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PRIVATE TOUR ITINERARY

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Discover Ireland — see the best of Ireland in 9 days with your very own chauffeur-guide! This is our best selling and most popular tour of Ireland. Experience Ireland’s must-see historical sites, and spectacular coastal scenery. Enjoy Gaelic tunes in the music filled bars and gourmet dinners at hand-picked restaurants. Stay in the charming towns Kenmare and Dingle and tour the Slea Head Drive along the Dingle Peninsula, leaning into the wind on the very edge of Europe at the Cliffs of Moher. You’ll discover the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, a photographer’s paradise steeped in myths and legends, and visit the magnificent Italian-style gardens of Garnish Island. This beautifully guided journey ends in Dublin where you’ll enjoy a private-guided walking tour. You may choose to visit the Guinness Storehouse, tour the famous Jameson Distillery or finish your tour with the Celtic Nights Traditional Irish Dance Show. Discover Ireland on your own private tour!​

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Day 1) Rock of Cashel & Kenmare

Arrive Dublin Airport where you’ll be met by your chauffeur-guide.  Depart Dublin for one of Ireland’s most historic and evocative sights: The Rock of Cashel. St. Patrick himself was here more than 1,500 years ago and, ever since, the Rock has been the spiritual heart of Ireland. Next, continue to quaint Kenmare, with its rows of vividly painted shop fronts and a go-for-a-stroll atmosphere, for a two-night stay in this the quintessentially Irish town, known for culinary specialties. Dinner tonight is reserved at a local gourmet restaurant.

 

Day 2) Beara Peninsula & Glengariff 

Enjoy a whole-day excursion to the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, a photographer’s paradise steeped in myths and legends, where you will drive over the picturesque Caha Mountains that form the heart of the peninsula’s wild and windswept landscape. The mountains and valleys are rich in archaeological sites such as stone circles, wedge graves and other relics from the past. Later, arrive at Glengarriff, where you board a small boat that takes you to Garinish Island to admire its Italian-style gardens. Tonight, dinner is included at a local gourmet restaurant.

 

Day 3) Killarney National Park

Today, experience the spectacular wild scenery of Killarney National Park. View Molls Gap, Ladies View and Torc Waterfall, and visit the evocative Ross Castle and the beautiful Muckross House & Gardens, all set against stunning beauty. Enjoy a jaunting car ride (horse carriage ride) in the beautiful National Park. Continue your journey to the pastel-painted, quintessentially Irish harbor town of Dingle for a two-night stay. Dingle is a lively Gaeltacht town of seafaring heritage where instrumental music and song have a long tradition. You will arrive in time to explore this colorful town and enjoy dinner.

 

Day 4) Hawk Walk & Dingle Peninsula

Today, discover the Dingle Peninsula along the Slea Head Drive, one of the most scenic routes in Ireland which will include a Hawk Walk, an incredible experience. You will learn how to hold a hawk as they fly between all of you along the beach. You will visit the Blasket Island Heritage Center, with stunning views of the wild Atlantic coast and islands. The Blasket Centre is a fascinating museum, honoring the unique community who lived on the remote Blasket Islands until their evacuation in 1953. You will experience incredible coastal views, and if time permits, visit a sheep farm for a sheep dog demonstration. Tonight, explore more of Dingle’s delights  and dinner for which your driver will make recommendations.

 

Day 5) Conor Pass & Wild Atlantic Way

This morning, you’ll drive across Ireland’s highest mountain pass, the Conor Pass. You’ll follow the Wild Atlantic Way north, cross the Shannon estuary by ferry, and head to the sensational Cliffs of Moher, where you will find yourself leaning into the wind on the very edge of Europe, more than 600 feet above the waters of the North Atlantic. Next, arrive at your luxury country house hotel with its own private castle. The hotel is strikingly situated with magnificent views of the Atlantic and the Aran Islands. Tonight, enjoy a gourmet dinner at the hotel.

 

Day 6) Aran Island of Inis Oírr & Cliffs of Moher 

Today, you’ll board a ferry at Doolin Harbor bound for the stark beauty of Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands. On arrival, enjoy a pony and trap (cart) tour of the island. On your return to the mainland, admire the Cliffs of Moher in the most spectacular way, from the sea. This afternoon, explore the intriguing rocky landscape of the Burren and its hardy prehistoric residents, including the Poulnabrone Dolmen—also called the ‘Hole of Sorrow’—the most iconic of Ireland’s megalithic structures. This evening, prior to dinner, take a private-guided tour of the hotel’s medieval Castle by the hotel’s owner.

 

Day 7) Roscrea & Kildare
This morning, depart Doolin for Roscrea, an historical market town in County Tipperary, where you will visit Saint Crónán of Roscrea, an ancient monastery around which the town was developed, and Roscrea Castle, a 13th-century castle in the center. You will then continue your journey to Kildare for a visit to the Irish National Stud to see the famous Kildare horses. Next, head to Dublin for a two-night stay.

 

Day 8) Dublin

Meet your local guide for a private-guided walking tour of Dublin, learning about its often-calamitous history, from the days of Viking raids to the hard centuries of British occupation to its remarkable literary legacy to the modern city of today. You’ll visit the stunning Old Library, Trinity College, for an illuminating look at the remarkable Book of Kells, a gospel book, containing the four accounts of Christ’s life that form the New Testament of the Bible. It is one of the few precious survivals of an influential tradition of book production that flourished in the Irish Church in the eighth and ninth centuries. You will then have some free time to explore Dublin on your own. You may opt to visit to the Guinness Storehouse to learn the story of this legendary brewer, see some of the production and enjoy a pint of Ireland’s famous beer, or experience the Epic Immigration Museum, a truly interactive fascinating experience detailing the history of Ireland and its sweeping emigration of its people or learn how whiskey is made at the famous Jameson Distillery. You may also finish your tour with an evening at the Celtic Nights Traditional Irish Dance Show.

 

Day 9) Transfer to Dublin Airport

Transfer by private car to Dublin Airport for your return flight. 

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