Ireland's Ancient East & Wales

Arrive at Dublin Airport and travel through scenic areas of Leinster Province to Kilkenny with a stop in a quaint charming historic Irish village or town along the way.

Cashel, County Tipperary

Kilkenny Town

Welcome Orientation Reception and Dinner with Irish Traditional Music Entertainment

• Tour Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile and Kilkenny Castle
• Visit and tour the quaint charming historic villages of Inistioge, Graiguenamanagh, and Thomastown, County Kilkenny
• Visit whiskey distillery or craft beer brewery with tastings.

Medieval Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle

Graiguenamanagh, Kilkenny

Thomastown, Kilkenny

Inistioge, Kilkenny

Graiguenamanagh, Kilkenny

• Visit and explore The Rock of Cashel
• Tour Cahir Castle

Rock of Cashel, Co Tipperary

Rock of Cashel

Cashel Town

Cahir Castle

• Visit, tour, and explore Waterford’s Viking Triangle 
• Visit the House of Waterford Crystal Factory and Store
• Visit, tour, and explore Lismore Castle

Viking Triangle

Waterford’s Viking Triangle

Viking Triangle Sword Sculpture

House of Waterford Factory

House of Waterford Store

Lismore Castle

Lismore Castle

• Visit and explore the Glendalough 6th Century monastic settlement 
• Visit and tour the Powerscourt House and Gardens

Glendalough, Co. Wicklow

Glendalough

Powerscourt House & Gardens

The Gardens of Powerscourt

Check out of the hotel 

Travel through the scenic Southeast Ireland countryside to the Dublin Ferry Port to take ferry to Holyhead in Wales.

Arrive and check-in at 4 star hotel in Llandudno ~

Llandudno was the holiday destination of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carroll and on whom he based Alice in Wonderland. She first came to the town in 1861 aged eight and stayed at Tudno Villa Apartments – now St Tudno Hotel – on the North Shore. One of it more popular features is the Great Orme Tramway, which takes you to the top for beautiful views. The Great Orme headland is a massive chunk of limestone that rises 207m/679ft straight out of the sea. Little wonder that its name, given by the Vikings, means ‘sea monster.’ While in Llandudno. Take an evening walk up the Little Orme and over to Porth Dyniewaid Angel Bay with its amazing views.

Visit Wales

Visit Wales

• Guided tour of Conwy ~ A busy market town, loaded with shops and boutiques, Conwy rests on the river by the same name which leads out to the Irish sea. A medieval fortress town the walls of which remain intact, Conwy Castle is one of the most impressive in Wales. One of Edward I’s ‘iron ring’ of castles, he had it built to keep the independence-minded Welsh in their place.

Visit Wales

• Partially guided tour of Bodnant Gardens. The British are known for their magnificent gardens, and this one in North Wales is one of the grandest in Britain. Garden lovers easily spend a day among its 80 acres. Started by Henry Pochin, an industrial chemist, in the late 1800s, over the years it has become a magnificent grand park, including five Italianate terraces, river-side gardens, lined meadows, a lily pond, and colorful flowers from around the world.

Visit Wales

Into Snowdonia ~ National Slate Museum, Dolbadarn Castle, and Bedgelert

• Guided visit of the Welsh National Slate Museum: The Victorian workshops built in the shadow of Elidir mountain comprise the site of the vast Dinorwic quarry. Mining and quarrying were important industries in Wales and a way of life for many Welsh, and the workshops and buildings are designed as though quarrymen and engineers have just put down their tools and left the courtyard for home.
• Llyn Padarn stroll: We’ll leave 45-60 minutes for lunch or snack at the Museum and outer cafes, as well as easy stroll around the banks of Llyn Padarn. There are beautiful view in all directions from the small park in front of the Llanberis Miners Hospital.
• Dolbadarn Castle walk: Walk 1km up to Dolbadarn Castle, a ruin with an early 13th-century keep that perches on a small, rocky hill at the foot of the dramatic Snowdon Massif, and has beautiful views all around. Built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in about 1230, it guarded the main route through Snowdonia’s mountains to Anglesey, the stronghold of the princes of Gwynedd.

• Beddgelert: Visit Beddgelert, a must-visit in Snowdonia, and set where the Colwyn and Glaslyn rivers converge makes for a charming scene that just begs to have its picture taken. Beddgelert is especially popular with hikers and outdoor enthusiasts as a place to begin a climb of Snowdon or the nearby Moel Hebog with its stunning views. The village itself has a quaint church and main street lined with boutique shops, galleries, and excellent inns are worth a stroll.

Visit Wales

• Male Voice Quire: Suggest those who are interested take in the male voice choir practice at St John’s Methodist Church, 7:00 p.m., on vibrant Mostyn Street, right at the heart of the town. Methodism and chapel going, mining, danger, discipline, poverty, and patriotism all played their part in rooting male choirs into the heart of communities. What else can explain how macho, work-hardened men could get together, stand in public and bare their souls so movingly in song?

Along the Menai Straight – The Royal Welch, Caernarfon and Beaumaris

• Guided tour of Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum: The Royal Welch fought in the American Revolution, both at Bunker Hill and Yorktown, and is the only British regiment not to have surrendered their colors at Yorktown. They have many claims to fame, but one that stands out is that the regiment is among the first to capture an Imperial Eagle during the Napoleonic Wars.

• Partially guided tour of Caernarfon and Castle: Built on the banks of the River Seiont, Caernarfon’s architectural production stands alone as the most impressive of the castles in Wales, another of those built by Edward I to suppress the ever-troublesome Welsh princes. Its polygonal towers were unique, and its massive structure intimidating.
• Photo stop in the town with the longest name in Wales, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
• Partially Guided tour of Beaumaris and Castle: Beaumaris is a wonderful seaside town with a mix of architecture from the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods. Its name is from the Norman ‘beau marais’, meaning fair marsh. Beaumaris castle is another of the Edwardian ‘iron ring’ castles, this one perfectly symmetrical and surrounded by a moat.

Visit Wales

Portmeirion and the Ffestiniog Railway

• Guided tour of Portmeirion: Enjoy a taste of Italy in on Cardigan Bay, with this Italianate village built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 .  Stunning architecture, beautiful location, and sandy beaches.  Enjoy a bit of lunch while there.

Credit: Dan Struthers

• Ffestiniog Railway: Ride the Ffestiniog Railway which runs between Porthmadog’s harbor and the former slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, 13.5 miles away.  This vintage railway has been running for nearly 200 years and runs past spectacular views of Snowdonia National Park.  It is the world’s oldest narrow gauge railway, and was originally built to take slate from Snowdonia’s quarries to the harbor.

Check out of the hotel.

Travel through the scenic North Wales countryside to Holyhead to catch the ferry back to Dublin for last night of tour.

Tour ends after breakfast.

Departure day for most to fly home.