Celebrating 70 Years
Of Great Vacations

ESCORTED COACH TOURS - IRELAND & BRITAIN

From $1,892
(Including Land & Air)

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Jurys Irish Cabaret
• Pub Dinner & Music at Padraicins
• Laurels Pub Ballads
• Tea & Scones at a Sheep Farm
• Connemara & Ring of Kerry
• Kilkea Castle Dinner & Overnight
• London Half-day Tour & Theater Pass

Click on the phrases below for full details:

• Your Day-by-Day Itinerary
• What Your Tour Includes
• Your Hotels
• Departure Dates & Rates
• Early Payment Discount
• General Conditions for All Tours

"This was our first trip to Ireland and we so enjoyed the way that the sightseeing was all worked out for us - we never could have done as much on our own. We had visited London before so it was great to have the hotel and transfers arranged which gave us time for the museums and shows we wanted to see."
~ Rob & Lisa R., Dallas TX

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Dublin
Welcome aboard your overnight flight to Dublin. Dinner and continental breakfast are served on board.

Day 2: Dublin Arrival & Jurys Cabaret
Arrive at Dublin Airport in the morning, pass through immigration and collect your luggage. Head to the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a transfer to your hotel between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later than noon you will transfer to the hotel at your own expense. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure so that you can relax after your journey or do some exploring on your own. Chat with your tour guide and fellow travelers over a welcome drink. Dine at Jurys Irish Cabaret in your hotel and enjoy the lively program filled with dance, song and storytelling. (D)

Day 3: Dublin's Highlights
Discover central Dublin with its many public buildings, elegant Georgian townhouses and squares as well as modern sculptures and busy shopping hubs. Visit Kilmainham Gaol to see what punishment was like during its years of operation from 1796 to 1924. Learn about political prisoners, especially from the 1916 Rising, detained here because of their efforts to shape Ireland's history. Stop at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, an 8th century illuminated manuscript of the gospels and see the Old Library. Spend the afternoon shopping or sightseeing and dine independently. (B)

Day 4: Kells Heritage & Lough Erne
Drive to Kells, associated with the Book of Kells which is currently housed in Dublin. Visit the Kells Heritage Centre, located in the newly restored courthouse. "The Splendor of Ireland" focuses on the early Christian period when monasteries were centers of learning. Continue through farming country to Cavan, a lake-filled region and on through Enniskillen to your manor house hotel located in Killadeas on the shores of Lough Erne. In the afternoon take a short boat ride to view the scenery around the lake including monastic ruins and a round tower on Devinish Island. (B, D)

Day 5: Belleek & Glencolumbcille
Drive around Lough Erne to visit the Belleek Pottery Factory. Founded in 1849 to assist people after the Famine, today you may watch crafts-people create lovely items from start to finish. Then drive around Donegal Bay and through Donegal town to Killybegs, a thriving fishing town. Continue through the rugged scenery to the end of the peninsula to visit Glencolumbcille Folk Village. Here get a flavor of country life in past centuries as you tour traditional cottages showing period furnishings and farming equipment. Drive across the lovely Glengesh Pass and return to Donegal town by a different route. Head back to Killadeas to relax before dinner. (B, D)

Day 6: Yeats' Country & Knock Shrine
Travel to Drumcliffe Visitor Centre to view the grave of W.B. Yeats, the Nobel prizewinning poet, who based much of his work on the natural features around Sligo. Continue south to see the Holy Well and Mass Rock at Tobernault which was used as an open-air church in Penal times and still serves as a place of devotion. Visit the pilgrimage town of Knock, one of the world's leading shrines. Journey south to Galway, the capital of the west of Ireland. Check into your hotel which is located overlooking Galway Bay with views of the Aran Islands and the Burren Country. (B, D)

Day 7: Connemara & Kylemore Abbey
Today take a tour through Connemara and admire the sweeping views of boglands and misty mountains. Stop in the quaint village of Spiddal which retains the Irish language and many traditional lifestyles. Continue west to Clifden, a delightful town on the western seaboard. Visit 19th century Kylemore Abbey, now a girls' school run by Benedictine nuns. Stroll around the delightful gardens and see the chapel. In Moycullen watch skilled craftsmen cutting fine crystal at the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory. Enjoy a pub dinner with entertainment in the cozy setting of Padraicins, overlooking Galway Bay. (B, D)

