TASTE OF IRELAND in 8 days
SHORT ON TIME, BUT STILL WANT TO EXPERIENCE IRELAND? Then this tour is for you! Ireland is the land of forty shades of green, all the sheep you’ll ever want to count, and a warm welcome on every doorstep! It is a mystical place, full of fairy forts, stone circles, ancient passage tombs, and superstitions that run deep.
This Taste of Ireland tour is the perfect eight days of sightseeing and cultural experiences, offering a worry-free journey through Ireland’s history, culture, music, and cuisine.
I’ve designed this tour to visit my favorite places and have distilled the island into a taste of my favorite destinations. This tour kicks off in Galway, where you’ll get a solid introduction to Irish history, culture, and charm. Then, we will head to the countryside to experience three distinct regions. You’ll visit ancient monastic sites, fairy forts, geological wonders, and charming villages while enjoying some of the island’s best food, music, and craic!
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| $3489 + air | Jun 10-17, 2026 |  | |
| $3489 + air | Aug 19-26, 2026 | SOLD OUT | |
| $3489 + air | Sep 16-23, 2026 | SOLD OUT | |
| $3589 + air | Apr 4-11, 2027 | | |
| $3589 + air | May 2-9, 2027 | | |
| $3589 + air | June 13-20, 2027 | | |
| $3589 + air | July 11-18, 2027 | | |
| $3589 + air | Aug 15-22, 2027 | | |
| $3589 + air | Sept 19-26, 2027 | | |
| $3589 + air | Oct 15-22, 2027 | | |
Galway – 2 nights
Dingle – 2 nights
Kilkenny – 1 night
Dublin – 2 nights
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Single Room Additional Cost ~$859
ITINERARY
DAY 1: Welcome to Galway – Let’s plan to meet today at 4:00 p.m. in our hotel lobby for introductions and a tour overview. Then, join your Exploring Europe guide for a scenic overview walk in Galway City. We’ll stroll down the main drag, loaded with pubs, shops, crafts stores, and local buskers (street musicians). Enjoy some free time to explore on your own before we sit down to dinner at a favorite pub. Sleep for 2 nights in Galway. Walking: Light.
DAY 2: The Aran Islands – Today, enjoy an excursion by boat to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands (weather permitting). Once on the island, experience a driving tour of its natural and historical sites and an opportunity to look around in the craft shops. Return in the late afternoon to Galway for an evening on your own to enjoy dinner and the local traditional music. Walking: moderate to strenuous, depending on your activity level in the Inishmor countryside. Boat: 3 hours roundtrip.
DAY 3: The Cliffs of Moher & Kerry – Today, we’ll take a scenic drive along the Atlantic coast around Galway Bay and through the rocky terrain known as the Burren. In County Clare, you will experience the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, where you’ll teeter on the edge of 700-foot cliffs perched on the North Atlantic. These cliffs stretch for five miles along the Atlantic coast, and on a clear day, one can see the distant Aran Islands and the soaring mountains in Connemara and the Dingle Peninsula. After lunch, we will go to Dingle in Ireland’s far southwest tip. Tonight’s menu features a selection of fresh and delicious locally sourced products. After dinner, join the fun at a pub for a traditional or folk music session. Sleep for 2 nights in Dingle. Walking: light. Driving: 5 hours. Dinner.
DAY 4: The Dingle Peninsula – Today, experience some of Ireland’s wildest natural beauty and oldest pre-historic settlements on our driving tour of the Slea Head. Enjoy endless fields of “40 shades of green”, rock-crashing waves, and all the sheep you’ll ever want to count. Back in Dingle, you’ll have the afternoon and evening for shopping, dinner, and music. Walking: light. Driving: 3 hours.
