Ireland: Dublin, Kerry, Galway, Sligo, Belfast and the Giant's Causeway at a slower pace

1. Day 1: Arrive in Dublin

   Dublin Airport to your hotel in central Dublin

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner, the first of the trip's 4 dinners
   • Stay in Dublin
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Dublin Airport (DUB), about 10 km north of the city, where a driver meets you in arrivals and takes you to our central hotel near St Stephen's Green, chosen with a lift to every floor. Most overnight flights from North America land early in the morning and rooms are usually ready in the afternoon, so the hotel keeps your bags and there is nothing to do until the evening. Sleep, take a coffee off Grafton Street, or sit in St Stephen's Green, a few minutes' level walk away, with benches round the pond. If you would rather arrive rested, we can book an extra night before the trip at the same hotel. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel for a short briefing: the route, the pace, how the easy options work and how to tell the guide what you need. Then we go together to a welcome dinner close to the hotel, by minibus if anyone prefers not to walk.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Dublin Airport (DUB)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the 6 pm briefing

   Activity: Under 1 km on foot today.

2. Day 2: The Book of Kells and Dublin from the minibus

   Trinity College, then a seated city tour of Dublin

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Dublin
   Day 2 details

   No early start: we walk or ride the short way to Trinity College for a timed entry at about 10 am, after the first rush. The Book of Kells, the gospel book made by monks around 800 AD, is shown with an exhibition on how its pages were written and painted, and there are seats along the way. At about 11:30 our minibus collects the group at the college gate for a seated tour of the city with your guide, stepping off only where it is worth it: Merrion Square and its painted Georgian doors, St Stephen's Green, St Patrick's Cathedral, the quays along the Liffey and a short drive through Phoenix Park, where deer often graze near the road. We are back at the hotel by about 1 pm. Lunch and the afternoon are yours. The National Gallery on Merrion Square and the National Museum of Archaeology on Kildare Street are both free, near the hotel and have lifts and seats.

   Included

   • The Book of Kells at Trinity College, timed entry
   • Seated city tour by minibus with your guide: Merrion Square, St Stephen's Green, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Liffey quays and Phoenix Park

   Optional experiences

   • Guinness Storehouse
   • National Gallery of Ireland (free)

   Easier option: Stay on the minibus for the whole tour; every stop can be seen from the window.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Dublin

   Activity: About 2 km on foot. The Old Library at Trinity is part-way through a long conservation project, so what is open beside the Book of Kells can change; we confirm before you travel.

3. Day 3: By train to Killarney

   Dublin Heuston by train to Killarney

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Killarney
   Day 3 details

   Instead of four hours on the motorway, we take the train across the middle of Ireland. After a relaxed breakfast the minibus takes the group to Dublin Heuston for a late-morning Irish Rail service to Killarney, about three and a quarter hours, with reserved seats together. Some services run direct and others change at Mallow; we choose a direct train where the timetable allows, and the guide and station staff help with the change if there is one. Your suitcases do not come with you: our driver takes them by road and they are waiting in your room at the hotel. Take only a day bag on the train. The line runs past the Curragh in Kildare and the farmland of Tipperary and Cork before the mountains of Kerry come into view. We reach Killarney by about mid-afternoon, and the hotel is a few minutes from the station. The rest of the afternoon is free on the level streets of the town, and in the evening we eat together.

   Included

   • Minibus to Dublin Heuston
   • Train from Dublin Heuston to Killarney, reserved seats
   • Luggage taken by road to the Killarney hotel
   • Dinner together in Killarney

   Free time: Late afternoon free in Killarney

   Activity: Under 1 km on foot. We book Irish Rail's free assistance for anyone who wants help on and off the train.

4. Day 4: Muckross House and Ladies View

   Killarney to Muckross, Torc Waterfall and Ladies View, then back to town

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Killarney
   Day 4 details

   Killarney National Park begins at the edge of town, so the drives today are short. At about 10 am we are at Muckross House, a Victorian mansion on the shore of Muckross Lake, for a guided tour of its rooms, and then there is time in the gardens, which run down to the water and have plenty of benches. A few minutes along the road, a short path through oak woods leads from the car park to Torc Waterfall. Then we drive up the Ring of Kerry road to Ladies View, named after Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who admired it in 1861, for the view down over the Upper Lake and the Gap of Dunloe; you can see it from the roadside without a step. We are back in Killarney by about 1 pm. The afternoon is free: a jaunting car, the horse-drawn traps that wait near the cathedral, is the traditional way to see the park sitting down, or rest before the drive north.

