BACK TO COACH MAIN PAGE

 Save $200 per couple

Northern Gems CIE9S2

2010 Northern Gem 9 Days
Highlight:

• Slieve League - Europe's Highest Sea Cliffs
• “Quiet Man” Walk
• Kylemore Abbey
• Historic Derry Walking Tour
• Giant's Causeway
• Tour Belfast
• Open-Top Dublin Tour
• Cabra Castle Hotel & Irish Step Dancing

Itinerary:
Day 1 - Wed: Ennis Arrival & Cliffs of Moher
Land at Shannon Airport and transfer to your hotel in Ennis between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. At 2:30 pm depart for the Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic wall of rock that plunges to the Atlantic Ocean. Return to Ennis for dinner with informal entertainment. (D)

Day 2 - Thu: Poulnabrone Dolmen & Connemara Crystal
Visit the Burren Display Centre to learn about the Burren, an area of rounded limestone hills. Then view the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a Neolithic burial place dating to 4,000 BC. Visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory to see a skilled glass cutter at work before driving to Galway. (B, D)

Day 3 - Fri: “Quiet Man” Walking Tour & Kylemore Abbey
Take a guided walk around the village of Cong where “The Quiet Man” movie was made. Drive through the scenic mountains and lakes of Connemara and visit Kylemore Abbey, a 19th century mansion. Explore Clifden, a delightful market town before returning to Galway. (B, D)

Day 4 - Sat: Museum of Country Life & Belleek China
Outside Castlebar visit the Museum of Country Life to view domestic goods, used in everyday living from 1850 to 1950. Stop briefly in the pilgrimage town of Knock and view W. B. Yeats' Grave in County Sligo. Tour the Belleek Pottery Factory to see delicate china created and drive to Donegal. (B, D)

Day 5 - Sun: Slieve League Cliffs & Donegal
Drive along the coast of Donegal to view Slieve League sea cliffs, the highest in Europe reaching 1,972 feet. Enjoy coffee or tea with scones before driving through the majestic Glengesh Pass to Ardara. Visit Triona Design to see spinning, weaving and knitting before returning to Donegal town. (B, D)

Day 6 - Mon: Derry Walk & Giant's Causeway
Take a walking tour in Derry to see the medieval city walls, the Diamond and St. Columb's Cathedral. Visit the Giant's Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed over 60 million years ago. Continue along the scenic “Nine Glens of Antrim” to your centrally-located hotel in Belfast. (B, D)

Day 7 - Tue: Belfast & St. Patrick's Burial Site
Tour Belfast with a local guide to see the major sights before heading south past the Mourne Mountains to your castle hotel. Arrive mid-afternoon so you will have time to enjoy the facilities and, after dinner, enjoy youthful dancers display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B, D)

Day 8 - Wed: Battle of the Boyne Centre & Dublin
Drive to Drogheda to visit the Battle of the Boyne Centre. Learn about the 1690 conflict between King
William III and his father-in-law, King James II. Then travel into Dublin to your hotel. In the afternoon you may take an open-top bus tour and visit Guinness or Jameson. (B)

Day 9 - Thu: Depart from Dublin Airport
Take the hotel's shuttle service to Dublin Airport in ample time to check in for your flight home. (B)

Tour Includes:
·  Group transfers on arrival and departure
·  Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
·  Dublin open-top bus tour
·  Visit and a drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
·  Services of a professional Irish driver/guide
·  Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 8 nights
·  8 full Irish breakfasts (B)
·  7 dinners (D) including
- Dinner with music at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis
- Dinner and Irish step-dancing display at Cabra Castle Hotel
- 5 table d'hote dinners
·  Welcome get-together drink
·  “The Quiet Man” walking tour of Cong
·  Slieve League Sea Cliffs followed by home-baked scones with coffee or tea
·  Walking tour of Derry with a local guide
·  Tour of Belfast with a local guide
·  Visits and admissions to Cliffs of Moher, Burren Display Centre, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Kylemore Abbey, Museum of Country Life, Knock Shrine, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Belleek Pottery Factory, Triona Design, Giant's Causeway and Battle of the Boyne Centre
·  Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
·  All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Your Hotels:
Stay at the following (or similar):

• Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis (1 night)
• Radisson SAS Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
• Millpark Hotel, Donegal (2 nights)
• Europa Hotel, Belfast (1 night)
• Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night)
• Clarion IFSC Hotel, Dublin (1 night)

Dates & Rates:
May 12 – Sep 29: $1538
Oct 6 & Oct 13: $1438
Oct 27: $1328

Single Supplement: $398
All rates in US Dollars

Tour leaves Shannon Wednesdays and returns to Dublin Thursdays