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Ireland

SUGGESTED ITINERARY in Ireland

4 (+2) days roundtrip in Ireland and Northern Ireland

Day 1 - FROM DULIN TO KILKENNY (130 km - 1 hour 45 minutes)

MILITARY ROAD (R115)

This Self Drive Tour runs in a north south direction beginning north of Glencree, with its German War Memorial and cemetery and former military barracks to Avhavannagh. This road has the highest section through road in Ireland reaching a height of just over 520m north of Sally Gap. It crosses a spectacular wilderness of the main ridge of the Wicklow Mountains which was built after the rebellion of 1798 to give the army easier access to the rebel strongholds in the hills. This winding and twisting road provides spectacuar scenery along its entire route, including the Glencree valley, lough Bray, Kippure mountain, Sally Gap, Glenmacnass waterfall, Lugnaquilla, Aghavannagh, Keadeen mountain and the Glen of Imaal.

 

GLENDALOUGH

Opening hours: November-February 9:30-17:00, March-October 9:30-18:00

(last admission 45 minutes before closing)

Tickets: 3 EUR/adult, 1 EUR/child

Duration: 1 hour

This early Christian ecclesiastical settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Set in a glaciated valley with two lakes, the monastic remains include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses. The Visitor Centre has an interesting exhibition and an audio-visual show.

 

KILKENNY

 

KILKENNY CASTLE

Opening hours: October-February 9:30-16:30, March 9:30-17:00, April-May and September 9:30-17:30, June-August 9:00-17:30

Tickets: 6 EUR/adult, 2,5 EUR/child

Duration: 1 hour

Kilkenny Castle stands dramatically on a strategic height that commands a crossing on the River Nore and dominates the 'High Town' of Kilkenny City. You can visit the library, the drawing room, and the bedrooms decorated in 1830's splendour, as well as the beautiful Long Gallery. A suite of former servant's rooms is the Butler Art Gallery, which mounts frequently changing exhibitions of contemporary art.

 

ST. CANICE'S CATHEDRAL

Opening hours: April-May and September, Monday-Saturday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00, Sunday 14:00-17:00, June-August, Monday-Saturday 9:00-18:00, Sunday 14:00-18.00, October-March, Monday-Saturday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-16:00, Sunday 14:00-16:00

Tickets: 6 EUR/adult, free for children

Duration: 1 hour

Combining the early Christian settlement, the Round Tower, the Anglo Norman Cathedral and its rich cultural ecclesiastical heritage makes St Canice’s Cathedral and its environs a must to visit while you are in Kilkenny. The present building dates from the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral in Ireland. The cathedral contains some of the finest ancient monuments in Ireland, including one to Bishop David, and the tombs of many bishops of Ossory and several owners of Kilkenny Castle.

 

ST. FRANCIS ABBEY BREWERY

Guided tours: June-August, Monday-Friday 15:00

Free admission.

Duration: 1 hour

The St. Francis Abbey Brewery, Ireland’s oldest operating brewery occupies over 25 acres in the heart of Kilkenny. The brewery has been part of local life for over 290 years and it is here that Smithwick’s Ale was first brewed in 1710.

 

KYTELER'S INN

Kyteler's Inn is located in the heart of Kilkenny City. Established in 1324, this popular Kilkenny pub and restaurant has plenty of history to offer. Within the premises of Kyteler's Inn you will find the main Medieval bar, The Top Bar, the downstairs Tavern Bar, the Courtyard beer garden and Nero's Nightclub. You can sup and eat the choicest of fresh homemade foods, quality wines and beers to the sound of Traditional Irish music and merrymaking through the old arches and rafters.

Day 2 - FROM KILKENNY TO CORK (150 km - 2 hours)

MIDDLETON OLD MIDLETON DISTILLERY

Guided tours: November-February 11:30, 13:00, 14:30, 16:00, March-October 10:00-16:30

Tickets (with whiskey tasting): 13,5 EUR/adult, 8 EUR/child

Duration: 1-1,5 hours

A tour of Jameson Experience Midleton is a path of discovery - one which will take you back in time to the magnificent courtyard area, evoking the atmosphere of harvest time with farmers arriving with horses and carts piled high with sacks of grain ready to sell to the Distillery. Take the path to the Distiller’s cottage. See the giant waterwheel which at one stage powered all of the distillery machinery, and today still turns the cogs and wheels in the Mill Building. In the Brew House you will see the largest pot still in the World. While at The Old Cooperage you can literally touch the Distillery's resonant past. Then complete the experience in the only way possible with a well earned whiskey tasting session in the Jameson Bar!

