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Authentic Europe · Partly guided tour

Exclusive Rail Tour around Ireland

Partly guided rail circuit around Ireland on a chartered heritage train

Illustration of Exclusive Rail Tour around Ireland

Authentic Europe runs this 11-day, partly guided rail tour that circles Ireland, starting and ending in Dublin. A tour escort travels with the group at stations and on trains, and local guides lead sightseeing each day, though the escort or guide can change along the way. After two days in Dublin, the tour heads south by chartered heritage train to Killarney for three nights, taking in Blarney Castle, Cork, Cobh and the Ring of Kerry. From there it crosses to Clifden for two nights near Connemara National Park, then north to Belfast for two nights, reached by a first-class Enterprise train with onboard drinks and snacks, before returning to Dublin by train on day 10. Along the way, admission to sites such as Kylemore Abbey and the Giant's Causeway is included, plus a champagne reception and two dinners at Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Clifden. This suits travelers who want Ireland's major sights covered with a guide on hand but without driving themselves.

What to know before you look closer

  • This is a partly guided tour: a tour escort accompanies the group at stations and on trains, and local guides and drivers lead the day-to-day touring, but the operator notes the escort or guide may change during the trip.
  • Coach transport is used for day excursions such as the Ring of Kerry and Connemara National Park, alongside the chartered heritage train and the first-class Enterprise train; not every leg of the tour is by rail.
  • The evidence names hotels only for Dublin (The Address Connolly Hotel, The Merrion Hotel) and Clifden (Abbeyglen Castle Hotel); the hotels used in Killarney and Belfast are not specified in the pack.

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Dublin

    Arrival in Dublin, the Irish capital

  2. Day 2overnight: Dublin

    Day at leisure in Dublin

  3. Day 3railovernight: Killarney

    Travel to Waterford & Killarney, first day of rail tour

    Meals: Lunch, Dinner

  4. Day 4overnight: Killarney

    Visit Blarney Castle, Cork and Cóbh

  5. Day 5overnight: Killarney

    Tour of the Ring of Kerry

  6. Day 6railovernight: Clifden

    Travel by train from Killarney to Clifden via Galway

    Meals: Dinner

  7. Day 7overnight: Clifden

    Visit Connemara National Park & Kylemore Abbey

    Meals: Dinner

  8. Day 8overnight: Belfast

    Travel to Northern Ireland and Belfast, the capital

  9. Day 9overnight: Belfast

    Giants Causeway & Antrim Coastal route

  10. Day 10railovernight: Dublin

    Return to Dublin by train

  11. Day 11

    Departure from Dublin

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 3A light lunch is served onboard the train on the first day of the rail tour, traveling to Waterford and Killarney.
  • Day 6The tour travels by train from Killarney to Clifden via Galway.
  • Day 8The group rides the first-class Enterprise train to Belfast, with onboard drinks and snacks included.
  • Day 9The tour visits the Giant's Causeway and drives the Antrim coastal route.
  • Day 10The tour returns to Dublin by train after exploring Belfast.

Included

  • 10 nights hotel accommodation with private bathroom/WC, including breakfast
  • Private airport transfers on arrival and departure
  • Champagne welcome reception
  • Rail journeys on the chartered heritage train as per the itinerary; Dublin-Belfast-Dundalk journey on a first-class Enterprise train with onboard drinks and snacks
  • Complimentary onboard drinks (tea, coffee, soft drinks, alcohol) and light snacks
  • Light lunch served onboard on Day 3
  • Dinner on the first night in Killarney
  • Champagne reception and two dinners at Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Clifden
  • Guided touring according to the day-to-day itinerary with a tour escort
  • 24-hour Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing ticket in Dublin
  • Excursions and admission to: Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle, Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park, Giant's Causeway
  • All taxes and service charges
  • Electronic travel documents, including a detailed itinerary and travel vouchers
  • 24/7 emergency phone support while travelling

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. The evidence lists rail journeys on a chartered heritage train and a first-class Enterprise train from Dublin to Belfast to Dundalk, with onboard drinks, snacks, and a light lunch served on day 3.
Is this trip guided or independent?
It's partly guided. A tour escort travels with the group at stations and on trains, and English-speaking guides and drivers lead touring per the day-to-day itinerary, though the escort or guide may change during the trip.
Which hotels are used?
The pack names The Address Connolly Hotel and The Merrion Hotel in Dublin and Abbeyglen Castle Hotel (2 nights) in Clifden; hotels in Killarney and Belfast are not specified.
What is included besides the hotel and train?
A champagne welcome reception, private airport transfers, a 24-hour Hop-On Hop-Off ticket in Dublin, dinner on the first night in Killarney, a champagne reception and two dinners at Abbeyglen Castle, and admission to the Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle, Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park, and the Giant's Causeway.
How much does it cost?
From 5,975 euros per person, about 6,840 US dollars, roughly 622 US dollars per day.
Is all of the touring done by rail?
No. Coach transport is used for day excursions such as the Ring of Kerry and Connemara National Park, in addition to the chartered heritage train and the Enterprise train.

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