DAY 5: A bit of Blarney and Kilkenny – Today, we will travel through County Cork to the little village of Blarney. The castle, known for its famous “Blarney Stone,” is one of Ireland’s most popular tourist destinations. After an opportunity to “kiss the Blarney Stone,” you will enjoy a visit to the Blarney Woolen Mills. This huge shopping complex is your one-stop spot for authentic Irish arts, crafts, textiles, and apparel. Later, we will travel the Plains of Tipperary up to Kilkenny. Tonight, experience a tastebud-tingling dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant this side of Tuscany. Sleep 1 night in Kilkenny. Walking: moderate. Driving: 3 hours. Dinner.
DAY 6: Kilkenny and Glendalough – Enjoy some free time in Kilkenny this morning to visit the castle, the Kilkenny Arts Centre, and High Street Shopping. Later, let’s head to the beautiful Wicklow Mountains and the ancient monastic site of Glendalough. We’ll take a peaceful walk along the lakes and through the forest while learning about the monastery’s role in history. Then, to Dublin, the capital of Ireland! Enjoy the famous Guinness Brewery and look at the production process. Then, visit the panoramic Gravity Bar for an authentic pint of the stout brewed right here in Dublin. Once settled at your hotel, we’ll take a short walk to get acquainted with the city so you can enjoy dinner, pubs, and music on your own. Sleep for 2 nights in Dublin. Walking: Moderate. Driving: 4 hours.
DAY 7: Dublin – After breakfast, enjoy a city walking tour and a visit to Trinity College, followed by a look at the “illuminated” Book of Kells. The afternoon is event-free so that you can experience more of Dublin at your leisure. We will meet for a grand farewell dinner at a favorite Temple Bar pub tonight. Walking: moderate. Dinner.
DAY 8: Your tour is over after breakfast – Enjoy breakfast this morning, but there are no plans beyond that. Your guide can help with any post-tour plans and travel connections if needed. Sláinte!
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
Your tour begins in Galway City at 4:00 p.m. on Day 1. We suggest you fly either multi-city into Shannon and out of Dublin or roundtrip in and out of Dublin. Getting from Shannon or Dublin Airport to Galway is easy and stress-free with one of the private airport coaches. The coaches are WIFI-equipped, modern, heated, and air-conditioned. A professional driver will zip you to Galway in about two to three hours. Prices range from €14-22.
https://www.eireagle.com/routes/galway-dublin-airport
Watch this VIDEO to find your BUS at the Dublin Airport.
https://buseireann.ie (Shannon to Galway)
INCLUSIONS
Transportation by coach and/or minibus from your Galway hotel to your final Dublin hotel.
7 nights’ accommodation in traditional hotels, guesthouses, and B&B’s. All rooms have private en-suite baths.
All tips and gratuities to guides, drivers, restaurant, and hotel staff.
A guaranteed Small Group consisting of 6-18 participants.
All breakfasts and four of your dinners.
Traditional dining experiences at some of David’s personal favorite restaurants. Eating well is a priority and you’ll enjoy fine regional fare featuring the best the locale has to offer.
Water is included with all meals. Soda, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, and tea are your responsibility.
All tours and admissions at no extra cost: Dublin walking tour covering all the essential sights in the city ▪ a visit to the Guinness Storehouse and Gravity Bar ▪ Entrance to the Book of Kells and Trinity College Experience ▪ Glendalough Monastic site and the Wicklow mountains ▪entrance to Blarney Castle and its famous kissing stone ▪ Dingle Peninsula Driving Tour ▪ The Blasket Centre (when open) ▪ The Cliffs of Moher experience ▪ Galway City orientation tour ▪ Full-day excursion to Inishmoor Aran Island, weather permitting ▪ and much more! (Itinerary specifics are subject to change).
A full-time Exploring Europe guide and local experts dedicated to bringing to life the art, history, and culture of the tour destinations.
David’s tour handouts are delivered electronically and detail each day’s historical and cultural experiences.
Free luggage tags and David’s custom-designed drawstring backpacks.
Our Unconditional Tour Price Guarantee, once locked in, will never change.
$50 Tour Alumni discount for each David McGuffin tour you’ve taken prior to this travel year.
EXCLUSIONS
Comprehensive Trip insurance. We strongly recommend comprehensive insurance for tour.
Fee for passports.