 

COBH - THE QUEENSTOWN STORY

Opening hours: January-April and November-December 9:30-17:00, May-October 9:30-18:00

(last admission 1 hour before closing)

Tickets: 7,1 EUR/adult, 4 EUR/child

Duration: 1-1,5 hour

The Queenstown Story is based in the disused portions of the railway station at Cobh. This highly imaginative visitor attraction tells the story of emigration from Cobh in the period of the famine in 1845 up to the era of the great Liners in the 1950s. The historical role which Cobh harbour has played as a port is also illustrated.

 

CORK


SIGTHSEEING BY BUS - Hop on hop off

Tickets: 13 EUR/adult, 5 EUR/child

Schedule: March-October 9:30-17:00

Frequency: 30-45 minutes

Stops: City Library - St. Finbarr's Cathedral - Lapp's Quay - St. Patrick’s Quay - St. Anne's Shandon (Firkin Crane Centre) - North Mall - Cork City Gaol - UCC Western Road - Shears Street - Patrick's Street - Merchants Quay - City Hall - George's Quay

 

CORK CITY GAOL

Opening hours: March-October 9:30-17:00, November-February 10:00-16:00

(last admission 1 hour before closing)

Tickets: 7 EUR/adult, 4 EUR/child

Duration: 1 hour

The magnificent castle-like building is now a major and unique visitor attraction, this Gaol once housed 19th century prisoners! Visitors get a fascinating insight into day-to-day prison life at a time when the high walls ensured no escape and denied law-abiding citizens the opportunity to see one of the finest examples of

Ireland's architectural heritage. The cells are furnished with amazingly life-like wax figures; original graffiti on cell walls tell the innermost feelings of some. At the same location and uniquely situated in the former Governor’s House, is the Radio Museum Experience incorporating the restored 6CK Radio Broadcasting Studio.

 

Day 3 - FROM CORK TO LIMERICK (150 km - 1,5 hours)

CAHIR CASTLE

Opening hours: 16 March-15 June and September-15 October 9:30-17:30, 15 June-August 9:00-18:30, 16 October-15 March 9:30-16:30

Tickets: 3 EUR/adult, 1 EUR/child

Duration: 1 hour

Once the stronghold of the powerful Butler family, the castle retains its impressive keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure. It is one of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles. It is situated on a rocky island on the River Suir. The castle's attractions include an excellent audio-visual show which informs visitors about the castle.

 

SWISS COTTAGE

Opening hours: 16 April-24 October 10:00-18:00

(last admission 45 minutes before closing)

Guided tours: 3 EUR/adult, 1 EUR/child

Duration: 30 minutes

A delightful "cottage orné" built in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall to a design by the famous Regency architect John Nash. Its interior contains a graceful spiral staircase and some elegantly decorated rooms. The wallpaper in the Salon manufactured by the Dufour factory is one of the first commercially produced Parisian wallpapers. Situated on an elevated site with access by stone steps.

 

CASHEL

 

ROCK OF CASHEL

Opening hours: 16 March-15 June and 16 September-15 October 9:30-17:30, 16 June -15 September 9:00-19:00, 16 October-15 March 9:00-16:30

(last admission 45 minutes before closing)

Tickets: 6 EUR/adult, 2 EUR/child

Duration: 1 hour

Cashel is home to the iconic Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. Cashel’s rich history is reflected in its built heritage, from prehistoric raths to mediaeval monasteries and fortified town houses, a Georgian Cathedral and a 21st century Library (which holds regular exhibitions, workshops and concerts). The Georgian quarter also boasts the Bolton Library where you can find the smallest book in Ireland.

 

Day 4 - FROM LIMERICK TO DUBLIN (200 km - 2,5 hours)

BURREN

The Burren, situated in north-west County Clare, covers over 300 square kilometres and is of extreme importance to geologists, botanists and archaeologists from Ireland and beyond. As the largest karstic limestone area in Western Europe, the Burren is an anomaly in the Irish landscape. With its innate sense of spiritual peace, extraordinary array of flora and wildlife, and megalithic tombs and monuments older than Egypt's pyramids, the Burren creates a tapestry of colour and a seductively magical aura which few people leave without wanting to experience again.

 

CLIFF OF MOHER

Opening hours: November-February 9:00-17:00, March 9:00-18:00, April and October 9:00-18:30, May and September 9:00-19:00, June 9:00-19:30, July-August 9:00-21:30

Tickets:

O’Brien’s Tower: 2 EUR/adult, 1 EUR/child

Atlantic Edge Exhibition: 4,95 EUR/adult, 2,95 EUR/child

Parking: 8 EUR/car

Duration: 1-1,5 hours

The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's top Visitor attractions. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South.

