Discover the Best of Ireland Tour

Ireland as a nation has one of the highest rates of tea consumption in the world, accounting for approximately seven pounds of tea per person in the country. The herbaceous aroma of black tea fills the dining room at breakfast, accompanying the scent of sizzling sausages, frying bacon, and freshly baked soda bread for a complete Irish breakfast. Your guide greets you in the hotel lobby after the meal eager to lead you on an engaging tour of Dublin’s remarkable heritage.

The River Liffey divides the city into the neighborhoods north and south of the banks. You begin the tour on an outdoor exploration of Trinity College and College Green. The university was erected in the late 16th century and overtakes 40 acres. The grounds include tranquil parks and serene cobbled squares providing hidden treasures for students and visitors to discover. The university has matriculated world-renowned figures over the centuries, including the likes of Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, and Bram Stoker.

The morning provides the best time to visit the ground and the library before the crowds of the afternoon. You can see the neoclassical façade of the old Irish Parliament building College Green. The structure now holds a branch of the Bank of Ireland. The historical leg of the tour brings you around to the National Museum. The galleries first opened in the 1870s and have since given locals and visitors the opportunity to view Ireland’s archeological splendor with pieces accumulating to create one of Europe’s finest collections of Bronze and Iron Age gold artifacts.

In the morning, life spills onto the cobbled lanes of Grafton Street. Bright flowers shine from the stalls as fiddle players, and singer-songwriters add music to the streets. Boutique shops and jewelers open their doors to the day with the posher crowd basking in the scent of fresh scones at Bewley’s Oriental Café. Your semi-private transfer escorts you out of Dublin heading west towards Galway. The site of Clonmacnoise remains one of Ireland’s holiest.

Its location along the River Shannon offers an enticing air of sacred mystery connected to the architecture filled with the richness of early church design. High crosses and rounded ancient towers rise above the protective walls. Wild plants grow along the Shannon Callows marshland. The silvery stone glints in the sunlight reflecting architecture dating back to the 6th century AD. Cows graze on the pastureland near the ruins of Clonmacnoise Castle. The large round tower near the visitor center was erected in the 12th century. Rectangular limestone blocks frame the doorway located above ground level.

The largest of the churches associated with the monastery complex is the cathedral. The structure was originally built in the 10th century under the patronage of King of Tara, Flann Sinna. Brown sandstone along the north wall connotes the original construction material. The western door dates back to the 13th century reflecting the transition between Romanesque and Gothic design, while the elaborate vault from the mid-15th century contains an inscription above the northern door attributing the refurbishments to the dean of Clonmacnoise.

The beauty of Connemara captivates visitors with a pristine landscape with unique topography and charming villages displaying thatched-roof cottages. Patrick Pearse, the Irish storyteller and playwright, lived in a small thatched cottage on the shore of a remote lake. A state-of-the-art visitor center sets the scene of Pearse’s life, taking visitors back in time to experience the writer’s life and words. Juxtaposing the quiet cottage lifestyle is the grandeur of Kylemore Abbey. The structure began as a neo-Gothic castle in the 19th century resembling a Romantic version of a medieval structure conjured by the wealthy English businessman, Mitchell Henry.

The grounds then served as a home for Benedictine nuns between 1923 to 2010. The gorgeous setting alongside the lake provides a striking reflection of the grandiose façade in the placed water. The castle encompasses approximately 40,000 square feet and contains over seventy rooms, including 33 bedrooms and four sitting rooms. The furnishings reflect the lavish tastes of the residents at the time, from the hand-stitched designs of the sitting chairs to the lavish crystal glassware decorating the set table.

The walled Victorian garden contains two sections, one acting as a formal flower garden for quiet strolls, the second acting utilizing herbs, fruit, and vegetables for kitchen use. In the evening, you venture to an opulent hotel to board their onsite train known for its elegant dining experience. The train overlooks the waters of Lough Corrib, highlighting the fanciful scenery with restored carriages that once traveled between Monte Carlo and St. Petersburg. Mahogany paneling and brass luggage racks accentuate the classic décor, falling second only to the graceful and delectable dishes placing you in the lap of luxury.

The Wild Atlantic Way sweeps through nine counties of Ireland spanning more than 1,500 miles. After breakfast, you travel along a small portion of the dramatic coastline located on the Cliff Coast. You reach the windswept grasses spreading across the coastal plateau above the Cliffs of Moher. The breeze carries the aroma of sea brine upwards from the waves splashing at the base of the shoreline. The striations along the cliff-face present the layers of history shaped by time and the elements.

