Discover the Best of Ireland Tour

What to expect on this itinerary
Experience renowned charm, magical landscape, and captivating history on a first-class Ireland tour offering luxury and highlights in a small group setting. The legendary beauty of the sheer cliffs, rolling green hills, and staggering mountaintops give way to charismatic welcomes of thatched-roof cottages and quiet fishing villages. Pubs fill with laughter and music in the evening while the whispers of Irish authors decorate the streets of Dublin. Cruise the Lakes of Killarney, visit the secluded island of Skellig Michael and explore the remains of the monastery at Clonmacnoise during your unparalleled discovery tour of Ireland.
Customizable Itinerary
Dublin – Ireland’s Celebrated and Vibrant Capital City
Dublin embodies the picturesque image of antique cobbled streets and classic pubs radiating music. The small capital lives up to a reputation of Irish cultural heritage highlighting a history dating back to the 9th-century. Georgian architecture decorates the hidden lanes and meandering streets, adding a layer of sophistication to the already charismatic ambiance of the city. Pubs remain the beating heart of the capital, which acts as a social club, music hall, and connection to the depth of culture spread through the more than 1,000 establishments across the city.
Your private transfer greets you upon arrival at Dublin International Airport and escorts you to the comforts of your luxury hotel located in the heart of the city seasoned with age and experience. The remainder of the day is yours to get acquainted with Dublin at your preferred pace. A leisurely stroll along Grafton Street leads you to Fusilier’s Arch, the monument acting as the main gateway to St. Stephen’s Green Park. The scent of morning glories fills the air emanating from the flowerbeds fringing the manicured lawns. An ornate fountain stands as an opulent centerpiece to the landscape near the active duck pond.
What's Included:
Dublin – Cultural History of Dublin
Galway – Traveling West via Clonmacnoise Monastery
Galway – The Dramatic Scenery of Connemara
Limerick – The Burren and Cliffs of Moher of the Wild Atlantic Way
Killarney – Killarney Lakes and the Dunloe Gap
Killarney – Landscape and Villages along the Ring of Kerry
Portmarnock – Visiting the Rock of Cashel and Malahide Castle
Portmarnock – The Tail-End of Ireland Highlights
Trip Highlights
- Bask in the captivating view of the Atlantic Ocean and the western seaboard of the Emerald Isle from atop the fabled Cliffs of Moher
- Delight in a delicious and elegant dinner in a train car known as the filming location of the 1974 rendition of Murder on the Orient Express
- Traverse the lakeshores and mountain slopes leading to mountain passage known as the Dunloe Gap while riding in a horse and carriage
- Explore the rugged terrain of Skellig Michael, a fascinating island made of Old Red Sandstone and volcanic rock where 6th-century monks once settled
- Discover the majesty of one of Ireland’s most sacred sites when visiting dramatic ruins of the Rock of Cashel
- Uncover the grandeur of Connemara’s cultural history on a tour of lavish Kylemore Abbey and the walled Victorian gardens
- Witness the remarkable religious complex of Clonmacnoise Monastery to find castle ruins, limestone turrets, and fascinating architectural design
- Relish a semi-private tour of Dublin’s cultural history introducing you to the heritage of Trinity College and the artifacts inside the National Museum
Detailed Description
A sample of the Emerald Isle only leaves you wanting more during your 9-day Ireland tour of ineffable scenery and magical cultural history reflecting medieval battles and Viking settlements, grand estates and stunning glistening lakes. The pleasures of a small group tour through Ireland offer delicious meals in which you can indulge and the luxuries in and around the fascinating cities along the western and eastern seaboards. Your tour of Ireland offers the chance to immerse yourself in a culture known for lyrical writing, enchanting melodies, and sensational history ranging from the prehistoric settlements of the Copper Age to elegant architecture of cobbled lanes charming boutique shops filling antique city centers.
Ireland has a way of celebrating its friendly reputation with an inviting welcome upon your arrival in Dublin. The capital city exemplifies how contemporary life settles into the past with ease, causing history and modernity to blend into a distinctive ambiance of historic pubs, antique buildings, and the swift pace of life. The rural landscape and cities of the west showcase a different slice of Irish life with deeper roots set in Gaelic culture. Castle ruins and monastic settlements decorate the hills. Residents and visitors celebrate the protected scenery for the opulent lakes, rolling mountain summits, and hidden treasures of legendary proportion.
The dramatic scenery of Connemara leads to tranquil villages overlooking the Atlantic waters. Traveling along the Wild Atlantic way connects you with the magnificent Cliffs of Moher and along with the rocky plain and ridges of the Burren. The uniqueness of the pass at which Purple Mountain and Macgillycuddy’s Reeks meet highlights the splendor of nature while riding in a horse cart. The castle grounds of former castles, such as Kylemore Abbey and Malahide Castle represent the grace, prestige, and pomp of the previous aristocracy. Ireland reveals its complex relationship with modern history and eager representation of its ancient history through preserved ruins indelible to the culture and grand panoramas that have inspired artists, residents, and visitors for centuries.
