Authentic Ireland: Along the Wild Atlantic Way
There are no strangers here--only friends you haven't met yet. -W.B. Yeats
SELECT YOUR OWN DATES AND CREATE AN EXCLUSIVELY PRIVATE TRIP
HIGHLIGHTS + HIDDEN GEMS OF AUTHENTIC IRELAND
This trip to Ireland is a 9-day journey along Ireland's breathtaking West Coast. Our adventure begins by exploring Giant's Causeway, and then takes you through small authentic villages, historical cities, as well as lesser-traveled scenic roads. This rugged landscape will take your breath away. Visit impressive castles. Be captivated by the sounds and tales from local musicians and storytellers. Dine at lively pubs and experience Irish hospitality from friendly locals. Experience your culinary skills with the locals. And of course, you are certain to visit the perfectly timed visit to the jaw-dropping Cliffs of Moher and other unmissable highlights. Travel at the Irish pace as you experience off-the-beaten-path gems that will leave you with a heart for Ireland longing to return year after year!
A VISUAL OVERVIEW
Your Journey Map
Ireland
Belfast. Derry. Donegal. Sligo. Galway. Aran Islands.
Cliffs of Moher. Dublin.
Ireland
TRIP INCLUDES:
Accomodations
8 nights in local/boutique accommodations per the itinerary
Transportation
Pick up from Belfast airport on arrival day
Transfer to Dublin airport on departure day
Private ground transportation between each destination
Activities
Entrance fees & excursions per the itinerary
Exclusive private experiences/touring per the highlighted itinerary
Meals
8 daily full breakfasts
5 lunches + 5 dinners
Welcome and Farewell Dinners (beer or wine included)
Additional
Bottled water in the transportation vehicles
Local private driver and guides throughout the program
All gratuities to local guides, drivers, and staff
Worldwide Willett professional travel advisor assisting you from booking to departure
Adherence to our Covid-19 Safety and Risk Framework
Small group experience, maximum 15 people
TRIP DOES NOT INCLUDE:
International Airfare (USA-Belfast + Dublin-USA)
Passport fees
Excess baggage fees
COVID-19 vaccination fees
Required Travel Insurance
Alcohol, unless specified
Additional meals, activities, and excursions not listed
Laundry, telephone calls, and other items of a personal nature
A DAILY OVERVIEW
Your Itinerary
**Meals provided are indicated as Breakfast (B), Lunch (L) and Dinner (D)
DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO BELFAST
(Lodging: A locally-run boutique 4* hotel in Belfast)
Welcomed by your guide and driver upon arrival at the Belfast airport. Upon arrival, take a short authentic tour of the city. Your afternoon will be at leisure for you to rest up and prepare for your Irish adventure.
This evening, gather and experience Ireland's true hospitality with a welcome cocktail reception paired with local Irish music.
Meals: D
DAY 2: BELFAST. GIANT’S CAUSEWAY. LOCAL DISTILLERY
(Lodging: A locally-run boutique 4* hotel in Belfast)
Wake up this morning and have a delicious Irish breakfast. Following, travel to the Glens of Antrim, locally known as The Glens. Displaying the natural beauty of Ireland, it boasts of nine glens radiating from the plateau to the coast. Continue your journey to Giant's Causeway, the eighth natural wonder of the world! This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a natural wonder and is the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. Made up of 40,000 black basalt columns sticking out of the sea, the dramatic sight has inspired its visitors for centuries. Continue your adventure along the coast as you travel to Bushmills Distillery, the oldest legal distillery. There, in true Irish fashion, paired with lunch, savor a tasting (or two)! Conclude your journey with a private tour of the Titanic Belfast, a maritime heritage site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the legendary RMS Titanic was built in the early 1900s.
This evening will be at your leisure.
