Picking Up Your Car at Belfast International Airport
Belfast International sits outside the town of Antrim, about 21 miles northwest of Belfast city centre. It's Northern Ireland's biggest airport by passenger numbers, handling flights from easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, and seasonal routes from across Europe. If you're flying into Northern Ireland, chances are you're landing here. The airport code is BFS — not to be confused with George Best Belfast City, which is a different beast altogether and a lot closer to the city.
The terminal has had a fair bit of money spent on it in recent years and it's a decent enough place to pass through. Modern arrivals hall, a few shops, cafes, and — crucially for you — a short walk from the terminal to the car collection point. No shuttle buses, no twenty-minute transfer. You land, you walk out, you're in your car.
Collecting a hire car here is the smartest move you'll make for your trip. The airport bus into Belfast runs regularly enough, but once you want to get to the Causeway Coast, the Mournes, or anywhere off the beaten track, public transport thins out fast. A car from BFS puts the whole of Northern Ireland — and the Republic — at your feet from the moment you land.
How Pickup Works
When you clear arrivals, look for our team member with a sign showing your name. We walk you to the car, which is parked in the short-stay car park right outside the terminal. Paperwork takes a couple of minutes, we hand you the keys and a road map, and you're away. Ten minutes from arrivals to driving, typically less. If your flight is delayed, we wait — no stress.
Where to From Here
Pull out of BFS and you hit the M2 motorway heading southeast towards Belfast — thirty minutes in normal traffic, dual carriageway the whole way. If you're heading straight for the Causeway Coast, take the A26 north from the airport area instead. This skips Belfast entirely and gets you to Ballymena, then on to Ballycastle, the Dark Hedges, and the Giant's Causeway.
Dublin-bound? Join the M2 into Belfast, pick up the M1 heading south, and you're there in about two hours. The border crossing is completely seamless — you won't even notice it. The only giveaway is the speed limit signs changing from miles per hour to kilometres, and the road markings shifting colour. Worth remembering that the currency switches from sterling to euros too.
For Derry/Londonderry and Donegal, take the M22 from the airport onto the A6. This road has been massively upgraded and the run to Derry now takes about an hour and fifteen. From Derry, the Inishowen Peninsula and wild County Donegal are right there. Dead on for a day trip or the start of a longer adventure along the northwest coast.
Driving Tips You'll Want
We drive on the left here — same as the rest of the UK. Speed limits in miles per hour: 70 mph on motorways, 60 on single carriageways, 30 in towns unless posted otherwise. Belfast city centre has plenty of multi-storey car parks and street parking is generally manageable outside rush hour. Pro tip for the Causeway Coast: arrive at the Giant's Causeway or Carrick-a-Rede before 10am in summer if you want a parking space without a twenty-minute queue.
Distances from Belfast International Airport
- Belfast city centre: about 30 min via M2
- Giant's Causeway: about 1 hr 15 min via A26
- Dublin: about 2 hrs via M1 south
- Derry/Londonderry: about 1 hr 15 min via M22/A6
- Mourne Mountains (Newcastle): about 1 hr 30 min via M1 and A24
- Enniskillen & Fermanagh Lakelands: about 1 hr 30 min via M1 and A4
Airport Facilities
Restaurants, cafes, duty-free, bureau de change, free Wi-Fi. Short-stay and long-stay car parks right outside. Bus services run to Belfast city centre (30-40 min journey). There's an ATM in arrivals for withdrawing sterling — handy if you've just landed from the eurozone.
Routes We'd Recommend
The Causeway Coastal Route is one of the world's great drives and it starts just north of the airport. Rather than hammering straight up the A26, consider looping through Larne and along the Antrim Coast Road. You'll pass through Carnlough, Cushendall, and Ballycastle — the nine Glens of Antrim unfolding on your left, the sea on your right. Stop for a pub lunch in Cushendall, photograph the white limestone harbour at Ballintoy (the Iron Islands in Game of Thrones), and arrive at the Giant's Causeway in the golden hour. Allow a full day and you'll remember it for years.
Alternatively, head south to the Mourne Mountains in County Down. About ninety minutes from BFS, and once you're there you've got some of the finest hillwalking on the island. Slieve Donard — the highest peak in Northern Ireland — can be climbed and descended in about five hours, with views across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man and Scotland on a clear day. Stop at Tollymore Forest Park on the way — the Haunted Forest from Game of Thrones, and genuinely one of the most atmospheric walks in the country. From the airport, the Causeway Coast and Game of Thrones locations are under 90 minutes away.
Why BFS Is Your Best Starting Point
Belfast International is perfectly placed. The M2 takes you into Belfast in thirty minutes. The A26 gets you to the Causeway Coast without touching the city. The M1 connects south to Dublin in two hours. And because the airport sits outside Belfast, you dodge the city traffic entirely if your destination is the north coast, the west, or the Republic. Grab the keys, pick a direction, and go.
We'll be in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign. Your car is parked steps from the terminal. From touchdown to driving: about ten minutes. We'll hand you a road map and happily talk your ear off about routes, stops, and where to get the best fish and chips on the coast.