Overview
12 Days
Dublin
Kingscourt
Classic Tour
4 Star
Premium
8-99 Years
44
Fully Guided
ODA26
Itinerary
Your tour departs at 2:00 PM from your hotel on a panoramic tour of the city's highlights, viewing Trinity College, St Patrick's Cathedral, and the GPO. Tour Kilmainham Gaol, built in 1796, and hear stories of Ireland's revolutionary leaders. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dining independently. (D)
Visit EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and discover the story of the 10 million people who have left Ireland over the last 1,500 years – and their impact on the world. Your afternoon is free to explore Dublin.
Later, enjoy dinner and entertainment at Taylors Three Rock Pub. (B/D)
Visit a traditional farmhouse and learn about country life while enjoying tea and scones. At the House of Waterford Crystal, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner, watch skilled artisans cut crystal into sparkling masterpieces. Continue along the coast to Cork city for dinner at your hotel. (B/D)
Take a brief walking tour of Cork city with a local guide. Stroll through the English Market, where vendors have been selling local and artisanal foods since 1788. Visit Blarney Castle to climb the winding stairs and kiss its famed stone or stroll the gardens. Enjoy the scenery as you head to colorful Kenmare. Stop at Moll's Gap for marvelous views on your way to Killarney. (B/D)
Take a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle and Kenmare Estate and see Lough Leane, the largest of Killarney's lakes. Visit Moriarty's, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner, in the Gap of Dunloe. Travel to the scenic Dingle Peninsula for views of heathery mountains, sandy stretches of beach, and rocky headlands. Enjoy a demonstration of highly skilled sheepdogs herding sheep at a local farm. Enjoy dinner at Páidí Ó Sé's pub in Ventry while you hear a fun talk on Gaelic sports. (B/D)
Visit the family pub of the famed playwright, John B. Keane for tea and scones. One of Ireland's most beloved writers, he wrote many works in a room behind the bar. Embark on a ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary and drive along the coast of County Clare. Visit the Cliffs of Moher, soaring 700 feet above the Atlantic, and enjoy views of Connemara and the Aran Islands. In vibrant Galway, join a local guide for a walking tour of the city's historic heart. (B/D)
Travel through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Take a scenic cruise on Lough Corrib and sip creamy Irish coffee (seasonal). Tour Kylemore Abbey, an elegant mansion set beside a tranquil lake. Return to Galway, where the rest of your day is free for independent sightseeing and dining. (B)
Travel north to Claremorris to visit Ballintubber Abbey, Ireland's only royal Abbey. Known as "the Abbey that refused to die", it has been in continuous use for more than 800 years. Visit Belleek Pottery, then follow the Atlantic Shore to Donegal town, where you'll visit CIE Tours preferred shopping partner Triona Design.
Continue on through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to Derry. (B/D)
Explore the Giant's Causeway, huge hexagonal columns formed over 60 million years ago. Back in Derry, join a local guide for a walk around this historic city's medieval walls; take a walk across the Peace Bridge and complete your tour at the Walled City Brewery Restaurant. In a CIE Tours exclusive, enjoy a flight of the brewery's craft beers with your dinner. (B/D)
Visit the historic city of Belfast, taking a panoramic tour to see grand government buildings, the peace wall, and the docks where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. Take a walking tour of the city with a local guide to learn an insider's perspective. Then, the rest of the day will be yours to explore this fascinating city as you wish. Stay in the five-star Grand Central Hotel, centrally located near the pubs and restaurants of the city's trendy Cathedral Quarter. (B)
Visit the magnificent Titanic Belfast, a high-tech attraction that will immerse you in the story of the doomed liner. At Long Meadow Cider, an award-winning family orchard, enjoy a tour and tasting followed by a picnic lunch. Travel to Kingscourt and relax with free time in your luxury castle hotel, built in 1760 and set on 100 acres of gardens and parklands.
In the evening, share a farewell dinner with your group. (B/L/D)
Your tour ends after breakfast. (B)
Trip Inclusions
- Taylors Three Rock: Visit Taylor's Three Rock in Dublin for an unforgettable evening of lively traditional Irish music, spirited dancing and a welcoming atmosphere that embodies the true essence of Irish hospitality.
- Ballintubber Abbey: Visit Ireland's only royal abbey, in service for more than seven centuries.
- Irish Step Dancing: Enjoy the fancy footwork of some of Ireland's finest dancers.
- Kilmainham Gaol: Explore where the leaders of Ireland's centuries-long fight for independence once did their time.
