Northern Gem

• Group transfers on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Dublin open-top bus tour & Guinness or Jameson visit (10-day tour only) 
• Services of a professional Irish driver/guide
• Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 6 or 8 nights
• Full Irish breakfasts daily (B)
• 6 dinners (D) including, farewell dinner at Cabra Castle Hotel - 5 table d'hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• "The Quiet Man" walking tour of Cong
• Walking tour of Derry with a local guide
• Tour of Belfast with a local guide 
• Minibus excursion to Slieve League Sea Cliffs
• Handweaving demonstration with tea & scones at Triona Design
• Visits and admissions to Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Museum of Country Life, Knock Shrine, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Belleek Pottery Factory, Giant's Causeway, St. Patrick Centre and Down Cathedral
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Superior First Class Hotels - 8 or 10 Day Coach Tour

This well paced 8 or 10 day tour shows you the highlights of the northern part of the Irish Island, with a good mixture of historical attractions, magnificent sceneries, country life and major cities. Start Galway, Ireland head to the Northern Irish cities Derry and Belfast and travel at the end back to Ireland, to the capital Dublin.

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Shannon
Travel to Shannon on an overnight flight to start your vacation. Relax with inflight meals and entertainment.

Day 2:  Shannon & Galway Bay
Land at Shannon Airport and take a group transfer to you hotel in Galway at 9:00 am or 11:30 am. Galway is 60 miles from Shannon. Enjoy time to rest, take a stroll or browse around Galway. In the evening join your driver/guide and fellow travelers for a welcome drink and dinner.

Day 3: "Quiet Man" walking tour& Connemara Tour
Drive through Headford to Cong, where the 1952 movie, "The Quiet Man," was filmed. A short walking tour will show you movie locations. Travel through Connemara and visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, specializing in colored crystal, before returning to Galway. (B, D)

Day 4: Museum of Country Life & Belleek China
Outside Castlebar visit the Museum of Country Life. View collections of domestic goods in daily use from 1850 to 1950. Stop in the pilgrimage town of Knock and view W. B. Yeats' Grave in County Sligo. Tour the Belleek Pottery Factory to see craftspeople create fine china. Drive to Donegal town for your next overnight stop. (B, D)

Day 5: Slieve League Cliffs & Donegal
Drive to Teelin to view Slieve League sea cliffs, which reach 1,972 feet, making them the highest in Europe. Continue through the majestic Glengesh Pass to Ardara and visit Triona Design to see woolen crafts and sample home-made scones with tea. Return to Donegal town. (B, D)

Day 6: Derry Walk & Giant's Causeway
In Derry take a walking tour with a local guide to see the medieval city walls. Visit the Giant's Causeway, enormous columns formed over 60 million years ago. Travel along the "Nine Glens of Antrim" scenic route and to your centrally located hotel in Belfast. (B, D)

Day 7: Belfast & St. Patrick's Burial Site
Tour Belfast with a local guide to see Victorian buildings, the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built. Learn about Ireland's Patron Saint at St. Patrick Centre and Down Cathedral. Travel to Kingscourt to your castle hotel, built in 1760 and enjoy a farewell dinner and some informal entertainment. (B, D)

Day 8: Head Home or Dublin Stay
Those on the 8-day tour take a 90-minute group transfer to Dublin Airport, leaving the hotel at either 6:00 am, 9:00 or 11:00 am. Clients on the 10-day tour transfer to the Dublin hotel. The rest of the day is free. (B)

Day 9: Explore Dublin City
Use your independent bus tour voucher. You may stay on the bus for the entire loop or get off at 23 stops near major attractions. Take a prepaid tour to Guinness Storehouse or the Old Jameson Distillery and sample a beverage. (B)

Day 10: Return to U.S.
Transfer to Dublin Airport in ample time to check in for your flight home. (B)

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner

Hotels on this tour

• Salthill Hotel, Galway (2 nights) (Mill Times Hotel, Westport for 20 May departure)
• Mill Park Hotel, Donegal Town (2 nights)
• Europa Hotel, Belfast City (1 night)
• Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night)
• Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin (2 nights - 10-day tour only)