Luxury Castles in Ireland Travel Package
Visit the Castles of Ireland on this 8-Day Journey through Dublin, Cork, the Causeway Coast, Kilkenny, Kerry, the Ring of Kerry, Digle Bay, Cahirciveen, Killarney, Drromoland, Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher, Cliften town and more.
8-Day Journey
Your Journey
Personalized journeys by our travel designers from start to finish
Experience
Our travel designers have been around the world and back again
Peace of Mind
Our team is available 24/7/365 before, during and after your journey
What's Included in your Castles in Ireland Travel Package
2 x nights’ accommodation in Dublin
1 x nights’ accommodation in Cork
2 x nights’ accommodation in Killarney
2 x nights’ accommodation in Dromoland
1 x nights’ accommodation at Ashford Castle
Seamless private car and driver 8-9 hours per day
All tours and excursions as noted in the itinerary
Concierge Service Abroad
24/7 on call service with Crawford Concierge during your trip
Sightseeing tickets and entrance fees where mentioned in the itinerary
Your Castles in Ireland Travel Package Itinerary
DAY 1-2 Dublin, Ireland
ACCOMMODATION:
The Merrion, located in the heart of Dublin city centre, is the capital’s most luxurious 5-star hotel, and a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
The 142-bedroom and suite hotel is as welcoming as it is stylish. An impeccable restoration of four Georgian townhouses, The Merrion is a marriage of exquisite comfort, relaxed elegance and advanced guest facilities, including free Wi-Fi, an 18m pool, spa and gym.
The Merrion is home to the 2-star Michelin Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, The Cellar Bar, The Garden Room, and the intimate No. 23 Cocktail Bar.
This 5-star luxury hotel is to be found in the heart of Georgian Dublin, opposite Government Buildings and a few minutes’ walk from galleries, museums, the I.F.S.C, Dublin Convention Centre, pubs, restaurants and the shops of Grafton Street.
ACTIVITIES in DUBLIN, IRELAND (2-Days)
- Pick up that evening to Visit the Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin.
The Book of Kells (Trinity College Dublin) contains the four Gospels in Latin based on the Vulgate text which St Jerome completed in 384AD, intermixed with readings from the earlier Old Latin translation.
The book is written on vellum (prepared calfskin) in a bold and expert version of the script known as “insular majuscule”. It contains 340 folios, now measuring approximately 330 x 255 mm; they were severely trimmed, and their edges gilded, in the course of rebinding in the 19th century.
- Visit the Jameson’s Distillery
Founded by John Jameson in 1780, today the former factory stands as a monument to Irish Whiskey. Visit Jameson Distillery Dublin for the World’s leading distillery tours, cocktail-making classes, premium whiskey tasting sessions or to learn how to blend your own whiskey. All topped off with a Jameson at our centrepiece bar, straight from the proverbial source.
- Depart Dublin and travel North with your Private car and driver
- Visit the Carrick a Rede rope suspension bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The bridge spans twenty meters and is hanging thirty meters above the rocks below Bushmills.
- Visit the Giant’s Causeway, an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that were formed some million years ago by an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form steppingstones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. At some spots, the columns are about twelve meters (39 ft) high, and 28 meters thick. This natural wonder alone is already worth the trip.
- Visit Dunluce Castle ruins. These ruins are perfectly located on a spectacular headland. The castle is surrounded by extremely steep drops on either side and is only accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland.
- Bushmills village is home to the world’s oldest licensed distillery. Visit Bushmills Distillery if there is time.
Return to Dublin with your Private car and driver
DAY 3 CORK, IRELAND
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Since it’s opening in 1996, Hayfield Manor 5 Star Hotel in Cork City has been recognised for providing a high quality product and exceptional service. This is reflected in the various awards with which Hayfield Manor has been honoured. The estate, in the heart of Cork city, was originally owned by the Musgrave family, the famous Cork merchants.
The current owners, the Scally Family, purchased the estate from the Musgrave family and established Cork’s first 5 star hotel. As a family owned and managed hotel, the personal yet professional service that is delivered has become synonomous with Hayfield Manor, and ensures guests enjoy their stay with us in Cork city.
ACTIVITIES in CORK, IRELAND
- Check out and travel to Cork
- Visit Kilkenny Castle
Few buildings in Ireland can boast a longer history of continuous occupation than Kilkenny Castle. Founded soon after the Norman conquest of Ireland, the Castle has been rebuilt, extended and adapted to suit changing circumstances and uses over a period of 800 years.
