CIE Tours: 2025 - 14 Day Taste of Britain & Ireland
Day 1 London Tour & Tower of London
Your tour departs from your hotel at 2:00 PM on a panoramic tour of central London to see famous landmarks including Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. Visit the historic Tower of London to view the Crown Jewels. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dining independently.(D)
Day 2 Independent Sightseeing in London
Discover London's iconic attractions at your own speed, as you please, with your choice of routes on a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. Your evening is free to continue exploring and dining independently.(B)
Day 3 Windsor Castle & Bath
Take a panoramic tour of Windsor before visiting Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and one of the King's official residences. See the grandeur of the State Apartments, ceremonial rooms still used by the Royal Family today. Spend free time in Windsor before traveling on to the beautiful city of Bath. Founded by the Romans and rich in elegant Georgian architecture, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour the Roman Baths to discover why these hot springs have been popular since ancient times.(B, D)
Day 4 Cotswolds Drive, Shakespeare's Birthplace & Liverpool
Take in the Cotswolds, a quintessentially English region with gently rolling hills, colorful gardens, and honey-colored stone buildings. Stop in one of its many charming old market towns or traditional villages. Visit Shakespeare's Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon to see an exhibition about his life and work, and walk through the house where he was born. Travel on to Liverpool and spend the evening independently exploring its rich pop-music history.(B)
Day 5 Lake District & Windermere Cruise
Travel through the Lake District, a region that has inspired numerous painters and writers, including William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. Cruise along Lake Windermere to admire the stunning scenery of wooded isles and neighboring mountains. Spend free time in a traditional Lakeland village. Pass through Gretna Green, just over the Scottish border, on your way to your hotel outside Edinburgh, where you'll enjoy a free evening.(B)
Day 6 Edinburgh Castle, City Tour & Scotch Whisky Experience*
Explore central Edinburgh on a panoramic tour; discover the Royal Mile, with its closely clustered medieval houses, and the 200-year-old New Town, with its elegant Georgian homes. Tour Edinburgh Castle to see the Crown Jewels of Scotland. Enjoy an evening of storytelling and whisky tasting at the Scotch Whisky Experience. (Departures from August 1 – 15 will instead experience The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.)(B, D*)
Day 7 Glasgow City Tour & Ferry to Belfast
Travel to Glasgow for a city tour, with free time to explore. Proceed to the harbor at Cairnryan for a short ferry ride to Ireland, and your Belfast hotel.(B, D)
Day 8 Titanic Belfast & The Glyde Inn
Visit Titanic Belfast for a fascinating look at the building of the doomed ocean liner, which was crafted right in the city's dockyards. Next, take a panoramic tour of this historic city. Visit the Glyde Inn for an early dinner with entertainment, before continuing on to Dublin.(B, D)
Day 9 Independent Sightseeing in Dublin
Tour Dublin independently on the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. Use your voucher to visit your choice of one of Dublin's top attractions: Guinness Storehouse, Teeling Distillery, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Jameson Distillery Bow St. Experience, or the GPO Museum. You are free to dine as you wish this evening.(B)
Day 10 Blarney Castle & Killarney
Visit Blarney Castle and kiss the famous stone. Then travel on to Macroom and into the mountainous scenery toward Killarney. After dinner at your hotel you might want to check out one of Killarney's many pubs offering traditional music.(B, D)
Day 11 Sheepdog Demonstration, Dingle & Kate Kearney's Cottage
Find a souvenir in the scenic Gap of Dunloe at Moriarty's, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner. Visit a sheep farm for a demonstration by highly skilled sheepdogs. Proceed on to the spectacular beauty and charm of the Dingle Peninsula, famed as the setting for "Ryan's Daughter" and "Far and Away" then explore Dingle town. Later, go to Kate Kearney's Cottage for an Irish night featuring dinner and traditional entertainment.(B, D)
Day 12 Flying Boat Museum, Cliffs of Moher & Galway
Visit Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, which recalls the early days of air travel. Take a ferry across the River Shannon to the Cliffs of Moher. Admire the limestone landscape of the Burren as you travel to vibrant Galway, where you'll take a panoramic tour of the city center before dinner at your hotel.(B, D)
Day 13 Dalkey & Fitzpatrick Castle Stay
Take a walking tour of the historic heart of Galway. Head east to Dublin for a stroll around Dalkey, an exclusive seaside suburb that's home to such luminaries as singers Bono and Enya and the late writer Maeve Binchy. Enjoy a farewell dinner at your elegant castle hotel.(B, D)
Day 14 Tour Ends in Dublin
Your tour ends after breakfast.(B) B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner>
Galway
Galway is a city, a county, and an experience to be savoured and remembered. The historic city of the tribes dances to a beat uniquely it's own. There is a certain chemistry and vibrancy to this friendly university city, which many delight in, and few forget. Music, festivals, horse racing, pubs, restaurants, shops, theatres and most of all -Galway people, combine to create this atmospheric medieval city of culture. From this pulsating heart the rest of the county flows.