   Included

   • Muckross House guided tour and gardens
   • Torc Waterfall
   • Ladies View on the Ring of Kerry road

   Optional experiences

   • Jaunting car ride in Killarney National Park

   Easier option: Stay in the Muckross House gardens or the cafe instead of the Torc Waterfall path.

   More active option: Climb the steps beyond Torc Waterfall for the view over the lakes, about 30 minutes up and back.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Killarney

   Activity: About 2.5 km on foot. We confirm whether the Muckross House tour reaches the upper floor by stairs only; if so, the ground-floor rooms and gardens are the alternative.

5. Day 5: Adare, then north to Galway

   Killarney to Adare, then Galway

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Galway
   Day 5 details

   We leave Killarney at about 9:30 am, and the drive north is split into two parts of well under two hours each. The first, about an hour and a quarter, ends in Adare in County Limerick, a village of thatched cottages along the main road, with a small park and a heritage centre where there is coffee and seating. After about 45 minutes there we continue past Limerick and up the motorway to Galway, about an hour and a half, in all some 210 km and two and three quarter hours of driving. We sit down to lunch together in Galway at about 1:15 pm, then check in. At about 3:30 your guide takes an hour's stroll through the old town, all level and mostly pedestrian: Eyre Square, the Latin Quarter lanes, St Nicholas' Collegiate Church and the Spanish Arch beside the River Corrib. The evening is yours; Galway is known for traditional music, and several pubs have a session on most nights.

   Included

   • Coffee stop and stroll in Adare
   • Sit-down lunch in Galway
   • Guided stroll of Galway's old town: Eyre Square, the Latin Quarter, St Nicholas' Collegiate Church and the Spanish Arch

   Easier option: Skip the old-town stroll and rest at the hotel; your guide points out the same streets on a map.

   Free time: Evening free in Galway

   Activity: About 2 km on foot, all on level pavement.

6. Day 6: The Cliffs of Moher and the Burren

   Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, then the Burren and Kinvara, back to Galway

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Galway
   Day 6 details

   This is the fullest day of the trip, but it is a round trip with no packing and about two and three quarter hours of driving in all. We leave Galway at 9:30 am along the shore of Galway Bay and through Lisdoonvarna, reaching the Cliffs of Moher by about 11 am, before most of the midday coaches. The cliffs rise up to 214 metres above the Atlantic. The visitor centre is built into the hillside, and from it level paved paths with low walls lead a short way north and south to the main viewing platforms; there is no need to go further for the classic view. A sit-down lunch follows in Doolin. In the afternoon we cross the Burren, the bare limestone country of north Clare, to Poulnabrone, a portal tomb more than 5,000 years old, a short walk from the car park. Then we come back by Ballyvaughan and stop in Kinvara for Dunguaire Castle on the edge of the bay, and are in Galway by about 4:30 pm.

   Included

   • Cliffs of Moher visitor experience and viewing platforms
   • Sit-down lunch in Doolin
   • Poulnabrone portal tomb in the Burren
   • Dunguaire Castle photo stop in Kinvara

   Optional experiences

   • O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher (stairs)

   Easier option: Stay by the visitor centre and the nearest platform at the Cliffs; Poulnabrone and Dunguaire can be seen from beside the minibus.

   More active option: Walk the cliff path south from the visitor centre for about 40 minutes and back.

   Free time: Evening free in Galway

   Activity: About 2.5 km on foot. Keep away from the unfenced cliff edge in wind.

   

7. Day 7: Cong and on to Sligo

   Galway to Cong, then Sligo

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Sligo
   Day 7 details

   A late start today: we leave Galway at 10 am and drive about 50 minutes north to Cong, a small village on the strip of land between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask. The ruins of the Augustinian abbey stand on level grass beside the river, a few steps from the village street, and the village is where John Ford filmed The Quiet Man in 1951; there is a coffee stop here and seats by the water. Then it is about an hour and three quarters through Mayo, past Claremorris and Knock and up the N17, to Sligo, in all about 160 km and two and a half hours of driving. We reach the town at about 2 pm, under the flat top of Benbulben. Lunch is your own choice in the town centre, the rest of the afternoon is free, and we have two nights here, so you can unpack. In the evening the group eats together, a short walk or ride from the hotel.

   Included

   • Cong Abbey and the village of Cong
   • Dinner together in Sligo

   Easier option: Stay at the cafe in Cong while the group looks at the abbey ruins, a few minutes away.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Sligo

   Activity: About 1.5 km on foot.

8. Day 8: Carrowmore and Yeats country

   Sligo to Carrowmore and Drumcliffe, then back to Sligo

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Sligo
   Day 8 details

   Sligo is a good place to see Ireland's prehistory without the narrow passages of Newgrange. At about 10 am we drive ten minutes to Carrowmore, one of the largest groups of megalithic tombs in Ireland, scattered across open fields with Knocknarea and the cairn on its summit behind. A guide from the visitor centre explains the tombs, which are older than the pyramids; the paths between them are grass, and the nearest tombs are close to the visitor centre for anyone who prefers a shorter walk. Then we drive about 20 minutes north to Drumcliffe churchyard, where W. B. Yeats is buried under the long flank of Benbulben, with the epitaph he wrote for himself: Cast a cold eye on life, on death. Horseman, pass by! There is a cafe beside the church. If the weather is kind, we take the short drive to Rosses Point for the view across Sligo Bay before coming back to town by about 1 pm. The afternoon is free.

   Included

   • Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery with a site guide
   • Drumcliffe churchyard and the grave of W. B. Yeats
   • Rosses Point viewpoint, weather permitting

   Easier option: Visit only the tombs nearest the Carrowmore visitor centre and wait there with a coffee.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Sligo

   Activity: About 2 km on foot, partly on grass. Carrowmore is open seasonally; we confirm the dates.

9. Day 9: Enniskillen and into Belfast

   Sligo to Enniskillen, then Belfast

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Belfast
   Day 9 details

   After a relaxed breakfast we leave Sligo at 10 am and drive about an hour east to Enniskillen, crossing into Northern Ireland at Belcoo. You will barely notice the border: the road signs change from kilometres to miles and the money from euros to pounds. Enniskillen sits on an island between the upper and lower parts of Lough Erne, and we stop for a look at the water gate of Enniskillen Castle on the river and a sit-down lunch in the town. Then it is about an hour and three quarters on fast roads to Belfast, in all about 205 km and two and three quarter hours of driving. We reach the hotel at about 3:30 pm and stay three nights, the longest base of the trip. The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free: the Victorian Crown Liquor Saloon and the restaurants of the Cathedral Quarter are a short taxi or walk from the city centre.

   Included

   • Enniskillen Castle water gate, from the riverside
   • Sit-down lunch in Enniskillen

   Optional experiences

   • Enniskillen Castle museums

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Belfast

   Activity: About 1 km on foot.

10. Day 10: The Causeway coast

    Belfast to Ballycastle, Carrick-a-Rede and the Giant's Causeway, then back to Belfast

    • Drive about 3 h
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Belfast
    Day 10 details

    Today is a round trip from Belfast, so the bags stay in the room. We leave at 9:30 am and take the fast inland road, about an hour and twenty minutes, to Ballycastle on the north coast, where the harbour looks out to Rathlin Island. After a sit-down lunch in the town we drive the coast west. At Carrick-a-Rede, the active option is the rope bridge to the small island where salmon fishermen once worked, a cliff path with steps (we confirm the length at booking); the easy option is the view from the car park and a stop at the cafe. We reach the Giant's Causeway in the afternoon and spend about 90 minutes there. The shuttle bus runs from the visitor centre down to the roughly 40,000 basalt columns, a UNESCO World Heritage Site formed by lava some 60 million years ago, and back up again; the shuttle is the plan both ways, and walking the steep road is only for those who want it. We pass Dunluce Castle on the way home and are in Belfast by about 6 pm.

