Film, TV, and Popular Culture Tours & Vacations

The emerald green hills, mist-shrouded castles, and joyful people captured our hearts.

Our family journey across the Emerald Isle felt like stepping directly into a living fairy tale. Beyond the magical settings, the execution behind the scenes was flawless. We came looking forward to a driver and walked away with a lifelong friend. The seamless care, ideas, and nimble adjustments from Zicasso’s travel specialists and the team transformed our itinerary into pure magic.

The Most Magical Chapters of Our Journey

The Crown Jewels: Three experiences stood out above all. Our off-road adventure on the rugged shores of Inishmore with our guide felt like visiting another planet. An unforgettable horseback-riding trek through Killarney National Park was pure poetry. Finally, our coastal foraging tour with our guide in Kinsale gave us a wonderfully immersive connection to the wild seashore.

A Culinary Fairy Tale: The dining was extraordinary. We indulged in afternoon tea at our hotel in Cashel, exceptional seafood at a restaurant in Dublin and a restaurant in Killarney, and a world-class meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Galway. Best of all was celebrating our son's birthday at a restaurant in Galway, making his day unforgettable.

Dublin: History came alive on a captivating walking tour, at Croke Park, and during a deeply immersive Viking experience at Dublinia. The city wrapped us in lively energy, from the fun of the Viking tour to the panoramic views at the top of the Guinness Storehouse.

Belfast: A powerful day trip that felt like opening a history book. We listened to deeply moving local stories on a private black cab tour before exploring the majestic halls of Titanic Belfast.

The Ring of Kerry: The dramatic Rock of Cashel welcomed us into a countryside that enchanted us at every turn. We loved the sheepdog demonstration, the thatched cottages of the Kerry Bog Village, and the raw majesty of the Kerry Cliffs on Valentia Island.

Cork: Our day trip to Blarney Castle was exquisite. The vibrant, otherworldly gardens felt like stepping directly into a storybook, featuring unique plant displays unlike anything we have ever seen before.

Killarney: We loved a peaceful woodland walk to the sun-dappled waters of Torc Waterfall, unlocking mysteries at an escape room, and the fiery rhythm of an Irish dance show.

Galway: After crossing on the car ferry via the staggering Cliffs of Moher and the limestone moonscape of The Burren, we enjoyed high-octane sports fun at an indoor sports experience.

Connemara and Beyond: A grand finale defined by the lakeside beauty of Kylemore Abbey and forest ziplining at an adventure park. We beautifully closed our loop wandering the ancient grounds of Birr Castle and the peaceful paths of the National Stud and Japanese Gardens.

We didn’t just visit Ireland, we left with deep family connections, lifelong memories, and amazing new friends.

I did not generally think this tour agent was as good as others I have used through your services. They did not seem as willing to arrange a first-class trip, particularly designed for me and my partner. Our favorite part of the trip was our overnight in Doubtful Sound, which I felt I had to arrange. Several of the views of the city (Queenstown and the Needle in Auckland ) were fine, but just the usual tourist deal and expensive. I would have preferred a half-day private tour of Auckland, for example. We wanted a half- or full-day fishing trip, which was kind of an add-on.

Zicasso’s trip planner did an excellent job. Communication and the quality of the experiences were everything we'd expected and more, especially in New Zealand. The accommodations were first rate; the highlight was the lodge in Queenstown. The guides and drivers were professional and knowledgeable, especially those in Queenstown and Auckland. We loved the dedicated website for reference, as well as the detailed booklet and maps for both countries. 

For future itineraries, I would add another day in Queenstown and a full day in Christchurch. If days were limited, I would recommend one less day in Auckland and/or skipping the drive/train from Franz Josef. 

The only complication was the day we spent 10 hours going to and coming from Milford Sound.  I recommend doing Milford Sound by plane/helicopter from Queenstown, which would also permit seeing the glaciers/southern alps from the air. The only things we missed were the zoo in Auckland and the Blue Mountain day tour in Sydney. Next trip!

Iceland is beautiful and makes for the most unique and amazing vacation! Zicasso’s travel company arranged a breathtaking and comprehensive itinerary for our vacation. It included all the big, important stops like the Blue Lagoon, Northern Lights boat tour, and Hallgrimskirkja church. But our trip also took us all the way to the east side of the country to see Diamond Beach, a blue ice-cave tour, and a glacier hike. Our itinerary included all of the beautiful stops in between, so we saw waterfalls, volcanic formations, and museums.

We stayed in our lodge in Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Every hotel selected was cozy, comfortable, and welcoming. And the food was delicious everywhere. A surprising highlight was a tomato farm—a delicious meal in a beautiful restaurant inside the greenhouse! Their wine bar was even more beautiful!

This was our second trip through Zicasso and we are already starting to dream up the next destination...

Zicasso’s travel specialist did an outstanding job of coordinating all of our travel. She booked us great hotels, close to city centers, museums, parks, etc. We were able to walk to great restaurants, enjoy the local atmosphere, and just have fun. She also set us up with great tour guides in each city. They were very knowledgeable and shared their knowledge of their country with us. We love to learn about the history and culture wherever we travel, and the guides did an outstanding job.

The travel specialist also provided an excellent list of restaurants to try in each city we visited. They were all great.

One of the best things we liked was the way that our travel specialist set up our visit to each country. Usually, the first day was a city tour with a guide to get to know the city and the history. The second day was a countryside tour away from the city to allow us to get a better feel and understanding of the history and also the countryside. The last day or so would be a light schedule so we could explore the city on our own, which worked great since we already knew the details of the city.

Also, the transportation our travel specialist set up for us was outstanding! From the limousine service to our train tickets, ferry tickets, plane tickets, etc., that made the trip extremely easy to navigate!

She also communicated with us throughout the trip to make sure that everything was going according to schedule, which was great.

Without a doubt, our travel specialist is an outstanding travel partner and I think she would certainly be at the top of your list of travel partners. She provided exceptional service and experiences, which made our trip a memorable one.

Zicasso’s travel specialists were excellent to work with, as we adjusted our itinerary many times from initial contact to the time of travel. Our travel party significantly reduced in number and they worked with us to put together a great tour of Scotland (Edinburgh, including the castle, Royal Holyrood Palace, and a day trip to Stirling Castle with a great chauffeur/guide) and Ireland, arranging our flight to Dublin with transportation to Galway, then return via train for activities in Dublin. We had a wonderful trip and would highly recommend the travel company.