim, and is convenient for exploring the region. Ferries from Scotland land at Larne.

Get around

Translink [1] operates the public transport system in Antrim. It has both Rail and Bus services

Eat

Standard Northern Irish fare, but if you're lucky enough to catch the Oul Lammas Fair in Ballycastle (held on the last Monday and Tuesday of August), be sure to try Yallow Man, a rock hard yellow sweet that is eaten with the aid of a hammer. Make sure your dental insurance is up to date first.

Drink

Bushmills Distillery, of course. You can take distillery tours, and you'll likely be more merry going out than when you went in. It's worth noting that at the end of each tour four people from the tour group (two women and two men) are asked to volunteer for a special whiskey tasting, where participants get to try nine different types of whiskey.

US visitors who are unaccustomed to driving on the left are well advised to shun the whiskey tasting. Buy some to take back to your hotel.

Stay safe

Stay sensible, don't wander around urban areas at night or make political statements in strange company, and you'll be just fine.