Galway Bay, immortalised in song, its beauty unchanging. Scenic Gaeltacht areas including the Aran Islands. Connemara, with the picturesque town of Clifden as its capital. Mountains, castles and stone walls, banks of turf, long sandy beaches, clear lakes, joyful leaping streams and flowing rivers. The mighty Shannon, delightful countryside punctuated by pretty villages, traditional pubs.
Photo used with permission
from Joe Desbonnet, www.galway.net
Excursions
Inishmore, Aran Islands - 8 hours Full Day
Inishmore, Aran Islands - 8 hours Full Day
On the very edge of Europe, is an Island rich in the language, culture and heritage of Ireland, unique in its geology and archaeology and in its long tradition of gentle hospitality. Here is a place to sense the spirit of Gaelic Ireland, to touch the past, but with all the comforts and facilities of the present. Aran will take you back to an Ireland of Celts and Early Christians. This is an island of great peace and tranquility, but it is also an island of great fun and activity. A timeless land in an endless sea, weathered monuments on awesome cliffs, great labyrinths of limestone, meandering walls, patchwork fields, quiet beaches and a welcoming island people.
This morning we will depart from Galway and take a ferry to Inishmore, the largest of the three islands, the other islands being Inishmaan and Inisheer. The Islands are located off the West Coast of Galway about 18km out from Rossaveal Harbour in Connemara. Inishmore is approx. 13km long, and contains 3,092 ha. with a native population of about 900. Kilronan the chief center and port.
Landing in Kilronan on Inishmore, you are met by your driver in a horse drawn buggy for a guided tour of the Island and visiting one of its more impressive stone forts called Dun Aonghasa. It is semi-circular structure, resting on the edge of a perpendicular cliff rising 100 meters out of the ocean. The fort consists of an inner court 50 meters across surrounded by a wall six meters high and five meters thick at the base.
Visit the Aran Islands Interpretative Centre which highlights the unique history, spirit and landscapes of the Aran Islands. The center details the geology, history and present lifestyle of the islands. See how the legendary currachs, those open-topped, often tar-coated, boats that skim over the waves, are made. Also on display are details of the fish species off the islands and how the islanders have long used seaweed to create patches of soil that could be cultivated for crops, in between the dry stone walls that crisscross the islands and divide its tiny fields. The islands' other craft traditions, including weaving of the famous Aran sweaters, are also documented.
Duration: 8 hours
Included:
Enjoy a pub lunch on Inishmore
Departing the island by ferry you return to Galway City.
Note: it is also possible to fly to Inishmore.
Pricing: Please inquire
Belfast
Belfast is popular with travelers who come to discover the city’s physical beauty and renewed tranquility. Enjoy performances at the Grand Opera House, shopping along trendy Donegall Place and visiting numerous pubs along The Golden Mile. St. Anne’s Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is the principal church of the Anglican Church of Ireland and contains stones from every county in Ireland. Located next to Europa Hotel, the Grand Opera House boasts an impressive mix of large productions of opera, ballet, musicals and drama. Known as the Big Ben of Belfast, the Albert Memorial Clock Tower was built in 1869 to commemorate the Prince Consort. Built in 1849 as one of Queen Victoria’s colleges, Queens University is one of the foremost universities in the British Isles. The classical-style building of Stormont, erected in 1928-32 to house the Parliament of Northern Ireland, stands 3.5 miles outside the city. The Prince of Wales Avenue is exactly one mile long and is bordered by rose beds containing 600 of the famous Korona roses noted for their scarlet blooms.
Excursions
Belfast: Cultural Belfast - 8 hours
Belfast: Cultural Belfast - 8 hours
Belfast may be a small city, but it has a wealth of culture and excitement on offer for you to discover! Firstly, visit the purpose-built iconic ‘Titanic Belfast’. With over nine galleries, the Titanic story is brought to life for you with exhibitions, rides, full-scale reconstructions and lots
of interactive fun.