Today, Kilkenny Castle is open to visitors all year round and is largely a Victorian remodelling of the thirteenth century defensive Castle. Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to see this grand country house and walk through its fifty acres of rolling parkland with mature trees and an abundance of wildlife. Other features include a formal terraced rose garden, woodlands and a man-made lake, which were added in the nineteenth century. There is also a tearoom, playground and several orienteering trails for visitors to enjoy.
- Saint Canice’s Cathedral and Round Tower
Saint Canice’s has been at the heart of worship in Kilkenny and Ireland for over 800 years.
St Canice’s Cathedral has been an important site of Christian worship since the 6th Century. The Cathedral remains both a hallowed place, and one of significant historical interest. Additionally, St Canice’s is the mother church of a bishopric which includes six dioceses and eight counties.
It continues to be used as a place of prayer and pilgrimage by those who seek the challenge, comfort, and consolation of God. Regular services are held in St Canice’s Cathedral, and all are welcome to participate.
The Cathedral houses the memorials of the many generations that have gathered within its confines to worship the Lord. Apart from its role as a house of prayer, the Cathedral is at the heart of the heritage of the vibrant city of Kilkenny.
- Travel to the Rock of Cashel
Set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale, the Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House.
- Check into the 5-star Hayfield Manor
- Drive the Ring of Kerry visiting Killorglin.
It’s known for one of the best sandy Atlantic beaches on our small island. A great spot to kick your shoes off, if you fancy.
- Visit the Red Fox Inn and the Bog museum
- Dingle Bay is a fabulous place. What with towering cliffs and crashing waves falling onto endless sandy beaches.
- Cahirciveen is along the route. It’s the birthplace of Daniel O’Connell, Ireland’s Great Liberator.
- The route winds round to Valentia Island, from where you’ll catch sight of Skellig Island – one for Star Wars fans (it was a key filming location).
- You’ll then travel through Sneem village and on to Molls Gap.
- Drive onto Killarney National Park or take a jaunting horse and cart.
Day 4-5 KILLARNEY, IRELAND
ACCOMMODATIONS:
The Killarney Park is one of the finest five-star hotels that Ireland has to offer. The hotel is on the doorstep of Killarney’s town centre and is situated adjacent to the 25,000 acre Killarney National Park. One of the last few Family Owned and run five-star hotels in Ireland, The Killarney Park is set on its own mature grounds and guests can enjoy the privacy of dining in the secluded garden space. The Killarney Park by name is a hotel, but what sets it aside as one of the best, is the amazing team that strives daily, to deliver an unparalleled guest experience.
Awarded the “Number One Hotel in Ireland” by TripAdvisor in 2021, this proud Leading Hotel of the World offers a warm, genuine and welcome retreat for guests in search of exceptional comfort with all of those extra little touches.
Old world elegance meets modern day luxury, where you can look forward to the solace and comfort of open log fires, flawless service and a welcome that you will not find anywhere else.
ACTIVITIES in COUNTY KILARNEY, KERRY, IRELAND
- Check out of your hotel and head to Kilarney
Today visit Blarney Castle. Have you heard about the legendary Stone of Eloquence? Since 1446, it has been safely resting in the 600-year-old tower at Blarney Castle. A world landmark in Ireland, the story goes that if you climb the tower and kiss the Stone of Eloquence, you will never be lost for words again!
- Travel Kinsale for lunch, named the gourmet capital of Ireland!
Have appetizers in one restaurant, your main meal in another, and coffee and dessert in another!!
- Explore Dingle and enjoy the scenic drive around Slea Head Drive of the Dingle Peninsula.
- Visit Gallarus Oratory, the beehive huts, famine cottages and the Blasket centre
- Lots of photo opportunities along the this beautiful drive and stop at beaches
- Visit Dingle distillery this unique Dingle Whiskey continually matures in the mild, moist climate of Ireland’s south-west coast while those first spirits are bottled into a magnificent single malt whiskey.
- Travel on to Dromoland castle and check in x 2 nights
Day 6-7 DROMOLAND, IRELAND
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Ireland’s most magical address, Dromoland Castle has been welcoming guests since the 16th century. The ancestral home of the O’Briens of Dromoland, whose lineage dates back 1,000 years to Brian Boru, one of the last High Kings of Ireland, we’ve got nobility and hospitality in our DNA.
From the imposing baronial façade to our startling interiors, you’ll find a world of historic grandeur underpinned by the finest modern comforts. With lavish decor, indulgent dining, fabulous views and magnificent bedrooms, this is a place to feel at home.
