Rail Tours
6–7 hours
Free cancellation
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Recommended by 92% of travellers
92% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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€92
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Railtours Ireland First Class - Day Tours
Railtours Ireland First Class - Day Tours
Railtours Ireland First Class - Day Tours
4.5
Full view
About
Railtours Ireland First Class offers visitors to Dublin an extensive programme of day tours to Ireland's best known tourist attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle, Cork and Blarney Castle, the Giants Causeway, Game of Thrones Tour, the Ring of Kerry, Kilkenny and Waterford, Connemara and the Aran Islands. We also have a very popular half day tour - “The Wicklow Mountaineer” – which includes Ballykissangel (Avoca).Tours leave Dublin Daily (except Sundays). Fully hosted by the renowned Railtours Ireland hosts in reserved cars on scheduled trains and with connecting luxury coaches to continue the journeys, we ensure a memorable touring experience! Car Free Care Free Vacation!
Tours and Tickets by Railtours Ireland First Class - Day Tours
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Rail Tours
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 90% of travellers
90% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
€151
per adult
Rail Tours
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 90% of travellers
90% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
€151
per adult
Rail Tours
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
€151
per adult
Rail Tours
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
€151
per adult
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
1,712 reviews
Excellent
1,305
Very good
218
Average
83
Poor
54
Terrible
52
EDot
2 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
As a party of four we have just had an amazing 3 night 4 day experience on the Emerald Pullman First Class Train Trip.
The journey took in many of Ireland's most scenic & spectacular locations including Waterford Crystal, Killarney, The Ring of Kerry , Cliffs of Moher & Galway Bay to name just a few .. We experienced first class service from the time we left Connolly Station. The whole experience was completely relaxing and hassle free as everything was organised for us every step of the way, from the lovely hotels we stayed in to the wonderful tours of our beautiful country. Would highly recommend Railtours Ireland if planning a staycation and a huge thanks & appreciation to Jim Deegan and his very professional team for a great holiday in Ireland.
The journey took in many of Ireland's most scenic & spectacular locations including Waterford Crystal, Killarney, The Ring of Kerry , Cliffs of Moher & Galway Bay to name just a few .. We experienced first class service from the time we left Connolly Station. The whole experience was completely relaxing and hassle free as everything was organised for us every step of the way, from the lovely hotels we stayed in to the wonderful tours of our beautiful country. Would highly recommend Railtours Ireland if planning a staycation and a huge thanks & appreciation to Jim Deegan and his very professional team for a great holiday in Ireland.
Written 12 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Destination768395
4 contributions
Sept 2023 • Family
We had a very nice time but one of the hotels they put us in (Scotts) was very poor. They had a guitarist with a loud amp playing til after 11 when we had a 6am wakeup call the next day. There was no thermastat and the room was so hot we could not sleep even after the music stopped. This impacted our enjoyment of our trip to the cliffs of Moher because we were all so tired. On the nearly 2 hr bus ride from the cliffs to Galway, the tour guide was very nice,but talked nonstop. Retelling stories he already told us. Didnt read the room to realize we were all exhausted (one party had to be at Dublin train station at 6am that morning) and just wanted to sleep. He didnt allow us even 10 minutes of quiet from 3:30 til 5:30
Written 21 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Regina L
3 contributions
Jun 2022
This rail tour company did everything right. Terrific guides on our rail tour to Dublin and then on to Donnegal. Superb accommodations at Harvey's Point. They know what they are doing. We met Marie Sullivan as our guide to Harvey's Point and then from Harvey's Point to Sligo. What a wealth of knowledge and a passion for her profession. Emails were answered in a very timely fashion as well as any small changes we made or questions that we had. I highly recommend this company.
Written 21 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
maureenh
nj13 contributions
Nov 2019 • Solo
My husband and I were making our first trip to Ireland and wanted to see the most popular sites in the shortest period of time. Railtours of Ireland seemed to fit with multi day tours via train as well as coach. From the first phone call to book the tour,to the final day, I cannot say enough great things about Railtours. We arrived in Dublin on Wed and were given a complementary Hop on/Off bus ticket allowing us to see the Dublin sights.The following day we were met at the train station by David our tour guide who handed us our travel information and accompanied us on our 1st days journey to the Blarney Castle .The seats on the train were reserved and David spent the time getting to know each person on the trip.By the time we arrived in Cork, we felt like we were friends. The rest of the group had done the tour as a day trip so at the end of the day David was returning with them to Dublin. We however, were heading to Killarney to pick up the Ring of Kerry tour the following day. If I had reviewed the trip at this point it would have been 5*****, with David being an amazing historian and guide.I had no idea that it was just the beginning of great things to come.
