Portrush (Port Rois, "promontory port") is a resort town on the north coast of Northern Ireland, historically within County Antrim and nowadays part of Causeway Coast and Glens District. As that name implies, Portrush is a good base for visiting Giant's Causeway and other major attractions along the Antrim coast. It had a population of 6000 in 2021, greatly swollen in summer by visitors, when you need to book ahead with accommodation. It also houses many students and staff of the University of Ulster in Coleraine.
Portrush visitor information centre is in Town Hall by the railway station, open Apr-Sep M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 1-4PM.
Get in
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By road from Belfast or the south, the direct route is M2 / A26 north past Ballymena and Coleraine. If it's fine and you've got all day, meander along the scenic coastal route through Carrickfergus, the Antrim glens and Ballycastle.
Trains run hourly from Belfast Grand Central via Antrim (for International Airport), Ballymena and Coleraine. Change there for the Portrush train, total travel time two hours, while the train from Belfast continues to Derry.
1 Portrush railway station is central, near West Strand Beach.
2 Dhu Varren is a halt half a mile south, in the main area for B&Bs.
Ulsterbus 140b runs a triangle from Coleraine to Portrush (20 min), Portstewart and back to Coleraine; 140a is the reverse triangle. It's every 20 min M-Sa.
Bus 402 runs every 30 min from Coleraine to Portrush, Dunluce (for castle), Portballintrae, Bushmills (for distillery), Giant's Causeway, Ballintoy (for Carrick-a-Rede bridge) and Ballycastle. Don't take the 172, which from Coleraine heads straight to Bushmills and bypasses Portrush.
Goldliner Bus 278 runs in university term-time, with one bus F & Su from Monaghan via Armagh, Moy, Dungannon, Cookstown, Magherafelt, Garvagh, Coleraine, Ulster University and Portstewart to Portrush.
Portrush bus terminal is shown on timetables as "Dunluce Ave". It's 100 yards east of the railway station
Get around
[edit]Walk, the town is small and easy to navigate.
The peninsula layout means driving in town centre is slow and parking is scarce during the holiday season.
Take Bus 140 for Portstewart. Take Bus 402 for Dunluce Castle, Bushmills and points east.
See
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- 1 Ramore Head is the breezy head of the peninsula where Portrush stands. Nice views.
- Portrush town centre is 19th / 20th century low-rise. It's reasonably smart by the dilapidated standards of the average trad seaside town.
- Coastal Zone, 8 Bath Road BT56 8AP, ☏ +44 28 7082 3600. Jun-Sep daily 10AM-4:30PM. Small exhibition of the natural history of the area. Free.
- West Strand beach starts south of the harbour near the railway station, so it's the main destination for bucket & spade day-trippers. It's flanked by Curry's Fun Park, a large funfair.
- East Strand stretches for a couple of miles, and is quieter as you get away from town. It's backed by rugged sand dunes, great for a picnic or beach party. Eventually it ends beyond the golf course at White Rocks.
- 2 The Skerries are rocky islets a mile offshore. They're a nature reserve; boat trips to Giant's Causeway sail close by.
- Portstewart 3 miles west of Portrush is a similar small harbour and seaside resort in County Londonderry.
- 3 Dunluce Castle, 87 Dunluce Rd, Bushmills BT57 8UY, ☏ +44 28 2073 1938. Daily 9:30AM-4PM. A ruined medieval castle on a basalt outcrop on the coast. An earlier castle was built in the 13th century and this one replaced it in the 16th, falling derelict in the 17th. Only in 2011 were the remnants of an entire 17th-century town of Dunluce discovered nearby, with a grid street pattern and indoor sanitation.
Do
[edit]- Surf: West Strand is the main beach. Surf schools and shops include Portrush Surf School, Troggs, Woodies, SUB6 and Alive Adventures.
- Curry's Fun Park (formerly Barry's) is the funfair on East Strand, open April-Sep.
- Playhouse theatre and cinema is at 47 High St.
- Boat trips are by Causeway Sea Tours and North Coast Speedboats.
- 1 Royal Portrush Golf Club, Dunluce Rd BT56 8JQ, ☏ +44 28 7082 2311. Championship golf club which hosted the Open in 2025 on its Dunluce course (7337 yards, par 71). The 18-hole Valley course (6304 yards, par 70) is shared with Rathmore GC.
- Ballyreagh is a council-run golf course west side of town.
