2010 NORTHERN GEMS TOUR
Superior First Class Hotels - 8 Nights/15 Meals
10 days including air from USA
or 9 days land only from Shannon to Dublin
Highlights:
Your Tour Includes:
- Dinner with music at the Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis
- Dinner and Irish step-dancing display at Cabra Castle Hotel
- 5 table d'hote dinners
Call 662-288-9052 for more information or to book today! Mention code 8895305
- Tour Operator
- CIE Tours
- Offer
- Offer valid through 6/30/2010
- Duration
- 10 Days
- Escorted
- Escorted - Yes
| Day | Destination | Description |
| Day 1 | Overnight Flight to Shannon | Overnight Flight to Shannon : Depart your North American gateway city and travel through the night to Shannon. Land only tour starts on day 2. |
| Day 2 | Ennis | Ennis Arrival & Cliffs of Moher : Land at Shannon Airport and locate the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall for a group transfer to Ennis. Complimentary transfers are available between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later than 12:00 noon, transfer to the hotel at your own expense. Ennis is the main market town of County Clare and your hotel is in the center of the town. At 2:30 pm depart for the Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic wall of rock that plunges to the Atlantic Ocean. Return to Ennis and for a welcome drink to discuss your tour with your guide and fellow travelers. Then enjoy dinner with some informal entertainment in your hotel. (D) |
| Day 3 | Galway | Poulnabrone Dolmen & Connemara Crystal : In Kilfenora visit the Burren Display Centre to learn about the Burren, an area of rounded limestone hills. Then drive through the weathered hills, which contain ancient monuments, especially dolmens. View the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a Neolithic burial place dating to 4,000 BC. Stop for a look around the village of Ballyvaughan. In Moycullen visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory to see a skilled glass cutter at work and learn about the symbolism of the Celtic motifs. Drive into Galway to your central hotel overlooking Galway Bay. (B, D) |
| Day 4 | Galway | "Quiet Man" Walking Tour & Catamaran Cruise : Drive to the village of Cong where "The Quiet Man" movie was made in 1952. A guided walk will show you places featured in the production. Drive through Connemara for sweeping views of misty mountains and shimmering lakes. Embark on a short cruise of Killary Harbour, a 9-mile fjord. Enjoy an Irish coffee as you view hills where traces of pre-Famine "lazy beds" of potato ridges can still be seen. Keep an eye out for seabirds as you pass mussel and salmon farms. Make a brief stop at Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre before heading to Clifden, a delightful market town set between the Twelve Bens and sandy bays before returning to Galway. (B, D) |
| Day 5 | Donegal | Museum of Country Life & Belleek China : Outside Castlebar visit the Museum of Country Life. View collections of domestic goods, used in everyday living from 1850 to 1950. Exhibits and a movie explain how country people lived by farming. Make a brief stop in the pilgrimage town of Knock and view W. B. Yeats' Grave, situated near the distinctive outline of Ben Bulben mountain in County Sligo. Continue to Belleek for a tour of the Belleek Pottery Factory, founded in the mid-19th century to create employment. Drive to Donegal town for your next overnight stop. (B, D) |
| Day 6 | Donegal | Slieve League Cliffs & Donegal : Drive to the fishing port of Killybegs and on to Teelin to view Slieve League sea cliffs, the highest in Europe reaching 1,972 feet. The cliffs drop straight down to the wild Atlantic waves creating marvelous views. Enjoy coffee or tea with home-baked scones before driving through the majestic Glengesh Pass to Ardara. Visit Triona Design to see demonstrations of spinning, weaving and knitting. Return to Donegal town for free time before returning to your nearby hotel. (B, D) |
| Day 7 | Belfast | Derry Walk & Giant's Causeway : Travel to Derry for a walking tour with a local guide to see the medieval city walls, the Diamond and St. Columb's Cathedral. Pause for photos at the ruins of Dunluce Castle before visiting the Giant's Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Continue south to experience wonderful views of mountains, valleys and bays along the "Nine Glens of Antrim." Drive to your centrally-located hotel in Belfast. You will have time to take a walk or you may like to visit the ornate Victorian bar, Crown Liquor Saloon, just across the street. (B, D) |
| Day 8 | Kingscourt | Belfast & St. Patrick's Burial Site : Tour Belfast with a local guide to see Victorian buildings, the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built and the Falls Road and Shankill residential areas. Drive south via the town of Newry and pass the gentle slopes of the Mourne Mountains to Kingscourt to your castle hotel, built in 1760. Arrive mid-afternoon so that you will have time to enjoy the facilities and ambience of your lovely hotel. You may like to play the 9-hole golf course. After dinner in the Court Restaurant, enjoy youthful dancers display intricate Irish step-dancing. (B, D) |
| Day 9 | Dublin | Battle of the Boyne Centre & River Liffey : Drive to Drogheda to visit the Battle of the Boyne Centre. Learn about the 1690 conflict between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II, for dominance over the British throne and religious power in Ireland. Then travel into Dublin and check in to your hotel overlooking the River Liffey. The balance of the day at leisure so you may use your vouchers for an independent open-top bus tour with a visit to either Guinness or Jameson and a complimentary drink. (B) |
| Day 10 | Depart from Dublin Airport | Depart from Dublin Airport : Your hotel offers a shuttle service to Dublin Airport every two hours starting at 7:20 am. So choose a suitable transfer time to arrive at the airport to check in for your flight. If you need an earlier transfer, your tour escort will arrange one for you. Then you'll have an opportunity to shop at the duty-free stores before boarding your aircraft for the journey home. (B) |
- Dates/Pricing
- Lodging
Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis (1 night) Radisson SAS Hotel, Galway (2 nights) Millpark Hotel, Donegal (2 nights) Europa Hotel, Belfast (1 night) Cabra Castle Hotel, Kingscourt (1 night) Clarion IFSC Hotel, Dublin (1 night)
- Disclaimer
- *
- Coach Tour and River Cruise prices are based on two people sharing rooms
- Taxes, security fees and fuel surcharges are not included.
- This list indicates brochure rates and dates. If your date of choice appears in the brochure but not on this page please contact your travel agent for information.
- Air price is based on departures from New York. Additional add-on airfares from other cities may be available. The air inclusive prices are for general information only and not a reflection of current seat availability.
- Some airlines may impose additional charges if you choose to check any baggage. Please contact your airline or refer to its website for detailed information regarding your airline's checked baggage policies.
- We highly recommend that you review our general conditions page for full details on terms, conditions, and penalties.
