Northern Welcome 9 Days

• Sightseeing by luxury coach
• Professional driver/guide
•  8 nights as per hotels listed
• Full breakfast daily (B) except on day 1
• 6 dinners (D) including 
  - Welcome dinner in Cabra Castle 
• - Dinner at the Walled City Brewery           Restaurant
• - Merry Ploughboy Pub dinner and traditional show
• - 3 table d'hote dinners
  - 1 lunch (L)
• Welcome get-together drink
• Tour of Belfast with a local guide
• Sheans Heritage Farm turf-cutting, tea and scones
• Walking tours of Derry and Galway
• Irish coffee on Inishowen Peninsula
• Visits and admissions to Belleek China, Donegal Castle, Down Cathedral, Giant’s Causeway, Glasnevin Cemetery Museum,Titanic Belfast and Westport House. 
• Day tour to Achill Island
• Deluxe carry-on backpack, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
• Free Wi-Fi on coaches and in hotel lobbies
• Headsets for walking tours
• 9 day tour includes a tour of Dublin  on an open-top bus with a visit to Guinness Storehouse or General Post Office

Overnights for this tour:

• Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night)
• Europa Hotel, Belfast (1 night)
• Maldron Hotel Derry, Derry (2 nights)
• Clew Bay Hotel, Westport (2 nights)
• The Talbot Hotel Stillorgan (formerly Stillorgan Park Hotel), Dublin (2 night)

Day 1: Dublin Arrival & Cabra Castle Hotel
Your tour begins at 3:00 PM at the Cabra Castle Hotel for afternoon tea. The hotel is 50 miles from Dublin Airport, so be sure you have made appropriate transfer arrangements. The hotel is set on spacious grounds with a 9-hole golf course. In the evening enjoy a welcome drink and dine in the hotel restaurant.
(D)

Day 2: St. Patrick’s Country & Titanic Belfast
Admire the gentle slopes of the Mourne Mountains and peaceful coastline as you travel north to Down Cathedral. Tour the ancient cathedral and view the historical burial place of St Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, marked by a huge boulder. Drive to Belfast to join a local guide for a tour of central Belfast to see prominent buildings, political murals and the docks where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. Visit the magnificent Titanic Belfast, a state-of-the-art attraction that will immerse you in the story of this iconic liner.
(B, D)

Day 3: Turf Cutting & Giant’s Causeway
Drive north along the Nine Glens of Antrim, one of Ireland’s popular scenic routes to discover lovely views of mountains, valleys, and coastline. This area is where many scenes from the “Game of Thrones” series were filmed. Visit The Causeway Coast Discovery Centre for tea with scones and a turf-cutting demonstration. Stop for photos at the sprawling ruins of Dunluce Castle. Visit the natural wonder that is Giant’s Causeway, hexagonal columns formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Continue to Derry where you’ll have time to explore or relax before dinner.
(B, D)

Day 4: Inishowen Peninsula & Derry’s Walls
Travel around the Inishowen Peninsula, a 100-mile scenic route. Drive alongside Lough Foyle, to Banba’s Crown on Malin Head, the most northerly point of the Irish mainland, to admire stunning seascapes. Enjoy tea and scones with your fellow travelers at the Seaview Tavern before continuing towards Buncrana for a stop at the Amazing Grace viewing point, where John Newton was inspired to write the well-known hymn in 1772. Upon returning to Derry, join a local guide for a short walk around Derry’s medieval city walls that completely encircle the old city center. Learn about the development of the settlement throughout the centuries. Complete your tour at the Walled City Brewery Restaurant for dinner.
(B, D)

Day 5: Donegal & Belleek Pottery
Travel through rugged countryside with magnificent scenery to Donegal town where you will have some leisure time to explore independently. Visit Belleek Pottery, founded in the 19th century to bring employment to the area. See how craftspeople shape and decorate raw material to create the worldfamous fine china. At a local farm, watch as a farmer works with skilled dogs to herd sheep. In Westport, a local guide will escort you on a gentle walk through this historic and planned town center before dinner.
(B, D)

Day 6: Westport House & Achill Island Tour
Take a tour around the stately Westport House, which overlooks the ocean and contains a wealth of interesting portraits, furniture, silver, and porcelain. Travel around Clew Bay, which is reputed to have 365 islands, to access Achill Island by bridge. Follow the Atlantic Drive to capture wonderful views of steeply sloped mountains plunging into the shimmering Atlantic Ocean. Near Slievemore see the Deserted Village and stop in Keel for a casual lunch. Return to Westport where the evening is free for independent exploration and dining.
(B, L)

Day 7: Galway & Tullamore Dew
Enjoy a gentle walking tour with a local guide around central Galway to see Eyre Square, Galway Cathedral, and the Spanish Arch. On Shop Street view the medieval Lynch’s Castle that gave the English language a new word. Then browse on your own through narrow streets that are closed to traffic. Travel through the center of Ireland to visit Tullamore Dew distillery to see whiskey production and savor a tasting at the end of the tour. Head to Dublin for dinner and a lively traditional Irish show at the Merry Ploughboy Pub.
(B, D)

Day 8: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum
Take a morning guided tour of Dublin to see elegant Georgian townhouses with brightly painted doors and the wide thoroughfare of O’Connell Street. Tour Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Ireland’s national necropolis, a who’s who of modern Irish history. Spend afternoon on an independent open-top bus tour and a visit to one of Dublin’s top attractions – Guinness Storehouse, Teeling Distillery, EPIC Ireland, or the General Post Office Museum.
(B)

Day 9: Tour Ends in Dublin
Your tour ends after breakfast.
(B)

B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner