EF Ultimate Break Grand Tour of Ireland Review
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In this post, we’re going over what it’s really like to travel with EF Ultimate Break for the Grand Tour of Ireland tour! We wanted to give you a detailed look at what this EF Ultimate break tour includes. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell what is included and what the days will actually look like when reading through an itinerary. So we’re sharing how our EF Ultimate Break Grand Tour of Ireland trip experience!
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What It’s Actually Like Traveling with EF Ultimate Break
Why We Love Traveling with EF Ultimate Break
We traveled with EF Ultimate Break on the Grand Tour of Europe trip, and it was indeed the trip of a lifetime! We love traveling with EF Ultimate Break because it removes so much of the detailed planning required for an international trip. EF Ultimate break also makes it super affordable to travel. Read more about why traveling with EF Ultimate break is worth it in our detailed post!
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EF Ultimate Break Grant Tour of Ireland
Why did we choose the Grand Tour of Ireland?
We chose the Grand Tour of Ireland because our ancestors are from Ireland, and it’s been on our bucket list for years. The grand tour of Ireland is one of the two all-Ireland trips EF Ultimate break offers. We also liked how the trip included all the major cities in Ireland and attractions while offering free time. This adventure-packed trip has everything from the lively streets of Dublin to the stunning Cliffs of Moher to the amazing Irish libations and cuisine. Read our blog post for an insider’s guide to this unforgettable journey.
What’s included in the Grand Tour of Ireland?
The Grant Tour of Ireland is a 9-day EF Ultimate Break trip that includes all the major bucket list items for Ireland! The trip includes:
- Round trip flights
- Full-time tour director
- Transportation between cities
- Welcome dinner and farewell dinner
- Admission to included activities
9 Days in Ireland Itinerary – EF Ultimate Break Grand Tour of Ireland
Here is a detailed look at our day-to-day itinerary
Day 1-2 – Dublin
The first two days of the Grand Tour of Ireland are the arrival and settle-in day. Almost all EF Ultimate break trips are like this. The first day is when you fly to your destination, get checked in to your first hotel or hostel, and then have the welcome dinner. Group members will arrive throughout the day. You might arrive early or later in the day, depending on where you are flying from. We arrived early, around 8 AM, in Dublin, so we had the whole day to explore! Which was great but also very tiring because of the jetlag. So, for us, our first day was a tourism day. That evening, we met with our tour director for introductions and then walked to our welcome dinner.
- Free time
- Self-guided walking tour – Temple Bar, Penny Bridge, downtown
- Lunch in Temple Bar
- Guided tour of Dublin Castle
- Checked in and met with group
Day 3 – Dublin
- Sightseeing bus tour with local guide – includes entry to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and 1 hour guided tour
- After 12 PM – Free time
- Lunch, shopping, Jameson tour
- Guinness Storehouse
- Dinner – Brazen Head
Day 4 – Kilkenny
- Drive to Kilkenny
- On route – tour director planned trip to Glendalough
- Quick lunch in Kilkenny
- Smithwicks guided tour
- Free time
- Medieval Mile
- Dinner – Kytelers Inn
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Day 5 – Killarney
- Toured Kilkenny Castle before driving to Blarney
- Blarney Castle – Free time at Blarney Castle
- Arrive in Killarney
- Dinner – The Shire
- Free time – walked around town
Day 6 – Killarney
- Jaunting Cars tour of Killarney National Park
- Ring of Kerry driving tour with a stop for lunch and snack
- Tour director planned to hike at Killarney National Park
- Dinner – Bricin
- Tour director planned – Celtic Steps Show
Day 7 – Galway
- Drive to Galway with a stop at Cliff of Moher
- Free evening in Galway – Music and shopping
- Dinner – Gatto Rosso
Day 8 – Galway
- Optional Aran Island Excursion – all day with lunch at Aran Islands
- Farewell dinner – The Western
Day 9 – Return Home
Day 9 is the departure day, or you can continue your travels by not flying home, or by adding another EF Ultimate Break trip. For those traveling home on the final day, transportation was provided from Galway to the Dublin Airport
When booking with EF Ultimate break, you can fly home on the departure day, extend your trip by booking another trip back to back, or continue on your own. We opted to continue exploring Northern Ireland on our own with our family. When doing this, we called EF Ultimate break support and told them our new departure date (and where we wanted to fly back from), and they rearranged our flight home. When continuing on your own like this, you are responsible for all other accommodations and travel aside from your flight back to the United States. For anyone not continuing on another trip, day 9 is a departure day, during which you are shuttled from Galway back to Dublin for your flight home.
Book with our referral link and get $100 off your next EF Ultimate Break trip!
Why you should book the Grand Tour of Ireland
The grand tour of Ireland is an excellent trip if you want to immerse yourself in a single country. It was a great way to see most of Ireland’s major attractions and destinations in a single trip. The Grand Tour of Ireland has a good balance of organized and free time. We personally liked how the trip was just over a week, so it didn’t feel too short, but it wasn’t too long away from home either. We appreciated that being only in one country, the bus rides were not long. The longest ride was 3 hours.
EF Ultimate Break’s Grand Tour of Ireland is a fantastic trip if you want to see beautiful landscapes, interact with fantastic people, eat amazing food, and drink good beer and whiskey!
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