6-day All Ireland & Northern Ireland Rail Tour from Dublin

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Cork, Blarney Castle and Cobh
3 stops
1
Blarney Castle & Gardens
Arrive into Cork Kent Station for 09:35, we transfer to our coach and travel through Cork City to Blarney Village and Castle. You will have time to kiss the famous stone, which is said to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence on those lucky enough to do so. There is also time for shopping and lunch at Blarney and we recommend that you have lunch there, as this will be the only opportunity during the day to have a substantial meal. Depart Blarney Castle for Cóbh, via the city centre and a short city tour.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
2
St Colman’s Cathedral
On arrival at Cóbh we will visit St Colman’s Cathedral. We will then proceed down along the sea front passing the former White Star Line offices en route to the beautifully restored Victorian railway station/transatlantic terminal. This is now the Cóbh Heritage Centre, home to the Queenstown Story, to which your admission is included.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free
3
Cobh Heritage Centre
Cobh Heritage Centre houses much information about the Great Famine and the subsequent Irish Emigration. Depart Cóbh by train to Killarney, via Mallow. The rest of the evening is free and there is a large selection of cafés, restaurants and bars in Killarney town as well as many opportunities for live traditional Irish music entertainment.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 2
Ring Of Kerry Tour
1 stop
4
Ring Of Kerry
You will be collected from your accommodation at 09:45 (or as directed by our Killarney representative) for your Ring of Kerry tour. There are plenty of stops along the Ring of Kerry for morning tea, lunch and photo stops etc. Ireland’s highest mountains are located in Kerry, and Carrantuohill – which can be seen en route – is the highest, standing at 1041 metres tall. An essential part of any visit to Ireland, this tour circles the magnificent MacGillycuddy Reeks and runs through its many passes and valleys along the shores of Dingle Bay and Kenmare Bay. The beautiful nature of the Ring of Kerry provides many photo opportunities, as it passes through the many picturesque villages such as Glenbeigh, Waterville and Sneem. We return via Ladies View, the famous Lakes of Killarney and through the Oakwoods of Killarney's magnificent National Park. At the end of the tour you will be returned to your accommodation where, again, the evening is free.
7 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 3
Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Galway
3 stops
5
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Between 07.00 and 07.15 you will be collected from your accommodation and transferred by road to Limerick City, where you will join the coach for the Cliffs of Moher & Galway Bay tour. We arrive in Limerick shortly after 9am, where we will join our tour coach. After a brief city tour, we head out to Bunratty Castle and admission is included. The castle was completed in 1425 and, after many years of neglect, has been restored to its former glory. There is also a folk park here and many of the buildings – including the village – were dismantled at various locations in the region and rebuilt, brick by brick, at their present location.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
6
Cliffs of Moher
There is a lunch stop at a local pub in Doolin before arriving at the majestic Cliffs of Moher – among the highest sea cliffs in Western Europe. There is plenty of time to visit Ireland’s second most popular tourist attraction and your host will advise you of the departure time.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
7
The Burren
From the Cliffs of Moher, we take the coast road for much of the way to Galway, with time for photos along The Burren. This is a national park and the word Burren comes from the Irish Language – meaning ‘rocky place’. Today the Burren is noted for its diverse flora with few parallels elsewhere in Ireland or indeed, Europe. As time permits, we will make a short stop here for photographs. We continue along the coast road to Black Head, passing the pretty coastal villages of Ballyvaughan and Kinvara before joining the main road to Galway, where we will arrive shortly after 17:00. Ask your host if there is time to explore the streets around Eyre Square. At the end of the day the coach will set you down at Eyre Square in the centre of Galway City adjacent to your hotel (and the railway station). You will be directed to your hotel by your host and your evening is free in Galway.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Connemara and Kylemore Abbey
1 stop
8
Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden
We head out to Connemara – one of Ireland’s Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) regions and visit Kylemore Abbey – an 18th century castle now owned by the Benedictine nuns who run an excellent pottery, gift shop and restaurant here. We stop here for lunch. Our tour of Connemara heads homewards towards Galway City, along the shores of Galway bay, through the Gaeltacht villages of Inverin and Spiddal. There are splendid views of Galway Bay, and across the bay the Burren and the hills of County Clare can be seen, which you visited on Day Three.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 5
Aran Islands Tour - Dublin
1 stop
9
We will transfer you to Rossavile for the ferry to Inis Mór Island. It is pronounced 'inish more' and literally means ‘big island’. It is the largest of the Aran Islands. On arrival on Inis Mór you have approximately 20 minutes before you tour departs in order to use toilet facilities and purchase any refreshments needed. Meet your local hosts at The Railtours/Hernon Tours sign located close to The Aran Sweater Market in Kilronan village. You will be collected from here between 11:50am and 12:00 noon for your tour of Inis Mór. Your tour of Inis Mór includes stops at the ‘Seven Churches, Dún Aonghusa and Kilronan for lunch, which is the small village on the island. For many, the highlight of the tour is the pre-Christian fort of Dún Aonghusa, with spectacular cliffs on the western side and unspoilt views of the Atlantic Ocean.
4 hours • Admission ticket not included
Day 6
Giants Causeway - Dublin
2 stops
10
Arrive into Belfast Central Station for 09:08 where we will be met by our tour coach to continue on our journey along the Causeway Coastal Route, along Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast. Upon arrival, guests can see one of Belfast’s most well-known landmark, the two Harland & Wolfe Cranes which are nicknamed Samson and Goliath. Leaving Belfast we take the coast road north from here. We continue on passing the coastal villages of Glenariff, Cushendall and Cushendun. There are stunning views of the sea to the right and the mountains or the Glens of Antrim to the left. You can even glimpse the Scottish coast on a clear day. We have a lovely lunch stop at the Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy for a delicious pub grub style lunch.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
11
Giant's Causeway
We head for Dunluce Castle for a photo stop, time permitting, before arriving at the Giant’s Causeway, where we stop for about 2 hours. There are about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and is owned and managed by the National Trust.
2 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Children U16 cannot book independently. They must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times.
• WHEELCHAIR POLICY: We very successfully offers hosted railtours for the independent traveller. Our tours are a combination of train and luxury coach and include a moderate level of physical activity, such as short walks to meeting points etc. Unfortunately even the most modern luxury coaches (buses) are not wheelchair friendly, thus our tours are not suitable for those with mobility issues, and regretfully walkers, wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot be accommodated on our tours.

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