Taste of Ireland

Your city tour starts at 2:00 PM from the hotel lobby with a local guide for a panoramic tour of ancient and modern Dublin. Drive through the main streets to see historic buildings such as Trinity College, rows of Georgian houses with colorfully painted doorways and the new buildings around the Financial Centre beside 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 plays a leading role in European Union activities. 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. (D)

Depart Dublin and drive through the agricultural midlands of Ireland. Stop for photos of the stately ruins of the Rock of Cashel, rising high above the surrounding plain. Continue your drive south and, just a few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Drive through Macroom, built around a fine old castle, and into County Kerry where the scenery becomes more mountainous. 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)

Embark on Ireland’s most popular 100-mile scenic drive – the Ring of Kerry. This winding route reveals breathtaking views of Macgillycuddy’s Reeks as well as the scenic coast of beaches and cliffs. There will be plenty of stops for photos at the best vantage points. After a casual lunch in a cozy restaurant, you’ll continue your scenic drive to Valentia Island where you’ll visit the Skellig Experience. Learn about the island of Skellig Michael where early Christian monks lived in austere conditions and how it was used as one of the locations for the film “Star Wars VII.” Pause for a stroll around Sneem, with its brightly painted houses, and at Moll’s Gap for panoramic views of Ireland’s highest mountains and deep valleys. 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 and wine. 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)

Your tour ends after breakfast today. (B) B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner