Grand Tour of Ireland

After a leisurely full Irish breakfast at your hotel, take a late morning train running south towards Cork. Make an easy platform change at the small town of Mallow, onto a regional service to Tralee in County Kerry.

Outside the train station you will see the bus station, and it is here that you connect onto one of the regular bus services to Dingle, a beautiful fishing port on the Kerry coast. On arrival, check in at The Waterfront Guesthouse (or similar) for a 2-night stay.

Spend a full day in this picture-perfect town, the gateway to the famous Dingle peninsula, which is so far west in Ireland that the locals quip that the “next parish over is Boston”! National Geographic named it as one of the most beautiful places on earth. An important part of Dingle’s heritage is the Irish language, and the town is situated in a Gaeltacht region, meaning that the language is offered special protection here.

If the weather is fine, there are miles of sandy beaches to explore here and in the evening, there’s a huge choice of local pubs, where traditional live music is as common as Guinness on tap.

Enjoy a final morning and early afternoon in Dingle. You might like to take a boat tour out in the bay and look out for the town’s mascot, Fungi the dolphin, or explore the eclectic fashion and jewellery shops along Green Street.

Be sure to allow time for some ice-cream at Murphy’s (considered some of the best in Ireland)  before taking the bus back to Tralee and onto an evening train to Cork. On arrival at Cork’s Kent station, make your way to the Metropole Hotel (or similar), your base for the next couple of nights.

Cork (anglicised from the Irish name Corcaigh) is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland with a buzzing core, surrounded by the north and south branches of the River Lee. Apart from having time to explore at your own leisure, you’ll also be taken on a tour of Blarney Castle and the pretty port-town of Cobh, known as Queenstown under British rule.

Return by evening to explore the streets of Cork, perhaps enjoying a drink in one of the bars of Barrack Street.

Take a criss-cross route today through the west of Ireland, changing in Limerick, and arriving into the western outpost of Galway in time for dinner. Check in for 2 nights at Forster Court Hotel (or similar) and head out to enjoy some Irish music and folk dancing at a local hostelry!

No visit to this part of the world is complete without a trip to the majestic Cliffs of Moher – you will experience this from a ferry, which also takes in the Aran Islands and offers a wonderful opportunity to take pictures of the cliffs from the sea. On returning from your day excursion, take time to relax in the scenic heart of Galway before retiring to your comfortable hotel room.

There are plenty of miles to cover today, so it’s a morning start on one of the excellent and modern Irish Rail services running towards the capital, Dublin. A change of station is required here, from Heuston to Connolly, which can be done on the efficient LUAS tramway. Keep your eyes peeled for the famous General Post Office as you cross O’Connell Street, before alighting outside Connolly station in good time for your train to Belfast. You’ll be whisked north along the coast and into Northern Ireland, arriving into Belfast Lanyon Place station in the evening. On arrival, make your way to the Hotel Europa (or similar), your home for the next 3 nights.

Enjoy two days at leisure in the Northern Irish capital. Pay a visit to one of the city’s excellent museums to learn more about Belfast’s history or perhaps head for the docks and spend some time at Titanic Belfast – a visitor attraction dedicated to the infamous ship which was built here.

On your second day in Belfast, you will join a small group tour, heading by road to the famous Giants Causeway on Antrim’s north coast, a fascinating geological oddity. Also included is a crossing of the rope bridge around the Causeway itself, an unforgettable, if somewhat wobbly experience!

Travel south, making the return journey back into the Republic, arriving into Dublin Connolly station in the early afternoon. After a couple of fleeting visits to Dublin thus far on the holiday, now is your time to explore it for real, starting soon after you have checked in at the Jurys Inn Parnell Street (or similar) for 3 nights.

Included during your time in Dublin is a free day of rail travel to anywhere in the Irish Republic – take your pick from the charming city of Wicklow, to the historic Kilkenny or even back out west to Limerick, on the banks of the Shannon. The choice is yours and can be made when you are on-location in Dublin.

Make an early start this morning to pick up the pride of the Irish Ferries fleet, the Ulysses, for your crossing of the Irish Sea to Holyhead in North Wales. Here, a train is ready to meet you to take you along the picturesque North Wales coastline (look out for Conwy Castle!), calling at Chester, Crewe and onwards to London Euston by evening. If you’re based elsewhere in Britain, travel back to your local station is included and we will find the most efficient way for you to travel back from Holyhead as your Irish adventure comes to a close.