Best of Ireland: From Dublin to the Wild Atlantic Way

Your guide welcomes the group on arrival in Dublin. A panoramic tour introduces the capital, a city founded more than a thousand years ago that owes its broad streets and elegant squares to the 18th century, its golden age. We see the Georgian Quarter with its famous colourful doors, O’Connell Street, Trinity College, the Houses of Parliament and St Patrick’s Cathedral.We then head west across the green heart of the Midlands, through small towns and rolling countryside, stopping for lunch along the way. By evening, we reach the West of Ireland, famous for its dramatic scenery and rich culture.Overnight: Co. Galway / Co. Clare region Meals included: Lunch, Dinner

After an Irish breakfast, we set out for a full day in Connemara, one of the most beautiful corners of Ireland: a patchwork of green fields, endless stone walls, thatched cottages and small fishing harbours. Sheep farming and peat cutting have shaped life here for centuries.We follow the shores of Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord, which marks the border between Galway and Mayo, and stop to photograph Kylemore Abbey, a romantic castle on a lakeshore built in 1868 and now home to Ireland’s only Benedictine community. Our route returns through the Maam Valley and the villages of Recess, Maam Cross and Oughterard.In the afternoon, a walking tour of Galway City takes us through its medieval centre and along the River Corrib, among colourful streets full of traditional pubs, shops and street performers.Optional: Kylemore Abbey visit, Killary Fjord cruise with lunch on board, Dan O’Hara’s Homestead and Farm, oyster farm visit and tasting, Connemara National Park guided walk, evening Irish music and dance show.Overnight: Co. Galway / Co. Clare region Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We cross the Burren, from the Irish for “great rock,” a vast limestone plateau so bare it is often compared to the surface of the moon. Here we visit the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a tomb of seven great stone slabs raised more than 5,800 years ago.After lunch, we reach the Cliffs of Moher, rising up to 214 metres straight out of the Atlantic and stretching for almost 8 km. On clear days the view reaches the Aran Islands and the mountains of Connemara. There is time to visit the Atlantic Edge Visitor Experience.We then cross the wide Shannon Estuary by ferry from Killimer to Tarbert and continue into County Kerry.Optional: Burren Smokehouse salmon tasting, Cliffs of Moher boat cruise (weather permitting).Overnight: Co. Kerry Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s coastal drive follows the Dingle Peninsula to Slea Head, the far western tip of Ireland. We stop at Inch Beach, a long stretch of golden sand with views across Dingle Bay to the mountains.After lunch, we explore the peninsula’s early Christian heritage: the ruins of Kilmalkedar, with its church, ogham stone, sundial and carved crosses, and Gallarus Oratory, a stone chapel built without mortar between the 9th and 12th centuries and still perfectly watertight.The afternoon ends with free time in Dingle, a lively harbour town of brightly painted shopfronts and traditional pubs.Optional: Dingle Bay cruise, Irish coffee in a traditional pub.Overnight: Co. Kerry Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we travel the Ring of Kerry, one of the most celebrated scenic routes in Europe, where a rugged Atlantic coastline meets lush vegetation warmed by the Gulf Stream.Near Glenbeigh, we watch a sheepdog demonstration, then continue through Cahersiveen and Waterville to the colourful village of Sneem. Our route climbs to Moll’s Gap and Ladies View, overlooking the lakes of Killarney and the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountains. Ladies View is named for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1861, when she stopped her carriage so her ladies-in-waiting could admire the scenery.The day ends in Killarney National Park with a visit to the Muckross Gardens.Optional: Killorglin smoked salmon tasting, Muckross House tour, jaunting car ride through Killarney National Park.Overnight: Co. Kerry Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We leave Kerry and cross County Tipperary, known for its medieval heritage and thoroughbred horses, and stop to photograph the Rock of Cashel, a cluster of medieval buildings on a limestone outcrop rising nearly 60 metres above the countryside.After lunch, we enter County Wicklow, the “Garden of Ireland,” and visit Glendalough. In a glacial valley between two lakes, this early Christian monastery keeps its round tower, stone churches and carved high crosses. We then continue to Dublin for our final evening.Optional: Rock of Cashel visit, Glendalough Visitor Centre.Overnight: Co. Dublin Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a final Irish breakfast, there is free time in Dublin for a last walk or some shopping before lunch and your transfer for departure. The journey ends, but the memories of Ireland’s coastlines, stories and people travel home with you.Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch