11 day Discover Ireland Tour

Tour Includes:

• A journey of discovery in a slick Mercedes mini-coach
• The services of a highly-trained and professional Vaga Guide tour
• Guide
• 11 full Days on tour
• 10 nights’ accommodation
• 10 delicious and filling hot Irish breakfasts
• A 1 night castle stay
• A sheepdog demo & Irish sheep farm experience
• Guided tour of 18th century Bantry House and Aughnanure
• Castle/Donegal Castle
• A guided walking tour of Derry/Londonderry
• Entrance into Kylemore Abbey, Dunluce Castle, the Giant’s Causeway, Blarney Castle & Gardens and the Rock of Cashel
• Shannon ferry tickets

Optional Extras:

• Black Cab Tour** – £20.00 (approx $25)
• Titanic Experience – £24.95 (approx $31)
• Bushmills Whiskey Tasting – £10.00 (approx $12)
• Boat Trip in Dingle Bay – €10.00 (approx $11)
• Golf in Dingle – Variable Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride** – €15.00 (approx $16)
• Garnish Island Boat Trip – €19.00 (approx $20)

• Visit top Ireland destinations like the stunning Cliffs of Moher and the Blarney Stone. 
• Castle hotel stay featuring a 17th century tower and a resident ghost.
• Tour magnificent coastal routes in Northern Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way. 
• Walk in the footsteps of Finn McCool on the legendary Giant’s Causeway.
• Spend 2 Days soaking up some of Ireland’s most stunning natural scenery in Connemara. 

• Cameras at the ready! You’re about to experience one of the most spectacular coastal drives; Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route. 
• 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns make up the Giant’s Causeway (Fee Included), a World Heritage Site. 
• Choose to walk in the footsteps of mythical giant Finn McCool on a steep 1km (1.6 mile) descent/ascent. Or simply follow an accessible path to the Giant’s Causeway viewing point. 
• Anyone for a wee dram? Visit Bushmills, the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, for a tasting (Tour Option). 
• We’ll stop at clifftop Dunluce Castle (Fee Included) before passing through historic gates to enter the city of Derry/Londonderry.

Meet your guide and fellow Driftwooders at the Grand Canal Hotel, Dublin, at 8.10am. Board your Mercedes tour vehicle for the trip of a lifetime!

Crane your neck to view the finest — and tallest — Celtic high crosses in Ireland, at Monasterboice. 

Cross the border into Northern Ireland (remember, UK £ sterling required). 

We’ll roll into Belfast, the vibrant capital of Northern Ireland. 

Tour Options (Choose A, B or C): 

• A. Take a highly recommended Black Cab Tour, explaining the history of the Troubles era. 
• B. Or a self-guided visit to the Titanic Centre. 
• C. Alternatively, explore Belfast at your own pace.

Cameras at the ready! You’re about to experience one of the most spectacular coastal drives; Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route. 

40,000 hexagonal basalt columns make up the Giant’s Causeway (Fee Included), a World Heritage Site. 

Choose to walk in the footsteps of mythical giant Finn McCool on a steep 1km (1.6 mile) descent/ascent. Or simply follow an accessible path to the Giant’s Causeway viewing point. 

Anyone for a wee dram? Visit Bushmills, the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, for a tasting (Tour Option). 

We’ll stop at clifftop Dunluce Castle (Fee Included) before passing through historic gates to enter the city of Derry/Londonderry.

Start the Day with a guided historical walking tour along the walls of Ireland’s only fortified city, Derry/Londonderry (Fee Included).

Cross the border into the Republic of Ireland and the euro currency zone (€).

Panoramic 360° vistas await you at the beautifully preserved Celtic stone ringfort at Grianán of Aileach.

Stop into Donegal town, with the option for a guided tour of 15th century Donegal Castle. Please note, castle tours may occur later on some departures.

Be sure to recite a few verses from WB Yeats, as you admire the spectacular county the Nobel Prize-winner called home; Sligo.

Discover Ireland’s rich rural heritage at the Museum of Country Life’s modern exhibition space and Victorian landscaped gardens.

Pit stop in Westport, a charismatic small town near Clew Bay.

Lose a sin with every step on the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick. Nearby lies the ruined 16th century Murrisk Abbey and the National Famine Memorial.

Take a deep breath… Next is the Doolough Valley, one of Ireland’s most scenic driving routes.

The setting could not be more scenic for a sheep farm tour and sheepdog demo at Tom Nee’s farm above Killary Harbour (Fee Included). Don’t worry if we don’t get time today; you will enjoy a sheep farm tour on Day 7 instead.