Meals: B, L
DAY 3: DERRY + DONEGAL
(Lodging: Locally-run boutique seaside cottages in Donegal)
Today, head west to the charming and historic town of Derry. Take a walking tour of the city, as you interact with the historic City Walls, which once separated Catholics and Protestants. This afternoon, following your independent luncheon, breathe in the salty Irish air as you travel along the Wild Atlantic Way to the town of Donegal. Upon your arrival to Donegal, briefly tour An Grianan Aileach, a Celtic stone fortress.
This evening, gather together for an Irish dinner at a local restaurant. For the following three nights, you will enjoy your stay at locally-run boutique cottages, overlooking the Sheephaven Bay.
Meals: B, D
DAY 4: DOWNINGS + WILD ATLANTIC WAY
(Lodging: Locally-run boutique seaside cottages in Donegal)
Begin your morning with an Irish breakfast at a local castle. Following, travel to Killybegs, a premier fishing port. Journey along the Wild Atlantic Way as you head to Glencolmcille, a truly authentic Irish town. Here, they only speak Gaelic, the original Irish language. Later this morning, try your hand at hand-weaving in the town of Ardara. After working up an appetite, have a true seafood luncheon at a local Irish pub. Following, return to your cottages for a late afternoon and evening of leisure.
Meals: B, L
DAY 5: DONEGAL
(Lodging: Locally-run boutique seaside cottages in Donegal)
Today you will have the opportunity to experience the tastes and culinary wonders of Ireland as the locals do. With your private guide, you will search the coastline aboard rowboats and kayaks in search of shellfish, seaweed, and local vegetables. Following your adventure at sea, meet with local cooks at your cottage for a hands-on cooking experience. As you savor your late luncheon paired with wine, local musicians and storytellers will entertain you. As you rest your head this evening, dream of the tastes, sights, and sounds of the enchanting Emerald Isle.
Meals: B, L, D
DAY 6: SLIGO + GALWAY
(Lodging: Locally-run boutique 4* hotel in Galway)
Say farewell to your local seaside cottage in Donegal and drive south to Sligo, the hometown of the literary legend, W.B. Yeats. Here, you will interact with a local poet, historian, and seanchaí, a traditional Gaelic storyteller. Take a private tour of his privately-owned home for over 200 years. As you meander and listen to the stories, gather together in a local farmhouse for lunch. Next, travel to the seaside town of Galway where you will stroll the streets and experience a historical food tour.
Conclude this evening with a group dinner at your locally-run boutique 4* hotel, where you will stay for two nights.
Meals: B, L, D
DAY 7: GALWAY + ARAN ISLANDS
(Lodging: Locally-run boutique 4* hotel in Galway)
Special highlight for those experiencing this trip in late September: Galway Oyster Festival and its day and evening festivities.
Today, take a day-trip via ferry to the Aran Islands. Here, you will discover its ancient sites of Inishmore, home to the prehistoric fort of Dun Aoghasa and the medieval ruins of the Seven Churches. Have a local Irish pub lunch. The wild landscapes of the Aran Islands will invite you into its natural wonder and traditional Irish lifestyle. Return via ferry this late-afternoon to Galway.
Your evening is at leisure.
Meals: B, L
DAY 8: CLIFFS OF MOHER + BURREN NATIONAL PARK
(Lodging: Locally-run and historic boutique 5* hotel in Dublin)
This morning, depart Galway and travel south through Burren National Park, renowned for its remarkable assemblage of vegetation and wildlife. Over 70% of Ireland's species of flowers can be discovered here. Continue your coastal drive along the Wild Atlantic Way to the Cliffs of Moher, one of the most outstanding coastal features of Ireland. With its panoramic views from dramatic cliff edges, you will be able to walk along and experience some of Ireland's most exhilarating coastal scenery. Following an independent lunch, continue to the bustling city of Dublin.
This evening, gather for your Farewell to Ireland dinner and show at the Celtic Nights at Arlington Hotel. Return to your five-star boutique hotel for your final evening in Ireland.
Meals: B, D
DAY 9: DEPART DUBLIN + WELCOME TO USA
Depart Dublin on your international flight home. As you return home, relish memories made on your Irish adventure.
