8 Day Irish Quest Tour 2012

8 Day Irish Quest Tour 2012

Highlights:

• Walk Historic Derry's Walls
• “Quiet Man” Walk
• Giant's Causeway
• Victorian & Modern Belfast
• Guinness Brewery
• Award-Winning Cabra Castle

Itinerary:
Day 1: Shannon & Leisure Time
Arrive in Shannon Airport and transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. Check into your hotel near Bunratty Castle. If your flight arrives later you will need to transfer at your own expense. Check into your hotel near Bunratty Castle and dine in your hotel. (D)
Day 2: Bunratty & Cliffs of Moher
Enjoy a morning at leisure to explore Bunratty Folk Park on your own. At 12:30 pm you're your tour director in your hotel lobby. Head to the coast to view the Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to Galway for a panoramic drive before checking in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay. (B, D)
Day 3: "Quiet Man" & Connemara
Drive to Cong where “The Quiet Man” movie was made in 1952. A guided walk will show you places featured in the production. Travel through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Stop briefly at Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre before continuing to Clifden, a delightful market town set between the Twelve Pins Mountains and sandy bays. Return to your hotel to relax before dining in your hotel once again. (B, D)
Day 4: Country Life & Belleek China
Travel north to Castlebar to the Museum of Country Life which displays articles used in everyday life during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Continue to County Sligo and pause in Drumcliffe Churchyard at the grave of the writer, W. B. Yeats. Follow the shoreline of Donegal Bay to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory where craftspeople shape and decorate clay, creating the world-famous fine china. Continue your drive through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to Derry. Enjoy free time to relax or take a walk before dinner. (B, D)
Day 5: Derry & Giant's Causeway
Join a local guide for a walking tour around Derry's ancient city including the Guildhall, St. Columb's Cathedral, the Diamond and the 16th century walls. Visit the award-winning Tower Museum. Drive along the north coast, stopping for photos at the ruined Dunluce Castle and explore the Giant's Causeway, huge hexagonal basalt columns formed over 60 million years ago. The oversized rocks have given rise to many legends. Return to Derry for leisure time. (B, D)
Day 6: Belfast & Cabra Castle Stay
Drive direct to Belfast where a guide will show you all around the city with its Victorian buildings as well as the docks where the Titanic was built and areas around the Malone Road and Falls where the struggles of the latter part of the 20th century took place. Take some free time to look around on your own before traveling south to Kingscourt and your castle hotel, built in 1760. Arrive mid-afternoon so that you have time to enjoy the atmosphere and facilities of this lovely property and maybe play the 9-hole golf course. After dinner in the Court Restaurant, youthful dancers display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 7: Dublin & Open-Top Bus Tour
After a leisurely breakfast, drive to Dublin and check in around midday to a different Dublin hotel in the Georgian section of the city. The afternoon is free for you to use your vouchers for an open-top bus tour and Guinness or Jameson visit. Dine independently at one of Dublin's great restaurants or create your own pub crawl through the nearby Temple Bar area.(B)
Day 8: Tour Ends Dublin Airport
Group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon to check in for your flight. If you need an earlier transfer, your tour escort will arrange one for you. (B)
Your Hotels
Superior & First Class:

• Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
• Salthill Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
• City Hotel, Derry (2 nights)
• Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night)
• Burlington Hotel, Dublin (1 night)

Tour Includes
•Group transfers at start and end of tour
• Sightseeing by luxury coach
• Professional tour director
• 7 nights in hotels listed above
• Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
• 6 dinners (D) including:
  - Farewell dinner and music session at Cabra Castle Hotel
  - 5 table d'hote dinners
• “The Quiet Man” walking tour
• Walking tour of Derry
• Tour of Belfast with a local guide
• Dublin open-top bus tour with a visit and drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
• Visits and admissions to Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre, Museum of Country Life, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Belleek Pottery Factory, Tower Museum and Giant's Causeway
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Dates & Rates:
Tour starts in Shannon and returns to Dublin Sundays
April 8 & 15: $1198
April 29: $1298
May 6 – September 23: $1388
September 30: $1318
October 14: $1238
October 28: $1148
November 4 & 18: $1058

All rates in US Dollars, per person, based on double occupancy

Single Supplement: $348