Irish Experience

Embrace your playful side and indulge in the allure of the lively Irish capital - a small city with a lot of heart and yours to explore before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers this afternoon for a sightseeing tour with your Local Specialist. View St. Patrick's Cathedral, the stately Georgian Squares and Trinity College. We spend this evening at the Glasnevin Trust for a Welcome Reception with a Local Specialist. Over drinks and canapés, we'll hear about the brave characters from Ireland's recent history and toast to our upcoming journey through the Emerald Isle.

Leaving the cosmopolitan streets of Dublin behind, we travel to Northern Ireland and the bustling city of Belfast, where you will have some free time to enjoy a spud for lunch or perhaps some fish and chips. Later, we meet our Local Specialist 'Cabbie' for an insider view of the city's living history during a journey through its vibrant streets in a real Black Cab. We spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure, or perhaps join an Optional Experience.

The tragic story of the Titanic and the thousands of passengers that lost their lives takes centre stage on this morning's Cultural Insight visit to the award-winning Titanic Belfast Visitor Centre. We leave the city behind us, journeying through the beautiful Antrim coast road, past scenic glens and rugged beaches, arriving at Giant's Causeway to walk in the footsteps of Finn MacCool. Take some time to admire the natural spectacle of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns before journeying to Londonderry, our home for the next two nights.

Join your Local Specialist for a walk along the 17th century city walls and see the turbulent Bogside neighbourhood with its street murals depicting the history of the 'Troubles'. Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Walk along the pretty River Foyle and across the Peace Bridge, or consider joining an Optional Experience to the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula with its rich history. This evening we dine at our hotel.

We meander through the lush countryside to Belleek Pottery where we'll enjoy a Cultural Insight demonstration and watch talented craftsmen create exquisite collectables that have graced homes since the mid-19th century. Arrive in Galway later enjoying free time to explore its imposing stone Cathedral or stroll through Eyre Square, which John F. Kennedy visited in 1963.

The rugged beauty of Connemara was captured in the film 'The Quiet Man' with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and its loughs and mountains are yours to explore today during a scenic drive. We arrive at Kylemore Abbey later to visit the country's most romantic castle and ramble through the hidden nooks of its Victorian walled garden before returning to Galway for dinner at our hotel tonight.

See the imposing sheer Cliffs of Moher rise up 700 feet from the pounding sea below and learn about the history of these natural phenomena with a visit to the 'Atlantic Edge' exhibition. We join Oonagh and scavenge for ingredients that will be used to create our unique Be My Guest lunch at the O'Brien's homely Barrtra Seafood restaurant along the world famous Wild Atlantic Way. Enjoy spectacular views of the dramatic coastline before boarding a ferry across the tranquil River Shannon estuary. Then continue through beautiful County Kerry to our hotel in Killarney, where we'll have an evening at leisure to soak up the craic at a traditional Irish ceilidh.

The breathtaking landscapes of Iveragh Peninsula provide a mesmerising backdrop for our scenic coastal drive around the 'Ring of Kerry' - an unimaginably beautiful natural setting that is among Ireland's most magical and memorable. En route we will see Killorglin, which was immortalised in the film, Ryan's Daughter, as well as Daniel O'Connell's Cahirciveen, the fishing village of Waterville, the Black Valley and Moll's Gap.

Today we acquire the 'gift of the gab' bending over backwards to kiss the Blarney Stone before we travel to Waterford via Youghal. Admire the delicate creations of fine crystal during a visit to the House of Waterford Crystal where we will enjoy a Cultural Insight demonstration by master craftsmen and see their talents transformed into the exquisite pieces that have enticed buyers for centuries. This evening we arrive in Kilkenny, the picturesque lakeside village with its imposing 12th century castle, once the seat of the Butlers of Ormonde.

Our first stop today is in New Ross, where we'll see the monument to John F. Kennedy, who visited his ancestral family hometown in 1963. The tragic plight of Irish emigrants during the potato famine of the 1800s is explored during a Cultural Insight at the nearby three-masted Famine Ship Dunbrody. Journey through the lush Irish countryside of County Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland, and back to Dublin where we'll spend our final evening with our travel companions sharing stories of our memorable journey through Ireland at a Farewell Dinner.

It's time to say a fond farewell to Ireland and newfound friends as you prepare to end your wonderful Irish experience. Transfers are available. Conditions apply.