Beer, wine, spirits, and soda during the tour.
Laundry, phone, internet, and personal items
Extras and optional activities.
Anything not mentioned in the itinerary.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS:
Deposits- Deposits for tours are fully refundable for 30 days from your initial application and deposit date, unless otherwise noted. If you book a tour less than 90 days before its departure date, full payment is due immediately, and the entire tour cost becomes non-refundable after seven days. After these dates, deposits are not refundable and will be forfeited if you cancel your tour reservation.
Payments- Tour payments are due in full 90 days before your tour departure date. If you find you must cancel between 90-0 days before your tour departure, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to transfer your payments to another tour departing within 18 months. We strongly recommend that everyone purchase comprehensive travel insurance that covers tour cancellations, emergency medical, and other unexpected events.
Cancellations will be effective when the written notification is received at David McGuffin›s Exploring Europe by mail, e-mail, or fax.
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Now that you’ve decided to join this tour, we are sure you’ll have some questions. Don’t worry. We are here to help you through each aspect of your tour from start to finish.
DAVID’S VIDEO: IRELAND: THE DAVID MCGUFFIN TOUR EXPERIENCE
To truly understand a David McGuffin tour, you have to see it to believe it. This film documents the journey of four travelers on David’s “Taste of Ireland” tours. Filmed on location in Ireland, we hope it will give you a sample of what to expect on a David McGuffin tour to Europe. IRELAND: The David McGuffin Tour Experience
DAVID’S AUDIO & PDF DESTINATION GUIDES TO IRELAND
Education and cultural immersion are essential to fully engaging in the David McGuffin tour experience. We believe you’ll experience and appreciate more around the Emerald Isles if you know a little about the sites, the history, and the experiences. David’s downloadable and printable Destination Guides are designed to provide historical background and practical information about our destinations in Ireland.
Additionally, you can put DAVID IN YOUR EARS by downloading his Audio Destination Guides and listening to them before and while visiting locations in Ireland.
All resources can be downloaded, printed, and installed on your audio or mobile device from here. https://davidmcguffin.com/dg-ireland/
DAVID’S TRAVEL TALK TUESDAY BROADCASTS AND VIDEO SERIES BLOG.
David began weekly episodes of Travel Talk Tuesday in December 2020, when we were deep in the pandemic lockdowns and had no hope of travel. He has been rolling out episodes ever since! When David is not traveling in Europe, he presents a LIVE broadcast on Zoom and Facebook. Check it out on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Or look up an episode and watch the recording here: Watch them here.
DAVID’S 60 SECONDS DESTINATION VIDEOS
Join David as he shares impromptu moments from his travels in Ireland. Watching these short 60-second segments are a great way to experience David’s travel style and adventures. Watch David’s Explore Ireland and Scotland.
DAVID’S BLOG ARTICLES
David and his team have answered many travel-related questions, and they are all tucked away on his blog. But, no need to go there. Type in a keyword in the search box at the top or bottom of this page (find the small magnifying glass icon), and you will get results for your query.
PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL OR GIVE US A CALL.
We are happy to answer your travel questions and give advice and suggestions. tours@davidmcguffin.com or 800-570-1351.
Testimonials & Reviews of our IRELAND Tours
The Scotland /Wales trip was wonderful. Scotland is so beautiful, and we loved the small towns where we stayed. Dave was a great guide and so willing to help us in whatever we needed. Ian was a great driver and so nice. His van was super comfortable. We really enjoyed getting to meet Jan and Bobby on the trip and finding out that they had known you for years. They are special people, and we hope they had an enjoyable time in London.
Thanks for doing the trip for such a small group, and I know we all felt that we were very blessed because of it.
