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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Coleraine
Cúil Rathain
Use Coleraine as a 1-night rail and bus base for the Causeway Coast, not a sightseeing stop: the town itself is 2–3 hours, the coast is the reason.
Coleraine is a market town and transport hub on the River Bann, 80 minutes by train from Belfast and 40 minutes from Derry, with hourly connections to Portrush and the coast. It has few sights of its own, but it is the best-value bed base for the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills and the beaches, and it is where the buses to those places start. Stay one night, two if you want a full coast day without a car.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Cúil Rathain
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (wet, short days); Northwest 200 week if you want quiet roads
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Pint of beer | £5–6.50 |
| Fish and chips | £10–15 |
| Train Coleraine → Belfast, one way | £12–16 |
| Taxi within town | £5–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BFS · Belfast International (Aldergrove)
- Train from Antrim station, about 1 h 20 min total to Coleraine; check the Antrim connection
- BHD · George Best Belfast City
- Bus or taxi to Belfast city centre, then hourly train to Coleraine, about 2 h 15 min total
- LDY · City of Derry
- Bus 134/234 from Eglinton via Limavady to Coleraine; limited daily services, check times
Typical fares
- Train Coleraine → Belfast
- about £12–16, 80 min
- Train Coleraine → Derry
- about £10–13, 40 min
- Bus 140 Coleraine → Portrush
- about £3–4, 20 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is walkable: station to The Diamond is about 200 yards. Bus 140 runs the Coleraine–Portstewart–Portrush triangle every 20 min Mon–Fri, hourly Saturday, about every 2 hours Sunday. Bus 172/402 follows the coast to Dunluce, Bushmills, the Giant's Causeway and Ballycastle, but only 2–3 times Mon–Fri and once on Saturday, so plan around it or drive. Ulsterbus 139 loops the town hourly Mon–Sat.
See and do
Known for
- Causeway Coast base
- River Bann and The Diamond
- Mount Sandel Mesolithic site
- Northwest 200 motorbike race
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Portstewart | Bus 140 from Coleraine station, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Portrush | Train from Coleraine, about 15 min, or bus 140 | About 30 min |
| Castlerock | Train towards Derry, about 15 min | About 30 min |
| Giant's Causeway and Bushmills | Bus 172/402 from Coleraine, 2–3 times Mon–Fri, once Saturday | 1–1.5 h each way |
| Derry | Train along the coast, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Limavady | Bus 134 via Aghanloo and Magilligan, 5–6 times Mon–Sat | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Town centre (The Diamond and Railway Rd)
- Walk to station, pubs and shops; most B&Bs and the small hotels sit within 15 min of the station.
- Riverside / Castlerock Rd west bank
- Quieter, near the Old Court House pub and the bridge; 10–15 min walk to the station.
- Edge-of-town hotels (Lodge Rd, Drumcroom Rd)
- Car-friendly with parking and leisure facilities; 20–30 min walk or a short taxi to the centre.
- Portstewart or Portrush (nearby)
- Seaside beds 10–20 min away by bus 140; better for beach evenings, thinner off-season.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hello |
| Please | Please |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Excuse me | Excuse me |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Coast buses are sparse: the 172/402 runs 2–3 times Mon–Fri and once on Saturday, so a missed bus can cost hours.
- Sunday service is thin on nearly every route; check the day's timetable before you commit.
- Northwest 200 in May closes roads between Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart; expect diversions and full beds.
- Book coast accommodation early for May–September and race week; the town's own stock is small.
- Rain is likely in any month: pack a waterproof rather than planning around a dry forecast.
A low-crime town and a safe base; the real risks are weather, thin Sunday buses and unlit coastal paths after dark. Standard UK precautions apply.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Coleraine yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Causeway Coast base
- River Bann and The Diamond
- Mount Sandel Mesolithic site
- Northwest 200 motorbike race
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Causeway Coast and Glens: www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com/
- Translink (NI Railways and Ulsterbus): www.translink.co.uk/
- Ulster University: www.ulster.ac.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Coleraine, revision 5142244 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5142244
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
ColeraineCúil Rathain
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Coleraine; the US consulate-general is in Belfast, and most other countries have embassies in London or Dublin (check).
Local language is English; no phrase card needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/coleraine). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.