11 Day Discover Ireland Tour

We do our utmost to ensure that the tour style you choose matches your needs. Our team offer honest and professional customer service from the moment you first get in touch.

Read the following physical requirements to understand if your tour choice matches your abilities.

You'll need basic mobility to enjoy any of our small group tours of Ireland. Standing and walking for extended periods is required on both tour styles.

For Vagabond Cultural Adventures, the fitness requirement is considerably higher than on a Driftwood Journey of Discovery.

Each of our small group tour departures travel around Ireland in one of two directions; clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Our most popular itineraries have departures in both directions. Apart from the direction, these itineraries are identical; both versions feature the same pool of hotels, activities, guide team, tour vehicles and pick-up/drop-off point in Dublin.

All of our tours leave from our pick-up/drop-off point at the Grand Canal Hotel in Dublin.

Our pick-up times from the Grand Canal Hotel vary by tour:

You don't have to pre-book activities until you join your tour. While on tour, your VagaGuide will advise you when you need to book an optional extra.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The only exception is the Skellig Michael Island landing option. This optional extra is only available on the 12 Day Vagabond Giant Irish Adventure Tour. It requires prior booking at least 45 days before you arrive in Ireland.

The short answer is: very, very little. Due to demand, we operate multiple weekly departures of our 11 Day Driftwood Discover Ireland Tour, as well as a single weekly departure of our brand new 11 Day Driftwood Ring of Ireland Tour itinerary.

These tours largely follow the same itinerary. They are all easy-paced Driftwood tours. They all visit Northern Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way with 2 nights in Clifden (Connemara).

We love introducing our guests to the wonderful cities and surprisingly wild coastline of Northern Ireland.

The following four small-group tour itineraries visit Northern Ireland:

There are two currencies used on the island of Ireland. Which one you need, depends on which part of Ireland you're visiting.

You'll use Euro (€) while visiting the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland's currency is the Pound sterling (£).

We recommend bringing a small amount of cash in euros to Ireland with you.

Around €300 euro should be more than enough to get you through your first days in Dublin.

The industry standard in Ireland is €15 per person, per day. But this is, of course, at your discretion.

Our team of VagaGuide tour guides really appreciate any tips that come their way after leading a Vagabond or Driftwood small-group tour.

To make everyone's tour run smoothly, we operate strict limits on baggage size. Plan to bring 1x compact suitcase as well as 1x daypack or backpack, per guest booking.

Your single large piece of luggage should weigh no more than 51lb (23kg) and measure no longer than 31” (79cm) along its longest side. This 31 inch (79cm) limit includes any wheels that may protrude from the suitcase or bag.

Travel light.

That's the one travel tip that we hear again and again from guests who have experienced our tours.

Serviced laundry facilities are available on tours that stay 2 nights in the following towns:

• 🧺 Dingle - Check which tours visit Dingle

Lunches and dinners are not included on Vagabond and Driftwood Tours. You are free to choose your own lunches and dinners.

Your VagaGuide tour guide will recommend their favourite cafes, restaurants and shops. We find that this flexible approach to included meals allows us to cater for diverse tastes, budgets and diets.

All hotel breakfasts are included in your tour price.

Most hotels in Ireland do not have air conditioning.

The climate in Ireland usually isn't hot enough to warrant air conditioning.

In periods of prolonged warm weather, hotels that don’t have air conditioning will normally install fans in the bedrooms.

Find out more about Irish weather and the best time to visit Ireland

All of your hotel rooms on tour provide hairdryers.

Please note that, in some cases, Irish hotel hairdryers may not be the most powerful models.

All of our hotels offer double, twin and single room types. Doubles have 1x bed, twins have 2x separate beds and singles have 1x bed.

When booking with us, please select a room requirement for each passenger listed. Choose your room type based on each person sharing.

While travel insurance is not a requirement for our tours, we strongly recommend that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance cover before your trip to Ireland.

Your policy should cover all medical costs associated with travel.

The standard bed size in Ireland equates to a US Queen (60" x 80"). This may vary with hotel or room type.

Yes, there are regular comfort stops along the tour route where you can avail of restroom facilities.

Simply ask your VagaGuide if you're unsure when the next stop is coming

There are no wifi or charging points available on Vagabond & Driftwood tour vehicles.

We recommend bringing a cellphone with you on tour in Ireland to take pictures and to stay in touch with loved ones back home.

Talk to your cellphone provider about international data roaming before you depart. Alternatively, purchase a sim card on arrival in Ireland to help you get online.

If you think you'll need it, pack a lightweight power bank in your daypack or backpack.

Even better, take a digital detox while exploring Ireland with us!

Donegal is one of our favourite places to visit in Ireland. We know you'll love it too!

The following tour itineraries explore Donegal.

All of our tours are fully guided by our team of expert driver guides.

We call them VagaGuides.

We always put guest safety first on Vagabond Cultural Adventures.

For this reason, when engaging in kayaking and horseback-riding activities, the following personal weight limits apply:

🐴 Horseback-Riding

Male weight limit: 238lbs / 17 stone / 108kg

Female weight limit: 225lbs / 16 stone / 102kg

🛶 Kayaking

Per person Double Kayak weight limit: 110kg / 17.5 stone / 245lbs

Total Double Kayak weight limit for 2 guests: 190kg / 30 stone / 420lbs

Per person Single Kayak weight limit: 92kg / 14.5 stone / 200lbs.

To help you plan your return flights, here are the days and times that our tours return to Dublin.

The return point for all tours is Dublin's Grand Canal Hotel

Dingle is one of our favourite small towns in Ireland. We know you'll love it too!

The following 8 tour itineraries stop in Dingle.

Garnish Island features a beautiful formal garden, warm microclimate and Martello Tower. This amazing destination is located in a sheltered bay near Glengarriff in deepest West Cork.

The following Driftwood Journeys of Discovery feature a Garnish Island Boat Trip Option:

The Wild Atlantic Way is one of our favourite routes to tour.

Here are all of the small-group tour itineraries that explore the Wild Atlantic Way.

All of our tours pick-up and drop-off from the same point in Dublin - the Grand Canal Hotel.

The Grand Canal Hotel is located just south of Dublin city centre.

It's difficult to access your main luggage or suitcase while on tour. Luggage is securely packed in our tour vehicles. As a result, it's not easy for your driver guide to access individual items of baggage during the day.

However, you can easily access your luggage at each hotel. So that you have your travel essentials close at hand, we recommend bringing a daypack, or backpack, that you can keep beside you in the tour vehicle.

Yes, all hotel rooms on Vagabond and Driftwood Tours of Ireland are ensuite.

Expect your own separate bathroom with toilet, sink and shower unit and/or combined shower and bath.