Tour / Price Includes:
- Roundtrip airfare from Mpls/St. Paul
(See: Add-On Fares /
Upgrade Options)
- 6 nights accommodations, 1st class/
superior tourist class, double occupancy
- Daily breakfast [B] and 5 dinners [D]
including a dinner at The Merry Ploughboy
Pub and a medieval banquet at an Irish
castle
- 1st-class touring coach
- City sightseeing in Waterford and Dublin
- Visits and admission fees to: Brownshill
Dolmen, Kilkenny Castle, Waterford Crystal
Factory, Reginald Tower, Cobh Heritage
Center, Blarney Castle & Woollen Mills, Rock
of Cashel, Irish National Stud, Japanese
Gardens, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Old
Jameson Distillery
- Luggage handling at hotels for 1 suitcase
- Tour Escort for Days 2 - 8
- Flight bag
- Document holder
- Comprehensive information kit
Price does not include fuel surcharges, as well as US international
and foreign taxes & fees plus passenger facility charges
totaling approx. $355. All taxes subject to change in the event
of rising fuel costs, security fees, and other surcharges beyond
our control.
Daily Itinerary
Day 1 Wed., Sept 10 - Mpls/St. Paul - Dublin
Depart Mpls/St. Paul on your transatlantic flight or request
space from your home city upon registration.
Day 2 Thu., Sept 11 - Dublin - Dunboyne
Arrive at Dublin Airport where you will be greeted by your
driver/guide. Depart Dublin and drive outside the city to the town
of Dunboyne and check into the Dunboyne Castle Hotel. Enjoy
the balance of the day to relax or explore the town. In the
evening, join your group for dinner in the hotel restaurant. [D]
Day 3 Fri., Sept 12-Brownshill Dolmen- Kilkenny- Waterford
Leave Dunboyne and travel through Kildare, which is prime
horse-breeding country. Drive south through pleasant farmland
to the marketing town of Carlow and stop to visit Brownshill
Dolman. This portal tomb has the largest capstone of any
megalithic monument in Ireland. It weighs over 100 tons and
measures 20 square feet and is believed to be part of an even
larger boulder. This structure belongs to the late Stone Age,
around 2500 BC and many religious rites would have taken
place here. Continue your drive to the medieval town of
Kilkenny where you will take a guided tour around Kilkenny
Castle, home of the Butlers, Earls, and Dukes of Ormonde. The
castle was first built in 1192 and added to over the centuries.
Restored to 1830s splendor, it houses wonderful paintings and
furniture. Browse around the town, which is known for its
winding streets and medieval merchants’ houses. Travel south
to Waterford, which was established by Vikings in 914 as
Vedrarfjord and is Ireland’s oldest city. Check into Dooleys Hotel,
where you’ll have a period to rest, then meet your group for
dinner. After dinner, take a short walking tour through the older
sections of Waterford with a local guide. Walk along Merchant’s
Quay where ships docked in former times and see the Clock
Tower. Pass the Norman stronghold of Reginald’s Tower and
stroll along the Mall to see the City Hall, Theatre Royal and many
other places. [B,D]
Day 4 Sat., Sept 13 - Waterford
Visit the Waterford Crystal Factory today to see how skilled
craftspeople create masterpieces of glass. Watch all stages of
production from the blowing of molten crystal to the final
polishing. In the showrooms you can see a wide range of
tableware and special trophies and you will have an opportunity
to purchase items. Next visit Reginald’s Tower on the quayside
in Waterford. A tower has stood on this site for over 1,000 years
but the present one dates from the 12th century. It has been
restored to its medieval glory and over the years has been used
as a fortress, a prison and a museum. After your visits, enjoy
the balance of the day at leisure before joining your group for
dinner at the hotel. [B,D]
Day 5 Sun., Sept 14 - Cobh - Bunratty
Depart Waterford and travel along the south coast via
Dungarvan and Youghal to Cobh, the harbor town for large
ships. Tour the Cobh Heritage Centre, located in the former
train station, site of emigrant embarkation to the United States.
The exhibition traces the history of emigration from the age of
sailing “coffin ships” during the Famine years of the 1840s to the
advent of steamships. Then drive through the outskirts of Cork
to Blarney where you may climb to the battlements of Blarney
Castle to kiss the “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney
Woollen Mills, which has an excellent range of Irish products of
all types. They will ship and insure goods such as Waterford
Crystal for you. You will also have time to browse around the
village, charmingly set around a large village green. Then
journey through the pleasant hilly country of County Cork. Pass
through the town of Mallow and the village of Adare. Continue
your journey north passing the outskirts of Limerick and
crossing the wide River Shannon to Bunratty. Enjoy an evening
of fun and feasting at Bunratty or Knappogue Castle. Your
medieval-style banquet is served in the Great Hall of the 15th
century castle during which the lords and ladies of the castle
transport you in spirit to the Middle Ages with their songs and
stories. Overnight at the Bunratty Castle Hotel. [B,D]
Day 6 Mon., Sept 15 - Rock of Cashel - Dublin
This morning travel east through the Golden Vale to the Rock of
Cashel, which was the seat of early Kings of Munster. Visit
many of the impressive ecclesiastical buildings including
Cormac’s Chapel, built around 1130, and view the surrounding
countryside from the high outcrop on which the buildings are
gathered. Continue your drive northeast through the scenic
Irish countryside to Kildare which is in the heart of Ireland’s
horse country. A visit to the Irish National Stud will show you the
history and current trends of horse-breeding in Ireland. See
some of the magnificent horses and learn about horsebreeding.
Then take a walk around the Japanese Gardens
which were established in 1908 and represent the “Life of Man”
from cradle to grave in the traditional Japanese style of
gardening. Also see the charming St. Fiachra’s Garden with
water features and beehive huts. Then drive into the
metropolitan region of Dublin. Balance of day free. Overnight
at Camden Court Hotel. [B]
Day 7 Tue., Sept 16 - Dublin
Start the morning with a sightseeing tour of Dublin, an elegant
and artistic city with spacious Georgian squares. An early Viking
settlement, Dublin has been Ireland’s primary city since its
founding and in 2003 was voted “Best European Capital City.”
Tour St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which is almost as old as the city
itself and famous for its connections with the brilliantly eccentric
Dean Jonathon Swift. Next visit the Old Jameson Distillery
where you can learn about distillation processes for this “water of
life.” The afternoon is free for you to browse, shop and sightsee.
Take a drive in the evening to Rathfarnham to The Merry
Ploughboy Pub for dinner and a lively show of traditional Irish
songs, dancing and music. [B,D]
Day 8 Wed., Sept 17 - Dublin - USA
Tour ends after breakfast. Transfer to Dublin Airport for a
return flight to the USA. [B]
Pre-tour Option: “Spectacular Norway”
Participants have the opportunity to join the “Spectacular
Norway ” escorted tour from September 2-10, 2008.
Request a 2008 Brekke’s Scandinavia 2008 Brochure or call
for further details and pricing information.