Your Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 - Sat: Depart U.S. for Shannon
Travel to Shannon on an overnight flight to start your vacation. Relax with inflight meals and entertainment.

Day 2 - Sun: Shannon Arrival & Cliffs of Moher
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 hotel in Lahinch, 30 miles from Shannon Airport. Complimentary transfers will be offered from Shannon Airport at 7:00 am, 10:30 am and 1:00 pm. If your flight arrives later than 1:00 pm, you must transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 3:00 pm take a short drive to see the Cliffs of Moher. This awesome wall of rock stretches for miles along the coast and drops to the Atlantic Ocean. Return to your hotel, which is within easy walking distance of the Atlantic shoreline and the championship golf course. Join your driver/guide and fellow travelers to discuss your vacation over a welcome drink, followed by dinner in the hotel restaurant. You may like to check out some of the nearby pubs later. (D)

Day 3 - Mon: Galway City & Folk Music Evening
Travel to the village of Kilfenora to visit the Burren Display Centre to learn about the Burren, an area of rounded limestone hills. Drive through the weathered limestone expanses where many unique wildflowers thrive. Drive to Ballyvaughan and around Galway Bay to the city of Galway. Take a panoramic drive around Galway's main features, including the ancient Spanish Arch. Enjoy some time on your own. Galway is a university city, which gives the streets a cosmopolitan and lively atmosphere and Shop Street is filled with pubs, restaurants and cafés. Return to Lahinch and in the evening head to Kenny's Pub across from your hotel for a fun evening with dinner and traditional folk music. (B, D)

Day 4 - Tue: Killarney & Dingle Peninsula
Head south to take a short ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary to County Kerry, noted for its wonderful scenery incorporating mountains, lakes and Atlantic coastline. Stop in Listowel, a picturesque town with a strong literary heritage. Drive to Killarney to visit 19th century Muckross House, a furnished mansion on the shores of Muckross Lake. Take a guided tour to see unique features of the house and find out about influential owners and visitors. Head to the center of Killarney for some free time to look around this famous town. Travel via Killorglin and out along the Dingle Peninsula, passing the long, sandy stretches of Inch Strand on the way to Dingle. Check into your hotel in the charming, compact town center. Either before or after dinner, you may like to take a walk to see colorful fishing trawlers and many fine pubs where live music is played. (B, D)

Day 5 - Wed: Dingle's Blasket Centre & Gallarus Oratory
Today discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula, the backdrop for the movies of "Ryan's Daughter" and "Far & Away" with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Enjoy great scenic views as you drive to the westernmost tip of the peninsula. Tour the Blasket Experience in Dunquin to learn about the Blasket Islands, inhabited until 1953 by hardy families who eked out a living by farming and fishing. Next visit Gallarus Oratory, dating from the 6th to 9th century, during a time when monasteries were built in remote areas. This small church, built with corbel vaulting and no mortar, remains watertight to this day. Enjoy wonderful views from the heights of the Conor Pass before returning to Dingle for some free time. Your hotel is ideally located for browsing around the town. (B, D)

Day 6 - Thu: Rock of Cashel & Dublin
Today drive right across Ireland from the west coast to the east. Travel through the Golden Vale, rich dairying country where many cheeses are produced. At Cashel visit the imposing Rock of Cashel, a huge outcrop which dominates the surrounding countryside. It was the seat of the kings of Munster and has associations with Saint Patrick. Its distinctive outline is formed by a round tower, the huge roofless cathedral and the 12th century Cormac's Chapel, which is highly decorated in Romanesque style. Drive into Dublin city, check into your hotel and you are free for dinner this evening. Your hotel is near the Temple Bar district and Ryan's of Parkgate Street, one of Dublin's best ornate Victorian pubs, is close by with a full restaurant as well as pub grub. (B)

Day 7 - Fri: Kilmainham Gaol & Brazen Head Pub
This morning meet a local guide who will escort you around central Dublin. See the main streets, parks and public buildings as you learn about Dublin's origins and development through the centuries. See some of the elegant Georgian houses for which the city is famous and visit Kilmainham Gaol to understand the penal system in times past. This was where many of Ireland's leaders, including Robert Emmett, Eamon DeValera and Padraig Pearse, were imprisoned during the 19th and early 20th centuries while striving to create an independent nation. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure and in the evening dine at the Brazen Head Pub, Dublin's oldest, dating back to 1198 and one of Dublin's best live music venues. Enjoy an evening of "Food, Folk and Fairies" focusing on life in Ireland in times past through a varied program of song and stories. (B, D)

Day 8 - Sat: Depart for Home
For those of you booked on our 8-day tour, complimentary group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon. (B)


B=Breakfast, CB=Continental Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner