Baker Family Irish Adventure

Day 1 - Wednesday 24^th July - Welcome to Dublin

Arriving in Ireland today, pick up your rental car and head into the buzzing capital city to your central 4-star hotel. Head out in the afternoon to enjoy a walking tour with a local private guide through this vibrant capital city, with its mix of 1,000 years of architecture from the mediaeval to Georgian to modern. See the Georgian style Merrion Square, lush St. Stephen’s Green and Fitzwilliam Square, as well as O’Connell Street, the site of the ‘1916 Uprising’ that led to Ireland’s independence in 1922. Your guide is also a historian who will bring the city to life with colourful tales of life in the city in times gone by.

Overnight: Dublin | Brooks Hotel
Room Type: 2x Small Doubles, and 1x Classic Queen
Meals Included: None

Day 2 - Thursday 25^th July - Explore Dublin City

The day is free today to continue exploring Dublin at your own pace. A visit to any of the four National Museum of Ireland sites is a must for your family, sure to be an engaging dive into the natural & artistic history of the country. We will be sure to recommend a few spots around town for a delicious lunch or stroll – including if you would like to venture to the fringes of the city limits for a short hike along the coast.

Overnight: Dublin | Brooks Hotel
Room Type: 2x Small Doubles, and 1x Classic Queen
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3 - Friday 26^th July - Connemara's Killary Fjord

Spend the day feasting your eyes upon the breathtaking shores of one of Ireland’s only three fjords before heading to the expanses of Connemara. Once described as “a savage beauty” by author Oscar Wilde, explore the wild, windswept region. Take a short hike along the shores of the fjord and stop for lunch at an award-winning food truck famous for their mussels sourced straight from the fjord. Your hotel lodge tonight is nestled within the Inagh Valley overlooking the crystal clear lake below the mountains, providing the best of Connemara’s scenery at your doorstep.

Overnight: Connemara | Lough Inagh Lodge
Room Type: 2x Superior Single, and 1x Superior Double
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 4 - Saturday 27^th July - Inishbofin Island Archaeology Tour

This morning, grab a ferry to explore the ancient mysteries of Connemara’s remote Inishbofin Island with a local archeologist who will bring the landscape, traditions and mythology of the region alive. Your guide is a member of Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland with over thirty years experience, with stories of surveys and excavations all over Ireland’s west coast. Be sure to taste some of the spectacular local seafood in an idyllic island pub, before heading back to the mainland to enjoy as much leisure time as possible in your castle hotel.

Overnight: Connemara | Lough Inagh Lodge
Room Type: 2x Superior Single, and 1x Superior Double
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 5 - Sunday 28^th July - Galway City & Military History Tour

Galway is the unofficial capital of Ireland’s west. Known as the ‘town of the tribes’ the small centre of cobblestone streets and colourful store fronts is vibrant, fun and cosmopolitan. A local military historian will meet you at the city’s main square to guide you through the bustling alleys sharing Galway City’s important roles in the clash of the French, Spanish, Russian and British Empires from 1700 to 1922, including in Ireland’s revolution for independence. The afternoon is yours to explore the buzzing city centre at your own pace, with your hotel being centrally located right off the main square.

Overnight: Galway City | The Hardiman
Room Type: 2x Carriage Rooms, and 1x Classic Double
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 6 - Monday 29^th July - The Burren National Park & Perfumery Visit

The Burren’s rocky alien landscape is said to be the inspiration for Middle Earth in JRR Tolkien’s world-famous Lord of the Rings trilogy – and today as you explore this other-worldly region. Start with a morning hike in one of the park’s many meandering trails, before heading in for lunch to a hidden perfumery down a quiet country laneway. Meet the masters behind the craft of infusing the local flora for a private tour of the perfumery for an in-depth look into how their products are made. Your hotel tonight is an eco-lodge hidden away in the forests of The Burren National Park, guaranteeing a safe haven of peace and tranquility to properly take in the surrounding lush landscape.

