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Major city · United Kingdom

BallymenaBaile Meánach

Base here only if you have a car or a Causeway-coast plan: 1 night, or skip and stay in Belfast 40 min away.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
GBP
Best months
May–Sep
avoid Jan–Feb (wet, dark early)
Airports
BFS · BHD
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Neither the UK nor Ireland is part of Schengen: days spent here do not count towards the 90/180-day Schengen limit, and a Schengen visa does not admit you to either country.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗The island of Ireland runs on two currencies: euro in the Republic, pound sterling in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Carry a card that pays in both without fees.
  • Britain and Ireland ↗Both islands drive on the left. Speed limits are in miles per hour in the UK (including Northern Ireland) and in kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland.
  • United Kingdom ↗Most visitors who do not need a UK visa now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; this includes EU nationals. Irish citizens are exempt. Check the UK government site for your passport.
  • United Kingdom ↗The UK is outside the EU and the Schengen area; a Schengen visa is not valid for the UK.
  • United Kingdom ↗Driving is on the left; London has congestion and emissions charges for most vehicles, so do not drive in the city.

Ballymena is a County Antrim commuter town of about 31,300, midway between Belfast and Derry and 40 minutes from Belfast by hourly train. The town itself is a half-day: a museum, a church, a motte and a market. Its real value is as a cheaper, quieter base for Slemish, Gracehill, the Braid and the north coast, and that only works with wheels.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Ballymena, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee£3–4.50 (≈ US$4–6)
  • Sit-down mealPub main course£12–18 (≈ US$16–25)
  • Street or quick mealUlster fry breakfast£8–12 (≈ US$11–16)
  • BeerDraught beer, pint£5–6.50 (≈ US$7–9)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi across town£6–10 (≈ US$8–14)
  • Museum or sight ticketMuseum entryFree–£6 (≈ US$8) (check)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person£30 (≈ US$40)
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per room£140 (≈ US$190)
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per room£250 (≈ US$350)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget £45 (≈ US$60) · Mid £75 (≈ US$100) · High £130 (≈ US$180)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Mid Antrim Museum and the BraidSlemish mountainGracehill Moravian settlementBallymena United and the agricultural show
Airports
BFS Belfast International (Aldergrove) (Bus 109A from Antrim; about 30–40 min by road from Ballymena) · BHD George Best Belfast City (Train or bus to Belfast, then hourly train to Ballymena; about 1 h 30 min door to door)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Ballymena: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

7°C

2°C

17 rd

Feb

8°C

2°C

14 rd

Mar

10°C

3°C

15 rd

Apr

12°C

4°C

13 rd

May

15°C

6°C

13 rd

Jun

18°C

9°C

12 rd

Jul

19°C

11°C

14 rd

Aug

19°C

11°C

15 rd

Sep

17°C

9°C

14 rd

Oct

13°C

7°C

16 rd

Nov

10°C

4°C

16 rd

Dec

8°C

2°C

16 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. Outlying sights (Slemish, Gracehill, Arthur Cottage, Portglenone) need a car or taxi; bus 128 reaches Broughshane hourly on weekdays. Trains and Goldline coaches leave from the station a quarter-mile west of the centre.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Slemish

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way

A42 northeast, then Carnstroan Lane car park; car or taxi

437 m volcanic plug; short steep climb, views to Scotland on a clear day.

Gracehill

go

Door to door: About 15 min

Car or taxi west via Galgorm

Moravian settlement of 1765 with Georgian buildings; part of a 2024 UNESCO listing.

Belfast

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Hourly train from Ballymena station, about 40 min

Easy day or evening out; last trains back run before midnight.

Giant's Causeway and Bushmills

go

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Goldline 221 from Ballymena, two morning departures and two afternoon returns

Gives 3–5 hours at the Causeway; check the timetable before you commit.

Ballycastle

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

Bus 131/217 via Armoy and Cloughmills

Hourly Monday–Friday, four on Saturday, nothing on Sunday.

Larne

caution

Door to door: About 50 min

Ulsterbus 130, four times Monday–Saturday

Useful only if you are meeting a Cairnryan ferry.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Town centre (Ballymoney Rd / Wellington St)

Walk to the Braid, Tower Centre and Mill St restaurants; Adair Arms is here.

Galgorm Road, 1–4 miles west

Hotel strip: Oranmore, Tullyglass and Galgorm. Needs a car or taxi.

Broughshane, 4 miles northeast

Village base with gardens and a riverside park; bus 128 daytime only.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
£45–70 (≈ US$60–95) excl. bed
Mid
£70–110 (≈ US$95–150) excl. bed
High
£110 (≈ US$150)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 1 night × £140£140
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × £75£150
Train Belfast Grand Central ↔ Ballymena, both ways2 × £16 · check£32
Goldline 221 to the Causeway, return2 × £20 · check£40
eSIM, about a week of data2 × £8£16
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge£38
Trip total≈ £208 per person per day, bed included£416≈ US$600

2026 estimate in pounds; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee£3–4.50 (≈ US$4–6)
Ulster fry breakfast£8–12 (≈ US$11–16)
Pub main course£12–18 (≈ US$16–25)
Draught beer, pint£5–6.50 (≈ US$7–9)
Train Ballymena → Belfast, single£8–9 (≈ US$11–12) (check)
Taxi across town£6–10 (≈ US$8–14)
Museum entryFree–£6 (≈ US$8) (check)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Low street-crime risk for visitors; the real issues are weather, unlit rural roads and a quiet Sunday. Standard UK advice applies.
  • Sunday is quiet: many cafés and shops open late or not at all, and buses run a reduced timetable.
  • Slemish is a short, steep, rocky path with boggy ground after rain: boots, not trainers.
  • Some town-centre cafés are cash only; carry a little cash.
  • Rural roads are narrow and unlit; drive on the left and watch for tractors.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
999
Police non-urgent
101
NHS non-urgent
111

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

BallymenaBaile Meánach

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance999
  • Police non-urgent101
  • NHS non-urgent111

Embassy

No embassies in Ballymena; the US consulate-general is in Belfast, and most other missions are in London or Dublin.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Train Ballymena → Belfast Grand Central: about £8–9 (≈ US$11–12) single, 40 min (check)
  • Goldline 221 Ballymena → Giant's Causeway: about £10 (≈ US$14) single, 1 h 15 min (check)
  • Taxi, town centre → Galgorm Road hotels: £8–12 (≈ US$11–16)

Say or show

  • Thank you — Thank you
  • Please — Please
  • Excuse me — Excuse me
  • How much is it? — How much is it?
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card?
  • Where is the toilet? — Where is the toilet?

English is the everyday language; a few Irish and Ulster-Scots place names appear on signs.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Ballymena. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Sep · avoid Jan–Feb (wet, dark early) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contracts for BFS and BHD with last-train and last-bus cutoffs.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: the Braid and Town Hall, Mill St, Church St, the river banks.
  3. Place pages with verified hours for the Mid Antrim Museum, Arthur Cottage, Gracehill and Slemish.
  4. Sunday and late-arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to United Kingdom

Sources