9 Day Irish Gold Tour

Tour Highlights

• Gourmet Killeen House Restaurant
• Taylor’s Three Rock Traditional Show & Dinner
• Strokestown House Famine Museum
• Killary Fjord Catamaran Cruise
• Cliffs of Moher
• Ring of Kerry Drive

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin (1 night)
• Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
• Brehon Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Granville Hotel, Waterford (1 night)
• Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)

Tour Includes

• Group transfers on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Dublin open-top bus tour with complimentary visit and a drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
• Services of a professional Irish tour director
• Deluxe & superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 8 nights
• Full Irish breakfast daily (B)
• 6 dinners (D) including
• Dinner at award-winning Killeen House Restaurant
• Dinner and traditional Irish entertainment at Taylor’s Three Rock
• 4 table d’hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• Tour of Dublin with your tour director
• Catamaran cruise of Killary Fjord (Apr 2 – Oct 29 departures)
• Horse-drawn jaunting car ride in Killarney
• Irish coffee and music session at the Marine Bar in Dungarvan
• Walking tour of Waterford
• Visits and admissions to Book of Kells at Trinity College, Strokestown Park House & Famine Museum, Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre, Cliffs of Moher, Muckross House & Gardens, Skellig Experience, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre and Glendalough Monastic Site
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Itinerary

Day 1 – Sun: Dublin Arrival & Book of Kells

Arrive at Dublin Airport and proceed through immigration and pick up your baggage. Go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall and personnel will arrange a group transfer to your city-centre hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If you arrive later than noon, you will need to transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:00 pm your tour director will introduce you to Dublin’s River Liffey, the wide O’Connell Street, tranquil St. Stephen’s Green, the seat of government at Leinster House and other public buildings. See some of Dublin’s famous Georgian houses and pause at the Famine Memorial, a reminder of the mid-19th century disaster. Visit Trinity College’s campus and the Old Library to view the priceless Book of Kells. Join your fellow travellers for a welcome drink and your tour director will advise where to dine independently.

Day 2 – Mon: Strokestown Park House & Galway

Leave Dublin and journey across the rolling pastures of Ireland’s heartland to visit Strokestown Park House in County Roscommon. There are three parts to see – the 18th century mansion with its original furnishings; the four-acre walled garden, restored to look as it would have during the heyday of the estate; and the Famine Museum, which uses a combination of original documents and images to explain the circumstances of the 1840′s Great Irish Famine. Drive to Galway and view the main sights of the city before checking into your hotel, located within easy reach of the lively pedestrian areas in the city centre. Enjoy some free time to browse around Galway’s fun specialty stores, cafés and pubs on your own before dining in your hotel. (B, D)

Day 3 – Tue: Connemara & Catamaran Cruise

Drive through the heart of Connemara, past granite hills and sparkling lakes on the way to Leenane to embark on a short cruise of Killary Harbour, a 9-mile fjord (Apr 3 – Oct 30 departures). Enjoy views of hills where traces of “lazy beds” of potato ridges from the 19th century and earlier can still be seen. Keep an eye out for seabirds as you pass mussel and salmon farms. Rejoin your coach and stop for photos at the Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre. Drive through lovely countryside where sheep graze freely to Clifden, the principal town of the region, and stop to take a walk around before returning to Galway. (B, D)

Day 4 – Wed: Cliffs of Moher & Killarney’s Jaunting Car

Travel south around Galway Bay to see the Cliffs of Moher, which rise almost 700 feet above the pounding Atlantic surf. Then drive through the outskirts of Limerick and stop in the picturesque village of Adare for photos. Drive to Killarney, a little town that world-famous due to its exquisite location beside lakes and mountains. Check in to your deluxe hotel, in a peaceful setting just outside the town. Head out to view stunning scenery by taking a horse-drawn jaunting car ride through the grounds of the Killarney National Park to Muckross House. Tour this mansion to see period furnishings and learn of its important guests and owners. Then stroll through the mature gardens before returning to your hotel. (B, D)

Day 5 – Thu: Ring of Kerry & Killeen House Restaurant

Embark on Ireland’s most popular scenic drive – the Ring of Kerry. This circular tour will reveal constantly-changing vistas of mountains, open Atlantic Ocean, beaches and cliffs. At the tip of the peninsula visit the Skellig Experience, which explains the history, flora and fauna on the nearby rocky islands. Return through the attractive village of Sneem and pause at Moll’s Gap for panoramic views of Killarney. Back in Killarney enjoy free time before dinner. Return to your hotel and enjoy free time to use the hotel’s leisure facilities or relax. This evening head to the award-winning Killeen House Restaurant for a warm welcome and a superb dinner. (B, D)

Day 6 – Fri: Blarney Castle & Traditional Music Session

Drive through the mountains of Kerry and West Cork into richer farming country on the way to Blarney. Climb to the ramparts of Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” You may do some shopping at the Blarney Woollen Mills before driving along the coast to Dungarvan. Stop at the Marine Bar for a creamy Irish coffee and an informal traditional music session. Continue along the south coast to Waterford and check into your historic hotel, located on the waterfront of this ancient port city. After dinner in the hotel, take a fun walking tour around the narrow streets and historic buildings to learn about the Waterford’s long history. (B, D)

Day 7 – Sat: Waterford Crystal & Taylor’s Three Rock

After breakfast tour the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre for a demonstration of glass blowing and cutting and see a huge collection of magnificent trophies on display. Then travel north to discover the lovely scenery of the Wicklow Mountains and visit Glendalough, a 6th century monastic site founded by St. Kevin. Learn about life in early Christian Ireland in the Visitor Centre and walk through the ruins of the many churches and a round tower set in a deep valley in the mountains. Travel to your deluxe manor house hotel, which dates back to 1750 and set in extensive gardens. In the evening drive to Taylor’s Three Rock Pub for dinner and a lively show with traditional Irish music, story-telling and step-dancing. (B, D)

Day 8 – Sun: Day at Leisure in Dublin

Spend today as you wish in Dublin. Use your independent Dublin open-top bus tour pass (valid for 24 hours) to see all around the city centre. You may stay on the coach or get on and off at the many stops that are located near interesting places to explore. Visit either the Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery to see how their products are created and enjoy a drink at the end. (B)

Day 9 – Mon: Depart Dublin Airport

Use your included voucher to take a taxi transfer to Dublin Airport. After check-in, you’ll have time to shop at the duty-free stores before boarding your flight for the journey home. (B)

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner

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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