BI 24 - AN IRISH AND ENGLISH ENSEMBLE
10 DAYS

You Will Always Have Your Own Private Tour
(Year-round) On Guaranteed Dates

Register For Costs From Your Nearest Gateway



Admission Costs Included to all Bolded Sites in the Itinerary.

 

1. Round-trip airfare with a major carrier on scheduled flights and guaranteed dates

2. All airport taxes

3. Accommodation in three star (occasional 4 star or superior 2 star) tourist class hotels with private facilities guaranteed throughout

4. Continental Breakfast and Dinners throughout your touring program

5. A Casterbridge Tour Manager/Guide to accompany your group 24 hours a day from arrival to departure

6. All excursions, cultural activities and (several pre-booked) admissions, per your itinerary

7. All Transportation by private coach

8. One Free Place for Group Leaders with every ten full-paying participants

9. All taxes

10. All of the venue arrangement fees and promotional costs for your performances, as stated in the itinerary.



WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

1. Lunches and beverages with meals

2. Visas (if required)

3. Travel Insurance

4. Transportation of equipment by land and/or air or hiring of instruments

5. Any fees imposed by the airline for a second piece of checked baggage

 

 

DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Ireland.

DAY    2            ARRIVE SHANNON - KILLARNEY (2 NIGHTS)
You will be met at the airport by your tour manager/guide board your own private coach and get an immediate introduction to the splendors of Ireland when we visit Bunratty Castle, a formidable castle built in the 15th century, which has been preserved just as it would have looked in the 1500s.  We will take a tour through the castle, including the Great Hall, the Main Guard and the South Solar, before visiting the adjoining Folk Park, which is an authentic re-creation of life in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century In the evening we will have a Local Folk Evening full of traditional Irish ballads, dance and folk music.

DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO THE RING OF KERRY
Today we will enjoy a leisurely tour around the famed Ring of Kerry, a beautiful drive around the Iveragh Peninsula. We will enjoy a splendid variety of outstanding coastal panoramas and magnificent mountain views.  During the course of our tour, we will have the opportunity to stop and explore many small towns and villages on the peninsula, including Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Caherciveen.

· Your First Concert Performance will be today

DAY    4            KILLARNEY - BLARNEY - CASHEL - DUBLIN (2 NIGHTS)
We will leave Killarney and drive to Blarney Castle, one of the most haunting and striking castles in Ireland.  The remains of this impressive castle include a massive square tower, with a parapet rising 83 feet, and the infamous Blarney Stone, wedged underneath the battlements; it is traditional to kiss the stone to ensure the gift of eloquence.  We will also stroll through the gardens and a nearby dell beside Blarney Lake, before having the opportunity to visit Badger Cave and adjacent dungeons, penetrating the rock at the base of the castle. As we drive through the heart of the `Emerald Isle' we will stop to visit the spectacular Rock of Cashel, a monumental 12th century cathedral complex dominating the surrounding landscape.  The Rock was the stronghold of the kings of Munster for seven centuries, and it was here that St. Patrick converted them and made the shamrock the emblem of Ireland.  We will continue our journey to Dublin, a city of splendid history with wide Georgian streets and elegant squares which was once home to such famous Irish writers as Shaw, Joyce and Yeats.

DAY    5            DUBLIN
Our morning begins with a visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. It is said that St. Patrick baptized converts on this site, and consequently a church has stood here since A.D. 450, making it the oldest Christian site in Dublin. St. Patrick's is closely associated with Jonathan Swift, who was dean from 1713 to 1745 and whose tomb lies in the south aisle. Our day continues with a visit to Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland, with cobbled squares, beautiful gardens, a picturesque quadrangle, and buildings dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The college is also home to the Book of Kells, an 8th-century version of the four Gospels with elaborate scripting and illumination.

· Your Second Concert Performance will be today

DAY    6            DUBLIN - FERRY CROSSING - WESSEX(2 NIGHTS)
Today we will cross the Irish Sea by ferry and then drive through the beautiful, mountainous Welsh countryside to our hotel in the Wessex area of southwest England. En route we will visit a Medieval Castle built by the English to subdue the Welsh (which castle will depend on your ferry routing).

DAY    7            BATH
Today we explore the ancient Roman city of Bath. One of Europe's most beloved cities, Bath is set among the rolling green hills of the Avon valley, and is a compact, traffic free city offering an abundance of history and charm. We begin with a visit to the Roman Baths, first associated with the Celtic King Bladud, and later established by the Romans in the 1st century. We continue with a Walking Tour through historic Bath, where we will see: Bath Abbey's spectacular façade, Pulteney Bridge, featuring quaint shops and wonderful views of the city, the Circus and the Royal Crescent, one of Britain's finest streets. Our day concludes with visits to the Assembly Rooms and the Museum of Costume, which features a collection of costumes in authentic period settings, displaying the changing fashions from the 16th century to present day.

DAY    8            WESSEX - STONEHENGE - SALISBURY - LONDON (2 NIGHTS) This morning we visit mysterious Stonehenge, a huge circle of lintels and megalithic pillars, and one of the most impressive prehistoric monuments in Britain. We continue to nearby Old Sarum, where a Celtic hill fort, as well as Roman, Saxon and Norman strongholds once stood. We will spend the afternoon in Salisbury, where we will visit Salisbury Cathedral. Our visit will include the cathedral's 13th-century octagonal chapter house, which displays one of the four surviving original texts of the Magna Carta. We continue on to London where after dinner, we will take you on a leisurely Walking Tour of Westminster to introduce you to some of London's most famous sights. We will start at Trafalgar Square, walk down Whitehall past Horseguards Parade and Downing Street before arriving at Parliament Square and the Houses of Parliament. Your walk can continue through St. James's Park to see Buckingham Palace.

DAY    9            LONDON
Our morning begins with a visit to the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include: the Rosetta Stone, whose discovery led to the deciphering of hieroglyphs; the Elgin Marbles, from the Parthenon in Athens; and the Sutton Hoo Treasure. After lunch we continue with a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's Renaissance-style masterpiece. Our visit will include an ascent to the Whispering Gallery, an acoustic marvel in which the faintest whisper can be heard clearly on the opposite side, as well as the American Memorial Chapel, honoring the 28,000 U.S. service personnel who lost their lives while stationed in Britain during World War II.

· Your Third Concert Performance will be today

DAY    10          DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your tour manger/ guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.

Please note that the sightseeing content may be amended or eliminated in order to facilitate the best possible concert arrangements for your group.

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