The Island of Ireland

15 days, 14 nights

 

From north to south, this tour encompasses the best that Ireland has to offer. From great cities like Dublin and Belfast to the Wild Atlantic Way, you’ll have breathtaking views along this journey interspersed with experiences like Titanic Belfast and seeing Claddagh rings being made in the city where they come from.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Wild Atlantic Way

Belfast

 

Highlights

• Walk in the footsteps of giants at the Giant’s Causeway and, if you dare, cross the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
• See how Belfast emerged from its troubled past into a booming city with so much to offer.
• Drive the Ring of Kerry, one of the best driving routes in the world. See spectacular sights including locations used in recent Star Wars movies.
• Discover wide open spaces along the Wild Atlantic Way and breathe in the fresh air.
• Taste amazing Irish food and discover Ireland’s renaissance whiskey industry with visits to new and old distilleries.

 

Overnight Stops

15 days, 14 nights

Dublin (2) – Belfast (2) – Donegal (1) – Westport (1) – Galway (2) – Clare (1) – Killarney (2) – Cork (2) – Kildare (1)

Why not spend a night or two in London or Edinburgh before or after your trip?

 

Pricing

From $3,587 per person based on double occupancy*

 

Itinerary

 

Day 1: Arrive in Ireland

Céad míle fáilte, as they say in Ireland, meaning a hundred thousand welcomes! Welcome to Dublin’s fair city as it was immortalized in the song “Molly Malone” by the Dubliners. The short trip from the airport into the city with your private driver will give you your first taste of this great city. Drop your luggage at your hotel and set out on foot to start discovering!

Highlights include: Hop-on/hop-off bus tour, Guinness Storehouse, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Optional Highlights: Kilmainham Gaol, Jameson Distillery

Overnight in Dublin
Tenon Recommends: O’Callaghan Hotels in Dublin City Centre

Day 2: Dublin

Soak up some of Dublin’s coast today with a trip out to Howth, a fishing village with an amazing cliff walk. Take the Coastal Walk and Chowder Trail, which is the best of both worlds – a nice walk with lovely food at the end of it!

Highlights include: Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
Optional highlights: Coastal Walk and Chowder Trail, Roe & Co Distillery, Musical Pub Crawl

Overnight in Dublin
Tenon Recommends: O’Callaghan Hotels in Dublin City Centre
(Breakfast included)

Day 3: Dublin to Belfast

Discover Belfast’s maritime history today. The Titanic Quarter pays homage to all things related to the Titanic and covers 185 acres on the site where the RMS Titanic was designed and built. Titanic Belfast tells the full story of the building of this grand ship. Explore the docks and see where some of the Game of Thrones series was filmed.

Highlights include: Titanic Belfast, Belfast Black Taxi tour
Optional highlights: Belfast Traditional Music Trail, Belfast Food Tour, Crumlin Road Gaol

Overnight in Belfast
Tenon Recommends: Europa Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Day 4: Belfast

Driving the Antrim Coast is an absolute delight and one worthy of dedicating a half-day trip or more! Following in the footsteps of giants is a unique experience. Enjoy the fresh air as you venture down to the hexagonal basalt columns. If you’re up to it, climb onto some of them for amazing views. Raise a toast to the giants with a whiskey on the rocks experience with a Bushmills Distillery tasting!

Highlights include: Giants Causeway boat trip from Ballycastle
Optional highlights: Private guide and whiskey tasting at the Giant’s Causeway

Overnight in Belfast
Tenon Recommends: Europa Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Day 5: Belfast to Donegal

Named “The Coolest Place in the World” by National Geographic, Donegal is your next destination. Never-ending scenery and coastal views make it an otherworldly kind of place. See the Sliabh Liag cliffs, which are taller than the Cliffs of Moher, and if you feel up to it, hike the 3-kilometer Pilgrims Pass.

Highlights include: Sliabh Liag Distillers
Optional highlights: Weaving demonstration at the Triona Irish Design Store shop in Donegal

Overnight in Donegal
Tenon Recommends: Mill Park Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Day 6: Donegal to Westport

Fancy a spa treatment today? Stop in Strandhill, County Sligo for a detoxifying seaweed bath. With an emphasis on ensuring environmental sustainability, the team in Voya share the full therapeutic power of nature in its purest form through the age-old Irish tradition of seaweed bathing. Relaxed and invigorated, you will continue onto Westport.