We participated in the Best of Italy tour in June of 2026. This was our first David McGuffin tour, and certainly not our last. We were blessed to have an exceptional tour manager throughout our trip. Ilaria Mercuri was a gem! Not only did she provided insightful information about the places we visited, but she was also very flexible and accommodating to our needs and preferences. She became family! We can't imagine having this unique experience without her. Transportation between and within the cities was flawlessly arranged. We had two drivers in particular that really stood out (Angelo and Enzo). They were very personable and courteous. Each destination we visited was unique and had its own charm. Our accommodations were excellent! The dining experiences were carefully curated to showcase the local cuisine of each region. It took the pressure of "guessing" off, and enriched our experience. Our experience with the local guides began with Giulia, who was truly a wealth of knowledge, as she showed us around the Vatican. This was followed by Annie in Volterra who gave us an unbelievable historical presentation of this unique Tuscan city, culminating in a delightful wine tasting in a local tavern. Our final interaction with local guides was with Paola in Florence, who introduced us to so many incredible facts and nuances of the culture, including our first "wine window" experience. These local experts enriched our visits to this beautiful country. Every time we encountered a new location, it was definitely a "wow" moment for us. David gave us valuable information prior to and throughout our trip. This helped us prepare for what to expect on our trip. It also included important reminders to include when packing. We couldn't have asked for a better experience to commemorate our 32 wedding anniversary! Bucket list... CHECKED!!
We had an amazing time on this tour of London, Paris, and Rome! My husband, our grown daughter, and I loved the combination of guided sightseeing and free time to explore on our own.
The walking tours covered all of the must-see sites in each city, and we learned so much from the guides. A special thank you to our tour directors, Jamie and Leslie, who were absolutely wonderful. They were organized, knowledgeable, friendly, and always attentive to everyone in the group. They made the trip run smoothly and helped create such a fun, welcoming atmosphere. The local guides in each city were also excellent and shared fascinating history and stories that made every stop more meaningful.
We enjoyed delicious meals throughout the trip and appreciated having enough free time to wander, shop, and discover places on our own. We also had the pleasure of traveling with two other families, and getting to know them made the experience even more enjoyable.
The only minor disappointment was that our hotel in Paris wasn’t quite as nice as the accommodations in London and Rome. Even so, it was a small part of an otherwise fantastic experience.
This tour exceeded our expectations, and we came home with wonderful memories of three incredible cities. We would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a well-organized, enjoyable, and memorable European vacation. Thank you, Jamie and Leslie, for making our trip so special!
I can't thank David enough for an amazing trip! His knowledge of everywhere we went was terrific. He also had locals to do various tours and driving either around the island or Pompeii and Amalfi coast. The group was fun and easy going. I think that was my favorite part, we had a schedule, but we weren't over scheduled. It was a great mix of planned activities and time to explore, rest or whatever on our own. David helped to make this a fantastic trip! The best part was I didn't have to plan it or figure out how to get around. Will I use David's company, absolutely!
We took the Sicily and Amalfi/Islands tours back-to-back. Both were outstanding. Every time we saw a line of visitors with headphones following a guide with a flag on a stick we were reminded just how different the experience with David McGuffin's Exploring Europe (DMEE) is from other tours. Our travels with DMEE were very personal. The pace was comfortable and we were able to pause where we wanted to linger, plus we had plenty of time to wander about on our own.
Sicily was Italian, yet different. It seemed each city or area we visited had its own charm. The architecture, customs, people, and cuisine were so lovely. From the backstreet ristorante David knew about in Palermo to the views from Erice, the Dorian Temples in Agrigento, the passiggiata in Taormina, our Sicilian experience was outstanding!
Amalfi/Islands was very interesting too! Ischia has a beautiful castle and gardens to explore. Our group enjoyed a stunning view from the rooftop terrace, where we gathered for some relaxation time together. Procida was packed with stunning vistas, cultural uniqueness, and incredibly talented drivers, navigating the insanely narrow streets. Our favorite memory of Capri was boat ride that circled the island. Just beautiful.
The time in Sorrento included a drive along the world-famous Amalfi Coast Road…which was a great experience. But the best experience we had on the entire trip was our pizza cooking class.
Thank you DMEE for making this a truly once in a lifetime experience. If you’re thinking about a trip to Europe, you must contact DMEE! They treat you like family every step of the way! Ciao!
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