-Day 1 Start tour
Day 2 Hello Dublin
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Details: Dublin city walk
Get a friendly introduction to Ireland’s capital city, compliments of your Tour Director. Discover an urban landscape of Georgian buildings, castles and cathedrals. Stroll bustling O’Connell Street, once (at 150 ft wide) the widest street in Europe, and still the busiest thoroughfare in Dublin. Pass shop after shop of local and global wares and flairs, and a lush street-meridian lined with tall trees and ebony statues of Irish leaders. Make your way to the end of the strip to Parnell Square, an antique scape of red brick townhouses and classic Irish theaters. As you wander the streets, take in the international glamour of Ireland’s most cosmopolitan city.
Details: O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is the city's main avenue, lined with shopping and monuments, including the Spire (Monument of Light).
Day 3 Dublin
Details: EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Explore EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum, located in Dublin's Docklands, the original departure point for so many Irish emigrants. The interactive museum will lead us through many facets of emigration: emigrants' reasons for leaving, how they influenced the world, and the connection between the Irish people worldwide.
Details: St. Patrick’s Cathedral visit
Visit St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. It is said that St. Patrick baptized converts on this site. Consequently, a church has stood here since 450 CE, making it the oldest Christian site in Dublin. The cathedral's design is primarily Early English in style, and features a 300-foot-long interior. It halls houses the largest ringing peal bells in Ireland. St. Patrick's is closely associated with Jonathan Swift, who was dean from 1713 to 1745, and whose tomb lies in the south aisle.
Details: Trinity College visit
Discover Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The beautiful campus features cobbled squares, gardens, a picturesque quadrangle and buildings that date from the 17th to 20th centuries. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, an 8th-century version of the four Gospels decorated with elaborate scripting and illumination. We will view this famous treasure and other early Christian manuscripts in the Colonnades, an exhibition area on the ground floor of the Old Library.
Day 4 Dublin--Limerick
Travel to Limerick via Bunratty
Details: Dublin marching band performance
Your performance will be today. Marching Bands traveling in March can be considered for the famous, annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Details: Bunratty Castle visit
Discover Bunratty Castle, a formidable castle built in the 15th Century. It has been preserved to look just as it would have in the 1500s. A tour of the castle will include the Great Hall, Main Guard, and the South Solar. We will this visit the adjoining Folk Park, an authentic recreation of life in Ireland in the late 19th Century.
Day 5 Limerick
Details: Limerick marching band performance
Your performance will be today. Bands traveling in March can be considered for participation in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in the morning and the Limerick International Band Competition in the afternoon.
Day 6 Limerick
Details: Cliffs of Moher visit
Venture to the end of the earth. The Cliffs of Moher jut 700 feet straight up from the Atlantic Ocean, layers of sandstone and shale striping the sheer cliff faces. O’Brien’s Tower perches on top and provides unparalleled views. With the surf crashing below and Ireland’s fabled green creeping down the rocks, the cliffs are one of the country’s most spectacular attractions. You’ll also visit the Aillwee Cave, a stalagmite-filled tunnel created by prehistoric glacial water rushing through the surrounding mountain. Archaeologists believe that the cave once served as a napping spot for hibernating brown bears, extinct in Ireland for the past thousand years. (Be nice to the doves outside—they’re a little worried about their own extinction since a pair of peregrine falcons moved into the area.)
Details: O'Brien's Tower visit
Climb O'Brien's Tower, a viewing point built for the benefit of Victorian tourists.
Day 7 Limerick--Dublin
Travel to Dublin via Adare and Cashel
Details: Adare city walk
Adare has claimed the title of Ireland's prettiest village due to its neat stonework, thatched roofs, and lovely ruins in a picturesque setting. Located in County Limerick, the town traces its history to 1200AD, with the present form dating to the early 19th Century. Walking among the medieval streets lined with small shops, visitors get the sense of being frozen in time.
Details: Cashel city walk
Cashel lies in the heart of Tipperary. The town's rich history is reflected in its medieval castles and monasteries, fortified town houses, and Georgian Quarter.
Details: Rock of Cashel visit
Visit the Rock of Cashel, an extraordinary ruined abbey at the top of a hill near Cashel. This outcrop of limestone, stretching 197 feet into the sky, possesses sixteen centuries of history. It was the castled seat of the kings of Munster as far back as 360 CE and remained a royal fortress until 1101. Today there are ruins of a two-towered chapel, a cruciform cathedral, a round tower, and a cluster of other medieval monuments. Inside the cathedral, ancient carvings survive in excellent condition.
Details: Dinner in Temple Bar
We will dine this evening in the lively Temple Bar area. Some of Dublin's best nightlife, restaurants, and unusual shops line these narrow streets between the Bank of Ireland and Christ Church Cathedral.
Day 8
Tour Includes:
- Round-trip airfare and other transportation described in the itinerary
- Accommodation in three- or four-star hotels in twin (or occasional triple) rooms with private facilities guaranteed throughout
- Plentiful daily breakfast to start the day energized and ready to go
- Appetizing, culturally representative, three-course dinner daily
- Full time, multilingual, WorldStrides tour director who is LEAP-trained in experiential education
- Local guide at sites and on city tours as described in the itinerary
- All of the venue arrangement fees and promotional costs for included concert performances
- LEAP! Learning through Exploration and Active Participation; trademarked immersive approach of learning by doing
- Entrances and transportation to sites and activities described in your itinerary
- Local guide and local bus driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
- Basic Medical, Dental, Emergency Evacuation Insurance during trip
- 24/7 On Tour Emergency Support
- Up to three college credits upon course completion (grades 9-12) or high school credit (grades 6-12)
- Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
- Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, costs for rental, transport of instruments or music stands, any passport or visa fees, or tips for the Tour Director or multi-day bus drivers. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid tips, or other customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
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