Taste of Ireland Self-Drive

Your trip begins with a day of independent touring in Dublin. Take a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour, and see all the city’s highlights with the freedom to stop off to explore further as you please. You’ll have a voucher to admit you to one of Dublin’s top attractions: The Guinness Storehouse, a seven-story attraction telling the story of Dublin’s iconic beverage, complete with a pint at the Gravity Bar on the top floor; Teeling Distillery, the first new whiskey distillery to open in Dublin in 125 years; EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, telling the story of the people who left Ireland and how they shaped the world; or the GPO Museum, innovatively detailing the fascinating story of the 1916 Rising, the pivotal event that led to Ireland’s independence. Your evening is free to explore Dublin’s pubs and restaurants as you wish.

Spend your day continuing to explore Dublin with the included vouchers, seeing its vibrant blend of ancient and modern as you wish: Trinity College, Georgian houses with colorful doors, and the modern buildings rising by the River Liffey. In the evening, head to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a dinner of Irish specialties and a lively show with popular Irish songs and step-dancing. (B, D)

Pick up your Hertz rental car and depart Dublin, through the legendary green fields of Ireland’s farmlands. 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 the friendly town of 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)

You might choose to 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 The Moorings in Portmagee, then continue 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 the village of Sneem, with its brightly painted houses, and at Moll’s Gap for panoramic views of Ireland’s highest mountains. Return to Killarney to explore and dine independently. (B, L)

Leave Killarney and drive north to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of sandstone that reaches almost 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Drive on to your hotel in Limerick. In the evening, head out to Bunratty 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 this morning to Galway to explore this lively, artistic city. Walk through its medieval streetscape, listen to the buskers performing, enjoy its many shops and cafes. Travel across the country to Dublin. Spend the final night of your tour exploring the pubs in the lively Temple Bar area or experiencing one of Dublin’s fine restaurants. (B)

Your tour ends after breakfast today. Drive to the airport and drop off your rental car. (B) B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner>