Ireland by Coach and Rail – 9 Days

Introduction

An unforgettable 11 day adventure by rail and coach through Ireland north and south.

Visit the bustling city of Belfast and the world famous Giant’s Causeway.

Visit Ireland’s vibrant capital Dublin City and experience some of city’s major tourist attractions such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral and the beautiful Georgian Squares.

Visit the Guinness Store House and enjoy a Guinness in the roof top bar.

Relax and experience Ireland’s stunning east coast as we travel by train to Waterford, famous for its crystal.

Kiss the Blarney Stone.

Embark on one of Ireland’s most famous tours, the Ring of Kerry and witness some of the most incredible views of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline.

Enjoy the best of the Wild Atlantic Way when visiting the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands.

Explore the historic city of Galway and wander the cobbled stone streets alive with music and song.

This itinerary can be customized and tailored to your group’s requirements.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Dublin – Belfast

Following arrival at Dublin Airport, we will board our luxury motor coach and travel north to Belfast City on the banks of the river Lagan. On arrival we will enjoy a panorama tour of Belfast City which has a rich legacy of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture. We will see the City Hall, one of the finest Classical Renaissance buildings in Europe, the Linen Hall Library which has been lending books for over 200 years and the Grand Opera House often described as the most beautiful Victorian theatre in the world.

Overnight: Belfast.

Day 2: Giant’s Causeway

This morning we travel by train through the stunning countryside of County Antrim to Coleraine. Here we board our coach and travel to the Giant’s Causeway, a remarkable basaltic formation made of over 40,000 hexagonal-shaped pillars and ranked as one of the natural wonders of the world. Following some time to visit the Causeway, we will return to Coleraine and board our train for our return journey to Belfast.

Overnight: Belfast.

Day 3: Belfast – Dublin

This morning before departing Belfast we will visit Titanic Belfast. This is a new state of the art visitor center which takes us through nine galleries, telling the story of RMS Titanic, from her conception in Belfast to her famous maiden voyage and tragic end.

Following some time for lunch, we will board a train and travel south to Dublin, Ireland’s capital city on the banks of the river Liffey for a two night stay.

Overnight: Dublin

 

Day 4: Dublin City Tour

This morning we will enjoy a tour of Dublin City, founded as a Viking settlement and has been home to the Irish Parliament since the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. We will see the Georgian Squares with their 18th Century houses, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Phoenix Park, biggest town park in Europe, statue filled O’Connell Street and the fashionable Grafton Street. We will also see Trinity College which houses the Book of Kells.

No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to the Guinness Brewery founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. Here we will enjoy a guided tour which concludes with a leisurely pint of Guinness in the 360 degree roof top bar, while enjoying some spectacular views of Dublin City.

This evening is free to wander the lively streets of the city and dine in one of Dublin’s many pubs and eateries, settle in for an exciting night of Irish ballads and traditional Irish music.

Overnight Dublin.

Day 5: Wexford – Waterford

This morning we depart Dublin City and enjoy the scenic east coast of Ireland on a relaxing train journey to Wexford.

Following some free time for lunch, we travel by coach to Waterford City on the banks of the river Suir. Here we will visit the House of Waterford Crystal for a guided tour and see highly skilled craftsmen demonstrate the art of crystal blowing and cutting in the new state of the art visitor center.

Overnight: Waterford.

Day 6: Cork – Blarney Castle – Killarney

This morning we depart Waterford and travel by coach along the southern coastline to Cork City. Our journey will continue to Blarney where we will visit Blarney Castle and Gardens. The castle was built in 1446 and today we will have a chance to climb the spiral stairs to the top of the castle and kiss the famous Blarney Stone said to bestow the gift of eloquence on all those who dare. We will also venture through the castle grounds and visit the Castle Gardens and Rock Close.

From here we will travel by coach to Mallow and board a train for an hour long journey to KiIlarney where we will have a two night stay.

Overnight: Killarney.

Day 7: The Ring of Kerry

Today we embark on one of Ireland’s most famous tours – The Ring of Kerry. Our first stop of the day will be at the Kerry Bog Village, where we will visit little thatched cottages and see how people lived in Ireland many years ago.

Our tour continues through the wild and rugged landscape of The Iveragh Peninsula which has some breathtaking views of the Atlantic coastline.

Our next stop is in Sneem where we will have lunch in the Old Bank House, a privately owned Georgian house filled with antiques and old world charm in the heart of one of Ireland’s most picturesque villages.

Our tour then winds its way through the mountains to Molls Gap, we get some fine views of the Lakes of Killarney before returning to our hotel.

Overnight: Killarney.

Day 8: Tralee – Shannon Ferry – Cliffs of Moher – Galway

This morning we bid farewell to Killarney and travel to Tralee, capital town of County Kerry and famous for The Rose of Tralee Festival.

We continue to Tarbert and board the Shannon Ferry which crosses the Shannon Estuary to Killimer.

We continue the coast road to the majestic Cliffs of Moher which rises to a height of 702 ft over the Atlantic Ocean. Following some free time to view the cliffs, our tour will continue through the lunar type landscape of the Burren. The Burren comes from the Irish word bhoireann meaning a stony place or a rocky place which is a good description for this 350 sq. kilometers limestone plateau in North Clare.

We continue along the shores of Galway Bay to Galway City for a two night stay.

Overnight: Galway.

Day 9: The Aran Islands

Today we will take a break from the hussle and bustle of the mainland and travel to Rossaveal where we will board a ferry to Inishmore, the largest of the three Aran Islands and one of the highlights of the Wild Atlantic Way.

The island is steeped in history and resembles an outdoor museum with over 50 different monuments of Christian, pre-Christian and Celtic mythological heritage. We will take a minibus tour of the island which will include a stop at the world renowned forth of Dun Aonghasa which stands over a dramatic 300-foot cliff that spans the entire western part of the island. We will have time to enjoy the spectacular views from Dun Aonghasa before boarding the ferry for our return journey to Galway.

Overnight: Galway.

Day 10: Galway – Dublin

This morning following a relaxing breakfast we will enjoy some free time in the historic and vibrant city of Galway. Wander through the charming old cobbled stone streets, experience the history and appreciate the blend of past and present with modern day shops housed in century old buildings.

At midday once again, we will board a train and enjoy the gentle rolling hillside as we travel across the Irish midlands to Dublin.

Overnight: Dublin.

 

Day 11: Depart Dublin Airport

Today sadly we bid farewell to The Emerald Isle. We travel to Dublin Airport for our flight home with fond memories and newly acquired accents and many stories to relate to friends and family.

Beannacht Dé agus go n’eirí on bothair libh.


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