Greencastle brings together a Norman castle, a Napoleonic coastal fort, maritime excursions and a planetarium. Its different periods and themes offer a range of focuses for your trip: historic buildings, stories from the sea or dome shows. If you are looking for accommodation in Greencastle, first consider which of these focuses should shape your plans.

Boat trips: wildlife watching or ferry

Greencastle Boat Tours offers sea safaris and wildlife trips, departing from the Lough Foyle Ferry Terminal in Greencastle. On wildlife trips, passengers can watch seals and dolphins. With luck, basking sharks may also appear off the Donegal coast—a possible sighting, not a guarantee. Another highlight of the trips is the site of the Spanish Armada shipwreck. If you plan a tour, confirm the schedule directly.

The Scenic Lough Foyle Ferry is a separate service: it operates seasonally as a car and passenger ferry between Greencastle in Donegal and Magilligan in Northern Ireland. The crossings connect two places; the ferry is not the same service as a sea safari or wildlife trip. As it operates seasonally, you should confirm that it is running before you travel.

Castle and fort: two different eras

Northburgh Castle, also known as New Castle or Greencastle, is a Norman castle. The de Burgh family, the Earls of Ulster, had it built in 1305. You can view the castle from the car park by the adjoining building or from the coastal path. The coastal path is accessible from the main car park in Greencastle village.

Greencastle Fort represents a different type of structure and a different period: it is a coastal fortification from the Napoleonic era. The fort lies at the eastern end of Greencastle, on elevated ground overlooking Lough Foyle. It is an important part of County Donegal’s built heritage and history. This lets you take different historical interests into account when choosing where to stay, without conflating the Norman castle with the later coastal fortification.

Maritime history and dome shows

The Inishowen Maritime Museum & Planetarium is housed in the Old Coast Guard Station, overlooking Greencastle Harbour on Lough Foyle. The museum is dedicated to Inishowen’s maritime history, including stories about seafarers and historic shipwrecks, as well as a curated collection of artefacts and accounts of the community’s connection to the sea.

The Planetarium & Dome Theatre offers a different focus. Its dome shows range from prehistoric seas to cosmic journeys and explore Earth, the sky and the universe. Together, the museum and planetarium offer different perspectives: one looks at a community’s maritime history, while the other explores nature and the cosmos inside the dome. Show availability may vary.

Another coastal spot nearby

Stroove Beach is near Greencastle, on the eastern coast of the Inishowen Peninsula, close to the mouth of Lough Foyle. This small, sandy beach is near Stroove Lighthouse and has been awarded Blue Flag status. It offers a different focus from the harbour, fort and boat trips: here, the coastal landscape and beach take centre stage. Stroove Beach is a nearby destination, not a district of Greencastle.

For the broader travel overview: County Donegal.