Hermes Tours

Date	Itinerary
Day 1 - Friday Depart Home	Depart from home for your international flight to Dublin (DUB).
Day 2 - Saturday Arrive in Dublin	Upon arrival at Dublin Airport, please make your way to the city center. You will be provided with detailed instructions or we can arrange for a pick up if you wish. Meet your coach and qualified tour guide in the afternoon for a panoramic sightseeing tour of Dublin city. Included will be Trinity College (and the Book of Kells), O’Connell and Grafton Streets, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Georgian Dublin, Dublin Castle. Independent lunch. Welcome Dinner and overnight at the hotel. Evening at leisure.
Day 3 - Sunday Tour of Dublin	After breakfast we travel through the beautiful mountains of Wicklow, called the “Garden of Ireland”. It is also so called because of the many gardens, all different in style, design and flora. In the heart of its gentle and rounded hills rest Enniskerry, a very picturesque village and home to Powerscourt House and Gardens. These are a magnificent example of aristocratic gardens from the 19th century, laid out with taste and imagination. The terraced Italian gardens are embellished with statues descending towards a pond, the Japanese gardens and pet cemetery are only a few highlights of this visit. A very relaxed afternoon program is scheduled to include a visit to Glendalough Monastic settlement, founded in the 6th Century by St. Kevin. Return to your hotel late afternoon. Enjoy a traditional Dinner and Irish entertainment in Johnnie Foxes Pub, located in the Dublin Mountains. This quaint Irish Pub is known as the highest pub in Ireland because of its location. Complete with sawdust on the floor and bric a brac hanging from the walls this is a charming spot for an evenings entertainment. Overnight : Dublin
Day 4 - Monday Dublin - Kilkenny	Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of your hotel, board your coach and travel southwest to Kilkenny. Kilkenny is without doubt Ireland’s prettiest inland city. In the 13th century it rose to prominence when the Irish Parliament met at Kilkenny Castle. A visit to Kilkenny Castle will be planned, where you may also visit the Kilkenny Design Centre. Housed in the Castle’s stable block, you can see craftspeople in action and buy their work. Overnight : Kilkenny
Day 5 - Tuesday Kilkenny	Excursion to southwards to Waterford to visit the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre. Here you will see master craftsmen as they mouth-blow and cut crystal goblets, bowls, and other ornamental glassware. Visit the factory store to buy a souvenir! Lunch in one of Waterford’s many cafes (on own). Return to Kilkenny in the afternoon for some free time. Overnight : Kilkenny
Day 6 - Wednesday Kilkenny - Killarney	Early check out and travel southwards to Killarney. Along the way stop off in Blarney, Co. Cork. As you’ll find in welcoming pubs, shops and restaurants, the Irish love of conversation is world famous. Acquire some of that local gift of eloquence by kissing the Blarney Stone at the historic Blarney Castle. Travel on and enjoy lunch along the way. Upon arrival in Killarney, visit Muckross House. This beautiful Victorian mansion was built in the Elizabeth style in 1843. Period furnishings decorate the interior. A museum of Kerry Life displays the history of southwest Ireland and a craft center is located on the site with numerous workshops. Stroll through the landscaped gardens or walk the short distance to Muckross Farm, a working farm that continues to use traditional farming techniques. Overnight : Killarney
Day 7 - Thursday Killarney	Breakfast at the hotel. Today an excursion onto the Iveragh Peninsula will be planned. Called the “Ring of Kerry”, this scenic drive is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Ireland. Lunch stop will be made about half-way around the “Ring”. Return to Killarney. Overnight : Killarney
Day 8 - Friday Killarney - Galway	After breakfast this morning, check out of your hotel, board the coach and travel north through the Irish countryside, stopping along the way for your lunch. Early afternoon, your drive will take you through an area called “The Burren”. Derived from the Gaelic word boireann, which means “rocky land”, Burren is an apt name for this vast limestone plateau in northwest county Clare. Few trees manage to grow in this desolate place, yet other plants thrive. From April to August, an astonishing array of flowers adds splashes of color to the austere landscape. In the southern part of the Burren, limestone gives way to the black shale and sandstone that form the dramatic Cliffs of Moher. A stop will be made at the cliffs where you may follow the path to a viewpoint rising 650 feet out of the sea. Continue on to Galway and check into your hotel. Free time before dinner to explore the city. Galway is both the center for the Irish-speaking regions in the West and a lively university city. Due to its compact size, it is easy to explore the narrow, winding streets full of shops and historic sights. Overnight : Galway
Day 9 - Saturday Galway	After breakfast this morning, board your coach for a scenic drive through the Connemara. This wild region in the west of Galway encompasses bogs, mountains, and a rugged coastline. A stop will be made at Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore Abbey was built in the 19th century for a wealthy English businessman. With its setting on the strikingly beautiful Kylemore Lake, this magnificent white granite and grey limestone building is one of the most photographed houses in Ireland. It is now a girls’ boarding school run by a group of Benedictine nuns. After your lunch at Kylemore Abbey, return to Galway traveling through the quaint seaside town of Clifden. Overnight : Galway
Day 10 - Sunday Galway - Bunratty	After breakfast, check out, board your coach and travel south to Shannon. Visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park (admission included). This site represents a microcosm of Irish history. At one end we find the Castle built in 1425 by the MacNamara Clan. The history of this beautiful building stretches over 500 years of turbulence. It was later acquired by the Anglo Irish Studdart family in 1720. They lived in the castle until the 19th century, when they abandoned the castle and built Bunratty House, which stands on a hill at the opposite end of the Folk Park. A restored Irish Village stands between the castle and the house. Visitors can view the varied dwellings and shops and talk to some of the people who inhabited rural Ireland at the turn of the century. This evening, enjoy a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. Join the Earl of Thomond for a glorious four-course feast accompanied by music and song. You’ll only have a dagger to with which to eat! Return to the hotel for overnight. Pack for travel home tomorrow! Overnight : Bunratty
Day 11 - Monday Return Home	Our tour officially ends today after breakfast. You are free to schedule your return flight for anytime today. Please make their your own way to Shannon airport (SHA) for return flight to U.S.