The main platform offers views of the southern cliffs leading toward Hag’s Head, a natural promontory said to resemble a seated woman. The Branán Mór sea stack climbs up the beaches and the cliff in the distance. Puffins reside in natural niches carved into the rocky surface. They nest in the comfort of the cliff protected from the elements while taking advantage of the easy access to the water for hunting. You continue to the famous landscape of the Burren National Park. The contours of the scenery contain limestone pavement, calcareous grassland, hazel scrub, ash, hazel woodland, and petrifying springs. The highest point in the park, Knockanes, reaches nearly 700 feet above sea level with a sharp terrace ride curving to the south.

The Lakes of Killarney reflect the beauty and tranquility of their surroundings in the pristine glassy water. The three bodies of water consist of Lough Leane, Muckross Lake, and Upper Lake, consisting of an average depth of 44 feet. Muckross Lake, also known as Middle Lake, has the deepest body of water, which reaches over 245 feet deep in parts. You board a boat and travel along the quiet waters of Leane Lake. Small forested islands spring from the surface of the water combining the spearmint aroma of the trees with the refreshing cool scent of the freshwater.

Your guide points to the eastern edge of the lake at Ross Island, explaining the soil contains some of the earliest Copper Age metalwork artifacts discovered in Ireland. The ruins of the 15th century keep connected to Ross Castle rise out of the eastern shore of the lake. The boat docks and you continue by horse and cart to the Dunloe Gap, a scenic six-mile-long pass situated between Macgillycuddy’s Reeks and Purple Mountain. The sunlight shines over the majestic lilac hue emanating from the shale covering the peak of Purple Mountain. The horse follows the trail through Dunloe Gap, leading alongside the glistening waterways of Coosaun Lough, Black Lake, Cushnavally Lake, Auger Lake, and Black Lough.

The Ring of Kerry contains a celebrated circuit looping over 110 miles for pristine views of the Iveragh Peninsula hosting beaches, medieval ruins, staggering mountains, and secluded loughs. The coastline also provides stunning panoramas of islands sprouting from the Atlantic, including the rocky outcropping of Skellig Michael. A boat ferries passengers over the Atlantic to the base of the rugged terrain highlighting jagged summits and sparse grass. The summit named after Archangel Michael reaches more than 710 feet above sea level. It is the largest of the two islands off the western seaboard of County Kerry.

Christian monks established a community on the island and survived for nearly 700 years between the 6th and 12th centuries, finding ways to stay segregated from society in the harsh conditions of the rocky and barren landscape. The ruins of the monastic buildings perch on a saddle nearly 500 feet above the water. 618 steps cut into the island’s steep rock face lead from the dock to the ruins. Stone crosses and slabs decorate the landscape beside the beehive-like cells. Archeologists have uncovered evidence of the unique diet the monks kept on the island, consisting of fish, meat, and eggs from the nesting birds, as grain and vegetables were not readily available due to the harsh characteristics of the terrain.

The long road back to the eastern seaboard of Ireland is paved with rolling green hills and remarkable history that has shaped the culture of the Emerald Isle over the centuries. After a complete Irish breakfast, your semi-private transfer leads you towards Dublin by way of the Rock of Cashel. The magnificent historic site crowns a lush promontory rising out of the grassy plains. Limestone outcroppings connect to the taller hillside presenting ancient fortifications. The sturdy walls continue to defend the ruins of the 13th-century Gothic cathedral and Ireland’s finest example of 12th-century Romanesque architecture in a chapel hosting some of the country’s oldest frescoes.

A clan from Wales settled the hillside in the 4th century AD before becoming kings of the region for nearly 400 years. In the 10th century, Brian Ború took the hillside and power with his descendants presenting the Rock to the church to curry favor with important bishops. You continue to Malahide Castle, which overtakes 260 acres. The edifice north of Dublin provides insight into the style and history of the Talabot family who owned the estate from its inception in the 12th century until the 1970s. The three-story tower house represents the oldest section of the castle. The flanking circular towers were added in the mid-18th century. Furniture, paintings, and decorative carvings showcase the opulent tastes of the family, which include numerous family portraits and lavish paintings of the Battle of the Boyne.

Wake up to a remarkable view of the rugged peninsula overlooking the Irish Sea. At breakfast, you find what has become the familiar scent of black tea accompanying the savory flavors of two types of sausage, bacon, eggs, and soda bread. Joggers take to the pathways of the hotel and enjoy the quiet greenery at first light leading to the picturesque fishing villages of Malahide and Howth. After breakfast, your semi-private transfer escorts you to Dublin International Airport with plenty of time to check-in for your flight home.