Pick up from accommodation in Dublin or arranged location
09:30am
5-day private guided tour
Max 7 people
€3,600
Fully guided, customised and private tour
ABOUT
Unforgettable Experience
Take a road trip back in time through Ireland’s Ancient East. With over 5,000 years of stories, exploring the breathtaking landscapes and ancient wonders that have shaped this beautiful country’s heritage and history makes for a trip to remember.
From the ancient monastic ruins of Glendalough, the oldest operational lighthouse in the world, Ireland’s oldest city and the home of the first-ever witch trial in the country, there’s something in this tour for everyone to enjoy.
ITINERARY
Experiencing Ireland Tours
Itinerary Details
Wicklow
Picking you up from your accommodation / agreed pick-up point in Dublin we’ll head to beautiful County Wicklow, the garden county of Ireland. Our first stop will be the stunning Powerscourt House and Gardens, named National Geographic’s third best gardens in the world, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit Powerscourt distillery.
We’ll take the winding roads through the Wicklow National Park, across the wild rugged beauty of The Sally Gap, past Lough Tay, known as The Guinness Lake on route to the Glendalough Monastic city. Here you’ll hear stories of St. Kevin and the foundation of this 6th-century monastic city.
Additional options to add along the way are Avondale House and Forest Park, Wicklow Gaol, Black Castle and Avoca Handweavers. We’ll spend the night at one of Trudy’s recommended accommodations in Wexford.
Wexford
Day two continues with the exploration of Ireland’s Ancient East as we travel through County Wexford, starting our journey in the town of New Ross which has played a significant part in Irish trade relations. In the thirteenth century, William Marshall founded the port of New Ross and as a result began trade with countries such as France, Italy and Spain.
We’ll visit the Dunbrody Famine Ship, an authentic reproduction of a Famine emigration ship. It tells the harrowing story of the people who fled one of Ireland’s biggest tragedies – changing history, and geography here and abroad.
Johnstown Castle Estate Museum and Gardens is the next stop just outside New Ross. Dating back to the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169 it was gifted to the Irish state in 1945.
We’ll roll on to Tintern Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded circa, 1200 by William Marshall. Legend has it that while at sea William’s ship encountered a storm and he made a vow, that if he made land he would build an abbey, clearly he made it as thus stands Tintern Abbey.
Hook Lighthouse is the last stop on our day. A ‘must see’ it’s the oldest operational lighthouse in the world. Purpose-built by William Marshall in the early 13th century, a guided tour will bring you up the 115 steps to the top of this medieval Lighthouse. Additional options to add along the way are John F. Kennedy Homestead, J. F. Kennedy Arboretum and Dunbrody Abbey. We’ll spend night two in Wexford.
Waterford
Day three sees us take the ferry across the river Suir to county Waterford to experience the oldest city in Ireland. Here we explore the “Viking Triangle” museums, the Medieval Museum, Reginald’s Tower, and the Bishop’s Palace among others.
The world-renowned Waterford Crystal hails from Waterford city for over 200 years. We can take a factory tour and witness for ourselves how the handcrafted crystal takes shape. And of course, there is the opportunity to shop and take home a piece for yourself to remember your day.
Driving down the Copper Coast, the UNESCO Geopark we’ll soak in the breathtaking scenery with a few photo stops at some of the hidden gems along the way. The day ends with a relaxing evening in one of Trudy’s recommended accommodations in Waterford.
Kilkenny
Continuing our road trip we head towards the medieval city of Kilkenny, stopping along the way at off-the-beaten-track stops, a passage tomb, portal dolmen and a priory.
Once in Kilkenny City, we visit Kilkenny Castle, built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Part of the original castle still remains near the rose garden and the West Tower. You can take a self-guided tour through this beautiful castle which was home to the Butler family for over 600 years. Other sites within walking distance of Kilkenny Castle are The Medieval Mile Museum, Rothe House and St. Canices Cathedral.
A tour of Smithwick’s Brewery is a nice treat in the afternoon to hear the stories of the famous red ale where you can sample a pint to finish off the perfect day. We’ll top off the day with a night’s stay in Kilkenny after sampling some of the nightlife Kilkenny is famous for.
Laois & Kildare
The last day of the tour takes us through the midland counties Laois and Kildare as we make our way back to Dublin. We’ll stop off at The Rock of Dunamase a ruins of an Anglo-Norman twelfth and early thirteenth century defensive fortress. It overlooks the fabulous Irish countryside where we’ll see numerous counties from the top. Legends, folklore and stories of Vikings, Anglo Normans, Gaelic Chiefs and politicians surround this fortification.
A thatched Irish pub is our next stop where we’ll have an experience like no other. Meeting the owner and barman Sean, he’ll teach us how to pull a pint of Guinness and give us a lesson in the fine art of “chatting” to the customers while they wait for their pint of the famous “Black Stuff”.
Kildare National Stud and Japanese Gardens will be the last part of our adventurous road trip. The stud is a world-renowned breeding facility that has produced some of the most famous thoroughbred racehorses in history and where annually over 300 foals are born.
Our road trip ends back in Dublin and we hope you enjoyed every minute while Experiencing Ireland.
DISCOVER
Good to Know
MEMORIES
Gallery