Overnight: The Burren | Gregans Castle Hotel
Room Type: 1x Superior Twin, and 1x Superior Double
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 7 - Tuesday 30^th July - The Iconic Cliffs of Moher

Take a break from The Burren today to get acquainted with Clare’s other highlight and Ireland’s most-famous cliffs, the Cliffs of Moher. Enjoying a walk along the dramatic cliff edge on a background of coastal panoramas, away from the crowds of the visitor centre and offering the best views of the seabird colonies who call the cliffs home. Spend the afternoon exploring the charming village of Doolin before heading back to your eco-retreat in the evening.

Overnight: The Burren | Gregans Castle Hotel
Room Type: 1x Superior Twin, and 1x Superior Double
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 8 - Wednesday 31^st July - Exploring Killarney National Park

Head into the southwest today as you traverse the length of country to ‘The Kingdom” of County Kerry. Get properly introduced to the southwest by exploring the jewel in the kingdom’s crown: Killarney National Park. We will provide trail suggestions for both a short leg stretch loop by a lakeside Castle, or a more ambitious hike up one of the park’s small mountains capped off with a visit to an 18th century Victorian manor house.

Overnight: Kenmare | The Lansdowne
Room Type: 2x Little Nest Rooms, 1x Deluxe King
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 9 - Thursday 1^st August - Skellig Michael Landing Tour

The Skelligs are two jagged rock pinnacles rising above battering Atlantic waves. It was on the UNESCO site Skellig Michael that the monks of yesteryears once lived and prayed in stone beehive huts which still cling to the island’s rocky slopes. Today your skipper will transport you out for a 3 hour landing on the big island, where you can follow in the footsteps of these 7th-century Irish monks to their dramatic island retreat. The small Skellig is equally renowned as a home to 27,000 pairs of gannets, the second-largest colony in the world. The islands have famously been used as a filming location for the 2015 and 2017 Star Wars movies.

Overnight: Kenmare | The Lansdowne
Room Type: 2x Little Nest Rooms, 1x Deluxe King
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 10 - Friday 2^nd August - The Copper Mines of the Beara Peninsula

Too often overlooked by visitors, the Beara Peninsula is a hidden paradise. At each turn, there is a new view to marvel upon, with panoramas over the hidden valleys, rocky slopes, sheep-dotted hills and far away lakes. Meet a guide and member of the local historical society as they lead you through the history and impact of the peninsula’s prominent copper mine. She is quite a character and wonderful storyteller as she brings to life the sounds and sights of the contemporary Industrial Age workers living within this stunning landscape. Enjoy the afternoon at your leisure to explore our recommended sights along the coasts of the peninsula.

Overnight: Kenmare | The Lansdowne
Room Type: 2x Little Nest Rooms, 1x Deluxe King
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 11 - Saturday 3^rd August - Foraging in West Cork

Make sure to leave room after breakfast this morning, as your experience of the day involves meeting local foraging experts to share in their craft on the remote southern edge of the Beara Peninsula. After an hour out in the field learning the science and practices of foraging in the woods, reconvene around a campfire together for a cooked lunch of your gathered goods. After lunch, make your way to Cork city where you have the evening free from your central hotel to explore the unofficial southern capital’s night life.

Overnight: Cork City | The Dean
Room Type: 2x Super Twin Rooms
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 12 - Sunday 4^th August - Free Day in Cork City

The day is yours to explore Cork city at your own pace today. There are a range of museums and galleries ranging from fine art to geology, or take part in a food tour of the city to have a local show you around to the favourite foodie hotspots. We will provide our recommendations for the day, as well.

In the late afternoon, make the drive back up to Dublin to your airport-side hotel, ready to go for your morning flight from Dublin Airport. Your rental car is scheduled to be dropped off this evening to save you the hassle in the morning.

Overnight: Dublin Airport | The Radisson Blu Dublin Airport
Room Type: 2x Standard Twin Rooms
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 13 - Monday 5^th August - Departure

After breakfast, make the quick walk over to Terminal 2 from your hotel and begin your onward journey. We hope you have enjoyed your adventure around Ireland with us, and cannot wait to welcome you back to our friendly shores.

Meals Included: Breakfast