| Day | Destination | Description | | Day 1 | Overnight Flight to Shannon | Overnight Flight to Shannon : Depart your North American gateway city and travel through the night to Shannon. Land only tour starts on day 2. | | Day 2 | Clare | Bunratty & Medieval Banquet : Land at Shannon Airport, pass through immigration and pick up your luggage. Locate the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall where our staff will arrange a group transfer to your nearby hotel. Complimentary transfers are available between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later than 12:00 noon, transfer to the hotel at your own expense. This afternoon you are at leisure to rest after your journey or take a stroll on your own through Bunratty Folk Park, which is located close to your hotel. Join your fellow travelers for a welcome drink before heading to the 15th century Bunratty Castle for a medieval-style dinner and entertainment. (D) | | Day 3 | Kerry | Cliffs of Moher & Irish Coffee : Drive west through Ennis and Lahinch to see the Cliffs of Moher, which rise almost 700 feet above the pounding Atlantic surf. Then cross the wide River Shannon Estuary on a short ferry ride to Tarbert and travel along the river shore to Foynes. Visit the Flying Boat Museum, which recalls the early days of air travel, during the 1930's and early 1940's. Irish coffee was first created here to warm frozen, weary travelers and you will learn how to make a perfect one and then drink it. Drive south to Killarney, a world-famous town due to its exquisite location beside lakes and mountains. Check in to your hotel in the town center and enjoy free time before dinner. (B, D) | | Day 4 | Kerry | Killarney & Ring of Kerry Tour : Embark on Ireland's most popular scenic drive - the Ring of Kerry. This circular tour will reveal constantly-changing vistas of mountains, open Atlantic Ocean, beaches and cliffs. As you travel, enjoy plenty of breaks to admire the natural beauty. Stop at Kells to meet a local farmer, Brendan Ferris, for a taste of farm life with a sheepdog demonstration of herding flocks and see different breeds of sheep. Cross to Valencia Island by bridge to visit the Skellig Experience. Learn about early Christian monks who created a community on the rocky offshore islands and about the prolific bird life today. Continue your drive to Waterville, where Charlie Chaplin loved to vacation, and the colorful village of Sneem. Stop at Moll's Gap to view the Three Lakes of Killarney with mountains all around before returning to Killarney. (B, D) | | Day 5 | Waterford | Blarney & Cobh Heritage Centre : Depart Killarney and travel through Macroom to Blarney. Stop at the Blarney Woollen Mills for quality Irish-made goods. If you feel energetic you may climb the steps of Blarney Castle to kiss the fabled "Stone of Eloquence" on your own. Bypass Cork city as you drive to the port town of Cobh. Visit the Cobh Heritage Centre, which traces the history of emigration from Ireland to the United States. Learn about travel conditions for the many Irish emigrants on early sailing ships and steam vessels. Follow the coastal route via the town of Youghal to Waterford for dinner and an overnight stay. This evening take a gentle walk with a local historian who will reveal Waterford's Viking and medieval past. (B, D) | | Day 6 | Dublin | National Stud & Merry Ploughboy Pub : Travel north to Kilkenny with its intriguing medieval streets and buildings. Stop for a stroll through the narrow streets and view the massive castle from its rose gardens. Continue to the National Stud to see some of Ireland's finest horses and learn about breeding techniques. Also take a walk around the Japanese Gardens, laid out to represent life from the cradle to the grave. Drive to your next hotel, an elegant Victorian mansion, which overlooks Dublin Bay and Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Dine on Irish specialties at the Merry Ploughboy Pub, followed by a lively show of traditional Irish songs and intricate step-dancing. (B, D) | | Day 7 | Dublin | Dublin Tour & Kilmainham Gaol : Relax on a half-day guided tour of Dublin, originally founded by Vikings over 1,000 years ago. See elegant Georgian townhouses and colorful doors and cross the River Liffey to view the wide thoroughfare of O'Connell Street with the General Post Office where the 1916 Rebellion started. Pause to view the gaunt figures at the Famine Memorial before visiting Kilmainham Gaol to see how penal establishments were operated in past centuries. Learn about the leaders of the 1916 Uprising who were imprisoned and shot here, changing Irish history. The afternoon is free so that you may use your independent open-top bus tour and Guinness or Jameson vouchers. Dine on your own this evening. (B) | | Day 8 | Return Home from Dublin | Return Home from Dublin : Complimentary group transfers to Dublin Airport are provided to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon. After check-in, you'll have time to shop at the duty-free stores before boarding your flight for the journey home. (B) |
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2010 - Escorted Coach Tours: Ireland Vacations 
