Malahide Castle, a jewel of Irish history, Dublin, Ireland

Essential Ireland Vacation Package

Ratings of Zicasso's Service
Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Ireland

Places Visited

Dublin, Kinsale, Dingle, Cong...

See all

Suggested Duration

10 Days

Dance along to the Gaelic beat as you explore the very best of Ireland with evocative histories, wild landscapes, and vibrant evenings spent with the locals. Think rugged roads, beautiful ruins, dramatic settings, and the windswept Atlantic coast all coming together for an unforgettable vacation. Enjoy overnight stays in a castle, a medieval thatched town, the lively capital, and the Gaeltacht region, and in ten days you can explore the range of Irish highlights, spending your evenings...

Customizable Itinerary

Expand All

Trip Highlights

  • Stay two nights in a glamorous medieval castle
  • Travel through the lush landscapes of western Ireland, where rugged mountains meet sheep farms and wild coastlines
  • Connect with Ireland’s history in one day, from St Patrick to the Munster kings and the island’s struggle for independence
  • Escape to Inishmore, one of the wild Aran Islands cast adrift in the Atlantic
  • Dance along during lively evenings in the Gaeltacht Irish-speaking town of Dingle
  • Explore the highlights of Dublin, from Temple Bar to the Book of Kells
  • Capture Ireland’s iconic highlights with a day at the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren
  • Take a drive along Ireland’s most spectacular road, not the Ring of Kerry but Slea Head
  • Relax in the beautifully preserved thatched town of Adare, an idyllic spot for your final night

Detailed Description

Walking into a Gaeltacht bar, you can hear the distinctive rhythm of local music while traveling along a windswept coast you will find a serenity that only the Atlantic can provide. Cruising down a long driveway, you will set eyes on the castle you will be staying at for the night, and somewhere in the heart of the country, you can find sheep covered valleys and mountains shrouded in mist. Welcome to Ireland, a country of authentic moments and dazzling experiences, and an island with a big heart and a vibrant soul that gives every visitor an intimate local experience.

This 10-day tour captures the highlights of Ireland beginning in Dublin and departing from Shannon. With just over a week, you can comfortably cover the southern half of the island without having to forgo the easy-going Irish style. Spend two nights in four destinations including Dublin, Kinsale, Dingle, and Cong before a final night in old-world Adare. This is a private tour, and you will have a private guide throughout for lots of opportunities to customize the days to your energy and likings. Your guide can accompany you during the evenings should you wish, helping you to get involved with the Irish dancing and storytelling, especially in Dingle.

Dublin is compact and easy to explore in a couple of days, the highlights encompassing two towering cathedrals, the history-changing Book of Kells, lively Temple Bar, and streets dotted with local musicians. Traveling on to Kinsale, you will explore two key periods from Ireland’s history with the independence at Kilmainham Gaol plus the Munster kings and St Patrick in Tipperary. Kinsale is cute and relaxed, so take it easy and feel the energy of western Ireland, as well as the revolutionary forts. The route to Dingle is sublime, through Killarney National Park and many preconceptions you may have of Irish landscapes, with sheep roaming beneath misty mountains.

Dingle is in the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking region, and is a small town offering the most traditional local experiences, notably in the pubs. The Dingle Peninsula also has Ireland’s finest coastal road, Slea Head Drive more impressive and less touristic than the Ring of Kerry. More superlative sights come on day seven with the Cliffs of Moher, and The Burren visited on route to Cong, where you will spend two nights in a castle hotel. Move next to take the ferry to Inishmore, an untamed Aran island that smothers you with serenity. Adare is a relaxed final stop, easy to explore on your own, and full of charm. From Adare, you can depart from Shannon International Airport, rather than rerouting back to Dublin. Read some of our travelers’ reviews for Ireland travel to discover new experiences to add to your own tour.

Starting Price

$6,500 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service

4.85 stars based on 481 reviews.

Ireland Tour Review: Kilkenny, Kinsale, Galway, Forty Foot,...

We had a wonderful trip. Everything was executed flawlessly, which made it so easy and relaxing for us. The hotels that were chosen were great. Our driver/guide was amazing and the perfect companion.

The only advice I would give is to include driving times on the itinerary so we would know how far things were from each other. But I would 100% recommend Zicasso's travel company to anyone traveling to Ireland. I can’t wait to go again!

Reviewed By Katie M.

Ireland Tour Review: Off-the-Beaten-Path Sites, History,...

This was our first time booking a trip through Zicasso and we were very happy with the experience. We were connected with an exceptional agent in Ireland who knew all the great, off-the-beaten-path sites. Our accommodations were beyond our expectations. Each driver we had was friendly and knowledgeable.

Reviewed By Holly F.

England, Scotland, Ireland Vacation Review: History, Local...

We had an exceptional experience with the team at Zicasso's travel company, particularly our agent. She listened to our hopes and needs for a very complex trip, and created a journey that exceeded our expectations in every way.

Reviewed By Lorraine M.

Ireland Travel Review: Private Driver, 1 Week

Words cannot describe how thankful we are to Zicasso's travel company. Our agent and her team put together an itinerary that hit everything we wanted to see, plus the things we didn’t know we needed to see.

They handled everything from the hotel reservations to entrance tickets and dinner reservations, and were readily available throughout our trip to make sure everything went smoothly.

The best part of our entire trip though, was our wonderful driver. He never missed a beat, was incredibly knowledgeable and kind, and went out of his way over and over again to make sure we had the best time possible. It’s not easy traveling with a group of nine people with ages ranging from 27 to 75, but our travel company made it easy and unforgettable.

It was a trip of a lifetime and our agent and driver exceeded our expectations. Highest of recommendations. 

Reviewed By Sarah M.

Ireland Vacation Review: Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Kerry,...

The trip was fantastic! We had a great driver. He gave us great restaurant recommendations. We were busy the whole trip, a positive in our book.

The hotels were also nice and met expectations. Some rooms were a tad warm, but we were traveling in July.

Some of our tickets were only for six people rather than the seven we booked for. Also, the last hotel tried to charge us extra for a third person in the room. We are not sure who was responsible for that issue, but it did throw a curveball before leaving that hotel.

Although our driver for the last two days did a good job, we did not appreciate losing our first driver.

Reviewed By Desiree K.

Ireland Tour Review: Cliffs of Moher, Boat Tour, 6 Days

It was a great trip and Zicasso's travel company did a great job.

Reviewed By Babak K.

Your Dream Vacation

in 3 simple steps

  1. 1

    Describe your dream trip

  2. 2

    Get matched with top travel specialists

  3. 3

    Book the trip

Free service - no credit card required