Tauck: The Best of Ireland

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, The Fitzwilliam Hotel. A transfer is included from Dublin Airport to The Fitzwilliam Hotel on Stephens Green in the heart of the city – famed Grafton Street is steps away. We invite you to join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner at your hotel.

Sightseeing today in Ireland's capital city, accompanied by a local guide, introduces you to landmark sites such as O'Connell Street and a view of the Lord Mayor's residence as well as a visit to EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum – a fully interactive experience dedicated to uncovering the dramatic and inspiring stories of the Irish people who traveled the world, reliving some of their greatest achievements in music, literature, sport, politics, fashion, science and more. The afternoon is free for you to explore Dublin as you please.

Head to Northern Ireland and the vibrant capital of Belfast for a day that begins with a visit to the Titanic Quarter to experience Titanic Belfast, an award-winning interactive museum, followed by a guided city tour. This evening, a special treat – a nine-course Titanic tasting menu dinner in the sumptuous Great Room of The Merchant Hotel, honoring the ship's grand style.

Depart Belfast and travel the spectacular Antrim Coast Road, one of the world's most scenic drives, through the haunting Glens of Antrim. Arrive in the town of Bushmills; lunch is served up with a warm welcome and a "fire that is always lit," a tradition at the Bushmills Inn whose origins date back to 1608. Explore the Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; over 40,000 symmetrical basalt columns lead from coastal cliffs to the sea; return to Belfast for an evening at leisure.

Explore Derry on a walking tour with a local guide. In nearby Omagh, visit the Ulster American Folk Park, where you will hear the stories of three centuries of Irish emigrants who left the Emerald Isle to build new lives in North America. Spend two nights at a lakeside resort.

You have a choice today – spend the day in the magnificent Fermanagh Lakelands or, if you wish, join us for a visit to the market town of Belleek for a tour of the famed porcelain factory where you'll meet craftspeople using techniques handed down from generations past. Midday, visit a town renowned for its medieval heritage, and return to your resort in the afternoon; dine at your leisure this evening.

Depart Northern Ireland for the Republic of Ireland and the foothills of Benbulben Mountain, "Yeats Country." Stop in the village of Drumcliffe to see the final resting place of poet W. B. Yeats, then on to the lakeside Kylemore Abbey; built in the late 19th century as a private residence, the impressive estate is now home to a prestigious boarding school for girls, a Gothic church and Victorian gardens. After lunch at Kylemore Abbey, travel through the beautiful, wild scenery of Connemara to Glenlo Abbey Hotel Galway, a luxury lakeside estate hotel.

Your day begins with a guilded walking tour of charming Galway City. The remainder of the day is free to explore the city as you wish; culturally rich, you'll find the pubs, markets, restaurants, antique and craft shops tell the stories of medieval times to the present.

The dramatic Cliffs of Moher soar up to 702 ft. above the ocean along Ireland's "Wild Atlantic Way" – and they are your first visit today. Spend time in the town of Ennis, then it's on to the 18th-century Old Ground Hotel, built as a private mansion.

Your Ireland tour continues when you discover the importance of farming in the west of Ireland on a visit to a working dairy farm, which has been in the same family for generations; you're invited inside their home for a light Irish lunch and some excellent stories. Then it's on to Killarney and a visit to Muckross House, an Elizabethan-style mansion which was built in 1843. Set in Killarney National Park, the estate features distinguished 19th-century interiors; it is surrounded by magnificent gardens in a palette of sensational colors. Your accommodations for the next two nights are at one of Ireland's most gracious hotels, Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa, exuding the warmth of a country home.

Today is devoted to the natural beauty of the Iveragh Peninsula, known as the Ring of Kerry. On a drive 'round the Ring, drink in the scenes of sandy beaches, mountains, lakes and cliffs, old oak forests and bogs. The country's highest peak, Corrán Tuathail, reigns over Killarney National Park, at the peninsula's heart. Along the way, history waxes and wanes in the ruins of ancient monasteries, castles and forts – and small villages, like seaside Waterville, where quiet and warmth are a way of life, bringing the scenery's dramatic scale down to earth. Enjoy legendary Irish hospitality tonight when you dine at the charming, one-of-a kind Rozzer's Restaurant.

The Jameson Experience in County Cork is a journey through Irish whiskey making, past and present – complete with a tasting. Following a lunch at a local restaurant that provides a true taste of Ireland, continue on to Mount Juliet hotel in the heart of Kilkenny. Your two-night stay at Mount Juliet Hotel is special; this five-star hotel was born as a private 18th-century baronial mansion and today maintains traditions that have endured through the centuries. Its modern features include a full-service spa, swimming pool, and the only Jack Nicklaus signature golf course in Ireland. Enjoy dinner tonight at your leisure

You will discover that Ireland's antiquities tell the tales of days gone by... and today's visit to the ruins of the Cistercian Jerpoint Abbey introduces some remarkable medieval architectural artifacts. Take a guided walking tour of Kilkenny, world-renowned as a center for craft and design, for insights into the Black Abbey, Rothe House and Kilkenny Castle. Mount Juliet is one of Ireland's finest sporting estates, and you'll have an opportunity to take advantage of some outstanding leisure activities today. Your two-week Ireland sojourn ends when you join us this evening for a farewell dinner and reception.

Tour ends: Kilkenny. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Mount Juliet Hotel & Spa to Dublin Airport. Allow at least three hours for flight check-in.