Irish Odyssey

Depart Newark Int’l Airport on your overnight flight to Dublin.

Your tour departs at 2:00 PM from your hotel on a panoramic tour of the city’s highlights, viewing Trinity College, St Patrick’s Cathedral, and the GPO. Tour Kilmainham Gaol, built in 1796, and hear stories of Ireland’s revolutionary leaders. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dining independently. Arrive in Dublin and settle in at the Herbert Park Hotel.

Visit EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum and discover the story of the 10 million people who have left Ireland over the last 1,500 years – and their impact on the world. Your afternoon is free to explore Dublin. Later, enjoy dinner and entertainment at Taylors Three Rock Pub. (B, D)

Visit a traditional farmhouse and learn about country life while enjoying tea and scones. At the House of Waterford Crystal, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner, watch skilled artisans cut crystal into sparkling masterpieces. Continue along the coast to Cork city for dinner at your hotel. (B, D)

Take a brief walking tour of Cork city with a local guide. Stroll through the English Market, where vendors have been selling local and artisanal foods since 1788. Visit Blarney Castle to climb the winding stairs and kiss its famed stone or stroll the gardens. Enjoy the scenery as you head to colorful Kenmare. Stop at Moll’s Gap for marvelous views on your way to Killarney. (B, D)

Take a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle and Kenmare Estate and see Lough Leane, the largest of Killarney’s lakes. Visit Moriarty’s, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner, in the Gap of Dunloe. Travel to the scenic Dingle Peninsula for views of heathery mountains, sandy stretches of beach, and rocky headlands. Enjoy a demonstration of highly skilled sheepdogs herding sheep at a local farm. Enjoy dinner at Páidí Ó Sé’s pub in Ventry while you hear a fun talk on Gaelic sports. (B, D)

Visit the family pub of the famed playwright, John B. Keane for tea and scones. One of Ireland’s most beloved writers, he wrote many works in a room behind the bar. Embark on a ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary and drive along the coast of County Clare. Visit the Cliffs of Moher, soaring 700 feet above the Atlantic, and enjoy views of Connemara and the Aran Islands. In vibrant Galway, join a local guide for a walking tour of the city’s historic heart. (B, D)

Travel through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Take a scenic cruise on Lough Corrib and sip creamy Irish coffee (seasonal). Tour Kylemore Abbey, an elegant mansion set beside a tranquil lake. Return to Galway, where the rest of your day is free for independent sightseeing and dining. (B)

Travel north to Claremorris to visit Ballintubber Abbey, Ireland’s only royal Abbey. Known as “the Abbey that refused to die”, it has been in continuous use for more than 800 years. Visit Belleek Pottery, then follow the Atlantic Shore to Donegal town, where you’ll visit CIE Tours preferred shopping partner Triona Design. Continue on through the majestic Barnesmore Gap to Derry. (B, D)

Explore the Giant’s Causeway, huge hexagonal columns formed over 60 million years ago. Back in Derry, join a local guide for a walk around this historic city’s medieval walls; take a walk across the Peace Bridge and complete your tour at the Walled City Brewery Restaurant. In a CIE Tours exclusive, enjoy a flight of the brewery’s craft beers with your dinner. (B, D)

Visit the historic city of Belfast, taking a panoramic tour to see grand government buildings, the peace wall, and the docks where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. Take a walking tour of the city with a local guide to learn an insider’s perspective. Then, the rest of the day will be yours to explore this fascinating city as you wish. Stay in the five-star Grand Central Hotel, centrally located near the pubs and restaurants of the city’s trendy Cathedral Quarter. (B)

Visit the magnificent Titanic Belfast, a high-tech attraction that will immerse you in the story of the doomed liner. At Long Meadow Cider, an award-winning family orchard, enjoy a tour and tasting followed by a picnic lunch. Travel to Kingscourt and relax with free time in your luxury castle hotel, built in 1760 and set on 100 acres of gardens and parklands. In the evening, share a farewell dinner with your group. (B, L, D)

Breakfast at the hotel, then depart for Dublin Int’l Airport for your return flight for your return flight to Newark Int’l Airport. Motorcoach transfer to Scranton and Wilkes Barre. Welcome Home! (B)