On arrival at Dublin Airport, a private transfer will take you to the Dylan Hotel, where we stay overnight. In the evening, join the group for a welcome drink, followed by dinner.

Meals: Dinner

This morning we cross the border into Northern Ireland and head straight to the vibrant capital of Belfast. We first visit Titanic Belfast, a fantastic interactive exhibition located on the site of the original shipyard where the famous liner was built. We hear heart-breaking tales about the vessel's passengers, discover the detail behind the mammoth task of building the ill-fated ship and dive into the depths with an immersive video exploring the wreckage on the ocean floor.

We are then treated to a private evening guided tour of Hillsborough Castle, a beautiful late Georgian mansion created in the 1770s by Wills Hill, first Marquis of Downshire. Surrounded by 100 acres of glorious gardens, Hillsborough boasts elegant State Rooms filled with wonderful paintings, furnishings and curiosities. Generations of the Hill family lived at Hillsborough until the early 20th century when the castle began to develop the political and royal associations for which it is famous today. Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret spent many holidays at Hillsborough and since the 1970s, it has been the official residence of both the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the British monarch.

Later we check into the Merchant Hotel, our base for the next three nights, and enjoy dinner at the Cloth Ear, nestled in the oldest quarter of Belfast.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We head to Castle Ward, an eccentric 18th-century house that features a curious mixture of architectural styles, including classical Palladian and elaborate Gothic. Set in 820 picturesque acres of demesne with superb views over Strangford Lough, the estate also has a stable yard that houses a tea room and second-hand bookshop.

To get to our next stop, we take the picturesque Strangford Lough ferry before continuing to the magnificent Mount Stewart House and Garden, located on the shores of the lough. This recently restored and much-loved family home offers a wealth of treasures, which we discover on our intriguing guided tour. The wonderfully atmospheric garden, with its series of formal-themed garden compartments full of rare and tender plants from across the globe, has been voted as one of the top ten gardens in the world.

This evening we sample a delicious Irish strew at the traditional Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast, one of North Ireland’s best-known pubs.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today we head out on a scenic drive along the north coast, known as the Causeway Coastal Route, winding between picturesque villages and admiring the spectacular sea and cliff views. Dunluce Castle is our first stop, a ruined medieval fortress which sits atop a striking basalt outcrop. Once home to both the feuding McQuillan and MacDonnell clans, we find out more with the exhibits on display here.

Next is the Italian-inspired Mussenden Temple, built in 1785 as a summer library and precariously poised above the Atlantic. Make sure your camera is on hand, as it’s now one of the most photographed spots in the country.
We meander along to the Giant’s Causeway, so-named for the enormous basalt columns produced by volcanic eruptions some sixty million years ago, and now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Interactive displays, exhibitions and audio guides in the state-of-the-art visitor center unveil the stories and science that surround this natural phenomenon.

Meals: Breakfast

After checking out of our hotel, we make our way to Castle Coole, one of Ireland’s first Neo-classical houses where the grandeur of its sumptuous Regency interior is matched by the stunning wooded landscape park. There is plenty to discover during our visit, including a state bedroom fit for royalty and the vast servants’ quarters below stairs, one of the most impressive in the entire National Trust collection.

We continue to 18th-century Florence Court, an idyllic Irish mansion featuring exquisite Rococo decoration and fine furniture, surrounded by lush parkland, peaceful woodland, stunning gardens and an apple orchard. It’s even home to one of Ireland’s most famous trees, the 250-year-old mother plant of every Irish yew tree across the globe.

Later we check into the Delphi Hotel in Galway, where we stay for the next three nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today we enjoy a scenic drive around the enchanting Achill Island, the largest of Ireland's offshore isles. The island’s striking natural beauty and rugged landscapes has it all; spectacular mountains, remote lakes, soaring cliffs and secluded beaches. First inhabited 5,000 years ago, the island is peppered with ancient forts, historic churches and megalithic tombs, and was used as a filming location for the award-winning 2022 period tragicomedy, The Banshees of Inisherin.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we get an authentic taste of rural life with a visit to Glen Keen Sheep Farm, one of Ireland's largest sheep farms located on the Wild Atlantic Way and with a spectacular backdrop of picture-perfect mountains. Here we enjoy a sheep herding and wood spinning demonstrations plus delicious homemade Irish scones.

We take a drive past the stunning Killary Fjord en-route to our next destination, Kylemore Abbey, where we can wander through the restored rooms of the beautiful Gothic Abbey, home to a monastic community of nuns since 1920. Outside, the six-acre Victorian Walled Garden is a delight to explore, where only flower and vegetable varieties from that era are grown. This was one of the last walled gardens built in Ireland during the Victorian period, and its magnificence at the time was compared to London’s Kew Gardens.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner