7 Day Southern Ireland Tour
Private Guided Tour for your group of family or friends.
Tour Duration: 7 days
You can linger longer in places that appeal to you and skip through anywhere that doesn’t, you choose.
We can also start and finish our multi-day tours anywhere in Ireland that suits you, this sample itinerary can be tweaked accordingly.
We leave almost no corner of Southern Ireland uncovered in this unique, week-long tour. Starting and ending in Dublin we first visit The Glendalough Valley in The Wicklow Mountains National Park. This is an area of pure beauty and tranquility with spectacular scenery. You must when in this area take a trip to Johnnie Fox’s pub, one of Ireland’s oldest traditional and most famous establishments famed as the highest pub in the country! You can then relax en route to medieval Kilkenny the ‘Marble City’ where you spend your first night. Refreshed on day two we explore Kilkenny then visit The Rock of Cashel before traveling to Cork where you see Blarney Castle, Cobh and Spike Island before spending the night in this very cosmopolitan city. Day three we head over the Cork and Kerry mountains to tour The Ring of Kerry and all its key attractions. You can spend the 1st of two nights in Killarney, Ireland’s number one tourist town bustling with character and tradition. Day four we visit The Dingle Peninsula home to Fungi the Dolphin and the famous Skellig Michael before you again overnight in Killarney. Then on day 5 we travel up the rugged west coast to The Cliffs of Moher spending a night in Galway city and on day 6 we explore the beautiful Connemara and Cong with another night in Galway. Day 7 we leave the West behind and head cross country where we visit The Tullamore Distillery to end the tour in high spirits before returning to Dublin.
Itinerary Highlights
- Glendalough
- Wicklow Mountains
- Kilkenny
- Cashel
- Cork city
- Blarney Castle
- Cobh
- Spike Island
- Killarney
- Ring of Kerry
- Dingle Peninsula
- Skellig Michael
- Cliffs of Moher
- The Burren
- Galway City
- Connemara & Cong
- Tullamore Distillery
6 Overnight Stays:
On this sample 7-day private tour experience there are the following anchor points:
1st night staying in Kilkenny
2nd night staying in Cork City
3rd & 4th nights staying in Killarney
5th & 6th nights staying in Galway
Day 1
Leaving Dublin we visit The Glendalough Valley in The Wicklow Mountains National Park. This is an area of pure beauty and tranquility with spectacular scenery. You must when in this area take a trip to Johnnie Fox’s pub, one of Ireland’s oldest traditional and most famous establishments famed as the highest pub in the country! You might like to have lunch here or for ‘educational purposes’ an Irish coffee or two!! Then you can then relax en route to medieval Kilkenny the ‘Marble City’ where you spend your first night. This is a beautiful medieval city though in fact it is the size of a large town. It has amazing history with some fantastic buildings to explore many traditional pubs and it is famous for annual events such as The Kilkenny Arts Festival and Cat Laughs Comedy Festival to name but a few.
Day 2
Leaving Kilkenny we head for Cashel where you will be awestruck by the spectacle of the Rock of Cashel, time for a photo stop and a bit more history as we make our way to Cork City. We tour Cork visiting highlights such as Blarney, home to the beautiful Blarney Castle with the famous blarney stone, if you are brave enough to kiss it you will, it is said receive the gift of eloquent speech! Visiting Cobh, the last port of call for The Titanic which left in 1912 and where two and a half million Irish people immigrated to USA, Canada, Australia and all over the world. You can visit The Titanic Experience and do the tour if you wish while in Cobh, it is reasonably priced and you receive your ticket with one of the actual passenger’s names on it as a souvenir, are you brave enough to see what your fate would have been had you stepped on board the Titanic……Also you can see in the distance Spike Island, which was once the largest prison in the world housing 2,300 prisoners. Now a heritage site which has over the centuries been the site of monastic settlements, penal colonies and military bases and recently finished second at The World Travel Awards 2017 in ‘The World’s Leading Tourist Attraction’ category! A ‘must see’ on the itinerary, a boat trip to the Island can be arranged locally if you wish. Cork is where you spend this night allowing you to explore the huge selection of restaurants all stocked by the beautiful local produce from the surrounding areas, a true foodie heaven!
