My sister and I began our New Year in Ireland, where we explored Dublin and the West for four busy but beautiful days. Ireland has been a dream destination of mine for a long time, so I didn’t want to waste a minute while we were there.

We scheduled a last-minute tour for New Year’s Day of the Giant’s Causeway, Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Castle and Belfast with Paddywagon Tours. Our tour guide took us through Belfast first, giving a brief political history before making our way to the Dark Hedges. The tree-lined road has been made famous from its debut in Game of Thrones, and our tour guide warned us it would be very busy considering its newfound popularity. We pulled up to a completely empty road and hopped out for photos and a quick walk along the gorgeous and vacant pathway.

Next stop brought us to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. For a fee visitors could cross the bridge, but the wind was incredibly strong, so we decided to skip the bridge walk. The sky was so clear with no rain in sight, so we made our way along the path for a truly beautiful hike.

The Giant’s Causeway was one of our last stops and well worth the wait. Our guide told us the history and folklore behind the ancient rocks before dropping us off for a free walk along the path. The entire area was just one beautiful view after another, and we reveled in the long walk after the bus ride. Our last stop brought us back to Belfast for over an hour of city exploring. Being just a week after Christmas, the city was still beautifully decorated and filled with holiday cheer. We shopped and eventually stopped in a café before returning to Dublin. The entire expedition was about 12 hours, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. We made our way back to Dublin with still a full night in the city.

For anyone staying in the city and looking to explore Northern Ireland and the West, I would highly recommend the day tour buses. The guides are friendly and highly knowledgeable while still giving plenty of space and free time to explore each location, fully, on our own.

— Angelique Platas, office manager