13 Day Itinerary Including Airfare from
USA
Day 1 - Thu: Overnight Flight to
Dublin
Depart your North American gateway city and travel
through the night to Dublin. Land only tour starts on day 2.
Day 2 - Fri: Dublin City Tour & Kilmainham
Gaol
Arrive in Dublin Airport, complete immigration formalities
and pick up your luggage. Go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to
arrange a group transfer to your city-center hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00
noon. If your flight arrives later, you will need to transfer to the hotel at
your own expense. At 2:00 pm join a local guide on a city center tour to see
Trinity College, General Post Office, St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Famine
Memorial. Visit Kilmainham Gaol where many of Ireland's leaders, including
Robert Emmett, Eamon DeValera and Padraig Pearse, were imprisoned during the
19th and early 20th centuries. In the evening meet your fellow travelers over a
welcome drink.
Day 3 - Sat:
Megalithic Tombs & Abbey Tavern
This morning visit the Boyne
Valley Visitor Centre to learn about the passage burial tombs of Newgrange and
Knowth, both over 5,000 years old. Tour one of the tombs to see how primitive
people managed to align huge boulders precisely with the sun or the moon. Return
to Dublin for a boat ride on the River Liffey to see the elegant Custom House,
Dublin's new financial center and much more. Drive to the Abbey Tavern for
dinner with Irish specialties and an Irish coffee followed by a lively show of
music, songs and step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 4 - Sun: Rock of Cashel & "Titanic" Walk
Head south to visit the Rock of Cashel, a stately limestone
outcrop topped with the 12th century highly-decorated Cormac's Chapel, the large
cathedral and a round tower. Continue to Cobh for a walking tour with a local
historian to see places relating to the Titanic's last port of call. Drive to
the Blarney Woollen Mills, offering excellent Irish-made products under one
roof. If you wish, you may climb to the top of Blarney Castle independently
before heading to your hotel in Cork. (B, D)
Day 5 - Mon: Bantry House &
Killarney
Explore Kinsale, an old fishing port that is popular
for sailing and gourmet restaurants. Discover County Cork's coastline with great
scenery and cozy towns such as Clonakilty and Skibbereen. Visit Bantry House, a
stately Georgian mansion built in 1740 to see furnishings collected from all
around Europe and walk through delightful gardens. Continue to Glengarriff,
renowned for its palm trees, Kenmare and along part of the Ring of Kerry route
via Moll's Gap to Killarney. (B, D)
Day 6 - Tue: Dingle Peninsula
Tour
Explore the scenic Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two
movies - "Ryan's Daughter" and "Far & Away." Admire views of heathery
mountains, sandy beaches and rocky headlands. Pause in Dingle before continuing
to the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the offshore Blasket Islands,
inhabited until 1953 by hardy farming and fishing families. Return to Killarney
and enjoy some free time. After dinner you may like to visit local pubs
featuring live music. (B, D)
Day 7 - Wed: Flying Boat Museum
& Cliffs of Moher
Travel north to Foynes Flying Boat Museum
to learn about the early days of flight when Pam Am Clippers landed on the River
Shannon Estuary. Drive to the village of Bunratty and look around Durty Nelly's
Pub or the Bunratty Folk Park. 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 8
- Thu: "Quiet Man" Walking Tour & 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 Center
before continuing to Clifden, a delightful market town set between the Twelve
Pins Mountains and sandy bays. In Moycullen watch skilled craftsmen cutting fine
crystal at the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory. (B, D)
Day 9
- Fri: Yeats' Grave & Belleek China
Travel through County
Mayo to Knock Shrine, a popular place of pilgrimage and on to County Sligo to
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 mold, 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 10 - Sat: Derry Walk & Giant's Causeway
Join a local guide for a walking tour around Derry's ancient
city center 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 11 - Sun: Ulster American Folk Park &
Cabra Castle Stay
Near Omagh visit the Ulster American Folk
Park, which traces the story of Ulster emigrants and shows rural lifestyles in
Ireland and Colonial America. See many cottages including the boyhood home of
Thomas Mellon, who emigrated to Pittsburgh in 1818 and founded the Mellon Bank.
Travel south to Kingscourt to arrive mid-afternoon so you may relax and enjoy
the facilities at your castle hotel, built in 1760. After dinner in the Court
Restaurant, youthful dancers display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B,
D)
Day 12 - Mon: Dublin at Leisure
& Open-Top Bus
After a leisurely breakfast, drive to a
different Dublin hotel, this time overlooking the River Liffey. You will have
most of the day at leisure so you may take an open-top bus tour and stop off at
various attractions throughout the city center. Also visit either Guinness or
Jameson to see how their products are made and enjoy a complimentary drink.
(B)
Day 13 - Tue: Depart from Dublin
Airport
Your hotel offers a shuttle service to Dublin Airport
every two hours starting at 7:20 am. So choose a suitable transfer time to
arrive at the airport to check in for your flight. If you need an earlier
transfer, your tour escort will arrange one for you.
(B)