7 Day Irish Discovery Tour Itinerary
Day 1 : Dublin Arrival & Welcome
Your tour starts at Dublin Airport with a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If you arrive later than noon, transfer to the hotel at your own expense. The balance of the day is free to relax in your hotel or head to the heart of Dublin to explore a little using your voucher for an independent open-top bus tour. You may stay on the bus as it travels around the city or get off and on at the many stops. You also have a voucher for a visit and drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery. At 7:00 pm meet your tour director in your hotel for a welcome drink and discuss your tour. Your tour director will be able to suggest suitable places for dinner.
Day 2 : Dublin Tour & Old Jameson Distillery Shindig
Relax on a half-day guided tour of Dublin, originally founded by Vikings over 1,000 years ago. See elegant Georgian townhouses and brightly-painted doors and cross the River Liffey to view the wide thoroughfare of O’Connell Street with the General Post Office. Pause to view the gaunt figures at the Famine Memorial before visiting Trinity College’s campus and the Old Library to view the illuminated manuscript of the Book of Kells. The afternoon is at leisure for further sightseeing and shopping. Drive to the Old Jameson Distillery Shindig for dinner and a festive entertainment program.
(B, D)
Day 3 : Blarney Castle & Killarney
Depart Dublin and travel through the midlands of Ireland, stopping for photos of the stately ruins on the Rock of Cashel. Just a few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods of all types, conveniently displayed under one roof. Drive through Macroom and into County Kerry where the scenery becomes more mountainous. Arrive in Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes with Ireland’s highest mountains, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, forming a backdrop. Check in to your hotel and relax before dinner. After your meal you may like to take a stroll through the compact town and explore Killarney’s famous singing pubs.
(B, D)
Day 4 : Jaunting Car Ride & Dingle Peninsula
Start your day with a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle to view Lough Leane, largest of Killarney’s lakes with a backdrop of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountains. Then head for the glorious Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies that showcased the scenery – “Ryan’s Daughter” and “Far & Away.” Drive along the south shore to admire heathery mountains and sandy stretches of beach. Continue right out to the westernmost point for scenic views of coastline and rocky headlands. In the town of Dingle visit the Dingle Brewing Company and at the end of the tour sample some of the beer. Return to Killarney and enjoy free time before dinner.
(B, D)
Day 5 : Flying Boat Museum & Cliffs of Moher
Drive north through Listowel and along by the River Shannon to Foynes to visit the Flying Boat Museum, which recalls the early days of air travel during the 1930’s and early 1940’s. Travel through the outskirts of Limerick and look around Bunratty Village. Head to the coast of County Clare to view the Cliffs of Moher, which rise to heights of almost 700 feet above the churning Atlantic swells. Walk along the top of the cliffs to O’Brien’s Tower for great views. Drive through the Burren and take a short orientation tour of central Galway. Check in to your hotel, located on Eyre Square in the heart of the city.
(B, D)
Day 6 : Farmhouse Tea & Clonmacnoise Monastery
Near Galway, visit Rathbaun Farm to see traditional farming methods and vintage farm machinery as well as lots of cute farmyard animals roaming freely. Sample home-baked scones with tea or coffee. Drive to the center of the country to visit Clonmacnoise, a monastic settlement founded in 545 AD by St. Ciaran. See round towers, elaborate Celtic crosses and church ruins picturesquely set on the banks of the River Shannon. Continue to Dublin once more and check in to Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, set in spacious grounds to the south of the city center. Enjoy a special farewell dinner with your fellow travelers in the hotel’s old-world dining room.
(B, D)
Day 7 : Depart for Home
Group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon. After check-in, you’ll have time to shop at the duty-free stores before the journey home.
(B)
B: Breakfast; D: Dinner