Tour
Irish Explorer
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starts in Dublin
ends in Dublin
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USA departure
Fridays
From Mar 23 to Oct 19
Wednesdays
From May 2 to Sep 26
2007
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9 days
10 days incl. air
c9200 |
Tour price land only - -
- - - - - -
from $ 985 to $ 1100
Airline tickets from your home city also available
Your Travel Package Includes:
SIGHTSEEING:
Visits to Hill of Tara, Boyle, Sligo, W.B.Yeats’ burial place, Donegal town, Knock, Galway, Cliffs of
Moher, Adare, Killarney, Blarney, Tramore, handweaving mill at Avoca,
Glendalough; orientation drives in Dublin and Limerick
SCENIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Boyne Valley, The Burren, Dingle Peninsula, Ring of Kerry and Lakes of Killarney, Wicklow Mountains
Inside visits are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable
GUIDES:
Local Guides for visits to Belleek Pottery Factory, Derry, Waterford Crystal
Factory. Service of a professional Tour Director in Ireland
TRANSPORTATION:
Scheduled transatlantic flights and airport transfers in London if
Tour Operator issues the tickets; Private first-class air-conditioned motorcoach
MEALS:
8 full Irish breakfasts (FB); 4 three-course dinners (D) with choice of menus and coffee
AIRPORT TRANSFERS:
Airport transfers may be included when you make your flight
arrangements with Tour Operator.
OPTIONALS:
Choice of optional excursions at reasonable prices to customize your
own experience. Please find a detailed list in your travel documents
Itinerary -
Irish Explorer
Day 1 BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.
Day 2 ARRIVAL IN DUBLIN, IRELAND. Check into your hotel. At 3 p.m. meet your traveling companions for an afternoon orientation drive through statue-lined O’Connell Street and elegant Georgian squares to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Trinity College. Your Tour Director will have some suggestions for dining tonight.
Day 3 DUBLIN-SLIGO. On your first day in the Irish countryside discover why this is known as the "Emerald Isle." Motor north through history-steeped landscapes, with Ireland’s typical round towers and ruined castles, to the legendary Hill of Tara. See mighty Trim Castle, then across the River Boyne and via the agricultural and angling center of Mullingar to
Longford, the county capital. On the way to Sligo take your pictures at scenic
Carrick-on-Shannon and the Cistercian abbey ruins at Boyle. (FB,D)
Day 4 SLIGO. NORTHERN IRELAND EXCURSION. At Drumcliff see the grave of the native son and poet,
W.B.Yeats, then step across the border into Northern Ireland to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory, renowned for its exquisite cream-colored Parian china. Then follow the route through Omagh to the fascinating city of Derry where a walking tour with a Local Guide takes in the old city walls and St. Columb’s Cathedral. In the afternoon shop for hand-knitted woolen goods in Donegal town.
(FB,D)
Day 5 SLIGO-ENNIS. South to Knock, a village that attracts pilgrims from all over the world since the townsfolk saw apparitions, and Galway, a vibrant city with a great seafaring tradition, where you hear about the infamous Lynch Stone, commemorating the day Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephen hanged his son for murder. Cross the limestone plateau of The Burren to visit the spectacular 668-foot Cliffs of
Moher. Tonight a chance to attend an optional banquet at Knappogue Castle. (FB)
Day 6 ENNIS-DINGLE PENINSULA-KILLARNEY. This morning’s orientation drive in Limerick acquaints you with King John’s Castle and the Stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691. Then via
Adare, a village known for its prize-winning thatched cottages. Breathtaking scenery this afternoon on the Dingle Peninsula, where the 32-mile Slea Head drive affords magnificent vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, then pass miles of white sandy beaches, setting for the film Ryan’s Daughter. The next two nights are spent in the popular resort of Killarney.
(FB,D)
Day 7 KILLARNEY. RING OF KERRY EXCURSION. At Killorglin join the road known
as the "Ring of Kerry" for a 100-mile coastal panoramic drive: sparkling seascapes, mountains dotted with brightly colored farmhouses, winding lanes bordered with subtropical vegetation and spectacular views of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. Back in Killarney, a special optional adventure: take a horse-drawn jaunting car along the national park lakeshore for pictures of Ross Castle. Tonight enjoy the optional outing to Tralee for dinner, and a performance at Siamsa Tire, Ireland’s National Folk Theatre.
(FB)
Day 8 KILLARNEY-WATERFORD-TRAMORE. More scenic splendor as you head over the Kerry Mountains into County Cork. Stop in Blarney, famous for its Stone of Eloquence, with time at your leisure to see the castle, and shop for Irish crafts and handmade crystal. After lunch drive past Cork, the country’s second-largest city. Youghal and Dungarvan are further milestones on your way to Waterford, where a visit to the world-famous Waterford Crystal factory is included. Spend the night at the nearby seaside resort of
Tramore. An optional pub tour might be fun this evening? (FB,D)
Day 9 TRAMORE-DUBLIN. Highlights on your northbound journey: Enniscorthy, site of the final battle of the Great Rebellion of 1798; a visit to Ireland’s oldest handweaving mill at Avoca; views of the Wicklow Mountains; finally Glendalough with its ruins of a center of Irish Christianity founded by St. Kevin. After arriving back in Dublin, why not celebrate the success of your tour with an optional Irish dinner and cabaret show?
(FB)
Day 10 YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (FB)
Quality Hotels
Rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes,
porterage, tips, and service charges
DUBLIN Jurys Custom House Inn (ST), SLIGO Southern (ST), ENNIS Auburn Lodge (ST), KILLARNEY Killarney Court (ST), TRAMORE Majestic (ST)
Hotel Rating Abbreviations:
F = First Class
ST = Superior Tourist Class
T = Tourist Class
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