Ireland's Country Roads Tour
Experience the wild, enchanting coastal routes as you explore many fantastic cities and sites on the magical Emerald Isle. Along the way you’ll encounter ruined castles, quiet lakes, natural wonders and legendary characters. You are in for a trip rich in history, fascinating local insights and lots of laughter! I’m sure you will feel inspired in this rugged, fairy-tale land of a hundred thousand welcomes! Take a look at all that is included in the day-by-day itinerary highlights below.
Explore the Itinerary below:
On arrival at Dublin airport, transfers leave for your hotel at 08:30, 11:00 and 13:00. Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a warm and friendly Welcome Dinner with the opportunity to mingle and get to know each other over a meal with wine.
Hotel: Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin
Meals: Dinner with Wine
Become acquainted with Dublin’s elegant squares during an orientation of the city. Discover famous O’Connell Street, Custom House and Dublin Castle. Enjoy your VIP priority entrance to the 9th century Book of Kells and a walk through the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College accompanied by a university insider, who will share their insights into modern life and the establishment’s impressive history. The afternoon is free to explore.
Hotel: Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin
Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, visit one of the country’s main racehorse breeding centres. Continue to the acclaimed 100-year-old Japanese Gardens where you can ‘journey through life’ during a walk through the beautiful surrounds. Travel to the medieval city of Kilkenny, home of the world’s fastest field game. The ancient Celtic sport of Hurling is over 3,000 years old and Ireland’s national sport. Meet a player who will share his passion as you test your skill during a lesson. Continue through Cahir and see its imposing 13th century castle, featured in the film ‘Excalibur’, on the way to Cork. On arrival, your Travel Director will show you around the compact university city, with its vibrant waterfront and grand Georgian parades.
Hotel: Maldron Hotel South Mall, Cork.
Meals: Breakfast
Travel to the ruined Blarney Castle. Will you hang upside down from the ramparts to kiss the stone and ensure a lifetime of eloquence? Travel across the majestic Derrynasaggart Mountains to the peaceful town of Killarney. For your Farm-to-Table dining experience, enjoy some Irish home cooking in the kitchens of chef John Sheehan. Join John and his wife, Freda for drinks and a personal insight into classic Irish recipes that are loved throughout the world. Then, settle down for a night of great food and drink in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Hotel: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Start your day with Insight Choice. Choose between a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys or join a gentle hike with a Local Expert along the lake shore and past the farmlands of the Muckross Estate, admiring the incredible scenery. While there aren’t any mountains to climb, walkers should be fit, have good walking shoes or boots, sunscreen and rain gear. Take a leisurely excursion around the magnificent Ring of Kerry. Here, mountains, valleys, lakes and sea blend into a landscape that is breathtaking beyond words. Journey past lush lake lands and around towering cliffs as you appreciate sweeping sea views. Continue through delightful villages like Sneem and cross the peat bogs of the Black Mountains to Moll’s Gap to admire Queen Victoria’s Ladies View. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure. Maybe take the opportunity to hire a bicycle and enjoy one of the many scenic trails around the lake or through the National Park?
Hotel: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa
Meals: Breakfast
Continue driving with views of wide skies, peaceful towns and coastal scenery of the Dingle Peninsula – the setting for the film Ryan’s Daughter. Drive to dramatic Slea Head at the peninsula’s far end, before reaching your hotel on the shores of Dingle harbour. With the evening at leisure, why not treat yourself to a relaxing experience at the hotel’s spa? Offering holistic and therapeutic treatments, the Peninsula Spa is the perfect place to unwind after a busy day of exploring the coast.
Hotel: Skellig Hotel, Dingle
Meals: Breakfast
Journey to the Visitor Centre at the 700-foot Cliffs of Moher. Enjoy breathtaking views of the Clare Coast before a delightful drive through the strange, rocky landscape of the Burren to Galway Bay. On arrival, see the Lynch Memorial and Church of St. Nicholas, where Christopher Columbus reputedly prayed before his voyages to America. See the Spanish Arch and Eyre Square, dedicated to the late US President, John F. Kennedy.
Hotel: Connemara Coast Hotel, Galway
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Spend a day at leisure to relax and enjoy Galway. Perhaps join an Optional Experience to the Aran Islands – a genuine highlight of the Wild Atlantic Way. With their cliffs and spectacular coastal views, the islands are a true Irish experience.
Hotel: Connemara Coast Hotel, Galway
Meals: Breakfast
Continue on to County Sligo, stopping at a peaceful churchyard in Drumcliffe to visit the final resting place of Ireland’s famous poet, William Butler Yeats. Admire the Blue Stack Mountains of Donegal as you cross into Northern Ireland bound for the ancient walled city of ‘Derry.’ What better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland’s best storytellers, Ronan, as he takes you on a tour inside the city walls, still topped with cannons. Walk down steep Shipquay Street, with its elegant Georgian houses, to the Gothic Guildhall.
Hotel: Maldron Hotel Derry, Londonderry
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Journey to the legendary Giant’s Causeway, a geological masterpiece created by the cooling of lava which burst through the earth’s crust millions of years ago. Next, prepare yourself for miles of breathtaking beauty as you travel along the road clinging to the Antrim Coast. Continue onto your hotel, overlooking Ballygally Bay. For those who are brave enough, perhaps check out The Ghost Room, in one of the castle’s turrets? In the evening, please join us for a finale Celebration Dinner, where old-fashioned hospitality is blended with good food and wine for an experience that delights the senses.
Hotel: Ballygally Castle
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Continue around the Antrim Coast, past the huge Norman castle at Carrickfergus, to arrive in the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast. Meet Hilda, your Local Expert, for a passionate city tour including views of the City Hall, Queen’s University, the Parliament Building at Stormont and murals in different locations indicating political sentiments of local residents.
Hotel: Europa Hotel, Belfast
Meals: Breakfast
There are 3 options for airport transfers…either Belfast George Best City Airport at 07:15 or Belfast International Airport at 08:00 or Dublin International Airport at 08:00.
Meals: Breakfast