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Taste of Ireland
Superior & First Class Hotels: 5, 6 or 7 Day Coach Tour
Tour
Highlights:
Merry Ploughboy Pub Dinner & Show
Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
Dublin Castle
Kiss the Blarney Stone
Ring of Kerry Tour
Muckross Gardens
Day 1: Dublin Tour & Merry Ploughboy Pub
If you are starting the tour today go
to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall where staff will arrange a group
transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives
later than noon, you will transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:00 pm at your hotel join a local guide
who will show you around central Dublin.
Drive through the main streets to see historic buildings such as Trinity
College, where the Book of Kells is housed; the
evocative figures of the Famine Memorial; and rows of Georgian houses with
gaily-collared doorways. Stop at Dublin Castle to take a guided
tour through the elegant State Apartments, which are filled with elaborate
Waterford Crystal chandeliers and portraits of prominent Irish leaders.
Return to your hotel for a get-together with your tour group and a welcome drink.
In the evening drive to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a great dinner of Irish
specialties, which is followed by a show of traditional Irish songs and
intricate step-dancing. (D)
Day 2: Blarney Castle & Killarney
Depart Dublin
and travel through the centre of Ireland, which has many mixed farms.
Stop to view the stately church ruins atop the Rock of Cashel,
which rises high above the surrounding plain. Continue your drive south and,
just a few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the
famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen
Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods of all types,
conveniently displayed under one roof. Drive through
Macroom, built around a fine castle, and into County Kerry where the scenery becomes more
mountainous. Arrive in Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes with Ireland’s
highest mountains, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks,
forming a backdrop. Check in to your hotel and relax before dinner.
Afterwards you may like to take a stroll through the compact town centre and
explore one of Killarney’s famous singing pubs. (B,D)
Day 3: Ring of Kerry & Skellig Experience
Today embark on Ireland’s most popular
scenic drive of 100 miles – the Ring of Kerry. This winding route
reveals breathtaking sights of the Macgillycuddy’s
Reeks as well as coastal views of beaches and cliffs. As you travel along,
there will be plenty of stops for photos at the best vantage points. Stop at Kells to meet a local farmer, Brendan Ferris, for a taste
of farm life with a sheepdog demonstration of herding flocks and see
different breeds of sheep. Drive through the village
of Cahirciveen
and cross to Valencia
Island by bridge. Visit
the Skellig Experience to learn about
the nearby rocky islands where early Christian monks lived in austere
conditions and today it is a thriving bird sanctuary. Stop to walk around Sneem, where brightly-painted houses are grouped around a
central green. Stop at Moll’s Gap for a view over the Three Lakes of
Killarney with the town in the distance. Visit the charming Muckross Gardens,
set on the shores of Muckross Lake
and with many mature trees and plants. Return to Killarney and enjoy a fine
dinner in your hotel once again. (B,D)
Day 4: Cliffs of Moher & Bunratty
Castle
Leave Killarney and drive north to Tarbert for a 20-minute ferry ride across the wide River Shannon
Estuary. Your tour continues along the Clare coast to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of limestone that
reaches to almost 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.
Drive past Lahinch golf links, one of Ireland’s most famous, and through the
marketing town of Ennis
to Bunratty. Check in to Bunratty
Castle Hotel, which is located very close to Bunratty Castle
and Folk Park. In the evening head to Bunratty Castle for a memorable
experience in a wonderful setting with good food and entertainment. Take your
place in the Great Hall for a medieval-style feast of excellent dishes and plenty of wine. During and after the
meal the lords and ladies will serenade you with song and harp music,
evocative of the middle Ages. (B,D)
Day 5: Towards Dublin
This morning, drive past the
outskirts of Limerick and through the midland region of Ireland to Kildare. Here visit
the Irish
National Stud and Japanese Gardens to learn about horse
breeding and see some of the valuable animals. Then tour the lovely Japanese Gardens,
considered the best in Europe. They were
laid out in 1908 in classical Japanese manner and represent the “Life
of Man” through the selection and placement of trees, shrubs and rocks.
Continue to Dublin
Airport where your tour
finishes at 1700h. (If you are extending this tour on a 7 Day or 6 Day
version as described below, transfer to our tour hotel).
Departure Dates and Prices (per person sharing)
Tours
depart
February – March
every
Sunday & Friday
February
14 > 26 March $1020
March
28 $1095
Tours
depart
April
– October
Every
Friday, Sunday & Monday
March
28 > April 26 $1095
Fri
30 April > Wed 29 Sept $1335
Fri
1 Oct > Mon 25 October $1250
Tours
depart
Friday
29 Oct Sun 5 Dec
Fri
& Sunday only $1025
Departure
Dates and Prices (per person twin share) in Australian Dollars
Single
supplement $290AUD
To
extend your tour :
Tour B add $220 p.p. twin share or $365 for a single traveler
Tour C add $160 p.p. twin share or $365 for a single traveler
Tour D add $355 p.p. twin share or $440 for a single traveler
A NOTE OF EXPLANATION
This popular Taste of Ireland tour
has four different possibilities.
Tour A is
the “core” 5 day/4 night tour in the itinerary above
Tour B – 6 days/5
nights – the tour above with a pre-tour day in Dublin
Day 1: On arrival at Dublin Airport
go through immigration formalities and pick up your baggage. Go to the CIE
Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall where staff will arrange a group transfer to
your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later than
noon, you will transfer to the hotel at your own expense. You are free for
the remainder of the day to relax or explore Dublin on your own using your open-top bus tour voucher. Visit either
Guinness or Jameson for a tour and a complimentary beverage.
Day 2: At leisure until 2:00pm
Tour C – 6 days/5
nights - the tour above with a post-tour day in Dublin.
Day 7: Your hotel offers a shuttle
service to Dublin
Airport every two hours
starting at 7:20 am. So choose a suitable transfer time to arrive at the
airport to check in for your flight. If you need an earlier transfer, your
tour escort will arrange one for you. Then you’ll have an opportunity
to shop at the duty-free stores before boarding your flight for the journey
home. (B)
Tour D – 7 days/6
nights - the 5-day “core” tour above, with a pre and
a post-tour day in Dublin
as in Tour B & Tour C.
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES
• Transfers
on arrival and departure
• Sightseeing
by luxury coach throughout
• Dublin open-top bus tour
(pre-night extensions only)
• Visit and a
drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery (pre-night extensions
only)
• Services of
a professional Irish driver/guide
• Superior
& first class hotels with private bath/shower for 4, 5 or 6 nights
• Full Irish
breakfast daily (B) except on day of arrival
• 4 dinners
(D) including
- Dinner and traditional Irish
entertainment at the Merry Ploughboy Pub
- Medieval banquet and entertainment in Bunratty
Castle
- 2 table d’hôte dinners in Killarney
• Welcome
get-together drink
• Tour of Dublin with a local
guide
• Sheepdog
trials on Ring of Kerry
• Ferry ride
across the River Shannon
• Visits and
admissions to Dublin Castle, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen
Mills, Skellig Experience, Muckross
Gardens, Cliffs of Moher, Irish National Stud &
Japanese Gardens
• 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):
Stillorgan Park Hotel, Dublin (1 night or 2 nights with pre-night
extension)
Killarney Towers Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
Clarion Hotel IFSC, Dublin
(1 night – post-night extension only)
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