• 10 days / 9 nights / 17 meals
• Group transfers at start and end of tour
• Sightseeing by luxury coach
• Professional tour director
• 9 nights in hotels listed above
• Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
• 8 dinners (D) including
  - Dinner and traditional entertainment at the Merry Ploughboy Pub
  - Farewell dinner at Clontarf Castle Hotel
  - 6 table d'hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• Tour of Dublin with a local guide
• Slieve League sea cliffs followed by home-baked scones with coffee or tea
• Catamaran cruise of Killary Fjord
• Sheepdog trials on Ring of Kerry
• Dublin open-top bus tour with a visit and drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
• Visits and admissions to Book of Kells at Trinity College, Glendalough Visitor Centre, Boyne Valley Visitor Centre & Newgrange or Knowth Tomb, Triona Design, Belleek Pottery Factory, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Museum of Country Life, Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Cliffs of Moher, Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Skellig Experience, Blarney Woollen Mills and Rock of Cashel
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Explore the best of Ireland with a blend of touring, sightseeing and leisure time. Discover the natural beauty of Ireland's mountains, glens, cliffs and lakes. Relive history as you visit castles and heritage centers. Superb breakfasts, dinners and lively entertainment await you.

Day 1: Dublin Touring & Book of Kells

A group transfer from Dublin Airport to your hotel can be arranged between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. However, if your flight arrives later than noon, you will need to make your own way there. 

Join you tour guide at 2:00pm for a tour of the city centre. Take in the sights and sounds of Dublin inculuding the famous Georgian squares, public buildings and  the Great Irish Famine Memorial. A visit to Trinity College’s Old Library to view the ancient Book of Kells isa must before enjoying a welcome drink. 

Day 2: Glendalough Monastic Site & Irish Evening

Drive south from Dublin through the Wicklow Mountains. Pause at the Glendalough Visitor Centre where you can learn about St. Kevin’s 6th century monastery as well as viewing the site where you will find a round tower, church ruins and Celtic crosses.

The tour will return to Dublin where you will have some free time this afternoon. You may wish to take the open top bus tour. You may use your voucher for the Guinness Storehouse or the Old Jameson Distillery.

Later in the evening you will gather at a Dublin pub for traditional Irish food followed by a traditional Irish music session. (B, D)

Day 3: Neolithic Tombs & Donegal

On the third day, you can visit the Boyne Valley Visitor Centre where you will learn about the ancient burial tombs of Newgrange and Knowth. Both of these tombs are over 5,000 years old. 

Next you will be treated to a beautiful drive through the Lakeland region of County Cavan and along the beautiful shores of Lower Lough Erne until you reach your hotel near Donegal town. Relax and use the hotels impressive facilities before dinner later in the evening. (B, D)

Day 4: Slieve League Cliffs & Glengesh Pass

A drive to the fishing port of Killybegs will commence on day 4. Next you will visit Teelin to view the Slieve League sea cliffs. The highest point reaches 1,972 feet  which makes them the highest in Europe.  

You are sure to enjoy the home-baked scones with coffee or tea on offer before continuing through the magical Glengesh Pass. Visit Triona Design in Ardara where you will see demonstrations of spinning, weaving and knitting. Donegal is renowned for its wool production and you will see why.

Drive to Donegal town where you will enjoy some free time before returning to your nearby hotel before dinner. (B, D)

Day 5: Belleek & Museum of Country Life

Day 5 will include a visit to the Belleek Pottery Factory to see how the craftspeople create fine china. Stop at Drumcliffe Churchyard where you can visit the grave of W. B. Yeats who was aNobel prize-winning Irish poet. Leaving Sligo, you will continue through Co. Mayo until you reach Castlebar. A visit to the Museum of Country Life is highly recommended. You will be able to view everyday country life items from 1850 to 1950. You will then drive to Galway where you can check in to your hotel before dinner. (B, D)

Day 6: Catamaran Cruise & Kylemore Abbey

Today you will drive through the heart of Connemara before enjoying a short cruise of Killary Harbour, which is 9 miles long and Ireland's only fjord.

View one of the last traces of the 1840's Famine era in Ireland as you will be able to see the old potato ridges as well as mussel and salmon farms.

Travel to Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre before driving to Clifden which is the principal town of the region. Onwards to Moycullen where you will visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory which specialises in coloured crystal, before returning to Galway where you can enjoy your evening meal. (B, D)

Day 7: Cliffs of Moher & Flying Boat Museum

Drive around Galway Bay to view the Cliffs of Moher. Continue to Bunratty for a brief stop to have a drink in Durty Nelly’s, which is one of Ireland's oldest pubs or perhaps you may prefer to shop at the Bunratty Woollen Mills.  

Next you will travel to Foynes to visit the Flying Boat Museum. Here you will learn all about air travel during the 1930’s and early 1940’s as this was the landing place for Pan Am Clippers from both the United States and Europe. 

Once you arrive in Killarney, check in to your hotel and relax before your evening meal. (B, D)

Day 8: Ring of Kerry & Skellig Experience

On day 8 take a drive around the Ring of Kerry which is 100 miles long. Stop at Kells to meet a local farmer, Brendan Ferris, who will provide a sheepdog demonstration.

At the tip of the peninsula you will have the opportunity to visit the Skellig Experience. Return through the colourful village of Sneem and pause at Moll’s Gap for panoramic views of Killarney and its lakes. You might like to take a stroll around Killarney before dinner. (B, D)

Day 9: Blarney & Clontarf Castle Hotel

On day 9 you will drive through Co Cork until the Blarney Woollen Mills is reached. Here you will be able to buy quality Irish-made products. If you wish, you may climb Blarney Castle and kiss the famous stone in your free time.

Drive north and stop at the  Rock of Cashel before continuing to Dublin. Check in to Clontarf Castle which dates back to 1172 . Enjoy your final meal in Ireland at the hotel’s old-world dining room. (B, D)

Day 10: Tour Ends at Dublin Airport

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner

Hotels on this tour

• Herbert Park Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
• Mill Park Hotel, Donegal (2 nights)
• Hotel Meyrick, Galway (2 nights)
• Killarney Avenue Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin (1 night)