We took a 7 day train/bus tour of Ireland in early January 2025. The trip was well organized and the accommodations were excellent. Since the weather was unusual and it snowed and a number of planned attractions were closed, Railtours thankfully provided us with a guide, Richard, who spent the full week with us. Richard escorted us to the various trains, busses and attractions as well as navigating the numerous changes to the schedule caused by the weather. He also shared fascinating facts and details about Ireland which helped make our tour more interesting and memorable. A great tour (despite the weather), thanks to Richard and Railtours Ireland First Class. We'll be back soon!

We just returned from the 5 day Royal Atlantic tour with Railtour Ireland First Class. We had a fabulous experience and were impressed with the attention we received from start to finish. Finding our starting location was a breeze and we were escorted from destination to destination with friendly and knowledgable guides. We were on the tour over New Year’s Eve and it was nice to have someone get us to our tour destinations during a time of year when some places are closed. We saw some amazing sights- got lucky and had mostly fabulous weather- and met the most wonderful people. Shout out to some of our guides- David, Andrew, Anthony and all the others who looked after us royally. They helped us fit in some nice destinations, took out all the worries about the travel and gave us memories of a lifetime. We will DEFINITELY use them again. Thank you!

This trip was amazing; day trip to the Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, the Burren and Galway Bay. Words cannot describe the sights !! The cliffs brought me to tears ! The tour guide Brian was one of the best parts of the trip. The knowledge he brought to all of us about the history of Ireland with all the facts was incredible. The driver of our coach, Aiden, was an expert in his class ..the roads leading to these remote places are windy and beautiful and he made it so enjoyable ! We also cannot forget our lunch at Joseph McHugh (near the cliffs) outstanding !!! Thank you for one of the most memorable trips of our lives. Definitely recommend this company and this tour and we will definitely be back for more!!

Railtours appears to operate on a different model than other tour companies. They seem more tour agents, setting up accomodations and tours with local companies thus spreading your Euro around more efficiently. Also unlike other tours, you may not be with the same people your entire trip; as if there's ala carte options providing a more tailored experience. They do a good job of having their Yellow Jacket escorts meet you and ensure you get to where you're going and to the guide who'll show you around. I set out to enjoy eight days seven nights discovering Ireland. However a storm changed my travel to and from Dublin from London; which was slated to be a train and ferry ride. Railtours was proactive the day before my trip, letting me know that I would need to arrange a flight and refunding me the portion that was cancelled without me even requesting. Arriving Dublin on the day slated and to the Ashling Hotel (4*) near Heuston Station and was printed a voucher for a 48 hour Hop-on-off bus tour the following day. Then off via train to Cork to check out the last anchoring site of the Titanic and other sites before stopping in Killarney and the Great Southern Hotel (5*). Followed by a tour of the Ring of Kerry and a second night at Great Southern. Then it was off to the Galaway region to discover Aran Island and Connemara while staying at Galmont Hotel & Spa (4*). Returning to Dublin and the Ashling before traveling to Belfast to take a tour to Giants Causeway. My final tour day I chose to explore Dublin on foot. The intent was to travel back to London via Ferry and train; but the ferry was cancelled and I had to fly back on my final travel day. I was again refunded the unused ticket portion; which mother nature prevented. The trip at times felt a little fast paced due to some early wakeup and meet times to travel to the next destination. However, I did get to see quite a bit of the Emerald Isle. Recommend for people who aren't sure what they want to see. If you want more time in a location, you might check with Railtours about a more custom tour. Special shout out to the Yellow Jackets Gerry, John, Andrew, and to those whom I communicated with Suzanne and Carina.

Our tour guide was a lovely gentleman named Peter. He was a font of knowledge and he went well beyond expectations for out tour in terms of the information he imparted to us. We travelled to Bunratty Castle, the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. He gauged the interest - (and energy levels!) of our group and worked with the bus driver to make a special stop at the Burren on route to Galway. His descriptions and anecdotes about the sites we visited and his general knowledge concerning Irish history were (and remain) memorable to us.

We met Paddy at the Heuston train station in the wee hours of the morning. He gave us an itinerary and two return rail tickets. We then walked to the train. It was standard seating, but a trolley with sandwiches, danishes, and drinks came around. Everything we ordered was great. The first leg is long - probably close to three hours. You’ll want to bring a charger or something to do. We then switched at Mallow to go to Killarney. Unfortunately, our rail had a terrible accident and we were delayed three hours. Paddy was constantly giving us updates and trying to make it work, but as the delays got longer, it just wasn’t. It’s November and it gets dark early. They promised to give a full refund. Anyways, when we finally got off the train in Killarney, Paddy found out when the next train would be, led us to restaurants in Killarney. Later, when the next train arrived, he never left our side and guided us back to Dublin. It wasn’t the tour’s fault, but it was so kind of him to not just abandon us when the tour was cancelled. These things happen and it was out of the control. Wish we got to finish the tour though. Next time!