 

BOYNE VALLEY - NEWGRANGE TOMB

Opening hours: October and March-April 9:30-17:30, May and 16-30 September 9:00-18:30, June-15 September 9:00-19:00, November-December 9:30-17:00

Tickets: 5,8 EUR/adult, 2,9 EUR/child

Combined tickets (Newgrange Tomb + Knowth Tomb): 10,3 EUR/adult, 4,5 EUR/child

Duration: 1,5 hours

Newgrange (c 3,200 B.C.) is the best-known monument of the World Heritage Site of Bru na Boinne, predating the ancient pyramids by 400 years and Stonehenge by 1000. The passage tomb is surrounded by 97 kerb stones, the most impressive is the large entrance stone which is covered in swirls and designs. Inside the large mound there is a long passage leading into a chamber which branches off three ways. The corbelled roof inside the burial chamber it still watertight and supports an estimated 200,000 tonnes of cairn. The cremated remains of the dead were laid on large stone basins inside the chamber which usually were accompanied by grave goods.

 

+2 days North Ireland

Day 4 - FROM LIMERICK TO LONDONDERRY (350 km - 5 hours)

ULSTER-AMERICAN FOLK PARK

Opening hours: October-February Tuesday-Friday 10:00-16:00, Saturday-Sunday 11:00-16:00, March-September Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-17:00, Monday closed

Tickets: 6 GBP/adult, 3,5 GBP/child

Duration: 1,5-2 hours

The Ulster American Folk Park is an open-air museum in Castletown, just outside Omagh. The museum brings to live the world famous story of Irish emigration. Follow the emigrant trail as you journey from the thatched cottages of Ulster, on board a full scale emigrant sailing ship leading to the log cabins of the American Frontier. Meet an array of costumed characters on your way with traditional crafts to show, tales to tell and food to share. Contained within the park are around thirty buildings - some recreations, some painstakingly -restored originals. There are agricultural displays and animals on site, and visitors are offered samples of various local foods such as smoked salmon and bread, freshly-cooked in the cottages that line the route of Park tours.

 

Day 5 - FROM LONDONDERRY TO BELFAST (120 km - 1,5 hours)

GIANT'S CAUSEWAY

Opening hours: 9:30 until dark

Parking: 6 GBP/car

Causeway Coaster minibus: 2 GBP/adult/return, 2 GBP/child/return

Duration: 1,5-2 hours

The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places. It is located in County Antrim, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

 

CARRICK-A-REDE ROPE BRIDGE

Opening hours: March-May and September-October 10:00-18:00, June-August 10:00-19:00, November-February 10:30-15:30

(last admission 45 minutes before closing)

Tickets: 3,63 GBP/adult, 1,81 GBP/child

Duration: 1 hour

Carrick-a-Rede is a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Traditionally fishermen erected the bridge to Carrick-a-Rede island over a 23m-deep and 20m-wide chasm to check their salmon nets. Today visitors are drawn here simply to take the rope bridge challenge!

 

 

BELFAST AND AROUND

CITY SIGHTSEEING (sightseeing by bus) - Hop on hop off

Tickets: 12 EUR/adult, 6 EUR/child

Schedule: 10:00-16:00

Frequency: 20-40 minutes

Stops: Castle Place – High Street – Customs House Square – Queen’s Road – Titanic’s Dock and Pump House – Parliament Buildings – Oxford Street – Donegall Street – Crumlin Road – Shankill Road – Falls Road – Eglantine Avenue – Malone Road – University Road – Shaftsbury Square – GT. Victoria Street – Fisherwick Place

Language: English

 

ULSTER FOLK AND TRANSPORT MUSEUM

Opening hours: October-February Tuesday-Friday 10:00-16:00, Saturday-Sunday 11:00-16:00, March-September Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-17:00, Monday closed

Tickets: 6 GBP/adult, 3,5 GBP/child (either Folk or Transport museum)

Combined tickets (Folk + Transport museum): 7,5 GBP/adult, 4 GBP/child

Duration: 2 hours

In Ulster Folk and Transport Museum you can step back in time in and uncover a way of life from 100 years ago. Discover cottages, farms, schools and shops as you wander through the beautiful parkland of the Folk Museum chatting to costumed visitor guides demonstrating traditional crafts. Climb on and off majestic steam locomotives or experience the sensation of flight in the Transport Museum bursting with horse drawn carriages, electric trams, motorbikes, fire-engines and vintage cars.

 

Day 6 - FROM BELFAST TO DUBLIN (170 km - 2 hours)

 

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