11 Day Irish Experience

Tour Description

Experience the Emerald Isle as you visit both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Magnificent sights including Giants Causeway, Galway Bay, the Antrim Coast and the lake District.

Tour Highlights

• Dublin: Views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and visit Trinity College.
• Belfast: See City Hall and Queen’s University.
• Giants Causeway: Visit this spectacular geological formation.
• Londonderry/Derry: Walking tour along the City Walls including views of St. Columb’s Cathedral.
• Omagh: Visit the Ulster-American Folk Park.
• Belleek: Visit the Pottery Centre.
• Kylemore: View the abbey and convent.
• Limerick: Orientation of the Treaty Stone, St. Mary’s Cathedral and King John’s Castle.
• Adare: See Ireland’s prettiest village with its thatched cottages.
• Killarney: Ring of Kerry excursion including Dingle Bay, Ladies View and the lakes of Killarney.
• Blarney: Visit Blarney Castle.
• Waterford: Visit the Crystal Showroom (when open).
• Kilkenny: Visit the medieval city.
• Kildare: Visit the National Stud and the Japanese Garden.

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Mespil Hotel, Dublin
• Stormont Hotel, Belfast
• Everglades Hotel, Londonderry
• Breaffy House
• Maldron Hotel, Galway
• Eviston House, Killarney
• Dooley’s Hotel, Waterford
• Maldron Cardiff Lane, Cardiff Lane

First Class Travel Highlights

• All hotel service charges and tips, baggage handling fees and local taxes included.
• Touring by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and a washroom onboard.
• The services of one of Trafalgar’s top professional Tour Directors.
• Stay in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities.
• A qualified local city guide in Dublin, Belfast and Londonderry/Derry.
• A stylish wallet, tour documents and a Welcome on Tour book.
• Airport transfers are provided on Day 1 and Day 11.

Dining Highlights

• 10 full Irish breakfasts
• 3 three-course dinners
• ‘Be My Guest’ (BMGD) speciality dinner in an Irish family’s farmhouse
• Local highlight restaurant dinner with wine in Londonderry
• Farewell Dinner with wine in Dublin

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Dublin

Welcome to Dublin and Ireland! After hotel check-in there is time to relax or explore. Later, we enjoy a Welcome Drink with our Tour Director and travelling companions. Stay: Mespil

Day 2 Dublin – Belfast

This morning our included guided sightseeing tour includes a visit to Trinity College to see the ancient Book of Kells, the illuminated manuscript renowned for its extravagance and complexity, views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle and Phoenix Park. Then we leave Dublin and drive first to the Boyne Valley, site of the famous battle. Later we continue on to Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland. (B/D) Stay: Stormont

Day 3 Belfast – Giants Causeway – Londonderry/Derry (2 nights)

Our morning sightseeing tour shows us the City Hall, Queen’s University and Stormont Castle. We continue our journey to the beautiful Antrim coast road and on past the scenic Glens of Antrim to Ballycastle. Next we stop to visit the Giants Causeway, huge basalt columns rising from the sea before we make our way to our hotel. Tonight we enjoy a Highlight Dinner in a local restaurant. (B/HD) Stay:Everglades

Day 4 Londonderry/Derry sightseeing & at leisure

After breakfast this morning our walking tour with a local guide takes us along the city walls, some of the best preserved in Europe. Then we make our way to the 17th century St. Columb’s Cathedral with its tower. From here we continue on to the quay where Irish emigrants sailed to the New World. Free time later to perhaps take an excursion to the Inishowen Peninsula. (B)

Day 5 Londonderry/Derry – Castlebar (Co. Mayo)

This morning our journey takes us via Strabane and Omagh, stopping to visit the Ulster-American Folk Park en route to Lough Erne in Ireland’s Lake District. We will also stop at Belleek in County Fermanagh to visit the famous pottery. Next we will continue our drive through Yeats country to our hotel at Castlebar in County Mayo for dinner and our overnight stay. (B/D) Stay: Breaffy House

Day 6 Castlebar (Co. Mayo) – Connemara – Galway

Today we travel to Connemara via the pretty town of Westport. Later we’ll see Kylemore Abbey renowned for the beauty and tranquility of both the surroundings and gardens, before driving along the shores of Lough Corrib to Galway. Here we will enjoy a tour of the city and beautiful views of Galway Bay before arriving at our hotel. (B) Stay:Maldron

Day 7 Galway Bay – Killarney (2 nights)

Today we travel to Limerick where our orientation shows us St. Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle and the Treaty Stone. Our Tour Director has a Hidden Treasure to show us today as we continue via Adare, the prettiest Irish village, to our hotel. (B/D) Stay: Eviston House

Day 8 Ring of Kerry excursion

Today spectacular scenery awaits us on our drive around the Ring of Kerry. Plunging cliffs, lush lakeland, granite mountains, and a jagged coastline are all part of this photographers’ delight. See Dingle Bay, the South Kerry Mountains and Ladies View before we return to our hotel. Tonight we enjoy a delicious dinner in an Irish family’s farm house and are entertained with unique story-telling! (B/BMGD)

Day 9 Killarney – Blarney – Waterford

Today we drive into County Cork stopping to visit Blarney Castle so that we can kiss the stone and acquire the ‘gift of the gab’! Then we pass through Cork on our way to the fishing village of Youghal where Moby Dick was filmed, and along the scenic coast to reach the Waterford Crystal Showroom for an included visit. Here we will see beauitful displays of this sparkling crystal. (B/D) Stay:Dooleys

Day 10 Waterford – Dublin

Our first stop is at medieval Kilkenny, then we continue to the Irish National Stud Farm where we enjoy a walking tour and also visit the Japanese Garden. Then we return to Dublin before this evening enjoying a celebratory Farewell Dinner together with our Tour Director and travelling companions. (B/D) Stay: Maldron Cardiff Lane

Day 11 Depart Dublin

This morning after breakfast it is time to bid farewell to your Tour Director and travelling companions as our wonderful Irish experience comes to an end and we return home with special memories. (B)

Dates and Prices for 2011

Dates and Prices for 2012

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Accommodation rating Represents the standard of hotel used most frequently throughout this tour

Extras Represents the individual operators suggested budget to pay for additional activities on tour (dinners,entertainment,excursions etc) NOT included in base tour price

Hotel legend:
D deluxe | SF superior first | F first | MF moderate first | ST superior tourist | T Tourist