Day 3
Day three we head over the Cork and Kerry mountains to tour The Ring of Kerry and all its key attractions. You can spend the 1st of two nights in Killarney, Ireland’s number one tourist town bustling with character and tradition. We head out from Killarney on our 112-mile trek around The Ring of Kerry, driving through some quaint villages and colorful towns taking in the history and stories from your knowledgeable driver/guide with the Atlantic at our right-hand side for most of the journey. We take a drive through the National Park of Killarney and get spectacular views of the beautiful Lakes of Killarney, Torc Waterfall, Ladies View and all the key sites en route. After a full day of site seeing and lots of sheep on route you get to experience the many many traditional Irish pubs and restaurants that await you in Killarney that night, expect to be enthralled by the craic agus ceoil, (the fun & music) in this town so full of character.
Day 4
After a ‘full Irish breakfast’ we set out on day four to explore the craggy and ancient history of the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head Drive. See the beehive huts dating back to 2,500 BC, look out at Skellig Michael the famous dwelling place of the Skellig Monks and more recently it was a movie location for Star Wars and one of Lonely Planet’s picks for top destinations in the world to visit! Dingle is a ‘chocolate box’ town with many colorful shops to entice you in for a visit. They have the most unusual locally sourced crafts on offer and a great opportunity to pick up some truly unique souvenirs or maybe even something to treat yourself to whist in Dingle. Dingle is also home to Fungi the Dolphin and no visit is complete without calling to Murphy’s ice cream parlor to send your taste buds into overdrive with the most unusual flavors you are ever to experience! Returning to your hotel that evening to freshen up before you set off out on another night to explore the many traditional music venues in the wonderful town of Killarney.
Day 5
Leaving Kerry behind we head up the stunningly rugged West coast to visit the Burren, a striking lunar landscape of limestone pavement in Co. Clare that is home to many unusual plants. Spend your afternoon at the Cliffs of Moher, testaments to the power of nature towering more than 700 feet (213 meters) above the Atlantic Ocean. This is undoubtedly a site that must be seen to be fully appreciated, if you have a large enough group your driver/guide can arrange a boat trip locally for you to see the Cliffs from yet another angle. A visit to Doolin is a must, this little fishing village is a hive of activity, bursting with hospitality and a local brew, ‘Dooliner’ would for educational purposes be a treat to sample! After a leisurely lunch and day touring head on to Galway known locally as ‘The City of The Tribes’ for the night where the famous Eyre Square, Shop Street, Cathedrals, Castles and Spanish Arch all wait to be explored by you. This very cosmopolitan city is steeped in history and is known as ‘Ireland’s Cultural Heart’. It has a vibrant and varied music scene with many traditional pubs and an abundance of street performers to entertain you, enjoy!
Day 6
After a well-rested night, we set off to explore the stunning and rugged Connemara and Cong which was the filmset to the classic movie The Quiet Man starring Hollywood legends John Wayne and Maureen O Hara. The stunning and luxurious Ashford Castle is here in Cong village, stroll around this area and soak up the atmosphere of a bygone era, 1950’s when the Hollywood movie set descended on the locals. Visit the magical Kylemore Abbey and Gardens which can be explored at your leisure, this is an opportunity to veer off the beaten track and indulge yourself in peace and tranquility. Arouse your senses with the stunningly beautiful landscape, the historical ruins, the grandeur of the Abbey and Castle and the beauty of rural Ireland at its best. This will have you totally relaxed before enjoying your final overnight back in Galway City.
Day 7
Having had a fantastic week we culminate this tour in very ‘high spirits’, leaving the West behind we travel cross country and stop off in Offaly to visit The Tullamore Distillery. Forget the green fields and sheep, we Irish are most known for our love of whiskey, ‘uisce beatha’, the water of life! Here in the Tullamore D.E.W Distillery you will receive an unforgettable education and gain an appreciation for the craftmanship that goes into making such an amazing product such as Whiskey. After a leisurely lunch or maybe a very liquid one…. We set off back to Dublin city to wind up an amazing and unforgettable week on tour.
