Itinerary Details
Brendan Vacations: Best of Ireland
Day 1 - Welcome to Ireland
Write your own lively tale of legends and iconic landscapes during this epic encounter with Ireland's treasures. Begin your journey in the capital of Dublin, joining a Local Specialist to see the sights. This evening sees you visiting EPIC - The Irish Emigration Museum, for some drinks and canapes.
Accommodations: Clayton Ballsbridge, Dublin, Sandymount Hotel, Dublin
Day 2 - Through the Scenic County Wicklow and Waterford to Kilkenny
Journey through the scenic countryside of County Wicklow, 'The Garden of Ireland', and on to New Ross – the ancestral home town of John F. Kennedy. Dive Into Culture and gain insights into the plight of the starving Irish emigrants who boarded the Dunbrody Famine Ship to flee the potato famine. Continue to Waterford. This afternoon, celebrate the centuries-old craft of flint glass creations, as you Dive Into Culture at the House of Waterford Crystal and witness talented master crafters at work. Arrive in Kilkenny where you will stay for the night.
Accommodations: Hotel Kilkenny
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - Journey to Blarney and on to Killarney
Today, pursue the 'gift of the gab' at Blarney Castle, where you'll have a chance to kiss the famous stone. Consider joining an Optional Experience for a traditional pony and trap ride through the beautiful Bourn-Vincent National Park. During your journey, your Local Specialist will share fascinating anecdotes about the area and Ireland. Arrive in Killarney for a two-night stay. In the evening perhaps join an optional Gaelic Roots show. Using traditional instruments, Irish dance and time-honored folk songs, this energetic show will have you tapping your feet and singing along in no time.
Accommodations: Hotel Killarney, Killarney Towers Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 - A Day on the Ring of Kerry
Ireland's soul-stirring Ring of Kerry takes center stage today as you embark on a scenic drive past its mountains, lakes and lush green countryside – unquestionably one of the most scenic routes in Ireland. See Daniel O'Connell's Cahirciveen, the fishing village of Waterville, Moll's Gap and the Black Valley, whose remoteness saw it become the last area in Ireland to receive electricity.
Accommodations: Hotel Killarney, Killarney Towers Hotel
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5 - Onwards to Lively Limerick
Continue through the windswept countryside, arriving in Adare, one of the prettiest villages in Ireland. On arrival in Limerick, you will enjoy views of St. Mary's Cathedral, the Treaty Stone and the 13th-century King John's Castle during an orientation tour. Delve into an Ireland of old, as you discover the day-to-day life of the Irish during the 18th and 19th centuries on your included visit to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park this afternoon.
Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, Limerick
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6 - Admire the Cliffs of Moher and Onwards to Galway
The sheer Cliffs of Moher plunge dramatically into the Atlantic Ocean, providing endless ocean views and wonderful photographic opportunities during your experience at this UNESCO-listed highlight along the Wild Atlantic Way. You’ll be enchanted by its irresistible landscapes, but more so the interactive visitor center which will bring the whole experience to life from the perspective of the resident wildlife that find sanctuary here. Stop at a family run Irish smokehouse for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, to get a close up look at the kiln and smokebox from the owner Brigitta, before tasting their award-winning, organic smoked fish. Later, arrive in Galway with some time at leisure to see its beautiful stone Cathedral or stroll through Eyre Square.
Accommodations: The Connacht Hotel Galway
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 - A Day Exploring Stunning Connemara
Connemara's 'savage beauty' is yours to explore today as you tread in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde who described its 'wild and mountainous splendor' as magnificent. Admire the views on the scenic drive to Kylemore Abbey, now a Benedictine monastery, where you will embark on an included visit to the country's most romantic castle and walk through its exquisite Victorian Walled Garden.
Accommodations: The Connacht Hotel Galway
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - A Pilgrimage to Knock and on to Sligo
Enjoy a Be My Guest experience at Glen Keen Farm, where Catherine and Jim share stories of their centuries-old land and demonstrate life on their working sheep farm. Meet their skilled border collies during a live herding demonstration and indulge in a farmhouse lunch and homemade cake with a traditional cup of tea. Later, stop at Knock’s Marian Shrine, one of Ireland’s most significant pilgrimage sites, where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was reported in 1879. You’ll stop in Sligo for the night, where you could choose to join an Optional Experience that takes you off the beaten track, with a countryside drive and a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Clayton Hotel, Sligo
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9 - Return to Lively Dublin
Continue south to Dublin. Here you’ll enjoy some free time to take a walk down Grafton Street or stroll along the Liffey. This evening, close the chapter on an epic journey through Ireland, joining your fellow travelers for a memorable dinner.
Accommodations: Clayton Hotel, Dublin Airport
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 - Farewell Ireland
After a hearty Irish breakfast, bid your Travel Director and fellow travelers a fond farewell as your Irish holiday comes to an end.
Meals: Breakfast
extensive gardens, which are open to the public; as is the Main House. There is a lovely restaurant in the house, overlooking the gardens and Wicklow Mountains, which offers the finest in Irish artisan, home cooked cuisine. The 34,000 acres of this estate extend along both shores of the River Dargle . Powerscourt is one of the finest properties in Europe, designed and laid out by Daniel Robertson between 1745 and 1767. This property is filled with splendid Greek and Italian-inspired statuary, decorative ironwork, a petrified-moss grotto, lovely herbaceous borders, a Japanese garden, a circular pond and fountain with statues of winged horses, and an occasional herd of deer. Opportunity for shopping at Avoca Handweavers now located in Powerscourt House. Enjoy lunch here at Powerscourt or at a traditional Irish pub in the city centre.
number of city parks, such as St. Stephen’s Green and indeed Merrion Square. The highlights of any tour in Dublin may include a visit to Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse… and –if time permits –St. Patrick’s Cathedral.