4.6/5

Our Irish Pub tour was wonderful!

Great Ireland bus tour and guided tour

I enjoyed the history narratives of places visited on the bus rides to destinations.
I appreciated the time schedule and applying it to others who were not respectful of the schedule.
I LOVED that they took care of the luggage for us.
I appreciated the scheduled comfort stops.
The seats on the bus were uncomfortable, I wish they could be wider and more leg room.

I would recommend CIE to others

Great Ireland Tour

First time taking an organized bus tour such as this. We enjoyed the trip and Paddy our guide was nice and informative. All local guides very good and knowledgeable.

Tour directors set the tone of your experience

So much better than Go Ahead. Bus driver and tour director were very helpful and Linda was so amusing with her insights.

Lisa Richardson, our tour director and our coach driver, Lee were fantastic. Lisa was very informative and straightforward. We were given amazing tours by other people and we saw things we never would have on our own. I would definitely recommend CIE Tours to everyone I know....and I already have!

Good introduction to Ireland despite awful weather.

CIE's 'Taste of Ireland' tour was well advertised, well prepared, and well executed thanks to tireless effort by your tour guide/driver, Colm Wallis. Despite truly awful weather on all but one day, Colm kept us on schedule, answered endless questions, lectured on aspects of Ireland, and showed true grit and courtesy in dealing with his 42 passengers. The cultural dinner events -- The Jolly Ploughmen at a suburban Dublin pub, and the medieval feast at an old Dublin castle -- were magnificent experiences.

There’s something magical about It - then there’s the people you meet!

After having been to Wales on a Small Group Trip to Wales with CIE in 2019, we knew it was THE only way to go! This time, checked all the boxes!

We had a fantastic time on our Tour. Our Tour Dire/Driver was THE Best! We had the time of our lives & would go again in an instant. The schedule was a bit busy but why go that far & do not? Ireland & N Ireland is beautiful and the people are welcoming & friendly!

From the musician at Fitzsimmon’s Temple Bar who loaned me his umbrella & was surprised when we came back- to the individuals guides that gave us our city tours. The Jaunting cart driver, the ladies we met in the Cork Hotel lobby celebrating their niece’s wedding. Shop keepers, pub owners & patrons- everyone was friendly and it couldn’t be better. Even sitting, waiting in a restaurant at the Cliffs of Moher, we met fellow travelers from Australia & shared a table.

We had free time in Belfast & were able to meet up with someone we had not seen since she was a teenager. It had been 34 years since she came to America as a girl. Married with a daughter, Deborah is a teacher & local artist. We were excited & grateful to have the free time in Belfast to spend time with them during our Tour.

We did had an issue with our paperwork that had changed our return flight. Turns out they were what our Agent had told us all along but CIE printed a different return. It took three days to get it straightened. In the meantime, we were freaking out a bit while still trying to have a good time.

We purchased our airfare through a 2 for 1 seven months in advance through CIE & Aer Lingus partnership and paid up front. We’re not happy that we were not seated together on our return flights either. I have sent emails to CIE with no response. This is our only negative. Had they responded to our messages, I would not have posted here. It’s the only reason we didn’t give this trip a Five Star. You can decide from there.

Other than that? We loved our trip & my wife posted photos on the bus as we went on Social Media! It was great since we had WiFi on the bus. Another great feature.

Wonderful trip!!

Our CIE tour was amazing. Scotland and Ireland are beautiful countries with rich histories. We visited a variety of historical, cultural, and culinary venues, yet had ample time to explore on our own. Our tour guides, Jaqui and Marie, were personable and knowledgeable. Our bus driver, Sam, was our shining star. He accommodated each individual as much as possible and was proactive in heading off any potential problems or concerns. He was respectful, funny, and interesting. I would definitely tour with CIE again.

I thought our tour guides did a great job. There knowledge of both countries & the history was fantastic. The drivers were very conscientious. The itinerary was very good, a little hectic.

CIE was very knowledgeable and helpful in planning our Ireland trip. They worked through multiple itinerary versions and options and helped us get the experiences we wanted without pushing us into things we did not want. The prep kit they sent helped get us even more excited for the big trip. We did hit a cancelled flight on the way back and ended up managing some of our own details to deal with the delay, but we got back fine in the end.

Scottish & Irish Gold - 15 Days/14 Nights
I really enjoyed listening to local traditional music and dancing

I particularly like visiting the castles and museums in both Scotland & Ireland. Also, liked visiting the distillery in Scotland with sample and visiting Sean’s Bar in Ireland to experience local atmosphere.

We enjoyed the trip for the most part.

2023 Scottish Dream - 8 Days/7 Nights

Great tour guide and driver, but some days too many stops. Would have loved to not be rushed.
Would definitely recommend

I would definitely go on another tour with CIE, and also recommend them to others. The Scots/Irish tour is well planned with educational and interesting sites that included wonderful accommodations and food. All of this is highlighted even more by the Scotland tour guide, Becky and our tour director, Darragh - their professionalism, thoughtfulness, and humor brought the whole tour together to make this the best vacation ever!

Excellent staff with a great itinerary.

Our tour director John was incredible. Very friendly, organized and informative. Our coach drivers were great as well. Highly skilled and personable too. We liked the tour itinerary and amount we accomplished each day.

Great Experience

Wonderful trip; excellent Tour Guide; Comfortable bus; Good Hotels but one; comprehensive itinerary

Scotland tour, Guide and Bus driver Excellent. Ireland beautiful.

The tour of Scottland was wonderful. Our tour guide Graham Bruce was great!! so knowledgeable, personable, and amazing. Joe the bus driver was the same but a very safe driver they worked well together. Time to visit attractions was excellent. I am rating the Scotland portion 5 stars. I was so impressed with Scotland from Graham Bruces knowledge.

Ireland tour was good. Tour guide Marlene was ok. Walking tours we took of Galway and Water for were great. THE GUIDES made them intresting.

Too much coach time; Visting time for attractions were inconsistent. Example Kylemore Abbey. 2 hours to eat visit abbey, chapel, and Gardens, HArbor cruise could have been shortened or skipped. Did not see much of gardens. Needed more time. KilKenny 3 hours, Visit Caste, lunch and town. this could have been less. Seans Bar, Marine Bar, and kate kearney's cottage were enjoyable..

Very disappointed with Ring of Kerry. I am not sure we saw the most intresting sections.

I was disappointed in Ireland Tour GUide spent a lot time speaking about Taxes, retirement options, schools. etc. We would be driving by object before it was pointed out.

Once in lifetime experience

Overall loved the trip. Packed a lot experiences into 10 days.

Fabulous Trip!

Our tour, The Scots Irish Dream was a fabulous vacation. The hotels were clean, the check in process was seamless and quick. The Scotland tour guide, Graham Bruce, was the best tour guide we have ever experienced and we are well traveled. The included dinners were all very good. The pace was a bit hectic but we saw everything in both countries. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend CIE to our friends and family.

Driver/tour leader, Brian, was very knowledgeable and presented great information on the history of Ireland. This made the tour very interesting as well as entertaining. The number of stops and visits to sites was very good too. Hotel accommodations were good - clean, staff attentive, food good - although dinners seemed to be rushed.