After a hearty Irish lunch (payable locally) head into Belfast city where your guide unravels stories related to “the troubles” of Northern Ireland. You cannot miss the murals across Belfast that offer a fascinating history in pictures. Although huge strides have been made in the fight to combat sectarianism in the city, the marks of the past can still be witnessed across the city, adorning the sides of buildings and walls. A tour of Belfast wouldn’t be complete without enjoying a pint of Guinness at the famous Crown Bar in the city centre. This 19th-century bar is an experience that is unique to Northern Ireland. You are privately transferred back to board your cruise after your tour.
Highlights:
- Explore the 'Titanic Belfast' and learn about the ship's fascinating history
- Learn about Belfast's turbulent past and visit the famous Crown Bar in the city centre
Tour Duration: 8 Hours
Tour Can Operate: Morning / Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 8 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Exclusions:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Belfast: Highlights of Belfast - 6 hours
Belfast: Highlights of Belfast - 6 hours
Today you are met by your expert local guide for a sightseeing in Belfast and the surrounding area. Spend the morning on a panoramic tour of the city centre, where you see the impressive City Hall in Donegall Square, St. Anne’s Cathedral and the buildings of Queen’s University. During this tour, your guide talks to you about the sectarian divisions that have been so prominent in Belfast in recent years. You also visit the Titanic Quarter, so-called as it was here that the ill-fated liner was being constructed a century ago. Your guide shows you where the ship was constructed and the Thomson Dock where it had its final fit-out.
Highlights:
- Take a panoramic tour of Belfast’s city centre to see the impressive City Hall and the buildings of Queen’s University
- Visit the Titanic Quarter where the ill-fated liner was constructed a century ago
Tour Duration: 6 hours
Tour Can Operate: Morning / Afternoon
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
- Private transport by luxury car or minivan
- An expert local guide for 6 hours
- Entrance fees to all sights and museums
- All taxes
Exclusions:
- All cruise travel, personal items, meals and associated costs
- Gratuities
Belfast - Tour of Antrim Coast - Full Day Tour
Belfast - Tour of Antrim Coast - Full Day Tour
Depart Port by luxury vehicle accompanied by local professional guide. Leaving Belfast behind, head north on a scenic, northbound journey. Travel to the port of Larne and then join the spectacular Antrim Coast road. Onwards through the villages of Ballygalley and Glenarm to Cushendall, know as the "Capital of the Glens" and Ballycastle, host of the annual 'Oul Lammas Fair'.
Arrive at The Giants Causeway Centre.
Next, travel to the famouse village of Bushmills, which is home to the legendary Bushmills Whiskey Distillery.
Enjoy a 2 Course lunch with tea/coffee in the wonderful Distillers Arms restaurant.
Following lunch you will travel along the Coast up to the fantastic Dunluce Castle. It is thought by some to be the most picturesque of all Irish castles. Situated in the most north-easterly tip of Ireland and first built by Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster in the 13th century, the ruins of the castle are a huge tourist attraction.
The castle is surrounded by terrifyingly steep drops at either side; these would have been essential features to the Vikings and early Christians, who were drawn to this magnificent place where an early Irish ring-fort once stood. It is situated on a 100 foot high basalt stack with a sea cave underneath. The earliest features of the castle, the two large drum towers, about nine metres in diameter, can still be seen on the eastern side.
Return to Belfast Port on the motorway which runs close to some scenic inland countryside.
Inclusions:
- Private Driver Guide
- Giants Causeway visitor Centre
- Entrance to Dunluce Castle
- Lunch Including Tea and Coffee
London
London is undoubtedly one of the world's finest cities. In addition to numerous monuments from its more glorious past, London is equally well-known for its pageantry and tradition. London has something for everyone - wide boulevards buzzing with excitement far into the night, quiet squares and explorable alleyways. Visit this famous city's parks, museums, galleries, monuments, abbeys and churches, skyscrapers and ruins, Georgian squares. Take in such events as the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower, or the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, or even one of the many theatrical productions. Some of the most exclusive shops are found along Oxford, Bond and Regent Streets. An old favorite and one of the world's premier institutions is Harrods - offering everything from Chanel suits and sliced salmon to caviar and even pets.
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