5 Days Taste Of Ireland

Tour Highlights

Superior & First Class Hotels – 5,

• Burlington Cabaret Dinner & Show
• Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
• Dublin Castle
• Kiss the Blarney Stone
• Ring of Kerry Tour
• Cliffs of Moher

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Burlington Hotel, Dublin (1 night)
• Killarney Towers Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)

Tour Includes

• Group transfers at start and end of tour
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Professional tour director throughout
• Superior & first class hotels with private bath/shower for 4 nights
• Full Irish breakfast daily (B) except on day of arrival
• 4 dinners (D) including
• Dinner and traditional Irish show in Dublin
• Medieval banquet & entertainment in Bunratty Castle
• 2 table d’hote dinners in Killarney
• Welcome get-together drink
• Tour of Dublin with a local guide
• Sheepdog trials on Ring of Kerry
• Ferry ride across the River Shannon
• Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Skellig Experience, Cliffs of Moher and Connemara Marble Factory
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Itinerary

Day 1: Dublin Tour & Burlington Cabaret

Tours land at Dublin Airport and transfer to your hotel ..If you are at the CIE tours transfer desk before 12 noon you will get a free transfer to your downtown tour hotel.Arrivals after 12 noon will make their own way to the tour hotel. At 2:00 pm all participants join a local guide for a tour of ancient and modern Dublin. Drive through the main streets to see historic buildings such as Trinity College, where the Book of Kells is housed; the evocative figures of the Famine Memorial; and rows of Georgian houses with gaily-coloured doorways. Stop at Dublin Castle for a guided tour through the elegant State Apartments, which are filled with elaborate Waterford Crystal chandeliers and portraits of prominent Irish leaders. Return to your hotel for a get-together with your tour group and a welcome drink. In the evening enjoy a great dinner of Irish specialties, which is followed by a show of traditional Irish songs and intricate step-dancing, right in your hotel at the Burlington Cabaret. (B, D)

Day 2: Blarney Castle & Killarney

Depart Dublin and travel through the midlands of Ireland, which has many mixed farms. Stop to view the stately church ruins atop the Rock of Cashel, rising high above the surrounding plain. Continue your drive south and, just a few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods of all types, conveniently displayed under one roof. Drive through Macroom, built around a fine castle, and into County Kerry where the scenery becomes more mountainous. Arrive in Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes with Ireland’s highest mountains, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, forming a backdrop. Check in to your hotel and relax before dinner. After your meal you may like to take a stroll through the compact town and explore Killarney’s famous singing pubs. (B, D)

Day 3: Ring of Kerry & Skellig Experience

Today embark on Ireland’s most popular scenic drive of 100 miles – the Ring of Kerry. This winding route reveals breathtaking sights of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks as well as coastal views of beaches and cliffs. As you travel along, there will be plenty of stops for photos at the best vantage points. Stop at Kells to meet a local farmer, Brendan Ferris, for a taste of farm life with a sheepdog demonstration of herding flocks and see different breeds of sheep. Drive through the village of Cahirciveen and cross to Valencia Island by bridge. Visit the Skellig Experience to learn about the nearby rocky islands where early Christian monks lived in austere conditions and today they form a thriving bird sanctuary. Stop to walk around Sneem, where brightly-painted houses are grouped around a central green. Pause at Moll’s Gap for a view of the Three Lakes of Killarney with the town in the distance. Return to Killarney and enjoy a fine dinner in your hotel once again. (B, D)

Day 4: Cliffs of Moher & Bunratty Castle

Leave Killarney and drive north to Tarbert for a 20-minute ferry ride across the wide River Shannon Estuary. Your tour continues along the Clare coast to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of limestone that reaches to almost 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Drive past Lahinch golf links, one of Ireland’s most famous, and through the marketing town of Ennis to Bunratty. Check in to Bunratty Castle Hotel, which is located very close to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. In the evening head to Bunratty Castle for a memorable experience in a wonderful setting with good food and entertainment. Take your place in the Great Hall for a medieval-style feast of excellent dishes and plenty of wine. During and after the meal the lords and ladies will serenade you with song and harp music, evocative of the middle Ages. (B, D)

Day 5 Dublin Extension via Galway

Drive north through Galway and out along the famous Galway Bay to Spiddal where the locals still speak the Irish language. Then drive across the rugged boglands of Connemara to Moycullen to visit the Connemara Marble Factory. See how this locally-quarried marble is made into attractive products and enjoy tea and scones. Drive into Galway for a panoramic tour around the principal areas and then take some time to look around the city before travelling to Dublin. You  will transfer to Dublin Airport to arrive at circa 18:00. Please ensure flights are booked with this in mind. We suggest flights are booked for after 19:30 hrs at the very earliest.

Dates and Pricing 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