Ireland · SHORE EXCURSIONS
Every Irish trip has one free day too few. These 12 shore excursions justify the slot, priced and timed so you can decide over breakfast and get on with it.
Visit Blarney Castle, shop at Blarney Woollen Mills, explore Kinsale, and see Cork and Cobh on an 8-hour shore excursion.
“Extraordinary tour and historical descriptions! Native tour guide, up on all current events! Thanks!”
Review of the Cork shore excursion to Blarney Castle and Kinsale, with port transfers, guided commentary, pricing, timing, and practical tips.
“Disappointed. The guide would not accompany you into the complex of Blarney Castle. He just dropped you there for 3 and a half hours. You have to go through it by yourself. You will learn nothing and a lot of waiting. He didn't warn you that the wait to get into the Castle is at least 2 1/2 hours. And when it's time to return to the bus, you are on your own to rember the route. The next stop is Kinsale village. It's gaudy and has a lot of neon color. Not worth visiting. Ultimately, the bus didn't drop you off at the Cork Cathedral. We must hike up…”
Review of Dublin shore excursion to Glendalough, Wicklow, Trinity College, Temple Bar, and Grafton Street, with practical cruise-day advice.
“Connor was wonderful and very knowledgeable. He also had a great sense of humor! Ask for Connor! The tour itself had great stops and we were even given a few pleasant surprises! Stirling castle was great as was Loch Lomond.”
Ride the DART from Dun Laoghaire, then explore Dublin by hop-on hop-off bus with live guides, coastal views, and flexible stops.
“Great narration and got to see several places. It did not feel like 9 hours.”
Review of Dublin’s cruise-friendly DART and hop-on hop-off tour, with city sights, live commentary, practical tips, value, and key drawbacks.
“This is a great option for travelers that are on a cruise ship that ports at Dun Laoghaire. This tour included the train transfer and there were Do Dublin staff readily available when we got off of the ship to give us instructions on which train to get on to get to the City Center and which train to come back on. The hop on hop off bus is a great way to see the city and all of the sights, so just hop off where you want to and hop back on when you want to. We still did quite a bit of walking and some of the stops…”
See Dublin’s top sights by hop-on hop-off bus, with 24 active stops, audio commentary, walking tour access, and flexible 24 or 48-hour use.
“We really enjoy this tour! Would recommend it to anyone who wants to get to know the city.”
Explore Donegal from Killybegs with a castle, abbey ruins, free time, Wild Atlantic Way scenery, and the towering Slieve League cliffs.
“Fun excursion good use of time Loaded with local information Our guide Seamus was great. Would recommend!”
See Dublin’s top sights by open-top bus, with live guides, eight language options, free child tickets, and flexible 24 or 48-hour access.
“It was like most hop-on-hop off's. It gave you the overview of the city. Nothing special. Wasn't the best ho ho's I've been on (Boston) but wasn't the worst either. It does give you a good bang for your buck.”
Review of a private Cobh shore excursion to Blarney, Cork, and Kinsale, with flexible touring, local guides, and ship-friendly transport.
“Tony Murphy was an excellent guide & driver. So happy not to be part of a huge group off the cruise ship. Bus was comfortable, clean and spacious. Tony was informative and not overbearing at all.”
Explore the Cliffs of Moher from Galway by coach, with Burren scenery, Doolin, coastal stops, and six hours at the cliffs.
“Horrible service never got on the excursion. There was a communication issue booked got the wrong day.”
See Blarney Castle, Cork, Kinsale, and Cobh on a small-group shore tour with a luxury van, scenic drives, and ship-safe timing.
Explore Ireland’s Boyne Valley from Dublin with a private guide, Newgrange, Tara, Trim Castle, Monasterboice, and optional whiskey tasting.
“Trim castle was great! Unfortunately, we were unable to complete the main part of the tour (New Grange) because we were not told we needed to book tickets in advance. Everything else was OK. Also, the distillery was closed. Although our driver was great, this tour was definitely not worth the cost. I would not trust Viator again for any tours I take.”
Pick a coast, a valley or a distillery.
