Overview
Join the Ring of Kerry, a 100-mile drive with sparkling seascapes and mountains dotted with brightly painted farmhouses. In Northern Ireland, visit awe-inspiring Giant’s Causeway, basalt columns formed millions of years ago by volcanic eruptions. On the amazingly green Dingle Peninsula—perched on Ireland’s westernmost tip and dominated by the range of mountains—enjoy one of Europe’s most dramatic drives passing seaside villages, ancient monuments, and views of the Blasket Islands.
On this tour of Ireland, you’ll also visit some of its vibrant cities—including Dublin, Belfast, and Galway—and charming towns, including Killarney. Stop in Adare, founded in medieval times and known today as one of Ireland’s friendliest and prettiest villages and in Waterford, enjoy a guided tour of the House of Waterford Crystal, where you’ll see the highly skilled artisans at work in the production of this famous crystal. Visit Kilkenny famous for its medieval architecture and Norman castle. In Northern Ireland, visit Derry, one of Ireland’s best-preserved fortified cities, and Downpatrick, burial place of Ireland’s Patron Saint. This value-minded tour through Ireland is a dream holiday!
Itinerary
Check into your hotel. At 3 pm, meet your Tour Director and travelling companions for an afternoon orientation drive through statue-lined O'Connell Street and elegant Georgian squares to St. Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College. End the day with an optional dinner evening at the Guinness Storehouse.
On your northbound route today, pass Drogheda, scene of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, then through the fertile landscape of the Boyne Valley, known for its prehistoric passage graves. Cross the border into Northern Ireland, and drive past the Mountains of Mourne to Downpatrick, the burial place of Patrick, Ireland's Patron Saint, and on to the vibrant city of Belfast, where the Titanic was built. Later, why not join a Local Guide on a "living history" tour, including a visit to the fascinating Titanic Belfast Experience? Today's Distance: 125 mi/ 202 km (B)
First stop this morning is awe-inspiring Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, let the province's story unfold as you head for the city of Derry before returning to the Republic to visit Donegal, the ancient town founded by Danish Vikings and home of the O'Donnell Clan. Drive along Donegal Bay with its small fishing ports and hidden beaches before arriving in Sligo. Today's Distance: 197 mi/ 316 km (B/D)
Travel farther south to Galway, a popular seaside destination and a buzzing cosmopolitan district with vibrant shops, and a busy cafe and bar culture. Cross the limestone plateau of The Burren to visit the spectacular 668-foot Cliffs of Moher. Tonight, you might like to join an optional medieval banquet. Today's Distance: 181 mi/ 290 km (B)
Start your day with a stroll through Adare, a village known for its prize-winning thatched cottages. Then, take in the breathtaking scenery of the Dingle Peninsula, where the 32-mile Slea Head drive affords magnificent vistas of the Atlantic Ocean. See the Blasket Islands and hear about the way of life and unique literary achievements of its inhabitants prior to their evacuation in 1953. The next two nights are spent in the popular resort of Killarney. Today's Distance: 156 mi/ 253 km (B)
At Killorglin, join the Ring of Kerry for a 100-mile coastal panoramic drive featuring sparkling seascapes, mountains dotted with brightly painted farmhouses, winding lanes bordered with subtropical vegetation, and spectacular views of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. Back in Killarney, a special optional adventure: take a horse-drawn jaunting car along the national park lakeshore for pictures of Ross Castle. Today's Distance: 100 mi/ 160 km (B/D)
More scenic beauty as you head over the Kerry Mountains into County Cork. Stop in Blarney, famous for its Stone of Eloquence, with time at your leisure to see the castle and shop for Irish crafts and handmade crystal. After lunch, drive past Cork, the country's second-largest city on the way to Waterford, where a guided tour of the House of Waterford Crystal is included. Spend the night at the nearby seaside resort of Tramore. Later, consider an optional pub tour. Today's Distance: 132 mi/ 212 km (B/D)
On the last leg of your journey on your way to Dublin, visit Kilkenny to wander the Medieval Mile and learn about its Norman heritage. An optional Irish cabaret evening, including dinner, dance, song, and laughter would be an exciting finale to your holiday. Today's Distance: 120 mi/ 193 km (B)
Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
Trip Inclusions
- 8 Breakfasts
- 3 Dinners
- Dublin The Bonnington Dublin Hotel (First-Class)
- Belfast Leonardo Hotel Belfast (First-Class)
- Sligo Southern Hotel Sligo (Superior First-Class)
- Limerick Limerick City Hotel (First-Class)
- Killarney The Parkavon Hotel (First-Class)
- Killarney Killarney Court Hotel (First-Class)
- Tramore Majestic Hotel (First-Class)
- Airport transfers at your arrival and departure destination are not included in the price of the tour.
- Itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and specified internal flights. International flights not included.
Enjoy inside visits to the UK's must-see sites with a great mix of included excursions, free time and affordable value. Read more
Cosmos build free time into every one of their holidays, so you can eat, shop, and explore the way you want. Read more
Cosmos' easy going, fun-filled and multilingual Tour Directors and Local Guides love exploring as much as you do. Read more
Trip Reviews (62) View All Most Recent 'Irish Discovery' Reviews
Just got back from doing the Cosmos Irish Discovery 9 day tour- well what can I say other than ...read more loved every minute - I went solo and chose to do all the optional extra tours & so glad I did. Our group was a good mix of young and old, couples, friends travelling together and a few solo travellers from the USA, Australia, Canada and England. We had a few teenagers travelling with family. The hotels that we stayed in were cosy and clean. On those nights where dinners were not included, the hotel locations were quite central. Breakfast was excellent with a wide variety on offer each morning. Our tour director “Deborah” was fantastic, very friendly, full of such interesting knowledge of the whole country!! She grew up and lives in Waterford and had a personal touch to her history and culture and stories she shared with us.
Jarek our driver was professional, courteous and fun and ever so considerate, like driving really slow and at a snails pace so we could all get the perfect photo. We also used seat rotation of 2 rows of seats forward each day enabled others to have front row seats on coach. The coach was extremely comfortable and included WiFi and individual USB ports for recharging phones etc on the go. The scenery was spectacular and we were fortunate to have fine weather most of the time, with just light showers on a couple of days in March.
I particularly loved the tour of Dublin City sights, Guinness Storehouse, tour of Belfast with a very reputable local guide, the Titanic Museum, Giants Causeway, the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Dingle Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, Muckross House, Jaunting car ride, Blarney Castle and gardens, the Tamore pub evening for the sing-a-long. All of it! A fantastic tour and highly recommend. I will definitely book with Global Journeys and Cosmos again, I particularly liked the CosmosGO app for guides, maps, tour notes to use offline. Looking forward to next trip now 😊
Availability
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you enquire. Additional savings may apply. We guarantee the lowest price in Australia. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Cosmos. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from Cosmos. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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