As were nearing the end of the day, David informed us that when we got to the train station we would be met by a woman named Margaret, who also worked for the company. She would be responsible for coordinating our trip the remainder of the way to Killarney. We met Margaret who was as wonderful as David.Again we had reserved seats on the train. She facilitated our transfer from one train to another and came with maps of Killarney and several recommendations for shops and restaurants for our two night stay there. On arrival to Killarney station we were handed off to Dennis who drove us to the hotel and got us settled. We truly felt like VIP’s having a “handler” assuring that everything went smoothly.The following day we walked around the corner from the hotel and met up with The tour group going to Ring of Kerry.Ray was the outstanding tour guide, and we returned to our hotel with some great knowledge and pictures. The final day was the Cliffs of Mohar tour meeting up with David again coming from Dublin. Their driver, Batt ,picked us up at our hotel and provided car service to the meeting point an hour away. He waited with us until the coach arrived assuring that we were in the hands of Railtours before departing. Once again we had a great day with David with lots of amazing photos of the cliffs. We hope to bring our family with us next time and without a doubt will utilize This company for the group. The combination of sights and fantastic people of Railtours showed us the true beauty of Ireland.
As were nearing the end of the day, David informed us that when we got to the train station we would be met by a woman named Margaret, who also worked for the company. She would be responsible for coordinating our trip the remainder of the way to Killarney. We met Margaret who was as wonderful as David.Again we had reserved seats on the train. She facilitated our transfer from one train to another and came with maps of Killarney and several recommendations for shops and restaurants for our two night stay there. On arrival to Killarney station we were handed off to Dennis who drove us to the hotel and got us settled. We truly felt like VIP’s having a “handler” assuring that everything went smoothly.The following day we walked around the corner from the hotel and met up with The tour group going to Ring of Kerry.Ray was the outstanding tour guide, and we returned to our hotel with some great knowledge and pictures. The final day was the Cliffs of Mohar tour meeting up with David again coming from Dublin. Their driver, Batt ,picked us up at our hotel and provided car service to the meeting point an hour away. He waited with us until the coach arrived assuring that we were in the hands of Railtours before departing. Once again we had a great day with David with lots of amazing photos of the cliffs. We hope to bring our family with us next time and without a doubt will utilize This company for the group. The combination of sights and fantastic people of Railtours showed us the true beauty of Ireland.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Maureen,
It is wonderful to read your review of your recent three day tour with us and your kind words about everyone here involved. We really love receiving such positive feedback and are delighted that we contributed in some way to you enjoying your time in Ireland. I will pass on your kind sentiments to David, Margaret, Ray and Batt.
Hopefully we will see you on tour again with your family in the future.
Very best wishes for 2020!
Kind Regards,
Jennifer
Written 6 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hannah F
Willmar, MN1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Couples
We booked their 10-day all ireland tour for our honeymoon. We had lots of small issues with the tour throughout the trip which we understood happens but the parameters of our trip were start in London and end in London. Upon getting off our ferry in Holyhead we find train strikes. No problem surely our tour has arranged something for us or can help us get to London. Nope. The person we dealt with was rude and told us we were "lucky to even be given an accommodation in Holyhead for the night" (which we had to ask for since they wouldn't hire a taxi or bus for us) We had to use multiple packed full trains (in which we had to stand for hours) the next day to get to London. Thank goodness we are young and were able to handle the longs periods of standing and running to get to the next train. We lost over a $1000 in missed plays, hotels, and attractions due to the tours handling of this and were told it was not their problem despite that trip back to London being a part of their tour. The only reason I gave this more than 1 star is because the guides (Who are not paid!) were very sweet, knowledgable and tried their very best. I wanted to love this tour but our memory of our honeymoon has been tainted by the last few hellish days.
