Grand Tour of Ireland

11 days from £4,673 per person

• Dublin
• Midleton
• Killarney
• Ballyvaughan
• Newmarket-on-Fergus
• County Laois

Do you want to experience the ‘real’ Ireland whilst staying at her most exceptional luxury properties? Ampersand has selected the finest castles and friendliest country homes throughout the land on this 11-night privately guided tour taking in Ireland’s most vibrant towns and ravishing landscapes, which have inspired numerous poets, painters and writers over the years.

UNESCO City of Literature, Dublin has all the attractions of a modern capital city combined with the beauty and heritage of the past. From Dublin head south to fertile County Cork and the mountains and lakes of the Ring of Kerry in the west, before travelling up to the craggy coastal landscape of Ballyvaughan and the white beaches at the Cliffs of Moher, and end in the green undulating hills of County Laois in the central heart of Ireland.

This grand tour includes Ireland’s best attractions and activities including heritage sites, castles, gourmet restaurants, swimming in lakes, fishing and golf, but with plenty of time at leisure to rest and enjoy the beautiful properties you’re staying at. Sink back and enjoy some of the most spectacular drives of your life as you are chauffer driven through incredible landscapes, including the mournful and dramatic scenery of the Burren, a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean and by the Shannon River and Estuary to the east.

End with the ultimate indulgence: 2 nights at Ballyfin, the most exclusive estate in Ireland, set in a place of tremendous natural beauty, romance and tranquillity. 

I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list.
Susan Sontag