The best of Ireland over 9-days

Arrival

Arrival into DUB airport where you will be greeted by your guide and taken to the hotel. After checking in and a quick orientation we will head in to the city for our first full day. Our first stop in the city will be Trinity College, along with stops at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, a stroll down Grafton street, and final the famous Temple Bar. It is here we will enjoy our first dinner together and hopefully a bit of live music as well.

We will leave the hustle and bustle of the city and head out into the beautiful valley of Glendalough. Our drive from Dublin will begin with our first stop at Powerscourt Estates. Here we will visit the Estate gardens and the 800 year old medieval castle that was converted into the expansive mansion. This impressive estate along with the Powerscourt waterfall will surely take your breath away. We will then continue on into Glendalough Valley and visit the 6th century Monastic Settlement of St. Kevin. This valley sits between two lakes that add wonderful backdrop to the surrounding landscape. Our evening will have us returning to Dublin for a tour of Ireland’s most famous beer factory Guinness. We will have dinner as a group together there in Dublin.

Today we will see more of the countryside with a drive to the world heritage site of Newgrange. This prehistoric monument is older the Egyptian Pyramids. No day in Ireland would be complete without a visit to a castle. After our boating adventure we will visit Trim Castle. This castle dates back to the 11 century and was used by Parliament in the 1500’s, you may already recognize it from the film Braveheart. We will then have a wonderful dinner together before returning to the hotel.

We will pack up and say goodbye to Dublin for now as we head to our first stop in the city of Kilkenny. This medieval city offers so much to see and do from visiting Kilkenny Castle to the Black Abbey. We will then head to the Blarney Castle. Here you will have a chance to explore this beautiful complex and even kiss the famous Blarney stone.It is then off to our next hotel in the city of Killarney. After checking in we will have an evening stroll through this quaint town along with a delicious dinner.

From Killarney we will start the famous Ring of Kerry drive. The Ring of Kerry is a 179km circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry and takes in several quaint and charming villages and towns. This drive is quintessential Ireland with the sheep lined fields, stone barriers, and seascape views. Dinner will be a delicious meal including some traditional Irish Foods.

We will leave the Southern coast behind and check out of our hotel. Our first stop today will be at Bunratty Castle. This large 15th century is quite the sight to behold with its towering and imposing walls.After our visit at Bunratty Castle we will then head to the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs are some of the most famous landscapes in all of Ireland. The impressive sheer dropping cliffs that fall straight into the ocean will surely amaze you. The abundance of sea life and birds here along the cliffs is overwhelming and adds to their charm.We will then head to the city of Galway where we will check into our hotel and have a nice group dinner together and enjoy the evening in the city.

We start our day off with a visit to Kylemore Abbey. This Abbey was first built as a castle in 1868 and later converted to an Abbey. Perched on the shores of Lake Pollacappul its idyllic setting is more than picture worthy. We will walk the grounds and visit several beautifully landscaped gardens. We will return to Galway that evening for some free time in the city and then dinner together that evening.

We will check out of our hotel in Galway then start our journey back to Dublin with a stop at Clonmacnoise. Founded in 550 AD by Saint Ciaran this site quickly became a thriving center of learning and arts.Our next stop will be in Dublin at the World Famous Guinness Factory. Here you will see first hand how Guinness is and even enjoy a pint on top of the gravity bar overlooking Dublin.We will then check into our hotel. Our final dinner together we will be in Dublin followed by some free time on our final night.

Departure

We will have to say our goodbyes today and the group will be taken to the airport to catch their departing flights.