Day 8: Cliffs of Moher & Killarney
Drive around Galway Bay and through the Burren Country, a unique region of limestone hills renowned for its flora and prehistoric stone monuments. Stop to view the majestic Cliffs of Moher, a rocky wall that rises nearly 700 feet above the foaming Atlantic Ocean. Drive south and take a ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary to the mountainous countryside of Kerry. Drive to Killarney and check into your hotel in the town center. You will have some time to relax or browse through the town before dining in your hotel. (B, D)

Day 9: Ring of Kerry Tour
Enjoy the Ring of Kerry drive where every bend in 100 miles of road reveals breathtaking views of mountains and Atlantic Ocean. Depart Killarney and travel through Killorglin and Cahirciveen. There will be many opportunities to get out of the coach and admire or photograph the scenic vistas. Head back through the attractive village of Sneem and pause at Moll's Gap for a panoramic view of the three lakes of Killarney. Take a guided tour of 19th century Muckross House, an elegant mansion set on the shores of Muckross Lake. After dinner visit the Laurels Pub for a lively session of Irish ballads and step-dancing. (B, D)

Day 10: Blarney Stone & Kilkea Castle
Leave Killarney and drive via Mallow to Blarney, a village of great charm with a spacious central green. Climb the steps of Blarney Castle to kiss the stone located in the battlements and gain "the gift of the gab." Then drive north through pleasant dairy farmlands of Cork. Near Cashel visit a sheep farm for tea and scones and learn about farm life. Continue your journey north to Castledermot to check into your special castle hotel in the early afternoon. Enjoy the surroundings and facilities of this wonderful hotel, reputed to be the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland. (B, D)

Day 11: Fly to London
Transfer to Dublin Airport to check in for your flight to London which takes just over one hour. (Dublin to London flight is not included in land only price - please ensure that you have an airline ticket for this segment.) Land in London's Heathrow Airport to start your independent vacation. Transfer from the airport to your hotel using your voucher provided for a coach service. (B)

Days 11, 12 & 13: London
You may schedule your time as you wish for these three days. London has many attractions to choose from whatever your interests — history, art, theater, sports, shopping — it's all waiting for you. Take a half-day sightseeing tour by double-decker bus to see the main attractions and find your way around the city. Use the included theater pass to choose from a selection of exciting shows in the West End, London's theater area. Your "London for Less" card offers discounts on a variety of attractions and eateries. (CB)

Day 14: Depart for Home
As this is the final day of your vacation, transfer to your hotel to your departure airport. Use the independent voucher for the coach service and be sure to allow plenty of time to reach the airport and check in for your flight back to the United States. (CB)

What Your Tour Includes

14 days/12 nights/20 meals

• Round trip flights from U.S. and flight between Dublin & London
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

In Ireland:

• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Services of a professional Irish tour director
• Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 9 nights
• 9 full Irish breakfasts (B)
• 8 dinners (D) including
  - Jurys Irish Cabaret and dinner    
  - Entertainment and dinner at Padraicins in Galway   
  - 6 table d'hote dinners including a farewell dinner at Kilkea Castle
• Welcome get-together drink
• Tea and scones at an Irish sheep farm
• Boat trip on scenic Lough Erne
• Ferry ride across the River Shannon
• Ballad session at the Laurels Singing Pub in Killarney
• Visits and admissions to Kilmainham Gaol, Book of Kells at Trinity College, Kells Heritage Centre, Belleek Pottery Factory, Glencolumbcille Folk Village, Drumcliffe Visitor Centre & W. B. Yeats' Grave, Tobernault Holy Well and Mass Rock, Knock Shrine, Kylemore Abbey, Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Cliffs of Moher, Muckross House and Blarney Castle

In London:

• Accommodation at Radisson SAS Portman Hotel with private bath/shower for 3 nights
• 3 continental breakfasts (CB)
• Independent coach transfers to & from hotel
• Theater pass for selected shows (restrictions apply)
• Half-day city sightseeing tour by open-top bus
• "London for Less" discount card for shopping, tours and restaurants

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Jurys Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
• Manor House Country Hotel, Enniskillen (2 nights)
• Connemara Coast Hotel, Furbo, Galway (2 nights)
• Killarney Avenue Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Kilkea Castle Hotel, Castledermot (1 night)
• Radisson SAS Portman Hotel, London (3 nights)

Departure Dates & Rates

Early Payment Discount

Inclusive air prices reflect savings of between $85 & $170 per person when airfare is paid at least 90 days prior to departure. Book early and save. For travel from Chicago ask about special airfares with Aer Lingus.

General Conditions for All Tours