    Included

    • Ballycastle harbour
    • Sit-down lunch in Ballycastle
    • Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (timed ticket), for the active option
    • Giant's Causeway visitor experience, shuttle bus and about 90 minutes on the stones
    • Dunluce Castle photo stop

    Easier option: Skip the rope bridge and wait at the Carrick-a-Rede cafe; at the Causeway, take the shuttle both ways and stay near the stones by the drop-off point or in the visitor centre.

    More active option: Cross the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge to the island. At the Causeway, if you want a walk, you can go down the road on foot (about 1 km, steep) and still take the shuttle back up.

    Activity: About 2 km on foot, more if you take the active option. The Causeway stones are uneven and slippery when wet; wear shoes with grip. Carrick-a-Rede closes in high wind.

    

11. Day 11: Titanic Belfast and a city of two stories

    Titanic Quarter, the Falls Road and the Shankill Road, City Hall

    • Drive about 45 min
    • Breakfast and dinner
    • Stay in Belfast
    Day 11 details

    We are at Titanic Belfast soon after it opens, beside the slipways where Harland and Wolff built RMS Titanic and her sister Olympic. The galleries are on several floors joined by lifts, with seats along the way, and the ticket also covers SS Nomadic, the small tender that carried passengers out to Titanic at Cherbourg, now in a dry dock nearby. Take it at your own speed; your guide is on hand. Lunch is your own choice in the Titanic Quarter. At about 2 pm a local guide joins us on our minibus for a seated tour of Belfast's recent history, about 90 minutes along the Falls Road and the Shankill Road, stepping out at the murals and at the peace wall that still separates them. The guide explains the Troubles and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement as someone who lived through them, and takes any question. We finish at City Hall, and the late afternoon is free before our farewell dinner together.

    Included

    • Titanic Belfast, with SS Nomadic
    • Seated political history tour by minibus with a local guide: the Falls Road, the Shankill Road, the murals and the peace wall
    • Belfast City Hall
    • Farewell dinner in Belfast

    Optional experiences

    • Ulster Museum (free entry) and the Botanic Gardens

    Easier option: Stay on the minibus at the mural stops; the guide talks from the front.

    Free time: Late afternoon free in Belfast

    Activity: About 2 km on foot, all on level floors and pavements.

12. Day 12: Back to Dublin Airport

    Belfast to Dublin Airport

    • Drive about 2 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 12 details

    The last morning is unhurried. Breakfast is at the hotel, and at about 10 am the minibus leaves for Dublin Airport (DUB), about 165 km and an hour and three quarters south on the motorway, with a comfort stop on the way if anyone wants one. We arrive at about midday. If your flight leaves after about 4:30 pm, we can stop first at North Bull Island in Dublin Bay, about 20 minutes from the airport, for a short, level stroll on Dollymount Strand or simply the view of the bay from the minibus. If you fly to the United States, allow extra time: Dublin has US preclearance, so you clear US immigration and customs before you board, and it can take an hour or more in summer. Flights to Canada do not use it. If you would rather fly from Belfast, we drop you at Belfast City or Belfast International airport instead, and anyone staying on can be dropped in either city centre. Your guide travels with the group to the airport.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Dublin Airport (DUB), or at a Belfast airport on request

    Optional experiences

    • Stop at North Bull Island and Dollymount Strand on the way to the airport, for flights after about 4:30 pm (adds about 40 km and 45 minutes, plus the stop)

    Easier option: Stay on the minibus at Bull Island and see the bay from the causeway road, or go straight to the airport.

    Activity: Book a flight from Dublin leaving after about 2:30 pm, or after about 4:30 pm to include the Bull Island stop. Under 1 km on foot.

    

Wildlife and weather: May to September brings the longest days, with daylight past 9:30 pm in June, and the warmest weather, usually in the high teens Celsius. April and October are quieter and cooler, with more wind, a higher chance that the Carrick-a-Rede bridge is closed, and shorter opening hours at seasonal sites such as Carrowmore. Puffins nest on the Cliffs of Moher from about April to July, and red deer are often seen in Killarney National Park and Phoenix Park.

• Dublin2 nights
• Killarney2 nights
• Galway2 nights
• Sligo2 nights
• Belfast3 nights