Highlights include: Westport House and Hawk Walk
Optional highlights: Seaweed spa treatment, cycle the Great Western Greenway, Ceide Fields

Overnight in Westport
Tenon Recommends: Castlecourt Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 7: Westport to Galway

Situated on the scenic West Coast, Galway has a reputation for being the cultural heart of Ireland. You will find music, song and dance traditions all around. Galway has the largest population of Gaelic speakers in Ireland, with many rural communities speaking only Gaelic. Enjoy traditional Irish music in one of the many pubs in Galway tonight!

Highlights include: Kylemore Abbey
Optional highlights: Galway Bay boat tour with lobster fishing

Overnight in Galway
Tenon Recommends: Park House Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Day 8: Galway

Take a boat out into Galway Bay today and see some of the islands that gave us the Aran sweater! Inis Mor is the largest of the three Aran Islands and includes several ancient stone forts. Dun Aengus has been called one of the finest prehistoric monuments in Europe. Hire a bike and ride around the island or ride a pony and trap for a step back into a time gone by.

Highlights include: Aran Islands boat trip
Optional highlights: Dun Aengus, Galway Whiskey Trail

Overnight in Galway
Tenon Recommends: Park House Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Day 9: Galway to Clare

Made up of several seaside villages, Clare is popular with tourists from Ireland and abroad and has so much to offer in addition to the Cliffs of Moher. The beaches around Doolin, Spanish Point and Fanore have great waves for surfing and other water-related activities. After all that sea air, enjoy local seafood in a local pub.

Highlights include: Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet, Bunratty Folk Park
Optional highlights: Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre, Hazel Mountain Chocolate Tour

Overnight in Clare
Tenon Recommends: Old Ground Hotel Ennis
(Breakfast included)

Day 10: Clare to Killarney

Say Slån to Clare today. Take a jaunting car tour from Killarney Town Centre to Muckross House, a grand Victorian mansion built in the national park in 1839. Combine the tour with a wood-fired pizza and craft beer at the local brewing company.

Highlights include: Jaunting car and brewery tour
Optional highlights: Private guided walk around Killarney National Park

Overnight in Killarney
Tenon Recommends: International Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Day 11: Killarney

Marvel at the most famous drive in Ireland and probably one of the most famous in the world! The Ring of Kerry drive is located on the Iveragh Peninsula of the county. The Iveragh Peninsula is the crown jewel of “The Kingdom,” as Kerry is known. Allow ample time today for many stops along the route to take in the views along this stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Highlights include: Sheepdog demonstration at Kissane Sheep Farm
Optional highlights: Private Irish cooking class

Overnight in Killarney
Tenon Recommends: International Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 12: Killarney to Cork

Taste the best of Irish food in the medieval fishing village of Kinsale in Cork. Enjoy water activities or a cruise around Kinsale Harbour. Because this is the gourmet capital of Ireland, a walking food tour to sample the best on offer seems like a good idea today!

Highlights include: Kinsale Harbour Cruise, Kinsale Food Tour, Kinsale Mead Tasting

Overnight in Cork
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Kinsale
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 13: Cork

Explore a little beyond Kinsale today. In Belfast you learned about the building of the Titanic; in Cobh you will learn about the Titanic’s last port of call on its ill-fated maiden voyage. 123 people boarded the ship here on April 11, 1912. The visitor experience is in the original White Star Line ticket office. Just a little further is the Jameson Midleton Distillery – be sure to take a behind-the-scenes tour with a premium whiskey tasting experience.

Highlights include: Queenstown Story and Cobh Heritage Centre
Optional highlights: Midleton Distillery

Overnight in Cork
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Kinsale
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 14: Cork to Kildare

If you’re a cheese fan, meet the makers today with a stop in Tipperary to visit the producers of Cashel Blue, one of the best cheeses in all of Ireland. Enjoy a tasting experience before moving on to Kildare. Did you know that Ireland is the third-largest breeder of thoroughbreds in the world? Visit the Irish National Stud and meet some of them! Sparkling silver jewelry from Newbridge Silverware in County Kildare is a great gift shop to purchase souvenirs. Originally famous for its tableware, Newbridge Silverware is now equally known for its jewelry.

Highlights include: Irish National Stud & Gardens, Rock of Cashel
Optional highlights: Newbridge Silverware Tour

Overnight in Kildare
Tenon Recommends: Killashee House Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 15: Departure

Say Slån to Ireland today. Fly home with memories to last a lifetime and a desire to return and see more of what Ireland has to offer.
(Breakfast included)

 

This trip can be booked as a self-drive tour or chauffeur tour.
*Price shown is the starting price for self-drive vacations.

Prices and Itinerary subject to change without notice.

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