2010 Best of Ireland – 10 days
A travel experience that combines Ireland's medieval heritage with its most striking landscapes.
Highlights:
· Dublin
· Kilkenny
· Kildare
· Waterford
· Blarney
· Killarney
· Adare
· Limerick
· Bunratty
· Ring of Kerry
· Galway Bay
· Galway
· Cliffs of Moher
Sightseeing Highlights:
- Dublin: Visit Trinity College, view St. Patrick's Cathedral and Phoenix Park.
- Kilkenny: Visit the medieval city.
- Kildare: Visit the Irish National Stud Farm and the Japanese Garden.
- Waterford: Visit the crystal showroom (when open).
- Blarney: Visit the castle and the famous Blarney Stone.
- Killarney: See the beautiful lakes.
- Ring of Kerry: Visit Killorglin, Cahirciveen, Waterville and Moll's Gap.
- Adare: Visit the prettiest village in Ireland.
- Limerick: See St. Mary's Cathedral and King John's Castle.
- Bunratty: Visit the castle and folk park.
- Galway Bay: Panoramic views. Galway orientation tour. Visit Connemara, Dunmore Abbey, Sligo.
Dining Highlights:
- 9 full Irish breakfasts
- 2 three-course dinners
- 'Be My Guest' dinner in an Irish family's farmhouse
- Local highlight restaurant dinner with wine in Sligo
- Farewell Dinner with wine in Dublin
14 meals in total (see day-by-day itinerary)
First Class Travel highlights:
- First Class hotel accommodation includes twin-bedded rooms with private facilities, all hotel service charges and tips, baggage handling fees and local taxes.
- Touring by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and a washroom onboard.
- The services of one of Trafalgar's top professional Tour Directors.
- A qualified local city guide in Dublin.
- Airport transfers are provided on Day 2 and Day 11.
- A stylish wallet, tour documents and a Welcome on Tour book.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive Dublin
Welcome to Ireland and Dublin! After check-in the afternoon is free to relax and unwind. This evening we enjoy a Welcome Drink with our Tour Director and fellow traveling companions.
Hotel: Maldron Cardiff Lane
Day 2 - Dublin – Kildare – Waterford
After breakfast we make our way to Kildare to the Irish National Stud, where we will enjoy a walking tour to see some of the finest stallions in the world. We will also have time to visit the Japanese Garden. We continue to Kilkenny where we view the medieval city dominated by its Norman Castle and ancient cathedral. Finally on to Waterford. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Days Hotel
Day 3 - Waterford – Kenmare Bay (Kerry) (2 nights)
This morning we visit the Waterford Crystal Showroom and our Tour Director tells us that a Hidden Treasure will be revealed to us today! On to Cork and Blarney Castle where we kiss the stone and aquire the ‘gift of the gab’. We travel across the Derrynasaggaret mountains along the picturesque Loo Valley to the pretty town of Kenmare. (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Kenmare Bay
Day 4 - Ring of Kerry excursion
Enjoy a full day of spectacular scenery through plunging cliffs and lakes, granite mountains and jagged coastlines as we tour the Ring of Kerry. Our route passes Killorglin (of Puck Fair fame), Daniel O’Connell’s Cahirciveen, Waterville and Moll’s Gap in the Black Mountains before returning to our hotel at Kenmare Bay. Tonight we enjoy a delicious dinner in an Irish family’s farmhouse and are entertained with unique story-telling! (Full breakfast / Be My Guest dinner)
Day 5 - Kenmare Bay – Limerick
This morning we drive through the Glanaruderry Mountains and into County Limerick. We pause a while in Adare – with its thatched cottages, it is one of the prettiest villages in Ireland. Then on to the mouth of the River Shannon and to Limerick, where on arrival an orientation tour shows us St. Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle and the Treaty Stone. Then we visit the Bunratty Castle and folk park before going on to our hotel in Limerick. (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Radisson SAS
Day 6 - Limerick – The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren – Connemara – Galway
Our first stop today is to see the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, then we follow the coastline enjoying splendid views of Galway Bay and the Aran Islands. Soon we come to the Burren country, a haven for geologists and botanists because of the unusual rocks and flora. Then we head for Galway city where our orientation tour shows us the Spanish Arch and Galway cathedral. Finally we take a drive through the barren mountainous region of Connemara before continuing via Lough Corrib to our hotel. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Carlton
Day 7 - Galway – Sligo
This morning we depart for County Sligo, an area rich in ancient ruins, traveling via the County of Mayo. Our first stop is in the village of Knock, the place of pilgrimage where villagers saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Finally via the small market town of Tobercurry to splendid Sligo Bay and our overnight hotel. Time to relax or to take an excursion to Drumcliff to see the church where Yeats is buried and across the border into Northern Ireland to visit the famous pottery at Belleek in County Fermanagh. Tonight we enjoy a Highlight Dinner in a local pub restaurant. (Full breakfast / Highlight dinner)
Hotel: Yeats Country Hotel
Day 8 - Sligo – Dublin (2 nights)
Today we travel via Boyle – famous for its Cistercian abbey – and along the valley of the mighty River Shannon back to Dublin. You’ll have time to perhaps visit a beautiful monastic site this afternoon. Why not take the opportunity this evening to attend an Irish cabaret and enjoy the unique entertainment and atmosphere plus the Irish sense of humor? (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Mespil
Day 9 - Dublin sightseeing and at leisure
Morning sightseeing tour with a local guide includes views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Phoenix Park and visits Trinity College to see the famed 8th century Book of Kells, which is renowned for its extravagance and complexity as an illuminated manuscript. Tonight, we enjoy a Farewell Dinner with wine with our Tour Director and new-found friends. (Full breakfast / Farewell dinner)
Day 10- Dublin – Home
This morning it is time to bid farewell to our Tour Director and fellow travelers as our tour of Ireland comes to an end. (Full breakfast)
Dates & Rates:
May 7 – Oct 22: $2135
Nov 12 & Nov 19: $2099
Tour Leaves Dublin Fridays and returns to Dublin Sundays.