Starting Price
$4,700 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 61 reviews
We were extremely pleased with this Ireland travel company and the agent we worked with. This trip was two years in the planning due to multiple delays due to Covid and Julie worked with us every step of the way. The communication between us and her was always prompt and helped make sure we were able to do everything we wanted to do. The trip itself was wonderful. This was our first trip to Ireland and the specific itinerary, along with the suggestions made by Julie, we were able to get a flavor of both "Wild Ireland" and the City of Dublin during the eight days we were there.
The hotels booked by Julie were impeccable! The accommodations and service in Galway and Limerick were truly 5 stars and possibly beyond. The hotel in Killarney, has amazing service and is less updated, but still very comfortable and in a fabulous location in the town.
My wife and I strongly recommend Ireland to anyone who has never been and using this travel company for the booking of that trip.
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The travel company's contact was helpful and responsive.
I provided a detailed review for them and I am copying you on it.
In regard to our Dublin hotel:First, our cab driver from the airport had NO IDEA, never heard of this property, we had no address and neither did he and was annoyed. We finally found it but it was difficult. Putting the address of all properties on the final itinerary would be very helpful!!That said the staff was very friendly, we arrived at 11a.m, they served us tea and then had our room ready by 12:30.They were very helpful, made a dinner reservation at a restaurant which was excellent. The chef/women who prepared the breakfast was very friendly and the food was excellent!! everything, the tea from tea leaves, the homemade brown bread, all of it.The first thing of note negatively was the cleanliness of the property from the lobby on. The floors were not swept, and the overall feel was definitely not up to standard. We were in the back building and it was dark hall to our first floor room and the hall steps and area out side our room, where there are 2 chairs and large table had not been swept, cleaned in awhile. The bed for comfortable, good pillows but again not real clean and we had a leak in the ceiling from a problem shower on the second floor. Fortunately it leaked down in the entrance just inside the door to the room. The apologized profusely and thought they had fixed the leak. It was then found to be from another location and we had not more problems. I have notes at home on the rest of the trip that I do want to share but this is as you requested, specific to this property.
Hi again,I am curious what your other clients complained about in regard to their stay at the hotel in Dublin?That said the rest of my review:Dublin:We like the Pig's Ear for dinner very goodNever used tickets for Kilmainham Gaol, timing was not good to get there and back to get ready for dinner. Just didn't work for us. In fact we never used any reservation you made for us for the whole trip. Timing and where we were just never synced up. Did buy a Dublin tour and enjoyed a short tour but then bought a tram pass for a ride.Visited Trinity and the Book of Kells which we really enjoyed and lines were not that long.Ate at a restaurant night 2 on the recommendation of the hotel and it was excellent and we could walk there. Picked up by our driver at 9 AM on Sunday. He had a difficult time locating the hotel but everyone helped him get there!Headed to CORKEnjoy the Kilkenny Castle tour.Did go to Rock of Cashel, disappointed other that the view. We definitely could have skipped that other than a brief stop at the local pub!The hotel in Cork was a nice hotel although tough to walk anywhere due to the location. We ate there first night and it was very good. View was greatBreakfast was good but powdered eggs! Good buffet choices otherwise.Went to downtown Cork for dinner the second headed in a taxi to a cafe when the driver told us it was an ALL VEGAN restaurant and the chef was well known but my husband was NO WAY and we needed to get a recommendation from the driver and then chose one of his restaurants in the area which was good. Off to Kenmare:Loved the hotel--room was really nice, big comfortable. Would go there again. Great breakfast and could order from the menu. Very accomodating. Walked to everything. Nothing opens early!Did not kiss the Blarney stone my husband didn't want to waitDid not tour Muckross but took in the beauty and took photos of both places.Drive thru Killarney and walked aroundWent back to Kenmare. Ate at hotel first night and then a restaurant the next night which was very good. Enjoyed some Irish music in one of the pubs in Kenmare. Nice town much quieter than Killarney. Loved the Beara Peninsula, stopped in Castletownbere and shopped. Left for Galway;Cliffs of Moher beautiful but after 35 years so different and commercialized. The hotel in Galway nice good location. Room very small and the shower did not work properly only had boiling hot water. No maintenance on site to repair and after a bit of a struggle they moved us to a suite on the 5th floor, so hot, windows don't open wide. Would have been great if they did not have a heat wave. Breakfast was very good. Ate at a restaurant on the Corner which was very good. Next nigh at a local place. Local pub was nice to stop in and get a drink. Went to Croagh Patrick and walked just up to the statue. Beautiful views. Westport is very nice.We loved Connemara. Stopped in Cong so my husband could see John Wayne, and the site of the Quiet Man filming. He loved this. Beautiful area.Stopped at Kylemore again beautiful. Would go back to this area.Never used the boat tour tickets. We wanted to head back and the tour was not for another 1.5 hrs and we were done!We ate breakfast and headed toward Malahide and we would have had to hang around to go to the Monastery so we just drove past and did not use these tickets either. Malahide. Like the hotel BUT in a front room and all we heard were buses pulling up to the front door off and on at night and music so loud from the down the street until 1:30 AM! We could sing along that is how clear the words were thru our window. Easy drive to the airport, pretty town, nice shops and we ate in a local pub NOT the tourist pub because the hotel staff recommend another place that is more local and not so crowded. So it was a good trip and the hotels were good, all the tickets were a waste, and while we stayed 2 nights everywhere ( which worked very well) I still think my husband got tired with the driving a couple of the days. We even cut off 70 miles by paying to take the ferry across the Shannon. The driver was good, informative and the car was comfortable.I hope this helps you improve the experience for others. Regards, Pat
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From the first line of communication to boarding our plane in Dublin, our travel agency's perfection in planning made our vacation a perfect dream.
