The Best of Ireland

• Itinerary
• Prices & Information

Day 1 Home to Shannon
Depart your hometown and take an overnight flight across the Atlantic. Enjoy in-flight entertainment and meal service as you travel to start your vacation.

Day 2 SHANNON to Killarney
After customs and immigration formalities at Shannon Airport, your CIE Tours driver/guide will welcome you to Ireland and escort you to the motorcoach.  Depart Shannonside and drive through the outskirts of Limerick and south to Adare, which is famous for its main street of thatched houses.  After a stop for photos and a walk along the main street, journey into the mountainous country of Kerry and into Killarney, settled beside three lakes in the shadow of Ireland’s highest mountains.  Take an old-fashioned horse drawn jaunting car through the Killarney National Park, which is closed to motorized vehicles. Drive along the shores of Lough Leane to Muckross House, an elegant 19th century mansion set beside the tranquil Muckross Lake. A guided tour around the 19th century manor house will fill you in on some local history and the family ties to the United States. Enjoy the elegant rooms and rich furnishings.  Return to Killarney with some free time to settle in to your hotel or explore the town.  In the evening join your fellow travelers for dinner in the hotel restaurant. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Malton Hotel

Day 3 Killarney
Today admire breathtaking vistas of mountains, cliffs and beaches on Ireland’s most popular drive. See a variety of natural beauty as you drive 100 miles around this scenic route.  Cross to Valencia Island by bridge to visit the Skellig Experience, which describes the way of life of early Christian monks who built their monastery on one of the offshore islands.  A number of stops will allow you to admire the spectacular scenery and take a brief walk around the colorful village of Sneem.  Visit a sheep farm for tea and scones and learn about farm life. Head back to Killarney through Moll’s Gap with stunning views of the Lakes of Killarney. Enjoy a free evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Malton Hotel

Day 4 Killarney to Waterford
Drive through the mountains of Kerry and into the rich dairying countryside of County Cork and onto Blarney.  Visit Blarney Castle to climb to the battlements where the “Stone of Eloquence” is located.  Enjoy some time to browse around the village and the Blarney Woollen Mills before driving to Cobh, a port town to the east of Cork city.  Visit the Cobh Heritage Centre, located in the railway station where emigrants transferred from train to set out by ship for the United States.  Learn about emigration patterns and the ships that called to Cobh, including the “Titanic.”  Motor along the south coast of Ireland via Cork and Youghal to Waterford, home of the fine handcut crystal.  Visit the factory to see the cutting and blowing of the glass and see a display of fine tableware and trophies in the showrooms.  Then head north to Carlow for dinner and overnight.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Talbot Hotel

Day 5  Waterford to Dublin
This morning drive to Kilkenny for a guided tour around Kilkenny Castle, home of the Butlers, Earls and Dukes of Ormonde.  The castle was first built in 1192 and added to over the centuries.  Restored to 1830’s splendor, it houses wonderful paintings and furniture.    Then head north into the delightful scenery of the Wicklow Mountains to Glendalough. Start your tour in the Glendalough Visitor Centre where an audio-visual presentation will offer an insight into the development and way of life in this early Christian settlement, founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century.  Then take a walk around the site which is located between two peaceful lakes in a deep valley.  Here you will see a well-preserved round tower and the ruins of some of the many churches.  Drive north into Dublin and after checking into your hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure for independent activities. There are plenty of museums of Irish interest such as the National Museum, the National Gallery or the Writers Museum.  There are plenty of shops along Nassau Street and the pedestrianized Grafton Street or Henry Street and you may like to explore Temple Bar or visit some of the traditional pubs.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Davenport Hotel

Day 6 Dublin
Set off with a local guide who will show you around the prominent historic buildings and monuments of Dublin.  Dublin is an ancient settlement, founded by the Vikings in the 9th century. The city has been molded through the centuries with many architectural styles, reflecting the economic, political, and artistic influences. Tour St. Patrick’s Cathedral, almost as old as the city itself and famous for its connections with the brilliantly eccentric Dean Jonathan Swift. In Trinity College, view the 8th century Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the gospels. The afternoon is free to rest, shop or explore on your own.  This evening drive to the town of Rathfarnham to The Merry Ploughboy Pub for dinner followed by a lively show of traditional Irish songs, dancing and music.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 Dublin to Sligo
Leaving Dublin travel across the country via the marketing centers of Mullingar and Longford.  Travel through farming country and a number of small towns where you can see how many Irish people live.  Stop in Boyle to visit Boyle Abbey which was founded in 1161 and used as a monastery for four centuries. The ruins contain a blend of rounded Romanesque and pointed Gothic arches. Then head north to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory. See how skilled craftspeople form and decorate clay to produce delicate porcelain masterpieces. Drive into County Sligo, a county of gentle mountains, lakes and coastline.  This area is associated with the great writer, W. B. Yeats.  Visit his grave at Drumcliffe Churchyard in the shadow of the Benbulben mountain range before driving into Sligo town for dinner and overnight. 
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Lough Allen Hotel

Day 8 Sligo
Drive north along Donegal Bay.  Donegal, with its windswept hills where only sheep can thrive, is renowned for wool production. Continue through amazing scenery and visit Glenveagh National Park where high walls and conifers provide shelter for an amazing collection of exotic plants, trees and flowers gathered from all over the world.  Tour Glenveagh Castle which dates from the middle of the 19th century and is filled with period furnishings.   Drive west and stop for lunch in the small fishing village of Burtonport.  Enjoy the Lobster Pot an awarding winning pub!  This picturesque harbor town is one of Donegal’s important fishing ports and is known for its quality seafood. Return to Sligo for a free evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9 Sligo to GALWAY
Leaving Sligo traveling south through County Mayo. Drive through the Connemara region known for its constantly-changing skies and subtle colors.  Stop to visit Kylemore Abbey, a 19th century neo-Gothic mansion overlooking Kylemore Lake. Originally a private residence, it is now a prestigious girls’ school.  Visit the chapel and the restored Victorian gardens, which have won awards.   Return to Galway for independent activities.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Clayton Hotel

Day 10  Galway
Drive around the shores of Galway Bay and through the Burren Country, a unique region of limestone hills where many rare flowers thrive in the sheltered crevices.  Stop at the Cliffs of Moher, a wall of rock that plunges 700 feet to the churning Atlantic Ocean below. Return to your hotel with some independent time before dinner.  You may want to spend some time around Eyre Square, the hub of the city.  Most of the shops are within easy reach and there are also many quaint pubs where Irish traditional music is played.  Some may want to stroll down to the JFK Memorial Park and people watch.  This evening head south to Kilgolgan for dinner at Moran’s Oyster Cottage situated on an inlet of Galway Bay.  The family owned business dates back almost three hundred years. The picturesque thatched cottage and superb food make a memorable evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 11 Return Home
Sadly, today your Irish vacation has come to its final day.  Transfer to Shannon Airport in good time to check in for your flight.You may do some last minute shopping at the duty free stores.Then clear U.S. Immigration before boarding your aircraft and flying across the Atlantic Ocean back to the United States.
Included Meals: Breakfast