Tours | RD Chauffeur Services

Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny island of Carrickarede. It spans 20 metres and is 30 metres above the rocks below.

Visit National Trust

The Dark Hedges

One of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland and a popular attraction for tourists from across the world.

Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust

Giant's Causeway

The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is also known as Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach in Irish and tha Giant’s Causey in Ulster-Scots. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant’s Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom

Visit National Trust

Dunluce Castle

he iconic ruin of Dunluce Castle bears witness to a long and tumultuous history. First built on the dramatic coastal cliffs of north Antrim by the MacQuillan family around 1500, the earliest written record of the castle was in 1513.

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Ballintoy Harbour

Ballintoy Harbour can be discovered in the picturesque village of Ballintoy. Known as a ‘raised beach’, it is located alongside the B15 coast road, 17 miles north-east of Coleraine and five miles west of Ballycastle.
It has been used as a filming location in HBO’s epic series Game of Thrones. This stunning harbour location has been used for exterior Pyke shots and as the Iron Islands.

Discover Northern Ireland

Bushmills Distillery

Let’s us take you to Ireland’s oldest whiskey distillery. Whiskey-making tours with tasting session in centuries-old building with legendary resident ghost.

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Golf Tours

RD Chauffeur Services will plan your entire visit, so you won’t have to worry about a thing. We will book your hotels, tee-off times and evening meals if required, so from the moment you arrive at the airport, whether it is Dublin, Belfast International or Belfast City, you can relax and enjoy the golf and craic.

The European Club 3rd Hole

Ardglass Golf Club 11th Green

Lough-Erne – 16th hole

Royal Portrush Hole 13

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Junction od Dee St and Newtownards Road East Belfast April 2008.

Belfast Peace Wall and Mural Tours

Every city has it’s own unique style, unique shopping but Belfast city has a unique and dark past after emerging from 30 years of conflict.

Northern Ireland has become famous for the murals painted in almost every area of the country. They often depict the history and political views of both traditions and are a way of marking territory. These wall paintings often look intimidating but they have become as much of a tourist attraction as many of the regular attractions within Belfast and beyond.

Our Guides are knowledgable in all aspects of the Northern Ireland conflict and can give you an in-depth information about the murals as you tour them and the peace walls.

The tour includes the main Belfast Peace Wall separating the Loyalist Shankill Road and the Republic Falls Road areas. The wall has been signed by both the Dalai Lama and President Clinton.

Game of Thrones Tours

Full day guided bus tour from Belfast visiting filming locations from HBO’s Game of Thrones. We travel around Northern Ireland stopping at key locations sights of this epic drama viewed in over 199 countries around the world . With these tours you have your personal guide and transport to give you 5 star treatment as you visit Kings Landing, Stormlands and Winterfell just to name a few. Explore the ancient Cushendun Caves and discover well-known spots from the series such as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and Dunluce Castle, as well as the UNESCO–listed Giant’s Causeway, which shares the same otherworldly feel as the filming spots.

Belfast Sightseeing Day Trips

Titanic Belfast

Since opening its doors in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage, Titanic Belfast has rocketed to the top of Northern Ireland’s list of tourist attractions, drawing over 1 million visitors in its first year. It seems fitting that the city should host the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience; after all, Belfast was where the world’s most luxurious ship was built and first launched.

Today, the area of Belfast Harbor that once housed the RMS Titanic has been renamed the Titanic Quarter and is dominated by the towering silver façade of the Titanic Belfast, a remarkable building fashioned from four ship-hull-shaped wings. The futuristic building is home to the state-of-the-art Titanic Belfast exhibition, which spreads over six floors and includes interactive discovery zones, full-scale reconstructions, real-life accounts and mind-blowing special effects.

From the first talks of building an unsinkable ship to the construction by Harland and Wolff and subsequent launch in early 20th-century Belfast, to the tragic events that unfolded on April 15, 1912, the Titanic Belfast unveils the all-too-short history of the notorious ship, step by step. Highlights include the Ocean Exploration Centre, with live links to modern underwater explorations; a display of artifacts pulled from the wreckage of the Titanic; and the luxury Titanic Banqueting Hall.

