Taste of Ireland (Tour A)

Your tour begins with a day of independent touring in Dublin. Take a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour and enjoy a visit to one of Dublin's top attractions - Guinness Storehouse, Teeling Distillery, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, or GPO Museum. Dine independently this evening.

Enjoy the morning continuing to explore Dublin with the included vouchers. Meet your guide at 2:00 PM in the hotel lobby, and set out on a panoramic tour of Dublin. Drive through the streets with a local guide, seeing its vibrant blend of ancient and modern Trinity College, Georgian homes with colorful doors, and the modern buildings rising by the River Liffey. Take a guided tour through parts of Dublin Castle, which was the seat of power and government for many centuries and today is used for official ceremonies. Return to your hotel for a welcome drink with your group. In the evening, head to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a dinner of Irish specialties and a lively show with popular Irish songs and intricate step-dancing. (B/D)

Depart Dublin and travel through the agricultural midlands. Stop for photos of the stately ruins of the Rock of Cashel, rising high above the surrounding plain. Continue to Blarney Castle in Cork, where you can climb the winding staircase to kiss the legendary stone that promises the gift of the gab, or wander through the beautiful gardens. Arrive in Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes with Ireland's highest mountains, Macgillycuddy's Reeks, forming a backdrop. Check in to your hotel and relax before dinner. (B/D)

Visit CIE Tours preferred shopping partner Moriarty's in the beautiful Gap of Dunloe, before embarking on the famed Ring of Kerry scenic drive. The winding 100-mile route reveals breathtaking coastal and mountain views, with plenty of photo stops. Pause for a casual lunch in a cozy restaurant and then continue on to Valentia Island, where you'll visit the Skellig Experience; it tells the story of the neighboring island of Skellig Michael; which you'll see off the coast. Learn how early Christian monks lived there in austere conditions, and how the island was used as a location for the “Star Wars” films. Stop for a stroll around Sneem, with its brightly painted houses, and at Moll's Gap for panoramic views of Ireland's highest mountains. Get a taste of farm life with a demonstration of a sheepdog herding flocks, a shearing demonstration (seasonal), and see different breeds of sheep. Return to Killarney and enjoy a free evening for independent dining or exploring the many pubs in the town. (B/L)

Leave Killarney and drive north to Tarbert for a 20-minute ferry ride across the wide River Shannon Estuary. Your tour continues along the coast of County Clare to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of sandstone that reaches almost 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Drive past Lahinch Golf Course, one of Ireland's most famous, to Bunratty. Check into Bunratty Castle Hotel, which is near Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. In the evening, head out for a medieval-style feast of excellent traditional dishes. During and after the meal the lords and ladies will serenade you with songs and harp music evocative of the Middle Ages. (Please note that January departures may offer a different dining experience.) (B,D)

Drive north to Galway for a panoramic tour of the city with some free time on your own to explore. Travel across the country to Dublin. Spend the final night of your tour independently exploring the pubs in the lively Temple Bar area or experiencing one of Dublin's fine restaurants. (B)

Your tour ends after breakfast today. (B)