What’s the classic postcard image of Ireland? We think you’ll find it amid the savage beauty of Connemara. today is your chance to experience this amazing region.

Start with a self-guided tour of the beautiful Kylemore Abbey (Fee Included). Wander the wonderful walled garden — bananas were grown here in the 1800s — or admire the enchanting neo-Gothic church.

The Inagh Valley is a true wilderness. Cloud shadows race across mirror lakes. Heather and wildflowers colour the stark mountains. You’re headed there now.

Time permitting, we’ll stop to learn about peat bogs and their role in Irish myths, history, literature and daily life.

You’ll complete your lap of Connemara by dropping into the picturesque harbour village of Roundstone, situated on the shores of the Atlantic.

Take a guided tour of 16th century Aughnanure Castle, ancestral home to the ferocious O’Flaherty clan (Fee Included). On some departures, this activity may occur on Day 3.

We’re aiming for Galway next. The City of the Tribes is bohemian and buzzy.

Spot red-sailed traditional boats and picturesque Dunguaire Castle in the village of Kinvara, on Galway Bay.

Next is the bewitching beauty of The Burren. This region boasts a limestone lunar landscape and uniquely rich flora. Hold onto your hat! It’s the world famous Cliffs of Moher (Fee Included). You’ll be dazzled by these majestic 700 ft (215m) high sea cliffs.

Drive along the Clare coastline with uninterrupted ocean vistas.

Look out for low-flying dolphins as we take a ferry across the mouth of the Shannon – the longest river in Ireland – to arrive in ‘The Kingdom’ of Kerry (Fee Included).

Tour a working Irish sheep farm with charming old-style cottages for a live sheepdog demo (Fee Included). On some departures, this activity may happen on Day 4.

Refresh yourself with an ice cold pint at the South Pole Inn. Relive the extraordinary deeds of its one time landlord, Antarctic explorer, Tom Crean.

Dingle awaits… Revel in a wealth of dinner and entertainment options in this bustling little town. There’s a pub for every 40 residents!

Today is yours to design. This morning, soak up the charms of Dingle, with quality downtime or a choice between the following relaxed activities. 

Tour Options (Choose A, B or C):

• A. Take a boat trip around spectacular Dingle Bay. 
• B. Savour a guided craft tour of the Dingle Crystal studio. 
• C. Golfers will enjoy Dingle’s excellent links course. This is an all Day activity.

Experience Slea Head, one of the most beautiful drives in Ireland. Rugged beauty and knife edge cliffs are guaranteed. Look out for the Blasket Islands and the holy Mount Brandon among the patchwork fields and picture-perfect cottages. 

Whatever you do in Dingle, don’t miss an Irish traditional music session or a stroll around the town’s plentiful art galleries and craft studios.

One of our favourite pastimes is dancing around ancient stone circles. Astrology? Sacrifice? No one truly knows what the circles were for. Let your imagination run wild!

Take a horse-drawn carriage ride around Killarney National Park (Tour Option).

Your visit to Killarney National Park may also include:

• Sightings of rare red deer herds in native oak forest
• 19th century Muckross House and Gardens
• A short walk to scenic Torc Waterfall
• Idyllic lakeside and mountain views

Expect rugged roads and superb scenery as we explore the remote Beara Peninsula. 

Of the four peninsulas in Ireland’s southwest, the Beara receives the least amount of visitors and has the feeling of true wilderness.

Look out for seals on a scenic boat trip to Garnish Island. Once landed, explore the wonders of the Italian-style formal gardens (Tour Option).

Take a spin over either the Caha or Healy Pass, both dramatically scenic mountain roads on the Beara Peninsula. Visit the stately Bantry House, a grand Irish home built in the 18th century (Fee Included).

There’s one more drive today, a coastal ride that snakes along Bantry Bay before cutting inland.

Before we say goodbye — slán in Irish — there’s still time to take in some of Ireland’s highlights.

We’ll trace the valley of the River Lee, crossing stone bridges and passing through picturesque countryside.

Then it’s time to kiss the Blarney Stone (Fee Included). Afterwards, explore the extensive grounds and lush, landscaped gardens of Blarney Castle.

En route back to Dublin, enjoy a self-guided tour of the Rock of Cashel (Fee Included). Saint Patrick converted the King of Munster here. Brian Boru was crowned High King of Ireland here. It’s an epic way to conclude our Irish odyssey.

You’ll disembark your Drifter tour vehicle back at the Grand Canal Hotel in Dublin between 5-6pm. Farewell elbow bumps all round for your new travel buddies!