I found this agency through Zicasso, and after filling out our wish list, our agent emailed me back with the PERFECT itinerary. I didn’t have to make one change, and she nailed all areas I wanted to see, and offered several options for dining, excursions, sites, and must-see and do things. (They were also extremely patient, as it took us about 3 months to actually book due to busy schedules!)
The agency did not book flights but was helpful in helping us find flights and then worked with our flight schedule to finalize our itinerary. When we arrived in Dublin, we were met by our representative who was truly wonderful in making us feel welcome. He was friendly and chatted with us about things to do and see in Ireland, and made us feel very comfortable and relaxed, especially after traveling for about 25 hours. He advised us on the best way to get out of Dublin when we got our rental later in the week and pointed out places of interest on our drive to the hotel.
Upon arriving at the hotel (AMAZING), we were met by friendly staff, and since it was 9am, our room was not yet ready, so they sat us down so we could relax and enjoy breakfast. They provided us with a place to store our luggage and freshen up so we could explore Dublin a little while our room was being readied. Our stay at the hotel was simply outstanding, and made even better by a welcome gift from our travel agency, a chilled bottle of Sparkling wine, handwritten welcome card, and a scented candle!
Our rental car was delivered as promised (wonderful) and the process was simple and easy. From Dublin, we headed to Galway for a two-day stay (stayed at a modern and posh hotel with a spa and edgy and fun décor), had dinner at an Inn, which was spectacular and then spent an evening out in Galway City Center with the locals. An amazing place with tons of fun pubs and live music. We then headed to Killarney (stayed at a 5 stars, and luxurious resort again with a spa). In Killarney, we went to the Ring of Kerry and explored St MAry's Cathedral and Ross Castle. The town is beautiful, and the Muckross was in the Killarney National Forest-Absolutely beautiful.
After Killarney was Kinsale, where we stayed at a seaside boutique hotel and just gorgeous. On our first night, we stumbled into a restaurantand pub, great food, neat ambiance. We were also able to find laundry services as we were beginning to run low, and the town was easy to explore on foot. In Kinsale, our agent arranged dinner at a restaurant that was by far some of the best we had (and that’s pretty good, considering all the food in Ireland was fresh, locally sourced, and simply outstanding).
After Kinsale, we headed to Kilkenny for our last night. My only regret was not adding one more night to fully explore Kilkenny. It is a beautiful medieval town with some pretty amazing scenery, and we just didn't have enough time to see it all. We stayed at a very luxurious and nice hotel, and our last dinner at was delicious. I had fish and chips, and can still taste them!
All of our wishes, desires, and hopes were fulfilled during our trip. Our agent and the travel company team somehow knew exactly who we were and what we wanted, and then delivered perfectly. I would absolutely recommend this company for all of your booking needs. Thank you Zicasso for connecting us with them, and thank you to the team at our travel company for the vacation of a lifetime!
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Claire and her team from the travel agency provided us with the most fabulous vacation touring southern Ireland! We spent two weeks at a leisurely pace exploring much of the attractions, atmosphere and culture of Dublin, Cork, Kinsale, Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Galway, the Atlantic way, and Connemara! The cities were engaging, and the countryside was so beautiful.Many thanks to Claire and her team as all of our hotels and accommodations, along with our restaurant recommendations, we’re all perfect and we enjoyed everyone of our experiences! We were especially fortunate to have our driver and guide whom we would highly recommend to anyone seeking an individualized experience and he introduced us to Hurling and Gaelic football… So much fun to watch!
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