10% Off. Belfast & Giant’s Causeway + Wicklow & Kilkenny (2 x Tours)

Tour 1: Belfast: Titanic Experience OR Black Taxi Tour

9:30am Arrival in Belfast. You can choose to enjoy the world-famous Black Taxi Tour of Belfast where your local guide will talk you through Belfast’s fascinating political history or visit the state of the art Belfast Titanic Experience.

Option One: Visit and sign the Peace Line and join the list of world celebrities including Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama who have signed their name to the wall. Walk along this huge wall which divides the two religious/national communities of east Belfast. The political murals, some of which are the most spectacular in the world, reflect a harrowing and tragic chapter in the history of Northern Ireland. Your personal local guide will relate to you their personal and family experiences of life in Belfast during The Troubles, some of the stories you quite simply won’t believe.

Option Two: Your alternative to a Black Taxi Tour is to visit the Belfast Titanic quarter and the state of the art Titanic Visitor Experience. Here you can experience the entire life and story of the Titanic, from her fateful maiden voyage to her eventful discovery on the seabed of the North Atlantic. Learn about the origins, construction, launch and history of the Titanic. The experience contains interactive features so you can truly explore the Titanic story in an insightful light. The journey will take you beyond the aftermath of the sinking to the later discovery of the ship. This tour will also take you to the present day with a tour of the live undersea exploration centre.

If some of your family wish to visit one attraction and others wish to do the other, that’s perfectly alright as we will regroup before we depart for the Giant’s Causeway. Depart Belfast at 11:50am.

Tour 1: Giant's Causeway

Departing Belfast, we hit the road and into the heart of Northern Ireland making our way to the spectacular Irish coast.

Following a route known as the Antrim Coastal Drive we pass spectacular scenery, taking us through the village of Bushmills; best known for its whiskey distillery.

We’ll arrive at The Giant’s Causeway at 1:20pm. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed site was created more than 60 million years ago after a series of volcanic eruptions. The Causeway is best known for its distinctive rock formations that span nearly 18 miles (29 kms) of coastline. During our 2 hour stay you can see formations such as the Wishing Chair, the Giant’s Boot and Organ, enjoy lunch with a choice of providers on site and learn about the legend of Finn MacCool.

Tour 1: Dunluce Castle

This iconic historical castle dates back over 500 years and its location on the cliff edge of the north Atlantic make it one of the most dramatic settings in Europe. The castle has been frequently used over the years in many movies most recently the tv series the Game of Thrones. The admittance to visit and peruse the castle and its grounds for 45 minutes is included in the ticket price.

At 3:25pm, we continue our day trip to Northern Ireland.  Next stop is the House of Greyjoy from Game of Thrones.

Dunluce Castle was built by the McQuillan family around 1500. It is located on the top of sheer-sided cliffs 100 feet above the ocean – the perfect location for one of the Great Houses of Westeros. The Castle’s dramatic history of violence, intrigue and rebellion is matched by the scandal and betrayal committed by the Greyjoys in Game of Thrones.

Now sit back and enjoy the relaxing drive back to Dublin, stopping off just after Belfast for a 20 minutes rest stop before arriving back to Dublin at 8:30pm.

Tour 2: Kilkenny City

During the winter months, we will go to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains first, and will visit Kilkenny City in the afternoon.

Arriving at 10am, the first stop on our day tour from Dublin is Kilkenny, a city as historic as it is charming. Your 45- minute guided walking tour of Kilkenny City will take you through the narrow and winding cobbled streets and under the city’s many medieval arches. There are plenty of tales to be told by your entertaining guide along the way; from kings and sieges to witch trials and murder.

After the walking tour, you will have a further 1 hour 45 minutes to explore Kilkenny at your own leisure. The city’s compact nature means that all the points of interest are easily accessible by foot and you will have plenty of time to visit an attraction if you wish (admission is not included). You may choose to visit the famous 12th century Kilkenny Castle, in the heart of the city on the banks of the River Nore. Alternately, you could visit Rothe House, a magnificent example of a wealthy silk merchant’s home containing multiple medieval exhibits; including priceless Viking artefacts and a medieval garden.

Kilkenny has a proud food heritage and you will have the opportunity to enjoy lunch while in the city, your tour guide will be happy to make some recommendations. Depart Kilkenny at 12:30pm.

Tour 2: Wicklow Mountains & Glendalough

After lunch, we travel through the county of Carlow into the wild and rugged Wicklow Mountains and the Wicklow Gap. The landscape on your Wicklow Mountains tour will change from lush green rich pasture with gentle valleys, to the dramatic and the breathtaking ancient glacial valleys of the Wicklow Gap. The journey through the mountains will bring you through spectacular locations where famous movies such as Braveheart and PS I Love You were filmed.

Enjoy a 20 minute stop for a stroll and photographic opportunities on top of the Wicklow Mountains overlooking the glens and valleys of County Wicklow.

Continuing over the Wicklow Mountains, we arrive at the heritage site of Glendalough (Glen of two lakes) at 14:30pm.

On arrival in Glendalough, you can join your tour guide on a 30-minute guided tour of Glendalough’s Monastic City. The Monastic city dates to 600 AD and is heralded as a national monument of immense importance having played an important role in reintroducing Christianity to Northern and Central Europe after the Dark Ages.

Our guides will leave you with some of the folklore and legendary stories of Glendalough’s past and direct you towards the stunning Upper Lake. You will have ample time to take a walk and fully appreciate the beauty of the area’s natural wonders.

Tour 2: Glendalough sheep farm and dog trials

When on tour, you have the opportunity to join a real Irish Shepherd at work together with his best friend the Border Collie sheepdog.

The dog, listening to the whistling sounds from the Shepherd, will herd the sheep across fields, through gates and fencing into corrals, out again over ditches around trees to your feet. Depending on the time of the year you will also have the opportunity to hold and feed a baby lamb. This is an experience not to be missed!

Departing at 17:10, we journey through the highest village in Ireland known as Roundwood. From there you can see the Sugarloaf Mountains, which prior to the Ice Age were higher than the Alps. You can also catch a glimpse of the Powerscourt Estate and the Glen of Imaal just before reaching Kilmacanogue.

Now it’s time to sit back and relax as we begin our return journey and arrive back in Dublin city at approximately 6:15pm.