County Down

3-Day Northern Ireland Small-Group Tour from Dublin

Day 1 Departing Dublin at 09am you will travel north towards the border with Northern Ireland. From here it is a short journey into the city of Belfast famous for its industrial past and turbulent history. After a short tour of some of the key areas of the city you will arrive in the newly redeveloped Titanic Quarter where you will have time for lunch and perhaps a visit to the award-winning museum. Other options here include a visit to the SS Nomadic, the last surviving White Star Line steamship, the fascinating Titanic’s Dock and Pump-House or perhaps take a black cab tour of the city. Later in the afternoon you will leave the city and travel into the countryside of County Down for a visit to the world famous house and gardens at Mount Stewart before arriving in the seaside resort town of Bangor - your base for the next two nights.Day 2 Today you will follow one of the world’s great driving routes – the Causeway Coastal route through the beautiful scenery of the Antrim Coast and Glens. The tour follows the coast road from Larne to the world famous Giants’ Causeway. Along the way you will makes stops in attractive historic villages such as Glenarm and Ballycastle as well as the scenic attractions such as the Cushendun Caves and the many viewpoints along this stunning coastline. In the afternoon you will have a chance to explore the incredible rock formations at the Giant’s Causeway. Several places along today’s route were used as filming location for the TV series “Game of Thrones” and the last stop of the day will be at the stunning “Dark Hedges” - make sure your camera still has some battery power left! From here you return to Bangor for another night.Day 3 Another day full of contrasts and fascinating visits starting with a trip along the Ards Peninsula – a great favorite with holiday makers from all over Northern Ireland. At Portaferry we take a boat across the mouth of Strangford Lough to visit Castle Ward with its 18th century mansion, extensive gardens and grounds, estate walks and for “Game of Thrones” enthusiasts, the location of Winterfell and other scenes. From here it is a short drive to Downpatrick, site of the burial place of St Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. You will have time for lunch here and perhaps a visit to Down Cathedral or the St Patricks centre. In the afternoon the tour continues along the coast, with the brooding granite peaks of the Mourne Mountains on one side and the Irish sea on the other. After a detour into the heart of the mountains, through an area of traditional farms with their fascinating field patterns and huge stone walls you will reach the coast again on the shores of Carlingford Lough for the final stop of the day. From here you return back across the border and travel south to Dublin arriving around 7pm

3-Day Northern Ireland Small-Group Tour from Dublin

Day 1 Departing Dublin at 09:00am you will travel north towards the border with Northern Ireland. From here it is a short journey into the city of Belfast famous for its industrial past and turbulent history. After a short tour of some of the key areas of the city you will arrive in the newly redeveloped Titanic Quarter where you will have time for lunch and perhaps a visit to the award-winning museum. Other options here include a visit to the SS Nomadic, the last surviving White Star Line steamship, the fascinating Titanic’s Dock and Pump-House or perhaps take a black cab tour of the city. Later in the afternoon you will leave the city and travel into the countryside of County Down for a visit to the world famous house and gardens at Mount Stewart before arriving in the seaside resort town of Bangor - your base for the next two nights.Day 2 Today you will follow one of the world’s great driving routes – the Causeway Coastal route through the beautiful scenery of the Antrim Coast and Glens. The tour follows the coast road from Larne to the world famous Giants’ Causeway. Along the way you will makes stops in attractive historic villages such as Glenarm and Ballycastle as well as the scenic attractions such as the Cushendun Caves and the many viewpoints along this stunning coastline. In the afternoon you will have a chance to explore the incredible rock formations at the Giant’s Causeway. Several places along today’s route were used as filming location for the TV series “Game of Thrones” and the last stop of the day will be at the stunning “Dark Hedges” - make sure your camera still has some battery power left! From here you return to Bangor for another night.Day 3 Another day full of contrasts and fascinating visits starting with a trip along the Ards Peninsula – a great favorite with holiday makers from all over Northern Ireland. At Portaferry we take a boat across the mouth of Strangford Lough to visit Castle Ward with its 18th century mansion, extensive gardens and grounds, estate walks and for “Game of Thrones” enthusiasts, the location of Winterfell and other scenes. From here it is a short drive to Downpatrick, site of the burial place of St Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. You will have time for lunch here and perhaps a visit to Down Cathedral or the St Patricks centre. In the afternoon the tour continues along the coast, with the brooding granite peaks of the Mourne Mountains on one side and the Irish sea on the other. After a detour into the heart of the mountains, through an area of traditional farms with their fascinating field patterns and huge stone walls you will reach the coast again on the shores of Carlingford Lough for the final stop of the day. From here you return back across the border and travel south to Dublin arriving around 7pm.

Saint Patrick Tour from Belfast

ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Scrabo Tower, Newtownards, County Down, Northern IrelandScrabo Tower is a 135 feet high 19th-century lookout tower or folly that stands on Scrabo Hill near Newtownards in County Down, Northern Ireland. It provides wide views and is a landmark that can be seen from afar. We will climb up and admire the splendid views!Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Portaferry CastleDrive down the beautiful Ards Peninsula along the shores of Strangford Lough and get the car ferry across to the village of Strangford.Clients Pay for Ferry Crossing.Duration: 1 hourStop At: Strangford Lough, Strangford, County Down, Northern IrelandArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty, amazing scenery and wildlife abound.Duration: 30 minutesStop At: The Saint Patrick Centre, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern IrelandLearn all about St PatrickDuration: 1 hourStop At: Down CathedralVisit Saint Patricks Grave and get your own private tour of Down CathedralDuration: 30 minutesStop At: Slieve Patrick Statue, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Irelandwe will climb a mountain! Amazing views from the top!Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Saul Church, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern IrelandIrelands first Christian church, beautifulDuration: 10 minutesStop At: Inch Abbey, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern IrelandVisit Inch Abbey is a large, ruined monastic site 0.75 miles north-west of Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland, on the north bank of the River Quoile in a hollow between two drumlins and featuring early Gothic architecture. The site is mostly in State Care and is at grid ref: J477455, off the main road to BelfastDuration: 30 minutesStop At: Struell Wells, Downpatrick, County Down, Northern IrelandVisit to the HOLY HEALING WELLS. Well and Men's bath house, Struell Wells, October 2009Struell Wells (Irish: Toibreacha an tSruthail; Ulster-Scots: Struell Waals)[1] are a set of four holy wells in the townland of Struell, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland (grid ref: J513442).[2] The wells date from before the time of Saint Patrick, and even today are used for people seeking cures. On Mid-Summer Eve (St John's Eve) and the Friday before Lammas, hundreds of pilgrims used to visit Struell.[3] The earliest written reference to the wells is in 1306, but none of the surviving buildings is earlier than about 1600. Pilgrimages to the site are well documented from the 16th century to the 19th centuryDuration: 30 minutes