Jewels of Ireland 14 Day Coach Tour

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Tour Highlights

• Traditional Irish Night in Dublin
• Killary Fjord Catamaran Cruise
• Slieve League Sea Cliffs
• Giant’s Causeway
• Belfast Tour
• Cabra Castle Hotel

Day 1: Dublin Castle & City Tour

Arrive in Dublin Airport and go to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a group transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later, you will need to transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:00 pm tour Dublin city centre with a local guide to see elegant Georgian squares, Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, the Famine Memorial and O’Connell Street. Tour the State Apartments of Dublin Castle, which contain magnificently-furnished chambers. Back at your hotel enjoy a welcome drink and discuss your tour.

Day 2: National Stud & Pub Dinner

Depart Dublin and stop in Kildare to visit the Irish National Stud. Horseracing is a passion for the Irish and you will see some of the finest stallions and learn about breeding. Walk through the charming Japanese Gardens, created to symbolize life from birth to death. Return to Dublin where the afternoon is free to take your independent open-top bus tour and visit Guinness or Jameson. Head to a typical Dublin Pub for dinner with traditional music, songs and step-dancing. (B, D)

Day 3: Waterford Crystal & Historic Kinsale 

Visit the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre to see how molten glass is blown into shapes before being cut by hand by experts and view priceless trophies to Kinsale, a delightful old fishing town which is now renowned for sailing and gourmet food. Join a local guide for a short walk around Kinsale’s historic centre and then drive a few miles to your elegant hotel. (B, D)

Day 4: Muckross House & Killarney

Drive via Macroom to Kenmare and along part of the Ring of Kerry route for splendid views. Tour Muckross House with a guide to tell you about influential owners and visitors before heading into Killarney for free time. Continue your journey along the Dingle Peninsula, enjoying views of heathery mountains, sandy beaches and rocky headlands. Check in to your hotel, located in the centre of this lively, attractive town. (B, D)

Day 5: Dingle Peninsula & Gallarus Oratory

Today discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies, “Ryan’s Daughter” and “Far & Away.” Drive to Slea Head at the westernmost tip and tour the Blasket Experience to learn about the Blasket Islands. Visit Gallarus Oratory, a small church dating from the 6th to 9th centuries, which has remained watertight through the centuries. Travel up to the Conor Pass for sweeping views before returning to Dingle. (B, D)

Day 6: Flying Boat Museum & Cliffs of Moher

Visit the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, which recalls the era during the 1930’s and early 1940’s when Pan Am’s Clipper traffic created a hive of activity. Continue to Bunratty and check in to your hotel. At 2:30 pm depart for the Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic wall of rock that plunges to the Atlantic Ocean. Return to Bunratty to experience dinner at the Mediaeval Banquet at the 15th century Bunratty castle. (B, D)

Day 7: Burren & Galway

In Kilfenora visit the Burren Display Centre to learn about the Burren, an area of rounded limestone hills. Then view the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a Neolithic burial place dating to 4,000 BC and take a look around the village of Ballyvaughan. Drive into Galway where you will have some free time in the city centre before checking in to your hotel overlooking Galway Bay and the Burren. (B, D)

Day 8: “Quiet Man” Walking Tour & Catamaran Cruise

Drive to Cong for a guided walk around the village where “The Quiet Man” movie was made in 1952. Drive through the lovely scenery of Connemara to embark on a short cruise of Killary Harbour. Enjoy an Irish coffee as you view traces of pre-Famine potato “lazy beds.” Make a brief stop at Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre before heading to Clifden, a delightful market town, and then return to Galway. (B, D)

Day 9: Museum of Country Life & Belleek China

Outside Castlebar visit the Museum of Country Life. View collections of domestic goods, used in everyday living from 1850 to 1950. Stop in the pilgrimage town of Knock and in County Sligo view W. B. Yeats’ Grave. Continue to Belleek for a tour of the Belleek Pottery Factory, founded in the mid-19th century and today renowned for fine china. Drive to Donegal town for your next overnight stop. (B, D)

Day 10: Slieve League Cliffs & Donegal

Drive along the coast of Donegal to view Slieve League sea cliffs, the highest in Europe reaching 1,972 feet. The cliffs drop straight down to the wild Atlantic waves creating marvellous views. Enjoy coffee or tea with home-baked scones before driving through Glengesh Pass to Ardara to visit Triona Design for demonstrations of spinning and knitting. Stop in Donegal town for free time before returning to your hotel. (B, D)

Day 11: Derry Walk & Giant’s Causeway

Take a walking tour with a local guide to see Derry’s medieval walls, the Diamond and St. Columb’s Cathedral. Pause for photos at Dunluce Castle before visiting the Giant’s Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Continue along the scenic coastal drive of the “Nine Glens of Antrim” to your stylish hotel in Belfast, close to the waterfront and the attractions in the city centre. (B, D)

Day 12: Belfast & Cabra Castle

Tour Belfast with a local guide to see Victorian buildings, the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built, the Falls Road and Shankill. Continue past the Mourne Mountains to Kingscourt to your lovely castle hotel, built in 1760. Arrive in time to enjoy the facilities, including a golf course. After dinner, youthful dancers will display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B, D)

Day 13: Battle of the Boyne Centre & Leisure Time in Dublin

Outside Drogheda visit the Battle of the Boyne Centre to learn about the 1690 conflict between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II. Then travel into Dublin. The balance of the day is free so you may take an open-top bus tour and visit Guinness or Jameson, if you did not use your vouchers at the start of your tour. (B)

Day 14: Depart from Dublin Airport

Your Tour ends today with a group transfer to Dublin Airport.  (B)

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES

• Group transfers on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Services of a professional Irish tour director
• Dublin open-top bus tour with complimentary visit and a drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
• Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 13 nights
• 13 full Irish breakfasts (B)
• 11 dinners (D) including:

-              Dinner and traditional Irish entertainment at a Dublin pub

-              Mediaeval Banquet at Bunratty Castle

-              Dinner and Irish step-dancing display at Cabra Castle Hotel

-              8 table d’hôte dinners

• Welcome get-together drink
• Tours of Dublin & Belfast with local guides
• Walking tours of Kinsale & Derry with local guides
• “The Quiet Man” walking tour of Cong
• Catamaran cruise of Killary Fjord with an Irish coffee
• Slieve League Sea Cliffs followed by home-baked scones with coffee or tea
• Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, National Stud & Japanese gardens, House of Waterford Crystal, Muckross House & Gardens, Blasket Experience, Gallarus Oratory, Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Display Centre, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre, Museum of Country Life, Knock Shrine, W. B. Yeats’ Grave, Belleek Pottery Factory, Triona Design, Giant’s Causeway and Battle of the Boyne Centre
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

YOUR HOTELS

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Davenport Hotel, Dublin  (2 nights)
• Carlton Hotel, Kinsale  (1 night)
• Benner’s Hotel, Dingle  (2 nights)
• Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
• Galway Bay Hotel, Galway  (2 nights)
• Millpark Hotel, Donegal  (2 nights)
• Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast  (1 night)
• Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt  (1 night)
• Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire (1 night)

Departure Dates                                              End Date                                           Per Person