With ten days in Ireland, you can travel through 5,000 years of evocative history. Explore stone-age passages and portal tombs, the early Celtic and Munster kings, Vikings, and medieval castles. Take in thatched-roof towns and Georgian splendor alongside stories of19th-century famine and flight with early 20th-century rebellion. Connect all the dots on this private tour uncovering histories yet to be told. Including Dublin, Newgrange, Tara, Strokestown, Kylemore, The Burren, Ennis, Adare,...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Dublin – Historic Highlights of the Capital City
Welcome to a country of saints and a city of colors as Dublin always providing the warm welcome that Ireland is famous for. Travel always provides new experiences, and you can feel the Irish inimitability from the moment you land as it is in the way people speak to you and the way you are included even though you are a visitor. Meet your guide at the airport and transfer to your central Dublin hotel with plenty of time to freshen up before your guide takes you around the city’s key historical highlights to provide a backbone to what has happened on this island over the millennia.
Christ Church Cathedral dazzles with its old beauty, especially the spire that has gazed over so many centuries of change. Glasnevin Cemetery walks you through the veritable names of Irish history, like Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera, with the museum showcasing what happened during the body-stealing years. There’s the famine ship on Custom Quay, part of a tale from the mid 19th-century you will hear more about later. Make a stop at Trinity College to admire the sublime Book of Kells before the Guinness Storehouse provides a place to rest and drink in the Irish history. While this appears to be a busy first day, Dublin is compact and easy to get around, and a great place to push away your jet lag as you settle in.
What's Included:
Day 2
Dublin – 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour
Day 3
Boyne Valley to Westmeath – The Legend of Newgrange and Tara
Day 4
Strokestown to Galway – So Many Histories That Need To Be Told
Day 5
Galway – Exploring Connemara and Kylemore
Day 6
The Burren to Cliffs of Moher to Ennis – Ireland’s Famous Natural History
Day 7
Ennis – Castles and Colors of Limerick
Day 8
Adare to Cashel to Cobh – Thatched Roofs and the Munster Kings
Day 9
Waterford – Transatlantic History and the Vikings
Day 10
Dublin – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Explore Europe’s pre-eminent passage tomb, Newgrange so much older than the Egyptian pyramids
- Marvel at the seat of the Munster kings in Cashel
- Walk through the history of the 1916 rebellion and independence in Dublin
- Discover Ireland’s rich natural history, notably at the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and The Burren
- Immerse yourself in Ireland’s heritage destinations, including two nights in Ennis and one in Waterford
- Get to know Irish castles, from redolent ruins to dramatic structures high on a hill
- Uncover untold stories, especially those of famine and flight from the 19th century
- Connect the dots of Celtic history, from the High Kings of Ireland to Gaelic dancing
Detailed Description
This little green island has been a hotbed of culture for 5,000 years with its stories etched into ruins and rock, its heritage is still alive in villages and castles, and its history still whispers with tales unknown. On this private historical tour you will not need to travel in chronological order, but with each destination you will hop to a different century or era, the route based on minimizing travel time across the island. But as one day leads into another, you will be able to connect all of the significant historical dots. Travel from the evocative Stone Age tombs to the 1916 rebellion and the Gaelic traditions of today with a 10-day journey that covers some 5,000 years.
Handcrafted for history lovers but also providing a beautiful overview of Ireland, this 10-day tour begins and ends in Dublin. There are six overnight stops and each day focuses on a different period from history, sometimes many different periods next to each other. The idea is to show you the history as you walk in the footsteps of everyone from Neolithic hunter-gatherers to James Connolly, St Patrick, and the Celtic kings. Some of the destinations are in ruins or still being excavated, but many eye-opening museums showcase the lesser-known stories alongside monuments and towns that do not appear to have changed for centuries.
Start with two nights in Dublin with time enough to tour the key highlights, including the book that brought Europe out of the Dark Ages and to follow the 1916 rebellion through city streets. Travel back 5,000 years at the excavated passage tomb of Newgrange on day three, and then jump forward to the 11th-century center of the Celtic world. On day four you will be in the 18th and 19th centuries, seeing the disparity between gentry and famine alongside the folklore that is being kept alive. On this and the next night, you will sleep in Galway to allow for a full-day exploration of Connemara, where Kylemore Abbey provides a very romantic Irish tale.
Natural history leads the way on day six at the famous Burren and Cliffs of Moher. Yet they are intertwined with Stone and Bronze Age tales, notably the Neolithic portal tombs that are scattered across the lunar rocks of The Burren. Your overnight destination is in Ennis, cute and charming as it presents Gaelic heritage. Spend day seven exploring castles and medieval stories in County Limerick, and then watch horses clip-clop past Adare’s thatched houses on day eight. At the Rock of Cashel, you can discover St Patrick and the Munster Kings, while in Cobh you explore tales of famine and transatlantic emigration. Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city and a beautiful place to finish, connecting the Vikings to the Celts and onwards to Georgian times. Consider learning more about our travelers’ favorite Ireland travel activities by reading their Ireland travel reviews.
Starting Price
$6,500 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.85 stars based on 442 reviews.