What an amazing day!! Starting from the first train ride John Todd was absolutely wonderful. He told stories and gave us history lessons all along the way. We learned loads about this beautiful country with the ease and comfort of our own private guide. John was super helpful with taking our photo at each location. Thanks for capturing our memories!! This tour (and our guide) were top notch!!

We had done Ireland before without a guided tour and having a guided tour was so much better. We wanted our mother (in-law) to have a magical trip. John T was a very entertaining and informative guide. He kept us on a leisurely pace allowing us time to take plenty of photos while taking some group photos for us as well. John is very pleasant and kind, we would certainly take another tour with him.

The tour consists of a train ride to Killarney and a bus tour around the Ring of Kerry. Our first guide John T escorted us on the train where he gave a comprehensive overview of what to expect in Kerry. He also enhanced our experience with anecdotes of Irish culture and local history. The bus tour with another guide ended an hour earlier than we expected as we spent little time at most viewpoints. The bus driver sped to each destination making photos out the window difficult. On past tours the driver would often slow when we passed significant points so the guide could narrate while we absorbed the view and took photos.

What an amazing trip. This was an excellent way to see Ireland. It’s hard to say what was better… the train ride, the castle, the cliffs… it was a great day. Norman was funny and full of knowledge and Michael did an excellent job driving. Side note… people need to remember to tip your guides!

Mixed review…John was our Yellow Jacket for the day. Gave us incredible insight and history on the areas we were to visit. Upon arrival back at the station he walked with us and shared a great experience at the church. One of the best (with Paddy, Jerry, and Joe). 5 stars. Now for the actual tour…we felt extremely rushed. Liked herded cattle. Our photo stops were extremely brief. Our guide and driver had little personality and acted like they did not want to be there with us. Many passengers made comments that they feared being left behind. I did as well. Our driver exceeded the speed zones and nearly put us in an accident. Did not feel safe at times. We arrived at approximately 16:00. We were not scheduled to be back until 17:10. We were shorted over an hour of our tour we spent good money for. The high points were the National Park and lunch.

Really liked our rail escort John. He was really friendly and helpful with navigating the stations. The history lessons on the train were insightful and we loved the map he gave us at the end. But Norman and Mike… Mike was driving the coach like he was mad at us. Flying down the roads at what seemed to be too fast of speeds for the tiny winding roads. We almost got into two accidents (totally would’ve been his fault) and he was definitely not afraid of his horn or using the brakes. It was supposed to be a nice scenic drive and even with seat belts on, he was throwing us all around. Norman mumbled half of what he said and not sure if it was his fault or Mike’s but by the time he said what to look at and what side of the bus, we were already too far past it to actually see it! Most of the photo stops we got maybe five minutes and on other tours we got 10-15 minutes. And Norman was sure to start herding us back on as soon as the last passenger was off! Again, supposed to be a scenic drive and we couldn’t even stand long enough to really take in the view. We got back into Killarney right before 4 and John was absolutely shocked to see our group on the sidewalk, the coach already a distant dot on the horizon. We should’ve gotten back in right after 5 and it’s disappointing that we got cheated out of an hour plus of time that we could’ve spent actually taking in the beautiful scenery that the area is known for. Again, loved John Todd but Mike and Norman were not it! We stopped in Sneem I think and even the owners of the shop we were at knew of how bad they are. That’s pretty bad if you have a reputation with people that don’t even use your service.

It wasn't clear about departure time from Dublin, but we made the train, barely. Nice train ride. Blarney Castle was pretty, but didn't want to wait an hour to kiss anything. Walked around the gardens. You only pass through Cork in a bus, so you don't see much of the city. We were delayed with traffic, so we never got to see Cobh Cathedral on the inside. The museum in Cobh was ok and more about the Titanic and Lusitania.

Loved this tour. We were 4 of us from India and got to experience the Irish countryside. The tour was well organised and without any major delays..the guides were knowledgeable and friendly. They made it a point to talk and keep everyone engaged. Special mention to our guide whose name I think is John who was very funny ( John if you are reading this - it's summer time in Dublin during the Jazz festival ;) )

Everything that was listed, we got to see. The tour highlight was the Giant's Causeway. I was disappointed by the Dark Hedges. Our guide Quiggs was definitely the best part of the trip with his historical knowledge and humor.