Grand tour of Ireland

In flight.

• Welcome at Dublin Airport by your guide.
• You will set off for Northern Ireland. Photo stop at the monastic site of Monasterboice, which features superb examples of carved Celtic crosses.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the tour.
• Check in to your hotel in the Belfast area and dinner at leisure ($).

• Irish breakfast.
• Arrival in Belfast city centre. Panoramic tour of the city, this still little-known capital. Pass by Belfast City Hall, as well as the city’s painted “Walls,” a reminder of a troubled era.
• Visit to the Titanic Belfast museum, dedicated to the history of the Titanic.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the visit.
• Free time to enjoy the capital of Northern Ireland.
• Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

• Irish breakfast.
• This morning, you will take the coastal road through County Antrim to the spectacular site of the Giant’s Causeway. This natural site, among the most beautiful in the world, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This natural curiosity was formed by volcanic eruptions more than 60 million years ago. More than 40,000 polygonal basalt columns fit together to create this unusual landscape.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the visit.
• Continue to Derry for a panoramic tour of the city. Founded in the 6th century, Derry has retained its city walls, among the best preserved in Europe.
• Continue to your hotel in the Letterkenny area.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• Irish breakfast.
• Departure for one of Ireland’s most mysterious regions, Donegal.
• You will visit Glenveagh National Park. You will be able to admire the splendours of the various loughs (lakes in Gaelic), including Lough Veagh.
• Stop at the visitor centre (castle not included).
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the visit.
• In the afternoon, stop at the Ardara Design Centre. This centre tells the story of Donegal’s role in the tweed industry, while allowing visitors to see weavers at work. You can watch tweed being made and learn how the colours are inspired by the landscapes of the region.
• Departure towards County Sligo. The magnificent landscapes of County Sligo inspired the poet William B. Yeats, who is buried in Drumcliff Cemetery, in the shadow of Ben Bulben mountain.
• Check in at your hotel in County Sligo or a neighbouring county.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• Irish breakfast.
• Early morning departure for an excursion into Ireland’s wildest region, Connemara, located in County Galway. The landscapes, both wild and unspoiled, are made up of mountains whose peaks are lost in the clouds, lakes with dark waters, and vast peat bogs swept by Atlantic winds. Not to mention the dry-stone walls marking out tiny plots of arable land.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the tour.
• Photo stop at the magnificent Kylemore Abbey.
• Drive through Galway and brief discovery of the city.
• Bodhrán-making workshop, a traditional Irish instrument: discover how it is made and enjoy a short demonstration.
• Check in at your hotel in the Galway region.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• Irish breakfast.
• Departure for the Burren region, a very distinctive geological formation whose lunar and desert-like appearance actually conceals countless archaeological, botanical and zoological treasures.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the visit.
• Visit to the Cliffs of Moher & Visitor Centre.
• Visit to the Burren Smokehouse Visitor Centre and tasting of smoked salmon, a dish for which the country is renowned (tasting accompanied by a glass of wine).
• Check in at your hotel in the County Clare region.
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• Irish breakfast.
• Departure to discover the Dingle Peninsula, one of the most representative examples of Celtic traditions. It is both mountainous and wild in the centre, and rolling and covered with meadows in the west. The south coast, indented with sheltered bays, is home to large beaches and offers a sunny landscape dotted with a wide variety of orchids. Its isolation at the edge of Europe makes it something of a sanctuary for Celtic traditions, where Gaelic is still spoken.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the visit.
• Discover the charming fishing village of Dingle, nestled between the sea and the hills.
• Visit Kilmalkedar Church.
• Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

• Irish breakfast.
• Then depart for Cashel. Photo stop at the medieval castle, one of the oldest medieval castles in Ireland.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the visit.
• Pass through the charming medieval city of Kilkenny, built by the Normans in 1195. You will pass in particular by St Canice’s Cathedral.
• Visit to the Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, ending with a tasting of a pint.
• Check in to your hotel in central Dublin.
• Dinner at leisure ($).

• Irish breakfast.
• Your guided tour of Dublin will take you past all of the city’s famous landmarks. The capital is divided in two by its river, the Liffey: the north bank, considered more working-class, will introduce you to major civic monuments such as the General Post Office (GPO), which dominates O’Connell Street, the main thoroughfare in the north of the city, the Four Courts, and the former Custom House. The south bank is more sophisticated, with its elegant Georgian squares and multicoloured doors, as well as Grafton Street.
• This part of the city is also brought to life by the students of Trinity College, Ireland’s oldest university, whose library houses the famous Book of Kells. To the southwest lies the medieval quarter, where you will see Christ Church Cathedral and enjoy an exterior visit of St Patrick’s Cathedral. Finally, you will pass by Dublin Castle.
• Visit to EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, a new museum dedicated to the history of Irish emigration.
• Lunch at leisure ($) during the tour.
• Free time to enjoy the charms of the Irish capital.
• Check in at your hotel.
• Dinner show featuring traditional Irish music and dance.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Transfer to Dublin Airport and return flight.