Behind our warm Irish welcome is the belief that every guest is royalty. Stroll the 450-acre estate. Tee off on our world class golf course. Take afternoon tea by a roaring fire. Relax in our intimate spa. Enjoy delicious cuisine. No matter what your preference, at Dromoland Castle there’s no escaping the sense that you are walking in the shadows of kings.
ACTIVITIES in DROMOLAND, IRELAND
- Visit the Poulnabrone Dolmen and a sheep dog demonstration at Caherconnell
Situated on the high Burren limestone plateau, Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of Ireland’s most iconic archaeological monuments and is the second most visited location in the Burren after the Cliffs of Moher. It is the oldest dated megalithic monument in Ireland.
Poulnabrone is classified as a portal tomb. Portal tombs have two large portal stones standing on either side of an entrance capped with a massive sloping capstone. A second stone which lies on the ground at the rear of the monument was likely a second capstone which would have fitted in under the main capstone and covered the back of the structure. This part collapsed at some unknown time in the past. The tomb was built on limestone pavement and surrounded by a low mound of rocks. This mound of rocks would have added support to the upright stones which are otherwise only supported by the weight of the capstone. The uprights are not wedged into the deep fissures which are common in the limestone. The limestone flagstones which were used to build the monument would have been extracted from the surrounding limestone pavement.
- Visit the Cliffs of Moher
One of Ireland’s favourite visitor experiences & tourist attractions, the Cliffs of Moher tower over the rugged West County Clare coast. Visually spectacular, the Cliffs of Moher sit astride the striking landscape of the Burren on one side and the Wild Atlantic Ocean on the other. Rising out of the Atlantic waters to a height of over 700ft at O’Brien’s Tower and running along the coast of Clare for almost 14 kilometres, or 8 miles, the Cliffs of Moher were formed over 320 million years ago, and today form part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.
Walk the safe, paved pathways and view the famous Cliffs on Europe’s western frontier and enjoy the spectacular vistas over sea, land and sky.
Their natural beauty has inspired artists, musicians and poets for generations, as well as absorbing scientists and geologists, drawn by the unique landscape in which they sit.
- Travel to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
Visit the acclaimed 15th iconic Bunratty Castle – the most complete and authentic castle in Ireland.
The site on which Bunratty Castle stands was in origin a Viking trading camp in 970. The present structure is the last of four castles to be built on the site. Take a tour of this iconic fortress; hear and see how the lords and ladies of this castle lived; hear stories of battles and bravery and enjoy stunning views across the idyllic Clare countryside.
Set on 26 acres of unspolit Clare countryside, Bunratty Folk Park features over 30 buildings in a ‘living’ village and rural setting.
Rural farmhouses, village shops and streets are recreated and furnished as they would have appeared at that time according to their social standing, from the poorest one roomed dwelling to Bunratty House a fine example of a Georgian residence built 1804 home of the Studdarts, the last family to occupy Bunratty Castle.
DAY 8 CONG, IRELAND
ACCOMMODATIONS:
This 800-year-old castle is truly remarkable, a grand, historic structure with national significance. The former home of the Guinness family, it has hosted countless notables over the years, including The Prince of Wales (who later became King George V) and President Ronald Reagan. Red Carnation’s impeccable five-year restoration, drawing on local experts and artisans, has reaffirmed Ashford Castle’s status as one of the most prestigious hotels in Europe – a true celebration of past, present and future.
ACTIVITIES in CONG, IRELAND
- Explore Connemara
Connemara, a playground for the senses, be still in the heart of its nature, lose yourself amongst colourful villages and towns or trace the rugged edge of her Atlantic coastline. Find your place.
- Visit Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I. Explore the 6-acre Victorian Walled Garden with its delightfully restored garden buildings.
Nestled in the heart of Connemara, on the Wild Atlantic Way, Kylemore Abbey is a haven of history, beauty and serenity. Home to a Benedictine order of Nuns for the past 100 years, Kylemore Abbey welcomes visitors from all over the world each year to embrace the magic of the magnificent 1,000-acre estate.
- Visit Cliften town, the hub of Connmara followed by a drive on Sky road. Justifiably famous for the views it affords, the Sky Road route takes you up among the hills overlooking Clifden Bay and its offshore islands, Inishturk and Turbot.
- Travel on to Cong and to Ashford Castle is a 5-star pet friendly luxury hotel that is off Lough Corrib and between Counties Galway and Mayo. It dates to 1228, and shares 350 acres with an equestrian center and a falconry school. Check in x 1 night.
- Check out late the next day to really enjoy the Castle grounds before you leave for home, (optional).
Return home with Memories that Last a Lifetime
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Lisa Crawford
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Contact Lisa Crawford today at 954-456-0419