12 Days Emerald Isle Tour Package
Duration: 12 Days / 11 Nights
Priced From: $1,749 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: May - Oct
For 12 days enjoy an incredible journey through Ireland's bustling cities and lush green countryside. First, see the famous sights of Dublin and take an excursion to the fascinating passage graves in the Boyne Valley. Then visit Strokestown House and learn about the Great Famine of the 1840s, experience beautiful Donegal on the Atlantic Coast and Kylemore Abbey. For a unique experience, take a short ferry ride to the Gaelic-speaking Aran Islands to hear from your Local Guide about island community life. The Cliffs of Moher, Limerick, Killarney, the scenic Ring of Kerry, Blarney, the Waterford Crystal Factory, and Powerscourt House and Gardens are all on your agenda before returning to Dublin.
Itinerary
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Dublin, Ireland
Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax in the Irish capital. Before dinner join your Tour Director and traveling companions for a toast to happy touring. (D)
Day 3 Dublin/ Boyne Valley Excursion & City Tour
Motor north to the lovely Boyne Valley, scene of a bloody 17th-century battle. Near Drogheda, visit the BOYNE VALLEY VISITOR CENTRE and KNOWTH, where your local Guide explains a fascinating passage-grave dating from the Bronze Age. Return to Dublin through history-steeped landscapes. Your afternoon orientation tour takes in statue-lined O'Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Visit Oscar Wilde's TRINITY COLLEGE, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old library. Tonight your Tour Director will suggest an optional dinner outing to a fine Dublin restaurant. (FB)
Day 4 Dublin-Sligo
Horse-racing country this morning. Drive across the Curragh to the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare, whose thoroughbreds command respect on the racecourses of the world. Then north to longford for a visit to STROKESTOWN HOUSE for a guided tour of the restored 1740's mansion, a stroll through its fine gardens, and at the Famine Museum an insight into the circumstances of the Great Irish Famine of the 1840's. On the way to Sligo stop at Boyle for photos of the Cistercian Abbey ruins. (FB,D)
Day 5 Sligo-Galway
South to Knock, a village that attracts pilgrims from all over the world since townsfolk saw apparitions. Via Westport head for the unspoiled region of Connemara, an area known for its hardy breed of ponies. Visit KYLEMORE ABBEY, a massive yet graceful castle acquired by Benedictine nuns as a precious heirloom for Ireland. At Moycullen visit a CONNEMARA MARBLE FACTORY before arriving in the port city of Galway. Tonight's recommendation: join your Tour Director for an optional evening at Dunguaire Castle, where the intimate banquet has an enlightening literary theme. (FB)
Day 6 Galway, Excursion to the Aran Islands
At Rossaveal, board a comfortable, modern ferry for the 45-minute crossing to Kilronan on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, where Gaelic is the first language of the islanders. Your fascinating day continues with a visit to the ARAN HERITAGE CENTRE and after a lunch break board a minibus to enjoy your local driverguide's commentary on a tour of the island, ending with a visit to clifftop DUN AENGUS, one of the most spectacular and dramatic prehistoric stone forts in Europe. After a call into the VISITOR CENTRE, time to shop for unique hand-knitted Aran sweaters before boarding your ferry back to the mainland. There are plenty of dining options in Galway center. (FB)
Day 7 Galway-Bunratty
At RATHBAUN FARM this morning, watch the farmer shear a sheep and maneuver a flock with the help of a sheep dog. Then enjoy your morning coffee and homebaked scones in the 150-year-old farmhouse. Take the scenic route across the desolate limestone plateau known as The Burren, and stop for photos of prehistoric Poulnabrone Dolmen. At Kilfenora, take in THE BURREN CENTRE where the audio-visual and displays bring to life this remarkable region. The newly restored ancient cathedral and mysterious Celtic crosses in the churchyard form an important center of early Irish Christianity: Kilfenora is Ireland's smallest diocese. At the CLIFFS OF MOHER, rising 668 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, savor the breathtaking panorama of the Clare coast. Tonight, why not join your Tour Director for a traditional Irish night, a fun ceili of song and dance in the setting of a village barn at Bunratty. (FB)
Day 8 Limerick–Killarney
On this morning’s Limerick city tour view the Treaty Stone and St. Mary’s Cathedral, and visit KING JOHN’S CASTLE in the medieval heritage precinct. South now via quaint Adare with its thatched cottages to the popular resort of Killarney, your destination for the next two nights. Tonight an entertaining optional evening in Tralee with dinner followed by tickets for Siamsa Tire National Folk Theatre. (FB)
Day 9 Killarney, Ring of Kerry Excursion
Join the famed "Ring of Kerry" for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island's southwestern tip. Plenty on which to focus your camera here: sparkling seascapes, mountains dotted with brightly colored farmhouses, winding lanes bordered with subtropical vegetation, and the breathtaking panorama of the lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. Back in Killarney a special treat: a fun-filled horsedrawn JAUNTING CAR RIDE through the National Park with glorious vistas of the lakes of Killarney and ancient Ross Castle. (FB,D)
Day 10 Killarney-Waterford
Across the Kerry Mountains drive into County Cork for a visit to Blarney, renowned for its castle and magical Kissing Stone. Time for lunch, to walk up to the castle, and to shop for traditional Irish handicrafts. In the afternoon proceed via Cork, Youghal, and Dungarvan to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings in 853. Here enjoy a visit to the world-famous WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY. (FB,D)
Day 11 Waterford-Dublin
Today’s agenda: Enniscorthy, site of the final battle of the Great Rebellion of 1798; Ireland’s oldest HANDWEAVING MILL at Avoca; POWERSCOURT HOUSE and GARDENS with stunning views of the Wicklow Mountains. Back in Dublin tonight, your Tour Director will have recommendations for a fitting farewell to Ireland. (FB)
Day 12
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
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10/08
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