- The Ulster Way is a hiking trail that circles the province. Locally the best section is the waymarked trail east along the coast to Dunluce Castle, Port Ballintrae, Bushmills and Giant's Causeway; you could walk one way and ride the bus back. West the trail takes you to Portstewart: it's not worth continuing beyond as you then have to trudge for some miles along ratty roads before you regain the trail at Castlerock.
- Portrush Raft Race is a fundraising event for the lifeboat service in May.
- Northwest 200 is a motorbike race held over a week in May on a triangular on-road circuit between Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart.
Eat
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- And see below for hotel restaurants.
- Shanty is in the old lifeboat station on Ramore Ave, open Tu-F noon-8PM, Sa Su noon-9PM.
- Kraken is a fish & chips place at 25 Lansdowne Cres, open Th-Su noon-8:30PM.
- Saffron is at 126 Main St, open daily 5-10PM.
- Ramore, 1 Harbour Road BT56 8DF, ☏ +44 7506 990345. This is a strip of waterfront restaurants: Wine Bar, Basalt, Mermaid, Neptune & Prawn, Coast, Harbour and Horsebox. Good atmosphere in them all.
- Top Blade is a steakhouse at 4 Castle Erin Rd, open M-F 5-10PM, Sa Su 1-10:30PM.
- Urban is at 26 Dunluce Ave near the station, open daily 12:30-9PM.
- Babushka on South Pier alas doesn't offer pierogi or borscht, but it's a continental-style cafe open Su-W 9:30AM-5PM, Th-Sa 9:30AM-9PM.
- Tides, 21 Ballyreagh Rd BT56 8LR, ☏ +44 28 7082 3833. M-Sa 12:30-2:30PM, 5-9PM, Su 12:30-9PM. Relaxed place east by the golf course, good trad fare.
- Portstewart to the west has the usual seaside fare.
Drink
[edit]- Pubs in town centre include The Offshore, Safehouse Cafe, Springhill Bar, Station Bar, The Quays and Kiwi Brew Bar.
- Kelly's is a complex off Bushmills Rd near the golf club with a slew of bars, live entertainment venues, nightclub and Golflinks Hotel.
- Bushmills is a famous distillery six miles east, producing a variety of blended and single malt whiskey. The taste is distinctive.
Sleep
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- 1 Carrick Dhu Caravan Park, 12 Ballyreagh Rd BT56 8LS, ☏ +44 28 7082 3712. Council-run site a mile west of town, with 20 tent pitches and 35 tourer hook-ups.
- Prospect House is a B&B at 20 Lansdowne Cres.
- Elephant Rock is a B&B at 17 Lansdowne Cres.
- The Marcus Portrush, 39 Main St BT56 8BL, ☏ +44 28 7053 1233. Comfy efficient hotel, part of Hilton chain. B&B double £220.
- Portrush Atlantic Hotel, 73 Main St BT56 8BN, ☏ +44 28 7082 6100. Good central mid-range place. B&B double £180.
- Portrush Adelphi is at 67 Main St.
- Aaranmore Lodge, 14 Coleraine Road BT56 8EA, ☏ +44 7426 820466. Clean welcoming B&B south side of town. Free parking and wifi. B&B double £100.
- Anvershiel House, 16 Coleraine Rd BT56 8EA, ☏ +44 7391 316246. Delightful welcoming B&B and does a great breakfast. B&B double £140.
- Pier39 Portrush, 39 Kerr Street BT56 8DQ, ☏ +44 28 7082 3541, [email protected]. Excellent B&B with en suite rooms by the harbour. Adults only, no pets. B&B double £140.
- 2 Golflinks Hotel, Bushmills Rd BT56 8JG, ☏ +44 28 7082 6611. Comfy modern place but it's within the Kelly's Nightclub complex, noisy until late. B&B double £150.
- 3 Royal Court Hotel, 233 Ballybogey Rd BT56 8NF, ☏ +44 28 7082 2236. Smart mid-range place beyond the golf course east of town. B&B double £160.
- Portstewart 3 miles west has more accommodation.
Connect
[edit]As of Feb 2026, Portrush and its approach roads have 4G from EE, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from O2.
Go next
[edit]- The coastline east has Northern Ireland's top attractions: Bushmills, Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Bridge and Ballycastle, for ferries to Rathlin Island. It's very touristy, continue east for the Antrim Glens.
- Portstewart west is a small resort similar to Portrush.
- Coleraine is a transport hub and hosts the University of Ulster. South of town, Mountsandel Mount is a huge earthwork.