Written 29 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashlee B
8 contributions
Dec 2022 • Solo
Great Irish sights made all the better by amazing staff. I did the 3 day Blarney Castle/Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher tour. The tour gives you enough time to soak in the spectacular sights and staying in the town of Killarney was delightful. If you’re lucky enough to get John Todd as your tour guide you’ll have a great tour. His kindness is outstanding - even ensuring we all got home safe on the late last night. He also has a mountain of knowledge that he is enthusiastic to share and he knows how to get the most out of each tour destination.
Written 7 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob M
Denver, CO5 contributions
Jan 2025 • Friends
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!
Written 20 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CindylouwhoDB
Greensboro, NC27 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
We had a wonderful experience on the day tour of Blarney/Cobh lead by John Todd. John was well versed in the history of Ireland and was engaging and he had a wealth of knowledge to share. I recommend this tour and especially John who communicated with all on the tour keeping us all connected to insure we all had a great experience.
Written 21 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judy B
1 contribution
Dec 2024 • Family
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!!
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!!
Written 30 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marta L
1 contribution
Apr 2023 • Couples
Paid $140 per person for the tour guy to just drop us in Dublin! Me and my 75 yr old mother! There NO tour at all we were left on our own! The tour guy called his manager and he said he didn’t care because we were only 2 people and left us!
Written 14 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much actual walking do you do each day on the 7 day All Ireland tour?
Written 12 September 2022
Hi Does the 6 day tour cover Dingle? There’s some mention on the site but I can’t tell if you’re just driving through looking at the scenery or actually walking around the area. Thanks
Written 7 March 2020
Hi there,
Our 6-day All-Ireland tour does not visit Dingle for any length of time. Day 3 of the tour will offer views of Dingle bay, but there is no time spent there.
We do have tours however that include a visit to Dingle. Please see tours DH03D and DH03D6 on our website for more information.
I hope that this helps.
Kindest regards,
Áine
Written 19 March 2020
Hello we have a tour tomorrow hopefully you see this, is there parking anywhere?
Written 18 October 2019
Hi there,
There is parking provided at both Heuston and Connolly station. There is the option to pay for 24hours parking online which costs €8.50. However, paying at the machine in the car park will cost €9.50. All information on parking can be found by searching 'Car Parking at Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail Stations'.
I hope that this helps.
Best,
The Railtours Ireland Team.
Written 25 October 2019
We are interested in the 1-day trip to Cliffs of Moher/Galway. Is this a good trip for a 4 year old?
Written 3 September 2018
Hi there,
Thank you for your interest in our tours.
We welcome passengers of all ages on this particular tour. This tour visits Bunratty Castle which is very child friendly, and has a whole host of farm animals to visit. The grounds are spacious and children are able to ramble around and play accompanied by parents/guardians.
This tour visits the Cliffs of Moher, which are naturally breathtaking. However, we understand that young children may not fully grasp the beauty of the surroundings. There is a visitor centre, however, which houses a food hall with child friendly meals and high chairs for the little ones.
We receive a lot of positive feedback from families who have taken this tour with us. This tour in particular has a number of stops, at Bunratty, Doolin, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and Galway city which allow passengers to stretch their legs, visit the attractions and take some photographs. These stops also allow families to break the journey for young children.
I hope that this helps.
Many thanks,
The Railtours Ireland Team
Written 1 July 2019
I am looking at the 5 day tour. If there are four of us traveling, can we have two separate rooms, and are we guaranteed to stay together (same hotels, busses, etc) if booked together? Are we able to request and/or know the overnight accommodations ahead of time?
Written 21 August 2018
Hi Aimee,
Many thanks for your question. Once the four of you book together then you will be guaranteed the same hotel and we will automatically book you into separate rooms. If you book directly with us you will automatically be upgraded to a four star hotel in Killarney (normally B&Bs are used), will receive a complimentary full Irish breakfast on board the 07.00 train to Cork on day one (excluding departures on Saturday’s) and will also receive a free Dublin City Hop On/Hop Off tour per person worth €22 each. We use a selection of hotels in both Killarney and Galway, it depends on availability at the time of booking which hotel we use.
Reservations can be made on our website, by telephone at +353 1 8560045 or toll free from the US and Canada at 1-877-451-4783.
Kind Regards,
Jennifer
Written 22 August 2018
I am thinking of booking this tour for my college aged daughter and myself. Can you tell me more about the bus? Was it very uncomfortable? I'm concerned about the lack of leg room you mention. Also did you like the hotels?
Thank you!
