8 Day London Dublin and The Royal Atlantic by Ferry and Rail Tour

Check-in at London Euston Station at the Network Rail Mobility Assistance Reception for the 09:02 departure of your train direct to Holyhead. You will be met by your host and escorted into your reserved seats. Your train, complete with snack car/bar will speed through the heart of England and along the North Wales coast to reach Holyhead in just 3 hours and 40 minutes. Holyhead rail station is also the cruise ferry terminal so after a short bus transfer to the berth you walk onto the ship – The Irish Ferries ‘Ulysses’ to Dublin. Enjoy an invigorating 3 hours and 15 minute voyage across the Irish Sea to Dublin. Facilities on board the ship include a range of restaurants and bars, a 2-screen cinema and a traditional promenade deck, from where you can enjoy the fresh sea air. Arrive into Dublin at 17:25hrs where you will be welcomed by your host and transferred to your hotel in Dublin City Centre.

Free to discover Dublin with your 48hr Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour ticket. The popular tour, the 2-day Hop-On Hop-Off Tour, is offered with both live and multilingual commentary. All drivers are Fáilte Ireland approved, which means that not only are they great story tellers, they're also brimming with information and history of Dublin's past, and will have you laughing all the way around the tour route.

Arrive into Cork Kent Station for 09:35, we transfer to our coach and travel through Cork City to Blarney Village and Castle. You will have time to kiss the famous stone, which is said to bestow the gift of eternal eloquence on those lucky enough to do so. There is also time for shopping and lunch at Blarney and we recommend that you have lunch there, as this will be the only opportunity during the day to have a substantial meal. Depart Blarney Castle for Cóbh, via the city centre and a short city tour.

On arrival at Cóbh we will visit St Colman’s Cathedral. We will then proceed down along the sea front passing the former White Star Line offices en route to the beautifully restored Victorian railway station/transatlantic terminal. This is now the Cóbh Heritage Centre, home to the Queenstown Story, to which your admission is included.

Cobh Heritage Centre houses much information about the Great Famine and the subsequent Irish Emigration. Depart Cóbh by train to Killarney, via Mallow. The rest of the evening is free and there is a large selection of cafés, restaurants and bars in Killarney town as well as many opportunities for live traditional Irish music entertainment.

You will be collected from your accommodation at 09:45 (or as directed by our Killarney representative) for your Ring of Kerry tour. There are plenty of stops along the Ring of Kerry for morning tea, lunch and photo stops etc. Ireland’s highest mountains are located in Kerry, and Carrantuohill – which can be seen en route – is the highest, standing at 1041 metres tall. An essential part of any visit to Ireland, this tour circles the magnificent MacGillycuddy Reeks and runs through its many passes and valleys along the shores of Dingle Bay and Kenmare Bay. The beautiful nature of the Ring of Kerry provides many photo opportunities, as it passes through the many picturesque villages such as Glenbeigh, Waterville and Sneem. We return via Ladies View, the famous Lakes of Killarney and through the Oakwoods of Killarney's magnificent National Park. At the end of the tour you will be returned to your accommodation where, again, the evening is free.

Between 07.00 and 07.15 you will be collected from your accommodation and transferred by road to Limerick City, where you will join the coach for the Cliffs of Moher & Galway Bay tour. We arrive in Limerick shortly after 9am, where we will join our tour coach. After a brief city tour, we head out to Bunratty Castle and admission is included. The castle was completed in 1425 and, after many years of neglect, has been restored to its former glory. There is also a folk park here and many of the buildings – including the village – were dismantled at various locations in the region and rebuilt, brick by brick, at their present location.

There is a lunch stop at a local pub in Doolin before arriving at the majestic Cliffs of Moher – among the highest sea cliffs in Western Europe. There is plenty of time to visit Ireland’s second most popular tourist attraction and your host will advise you of the departure time.

From the Cliffs of Moher, we take the coast road for much of the way to Galway, with time for photos along The Burren. This is a national park and the word Burren comes from the Irish Language – meaning ‘rocky place’. Today the Burren is noted for its diverse flora with few parallels elsewhere in Ireland or indeed, Europe. As time permits, we will make a short stop here for photographs. We continue along the coast road to Black Head, passing the pretty coastal villages of Ballyvaughan and Kinvara before joining the main road to Galway, where we will arrive shortly after 17:00. Ask your host if there is time to explore the streets around Eyre Square. At the end of the day the coach will set you down at Eyre Square in the centre of Galway City adjacent to your hotel (and the railway station). You will be directed to your hotel by your host and your evening is free in Galway.

We head out to Connemara – one of Ireland’s Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) regions and visit Kylemore Abbey – an 18th century castle now owned by the Benedictine nuns who run an excellent pottery, gift shop and restaurant here. We stop here for lunch. Our tour of Connemara heads homewards towards Galway City, along the shores of Galway bay, through the Gaeltacht villages of Inverin and Spiddal. There are splendid views of Galway Bay, and across the bay the Burren and the hills of County Clare can be seen, which you visited on Day Three.

We will transfer you to Rossavile for the ferry to Inis Mór Island. It is pronounced 'inish more' and literally means ‘big island’. It is the largest of the Aran Islands. On arrival on Inis Mór you have approximately 20 minutes before you tour departs in order to use toilet facilities and purchase any refreshments needed. Meet your local hosts at The Railtours/Hernon Tours sign located close to The Aran Sweater Market in Kilronan village. You will be collected from here between 11:50am and 12:00 noon for your tour of Inis Mór. Your tour of Inis Mór includes stops at the ‘Seven Churches, Dún Aonghusa and Kilronan for lunch, which is the small village on the island. For many, the highlight of the tour is the pre-Christian fort of Dún Aonghusa, with spectacular cliffs on the western side and unspoilt views of the Atlantic Ocean. Aran Islands Tour Included - Dún Aonghusa entrance not included.

Your host will transfer you to the Dublin ferry port. Dublin – London (via Irish Ferries Ship - Ulysses): Monday-Saturday: 08:05am Depart Dublin by cruise ferry. 11:30: Arrive Holyhead by ferry. 12:38: Depart HolyHead Direct. 16:38: Arrive London Euston Station Sunday: 08:05am Depart Dublin by cruise ferry. 11:30: Arrive Holyhead by ferry. 12:38: Depart HolyHead and change at Crewe. 16:44: Arrive London Euston Station.