Ireland in Depth
Overview
Highlights
- Visit Killarney and the 110-mile Ring of Kerry, boasting some of Ireland’s most astonishing scenery
- See the awesome Cahir Castle featured a state-of-the-art defensive design, is now one of Ireland's best-preserved castles
- Visit Cobh which was a major emigration point for families, discover the story of Irish emigration and the era of the great ocean liners
- Explore Galway on a walking tour through the city
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Destinations
Activities
Trip includes
- Choose to purchase Grand Circle's airfare, and your airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges are included. Or, make your own air arrangements
- Accommodations for 12 nights in comfortable rooms with private baths
- 21 meals: 12 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 6 dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch)
- 17 included features: 12 guided tours and 5 exclusive Discovery Series events: Avoca Handweavers visit • Hurling demonstration • Home-Hosted Lunch • Irish history & culture discussion • Sheepdog demonstration
- Exclusive services of a local Grand Circle Program Director (assigned to no more than 42 travelers)
- Gratuities on your main trip for local guides and motor coach drivers
- Personal headset for all included and optional tours on your main trip
- Private motor coach land travel
- Baggage handling for 1 piece of luggage per person, including tips
- 5% Frequent Traveller Credit toward your next Grand Circle trip—an average of $224
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Itinerary
Depart from the U.S. today on your flight to Ireland, arriving on Day 2. Please refer to your individual air itinerary for exact departure and arrival times.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodations: Ballsbridge Hotel or similar
Arrive in Dublin today and begin your Ireland tour. A Grand Circle representative will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel, where you'll meet your Program Director and your fello...
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Ballsbridge Hotel or similar
After breakfast today, you’ll begin your discoveries of Dublin, Ireland’s political and cultural center. Dublin is amazingly rich in literary history—Yeats, Shaw, Beckett, and other literary i...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Pembroke Hotel or similar
This morning, learn about the history of Ireland's famous brew during a tour of the Guinness Storehouse, a 7-story museum located in a former brewing factory inside the St. James's Gat...
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodations: Pembroke Hotel or similar
Kilkenny city straddles both banks of the River Nore in the center of County Kilkenny, and you'll explore it this morning on an included walking tour with your Program Director. Your to...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Kingsley Hotel or similar
Travel from Kilkenny to the city of Cork today, stopping en route to visit Cahir Castle and Waterford.
In its time (13th-15th centuries), Cahir Castle featured a state-of-the-ar...
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodations: Kingsley Hotel or similar
This morning, ride to Cobh (pronounced “cove”). This picturesque town long served as the main harbor for the city of Cork, and is dominated by the spire of St. Colman's Cathedral, which...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Killarney Towers or similar
After breakfast this morning, bid Cork farewell and begin your transfer to Killarney.
On the way, stop for a visit to Blarney Castle, where a 129-step staircase leads up a tow...
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Killarney Towers or similar
Your day is at leisure to pursue your own interests.
Or, join us on an optional tour as we venture out along the Dingle Peninsula. You'll stop first at Tralee's Kerry County Museum, wher...
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodations: Killarney Towers or similar
On this morning's included tour, you'll discover the Ring of Kerry, a drive that traces the coastline of the Iveragh Peninsula and offers breathtaking views. There is always something...
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Ardilaun Hotel or similar
After breakfast, bid farewell to Killarney and begin your transfer to Galway, stopping along the way to discover a few more treasures of the Emerald Isle.
First, stop for an exc...
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Ardilaun Hotel or similar
This morning, your Program Director will introduce you to Galway on a walking tour through the city. You have the remainder of the day at leisure to explore Galway on your own. This enchanting ci...
Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodations: Ardilaun Hotel or similar
Spend the day at leisure, exploring Galway on your own. The city's compact center spans both sides of the River Corrib. In the center of Eyre Square stands the Quincentennial ...
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home. Or continue your discoveries of the Emerald Isle on an optional post-trip extension in Ennis, Adare & Limerick.
Want a tailor-made trip instead?
Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:
- You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
- Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics
Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Grand Circle Travel.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Tour Operator
Grand Circle Travel offers distinctive international vacations for older Americans. Established in 1958 by Ethel Andrus, educator and founder of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), we view world travel as a powerful lever for lifelong learning. We make it accessible through trips that deliver unmatched discoveries, leisurely pacing, more travel choices, and comprehensive value.
Our values are the foundation upon which our company is built. They are what our beliefs and actions are derived from. Our values shape our decisions, give direction to our growth, and allow us to measure our progress.
Teamwork: We believe in groups of people who work together to create excellent results, solve difficult problems, support each other personally and professionally, and recognize their success. In a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment each member of the team is critical for success. Empowered teams are committed to taking the necessary actions to ensure that the team will reach its goals. Every member must be fully accountable for the team’s and one’s own personal results.