- Giant's Causeway: Discover the massive stone columns volcanoes created millions of years ago—but legend says an Irish giant built them as stepping stones across the sea to Scotland.
- Cliffs of Moher: Enjoy the breathtaking views from these iconic cliffs, rising 700 feet above the swirling Atlantic.
- Titanic Belfast: Explore the history of the ill-fated ocean liner and its first (and last) voyage, in the city where it was built.
- Walled City Brewery – CIE Tours Exclusive: Visit this award-winning brewery and enjoy their craft beers.
- Kylemore Abbey: Visit this monastery on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, founded for Benedictine nuns who fled Belgium during World War I.
- Belleek Pottery: Learn about the craftsmanship and heritage of the pottery created here since 1857.
- 11 Breakfasts (B) 1 Lunch (L) 8 Dinners (LD)
- Herbert Park Hotel (4 Stars)
- Clayton Hotel Cork (4 Stars)
- The River Lee Hotel (4 Stars)
- Killarney Plaza Hotel (4 Stars)
- Radisson Red Galway Hotel
- City Hotel, Derry (4 Stars)
- Grand Central Hotel Belfast (4 Stars)
- Cabra Castle Hotel (4 Stars)
- Airport transfers at your arrival and departure destination are not included in the price of the tour.
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.
Operator
Our outstanding local tour directors are ready to share their knowledge, stories, passion for their home places - they are our greatest assets. Many of our tours spend 2 nights in each location, and our flexible itineraries include a great balance of escorted and free time. We include full breakfasts, most dinners and some evening entertainment. No one has to worry about paying for optional extras on the trip. It’s all included, no hidden extras.
We know how much these trips mean to you and we want to ensure that this is a trip you will treasure forever.
Each of our vacations are stress-free, with no surprise hidden fees, and plenty of fun for all ages. Read more
CIE Tours could not exist without our great locally employed tour directors - they are the envy of the travel industry. Read more
CIE Tours uses three classes of hotels – first class, superior first class & deluxe properties. Read more
Trip Reviews (13)
The tour got off to a great start in the Dublin area although we thought Kilmainham Gaol was a bit disappointing, not enough information and pushed through too quickly. Taylor's Three Rock Pub was great entertainment, but the service was terrible. The farmhouse visit was nice and the scones delicious but I do not think it can be classed as a traditional farmhouse as it is a thriving B&B type modern bungalow. A waste of valuable time in our opinion and should be missed out. The other farm visit we all agreed was a waste of time was a visit to a farm whose name I cannot recall which included a Power point presentation of the history of clan chiefs followed by a demonstration of peat cutting. All in all the only farm visit we collectively thought was worthwhile was the working of the sheepdogs and sheep shearing.
The Cliffs of Moher we encountered on a very wet day, a lot of people struggling to stay dry in very limited space, so it was two wasted hours. I appreciate that no one can control the weather but surely a contingency plan should be available to the driver. Another complete waste of time was the visit to Cong for the guided tour of the places featured in the Quiet Man film. This film is now 65 years old and only a couple of places in the village featured in the film anyway. If it is any consolation the guide was excellent though he must be hanging on to his job by his fingernails.
The visits to Russborough House, Waterford Crystal, Blarney Castle, Dingle peninsular, Kylemore Abbey, Belleek China, and Titanic Belfast were superb although time at Kylemore Abbey was insufficient to take in all there was to see. The pub visit in Listowel, associated with the writer J.B.Keane was great. The lunch at John Benny's Pub was universally described as awful and the pub visit in Drogheda was a further waste of time.
The itinerary states in a couple of places æfree timeÆ, this did not exist. There was not a lot of time on arrival back at hotels to change for dinner or for individual sightseeing opportunities. We all would have liked to take in local sights in the towns and cities we visited, this was not possible. In our group of four we had pre-booked a spa for our wives whilst at the Radisson in Galway because the itinerary stated æEnjoy a casual lunch before returning to Galway, where the rest of day is free for independent sightseeing and diningÆ. We actually arrived back at the hotel at 1700 and it was only because the staff at the spa were so accommodating that they were able to take advantage of the booking we had made.
This review is in no way intended to be of a critical nature but is meant to be more in the way of constructive criticism. We all enjoyed the tour, our fellow passengers were mainly American with a few Canadians and Australians and were a good bunch of people. We also very much liked the idea of rotating the seating on the coach on a daily basis which enabled everyone to mix more easily.
Dates & Pricing
USD
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Inquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by CIE Tours. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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