Written 20 June 2018
Here at Railtours Ireland First Class, we use a mixture of trains and coaches for each of our tours. As the rail routes do not extend to many of the different tourist attractions in Ireland, we do use tour coaches to reach these destinations. Locations, such as the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry & the Giant's Causeway, are unreachable by train. Our tour coaches are modern, comfortable and air conditioned.
We use a variety of 3 and 4 star standard hotels in the different locations throughout Ireland and we receive a lot of positive feedback on our partner hotels from our guests who have traveled with us in the past.
Written 24 September 2019
What are the luxury coaches like? I have not seen any pictures posted of them. Is there a strong smell of exhaust fumes? My wife has an acute sensitivity to this. Are the seats comfortable? We are interested in the four day tour to Blarney/Cork/Cobh, Ring of Kerry, Dingle
Peninsula, and Limerick/Galway/Cliffs of Moher. Thanks in advance.
Written 31 May 2018
Here in Railtours Ireland First Class, we use modern, comfortable coaches for the legs of the journey that cannot be reached via rail.
As we use modern tour coaches, there is no smell of exhaust fumes emanating from the vehicle itself.
We do advise those who suffer from travel sickness to sit at the front of the tour coach as close as possible to the driver's seat, where they can see out the window. This is a stable part of the bus that is less affected by changes in motion.
In Ireland, particularly around the Ring of Kerry, there are lots of winding roads. So, sitting up front of the coach makes it easier for your body to coordinate feeling the bends of the road with what you see.
We hope that this helps.
Kindest Regards,
The Railtours Ireland Team.
Written 26 September 2019
Is there a luggage limit on the grand Atlantic rail tour? If so where are you able to store your extra luggage?
Written 15 September 2017
Hi Jeff,
There are luggage facilities on board trains & coaches and we try to keep luggage transfers between trains and coaches to a minimum.
It is recommended that large excess amounts of luggage be stored, perhaps, at your Dublin hotel for the duration of your rail tour.
You will not have to transport your luggage for any length once you check in for your tour on the first morning of departure, as it will be stored on the trains & coaches and dropped to your hotel in the evenings.
We do advise that you only bring what you are comfortable lifting on/off trains & coaches. However, there is no luggage restriction.
We hope that this helps.
Kindest Regards,
The Railtours Ireland Team.
Written 26 September 2019
On the Cliffs of Moher tour, what is the breakdown for how much time is spent on the train vs bus?
Written 15 July 2017
Hi Summer,
This tour departs Heuston Station, Dublin, at 07:00am and arrives to Limerick at 09:00am. From this point, our tour coach does a city tour of Limerick while en route to Bunratty Castle. From Bunratty Castle, the coach makes its way to Doolin in Co. Clare for the lunch stop.
After lunch, we make our way to the Cliffs of Moher where we stop for just over an hour. The tour coach then goes along Galway Bay and into Galway City centre, where there is time to get some dinner before boarding the train to Dublin.
The train departs Galway at 19:20 and arrives to Heuston Station, Dublin at 21:45pm approx.
We hope that this helps.
Kindest Regards,
The Railtours Ireland Team
Written 26 September 2019
Is it acceptable to bring a 2 year old with us for the 2 day tour to Cork/Cobh/Kerry? Has anyone traveled with kids?
Written 13 July 2017
Here at Railtours Ireland First Class, we welcome families with children of all ages. We see many families choosing to travel with us on a number of our tours, this tour included.
As some of the other contributors mentioned, there are steps and uphill walks at some of the locations. However, it is completely up to you as a family what you want to do at each location. Many guests opt to climb the winding stairs at Blarney Castle to kiss the famous Blarney stone, while others choose to relax in the gardens and enjoy a bite to eat in the restaurant.
One of the enjoyable things about our rail tours is that, at each location, you are independently touring for the duration of the allocated time at each stop. It is up to you how you wish to spend your time at Blarney Castle, Cóbh, etc. This way you can assess what is right for you and your travelling companions.
There are a number of stops on Day 2, the Ring of Kerry, which allows everyone to stretch their legs and get some fresh air at frequent intervals. The villages visited throughout the day are great spots to enjoy a coffee or an icecream during nice weather, and there are a number of little shops and cafés that are family friendly.
We hope that this helps.
Kindest Regards,
The Railtours Ireland Team
Written 26 September 2019
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