Meals: B
Pricing is dependent on total of party and season traveling.
Please contact your Worldwide Willett advisor for customized pricing with your preferred dates.
A PRICING OVERVIEW
Your Trip Price
*On group trips, you’ll be paired with a roommate of your same gender unless you request your own room.
Your journey starts in Belfast, Ireland and concludes in Dublin, Ireland.
Your Authentic Ireland quotation has been prepared for 9 days & 8 nights.
Pricing is dependent on total of party and season traveling.
Option to add your own private room for an additional cost.
Please contact your Worldwide Willett advisor for customized pricing with your preferred dates.
Terms & Conditions (Worldwide Willett, LLC)
Your Terms & Conditions will be enclosed in your Registration Packet upon sign-up. You may also obtain a copy by submitting a request to info@worldwidewillett.com.
Passport
If traveling internationally, you must be in possession of a passport valid for 6 months after the return from your trip.
Deposit (Pre-planned trips)
A $1,500 non-refundable deposit is required for each traveler to secure the booking. 50% of your balance is due 30 days following your confirmation (varies by destination). Your final balance is due 90 days prior to the trip start date (dependent on the trip).
Rates + Fares
Rates quoted are accurate at the time of quotation and are subject to change until the program is confirmed. All rates are based upon official exchange rates that are guaranteed once programs are paid in full. Air quotes are based on current fares and are subject to change prior to ticketing. Rates are based on confidential tariffs and quoted for a complete program. No price breakdowns will be provided.
Payment
Payments can be made either by 1) full payment on booking 2) Deposit on booking + payment schedule. Payments will be invoiced via email for credit card or via check by mail.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations, less the trip deposit, are refundable up to 90 days prior to the trip start date unless otherwise specified. In addition to the above, you will be liable for any non-refundable deposits paid to suppliers on your behalf. There is no refund for a partially completed tour or for unused services of any kind.
Flexible Booking Policy Specific to COVID-19
In the wake of COVID-19, Worldwide Willett, LLC has implemented a flexible booking policy that allows for deposits and payments to be transferable to the greatest extent possible to new trip dates, should a recurrence of COVID-19 render travel impossible due to border closures and related travel restrictions.
Travel Insurance
The trip price does not include travel insurance. Trip protection-style travel insurance that includes travel medical coverage is required for all trips with Worldwide Willett, LLC. The coverage must have a minimum $200,000 of medical coverage and include injury, medical, evacuation, and repatriation. Trip insurance information will be included upon your registration.
Airlines
Worldwide Willett, LLC has no control over any airline operations and is not responsible for schedule changes, delays or cancellations. Airline delays and any extra expenses incurred are the sole responsibility of the airline.
Force Majeure
Worldwide Willett, LLC is not liable for acts of God, fire, weather, acts of governments or other authorities, wars, civil disturbances, riots, terrorist acts, strikes, thefts, pilferage, epidemics, quarantines, dangers incident to sea, land and air travel and other similar incidents beyond its control.
Responsibility
Worldwide Willett, LLC is a Georgia-based corporation purchasing transportation, hotel and cruise accommodations, restaurants and other services from various independent suppliers not affiliated with Worldwide Willett, LLC in any way. Although Worldwide Willett, LLC chooses the best suppliers available, the company has no right to control their operations and CANNOT, THEREFORE, BE LIABLE FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE OR LOSS which may occur due to (1) wrongful, negligent or arbitrary acts of omission on the part of a supplier, its employees and others not under the direct control of Worldwide Willett, LLC, or (2) defects or failures of any aircraft, vessel, automotive vehicle or other equipment under the control of independent suppliers.
Documents, Personal Identification, Vaccinations
Traveler assumes complete and full responsibility for all required travel documents including passport, visas, entry or exit fees, and vaccinations. Travelers are also solely responsible for any adverse consequences resulting from incomplete or defective documentation. Worldwide Willett, LLC does not cover the cost or assist in obtaining any of the above, and reserves the right to collect information on all.