Thriving in Change: In these times of rapid change, global competition, and high volatility in the travel industry, we must be prepared to change course and move forward. Being well organized may sometimes be less important than moving quickly. The goal is for each of us to maximize our effectiveness, and ultimately our success, in an unpredictable and ever-changing environment.
Quality: Our decisions must be made and actions taken in accordance with high standards of quality and service. Quality can be subjective, and in our business quality often involves a compromise between speed and perfection. When the level of quality required is in question, we will operate to the high standards expected by our customers. Excellence in our quality will continually enhance our repeat business and ultimately our financial performance.
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Accommodation
Ballsbridge Hotel
Dublin, Ireland Rating: Moderate Deluxe
Ballsbridge Hotel offers convenient access to locations like St. Stephen's Green, Merrion Square, and Grafton Street—one of Dublin's fashionable shopping areas. Hotel facilities include a restaurant and pub. Each rooms feature a TV, trouser press, complimentary coffee- and tea-making facilities, and private bath with hair dryer.
Pembroke Hotel
Kilkenny, Ireland
Centrally located in Kilkenny’s historic city center, this boutique-style hotel is within walking distance of the Kilkenny Castle and its verdant surrounding grounds. The hotel features an on-site bar and restaurant, while each room includes air conditioning, coffee- and tea-making facilities, free wireless Internet, and private bath with hair dryer.
Kingsley Hotel
Cork, Ireland
Located along the banks of Cork’s Lee River overlooking the Weir, the Kingsley Hotel features a spa, health club, two restaurants, a bar, and a lounge. Each air-conditioned room includes wireless Internet access, widescreen TV, safe, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and a private bath with hair dryer.
Killarney Towers
Killarney, Ireland
Located in the heart of the town of Killarney, guests don’t have to travel far to enjoy a variety of leisure activities, since the hotel offers a sauna, steam room, swimming pool, and gym, as well a restaurant and several bars. Your air-conditioned room features a safe, wireless Internet access, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and private bath with hair dryer.
Ardilaun Hotel
Galway, Ireland Rating: Superior First Class
This family-owned hotel is situated on landscaped grounds just half a mile from Galway's city center. Recreational options include access to the Leisure Club, which contains a fitness suite, aerobics studio, spin studio, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and steam room. Each bedroom features a telephone, TV, high-speed Internet access, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and private bath with hair dryer.
If you need to cancel your trip for any reason, please call us as soon as possible, and follow up in writing. You are also required to return any airline tickets that may have been issued to you. Cancellation refunds will be calculated as of the date we receive your written cancellation. We will issue your refund in the manner in which we received your payment. If you paid your deposit by credit card and your balance by check, your refund will be divided accordingly. Refunds are generated manually by our accounting department to ensure accuracy. Please allow for a 30-day processing period before receiving your refund
Cancellation Charges for Land Tours
Prior to departure and Charge
90 days or more will be charged $300
89-60 days will be 10% of selling price or $300—whichever is greater
59-30 days is of 65% of selling price
29 days–departure is of 100% of selling price
13 Breakfasts 3 Lunches and 6 Dinners
While we specialize in vacations for travelers over 50, you can bring children aged 13 and older on Grand Circle trips. Please note, however, that our land-based programs often include lengthy motor coach sightseeing tours that may not be enjoyable for younger travelers.
Ireland in Depth provides amazing Post- Extensions tours see below for more detilas:
Post-trip extension: new! Ennis, adare & limerick
3 nights from only $845
On this new 2017 post-trip extension, journey to a historic region of western Ireland renowned for its charming and cheerful people, and its reverence for old traditions. From the bustling market town of Ennis, to the medieval-style village of Adare, this extension takes you back in time to show you the Emerald Isle as it once was.
It's Included:
- Accommodations for 3 nights
- 4 meals: 3 breakfasts and 1 dinner
- 4 included tours: Bunratty Castle, Ennis, Adare, Frank McCourt Museum
- Exclusive services of a resident Program Director
- Gratuities on this extension for local guides and motorcoach drivers
- All transfers
Physical Requirements
- Walk 2 miles unassisted and participate in 1.5-2.5 hours of physical activities daily, including stairs
- Agility, balance, stair-climbing are required to kiss the Blarney Stone
- Not accessible for travelers using wheelchairs or scooters
- Travelers using walkers, crutches, or other mobility aids must travel with a companion who can assist them
- Program Directors reserve the right to modify participation or send travelers home if their limitations impact the group’s experience
Climate
- Daytime temperatures range from 48-67°F during touring season
- June-August are the warmest months
- Weather in Ireland can be unpredictable and change quickly
- Rain is common and should be expected
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