St Anne's Cathedral

Unlike the chief churches of other European cities, St Anne’s Cathedral (often just called Belfast Cathedral) doesn’t have a history stretching back far into the Renaissance or Middle Ages. It was begun in 1899 and, although basically finished in the 1980s, still lacks some finishing touches (like a steeple!)

Outside, it’s a looming pile of stone, basically neo-Romanesque in style. Inside, it’s intricately patterned, with black-and-white marble floors representing the paths of virtue and vice; immense stained glass windows; carvings depicting Belfast life; and a wondrous mosaic, made by two sisters out of countless pieces of colored glass.

Queen's University Belfast

Just as Dublin has Trinity, so Belfast has Queen’s. It’s the city’s top university and a center of green and calm. Neo-Gothic and neo-Tudor buildings mingle with less majestic fare. Over 20,000 students attend, so if you come in term-time there’s plenty of people-watching to be done as the campus goes about its business.

It was founded in 1849 and its main building was designed by Charles Lanyon. However, the main pleasure for the visitor is less its history and more just strolling around the grounds enjoying the tranquil enclave and the toney streets surrounding the campus.

Belfast Botanic Gardens & Palm House

Wet and cold? Spend an afternoon in Belfast Botanical Gardens and be transported to a friendlier climate. Established in 1828, the Gardens are probably most famous for their Palm House, which was built soon after. The Palm House, designed by Charles Lanyon, is of gracefully curved steel and glass with a birdcage dome and filled with seasonal displays and, in the ‘stove wing’, a mini-jungle.

The gardens also have a Tropical Ravine – a building with a bridge overlooking tropical varieties like banana, cinammon and orchids – an alpine garden, sculptures and rose beds.

Titanic Quarter

No ship is more famous than the luxurious Titanic and nowhere on earth is better equipped to tell its story than the Titanic Quarter of Belfast. This 185-acre waterfront attraction is home to dozens of historical landmarks, a film studio and the largest collection of Titanic-themed artifacts on earth.

Travelers to Titanic Quarter can venture off on historic walking tours or visit Titanic’s Dock and Pump-House for an up close look at the old-school maritime operations. Visitors can also explore the berths of the famous Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line ship on earth. Travelers are transported more than 100 years back in time after boarding the newly restored ship.

Belfast Castle

Belfast Castle sits high above the city on Cave Hill, looking the very picture of baronial splendor (it’s built in the Scottish Baronial style, like the Queen’s house Balmoral).

There’s been a castle on this site since the 12th century, but this one dates from the 1860s. It was built by the 3rd Marquis of Donegall. It went wildly over budget and, as the Marquis’ fortunes had changed, nearly didn’t get finished at all.

Today it’s a working castle, earning its keep with wedding receptions, conferences, an antique store and an adventure playground. At the visitors center you can find out all about the history of the Castle Hill site.

Noticed a cat motif around the place? It’s all down to a legend that says all will be well with the castle’s residents as long as there is a white cat in situ.

Crown Liquor Saloon

It’s like a museum – where you can drink stout. This 1826 fantasy beguiles the eye with every glance. Look up – there’s a pressed ceiling. There to your left? Brocaded walls and patterned tiles. To the right? Smoked glass screens and stained glass windows. Not to mention gunmetal plates (once used to strike matches) and antique bells (once used to summon your next drink).

Mosaics, carved wooden swans, mirrors, a red granite bar with a heated foot rest – it will spoil you for sodden beer mats and pokies for ever more. This temple to the art of conviviality was actually made by Italian crafstmen who were in Ireland to make Catholic churches. The owner of the Crown convinced them to do some work on the side for him. The result? Somewhere St Peter would be happy to take a tipple.

Stormont Estate and Parliament Buildings

The Stormont Estate and Parliament buildings are home to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which is responsible for making laws transferred to local jurisdiction and for providing oversight on the work of ministers and government departments. It previously housed the now defunct Parliament of Northern Ireland.

