2022 Taste of Ireland (Tour A) - 7 Days/6 Nights

Duration: 7 Days

Price: Starts from $0 USD

Itineraries

Day 1: Independent Touring in Dublin
Your tour begins with a day of independent touring in Dublin. Take a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour and enjoy a visit to one of Dublin’s top attractions – Teeling Distillery, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, or GPO Museum. Dine independently this evening.

Day 2: Dublin Panoramic Tour | Dublin Castle | Merry Ploughboy Pub
Enjoy the morning exploring Dublin with the included vouchers. Meet your guide at 2:00 PM in the hotel lobby, and set out on a panoramic tour of Dublin. Drive through the lively streets with a local guide, seeing this historic city’s highlights: Trinity College, elegant Georgian homes, and modern buildings rising by the River Liffey. Visit Dublin Castle for a guided tour and see the splendid State Apartments; for centuries the seat of colonial power in Ireland, this impressive complex is today a place for official ceremonies. Return to your hotel for a welcome drink with your group, then head to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a dinner of Irish specialties and a lively show with traditional music and step-dancing.
(B, D)


Day 3: Blarney Castle | Killarney
Travel through lush green countryside on your way to Blarney Castle. Along the way, stop for photos of the stately ruins of the Rock of Cashel on their hilltop perch. At Blarney, climb the winding staircase to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone and gain the gift of the gab, or wander the beautiful gardens. Arrive in the friendly, lakeside town of Killarney, where you’ll dine in your hotel this evening.
(B, D)


Day 4: Ring of Kerry | Skellig Experience | Sheepdog Demonstration
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 a cozy restaurant. Continue on to Valentia Island to visit the Skellig Experience, a visitor center telling the story of the neighboring island of Skellig Michael, which you’ll see off the coast. Learn how this island, a filming location for “Star Wars”, was once the austere home of early Christian monks. Stop for a stroll around the quaint, colorful village of Sneem, and at Moll’s Gap for panoramic views of Ireland’s highest mountains. Visit a farm to see a demonstration of skilled sheepdogs herding sheep. Return to Killarney and enjoy a free evening to dine and discover the pubs as you wish.
(B, L)


Day 5: Cliffs of Moher | Medieval Castle Banquet
Leave Killarney, taking a 20-minute ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary before driving along the coast of County Clare to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of sandstone soaring almost 700 feet above the Atlantic. Continue on to your hotel. In the evening, head out to a castle for a medieval-style feast of excellent traditional dishes. Lords and ladies will serenade you with songs and harp music evocative of medieval times. (Please note that January departures may offer a different dining experience.)
(B,D)


Day 6: Galway | Dublin
Drive to the vibrant, artistic city of Galway for a panoramic tour. Take some free time to browse the local shops, watch some street performers, see the medieval buildings, or relax in one of the many pubs and cafes. Travel across the country to Dublin, where you’re free to spend the night dining in one of the city’s excellent restaurants or exploring its legendary pubs.
(B)


Day 7: Tour Ends in Dublin
Your tour ends after breakfast today.
(B)


B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner

Highlights

Authentic Local Experiences:

  • Visit a farm in the beautiful mountains of County Kerry and watch border collies hard at work as they round up sheep.
  • Tour the magnificent State Apartments of Dublin Castle – once the living quarters of the viceregal court, the Apartments today are the venue for presidential inaugurations and other official ceremonies.
  • Trip Highlights:

    • Irish Night in Dublin
    • Blarney Castle
    • Cliffs of Moher
    • Medieval Castle Banquet
    • Dublin Castle
    • Ring of Kerry
    • Sheepdog Demonstration
    • Skellig Experience

    Dining Experiences:

    • 6 Breakfasts (B), 1 Lunch (L) and 3 Dinners (D)

    Hotels:

    • Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge | Dublin (2)
    • Killarney Towers Hotel | Killarney (2)
    • Bunratty Castle Hotel | Bunratty (1)
    • Academy Plaza Hotel | Dublin (1)

Taste of Ireland (Tour A) - 7 Days/6 Nights

Not included

Hotels

Taste of Ireland (Tour A) - 7 days/6 Nights land tour (Includes pre & post nights)
SupplierNameSupplierRating DescriptionImage
SupplierName Clayton Hotel BallsbridgeSupplierRating **** This hotel was once a Masonic School and still retains many striking original features that give it a unique charm. Standard rooms are tastefully decorated and boast a fresh and warm feeling. The Brasserie Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with fresh, seasonal and sustainable produce. Tom’s Bar is a great place to relax with a drink or a snack. Set in Ballsbridge, close to the Royal Dublin Society and Aviva Stadium, this property is a short distance from the city center, with good bus service close by.
SupplierName Killarney Towers HotelSupplierRating **** This modern hotel provides guests with 182 rooms that are comfortable and include satellite TV and video facilities. An excellent restaurant serves great Irish breakfasts and carvery dinners while the choice of bars offer live music most nights. Enjoy a strenuous workout or leisurely dip in the pool in the extensive leisure center. Located in the center of Killarney town within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants, pubs and the Killarney National Park. Hotel parking.
SupplierName Killarney Towers HotelSupplierRating **** This modern hotel provides guests with 182 rooms that are comfortable and include satellite TV and video facilities. An excellent restaurant serves great Irish breakfasts and carvery dinners while the choice of bars offer live music most nights. Enjoy a strenuous workout or leisurely dip in the pool in the extensive leisure center. Located in the center of Killarney town within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants, pubs and the Killarney National Park. Hotel parking.
SupplierName Bunratty Castle HotelSupplierRating **** Nestled in the heart of the historic countryside of Bunratty, this hotel is an ideal base for visiting and touring the cultural West of Ireland. There is a wide selection of dining options from which to choose, including Kathleen's Bar and Fibber McGee's Steakhouse Restaurant. The hotel is within easy walking distance of Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Durty Nelly's Pub and the shops at the Bunratty Village Mills.
SupplierName Academy Plaza HotelSupplierRating **** This modern and centrally located hotel offers 285 rooms of several types. All public areas are spacious and comfortable, including the large reception and lobby area, Sir Harry's Bar & Bistro, Oscar's Restaurant and Abacus Asian Restaurant. Complimentary WiFi is available throughout the hotel, which is located on Cathal Brugha Street, just off O'Connell Street, one of Dublin’s main thoroughfares. Trinity College, St. Stephen's Green, Temple Bar, shops, galleries and pubs are all within easy walking distance.