The large Stormont Estate technically includes Northern Ireland’s main government buildings and comprising 407 acres of land open to the public 365 days a year. On the estate grounds, you can take off on walking trails and woodland walks, entertain the kids at the adventure playground or visit the historic sculptures and monuments.

The Parliament buildings are open to the public, where you can attend debates and watch committee hearings, or go on a guided tour of the “House on the Hill.” There are also 600 events held annually here, including fundraisers, dinners and concerts.

Victoria Square Shopping Centre

The Victoria Square Shopping Centre is one of the biggest and most expensive developments in Northern Ireland. It includes both residential and commercial space, with the British department store House of Fraser as its anchor tenant. The square’s iconic feature is undoubtedly its glass dome that offers panoramic 360-degree views of the city. The 35-meter diameter dome has two covered, multi-level streets linking in, and an ornate Jaffee Fountain sits below the dome in what is the hub of the entire area.

Daily tours of the dome are offered, with guides providing information on some of the sights to see. Important buildings like Belfast Castle, Harland & Wolff Cranes, Belfast City Hall, Belfast Courts of Justice and the Albert Clock are some to be pointed out.

Retail outlets spread out over four floors include Fossil, H&M, Apple, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Hugo Boss and more, while entertainment outlets like Odeon Cinemas, restaurants and bars are also part of the commercial space at Victoria Square.

Crumlin Road Jail/Gaol

Crumlin Road features two imposing structures of Belfast’s criminal justice system, the Crumlin Road Gaol (Jail) and Courthouse. The jail opened in 1845 and the courthouse five years later, though neither have been in service since the late 1990ss. Crumlin Road Jail is the only Victorian-era prison remaining in Northern Ireland and is commonly referred to as “The Crum.”

The Crumlin Road Gaol is a black basalt and red sandstone structure of four wings branching out from a central circle. The jail has been the site of numerous breakouts, bombings and protests over the years, and despite being referred to as the Alcatraz of Europe, there were a number of successful escape attempts, the first in 1866. It has housed such notable inmates as Ian Paisley, Eamon de Valera, Michael Stone and Lenny Murphy. Gallows were not included in the original design, meaning executions took place in public view. In 1901, an execution chamber was built and utilized until 1961, when hangings stopped.

The Crumlin Road Courthouse stands opposite the jail and is in disrepair today. It has a tunnel that connects the two buildings and was once used to transport prisoners from prison to court. The site is now a tourist destination where visitors can tour the facility. At present, the courthouse is in a state of disrepair while awaiting plans for its future use.

Belfast City Hall

Belfast City Hall was built to commemorate the event of Belfast becoming a city, having been granted the status in 1888 by Queen Victoria in recognition of the contributions of Belfast in the industries of linen, rope, tobacco, engineering and shipbuilding. This imposing structure of Portland stone has a copper dome topping out at 173 feet high, as well as a statue of Queen Victoria celebrating her jubilee standing out front.

Many other statues and monuments can be found on the surrounding grounds, including the Thane Memorial for the victims of the Titanic sinking, which was expanded in 2012 to become the Titanic Memorial Garden. The memorial garden contains a nine-meter-long plinth containing bronze plaques with the names of all of the victims and was the first memorial to include the names of all who died, both crew members and passengers. You can also find memorials commemorating the soldiers of the Boer War and Korean War, and another for the American Expeditionary Force, the first American troops to arrive in Europe for World War II in 1942.

Titanic's Dock and Pump-House

This historical site is the first and last dock of the world famous Titanic. In April of 1912 the massive cruise-liner shored up to set sail from the Belfast port and never returned. Today, visitors can explore the shipyard where this behemoth of a boat came to life. The dry dock and pump-house are perfectly preserved and expert guides unlock a mystical world where engineers built an “unsinkable” ship and the well-to-do embarked on a journey from which they would not return.

Titanic Belfast

First Class Hotels

There are many first class hotels/B&B’s on the island. At RD Chauffeur Services we will manage all your hotel booking arrangements ensuring that you have nothing to worry about, and have a cracking night’s sleep before that all-important golf challenge.

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