Irish Castles & Gardens: Grand Houses and Green Estates

Today you enjoy elegant Dublin and the sublime gardens of Powerscourt. In the morning you might take in the highlights of the capital, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, the elegant Georgian squares and the leafy paths of St Stephen's Green. Then you drive south into the beautiful Wicklow Mountains to Powerscourt, whose gardens are consistently ranked among the finest in the world. You wander sweeping Italianate terraces descending to a mirror-still lake framed by the Great Sugar Loaf mountain, exploring a Japanese garden, a walled garden, statuary, follies and towering specimen trees, perhaps taking in Ireland's highest waterfall nearby. The grandeur, design and setting are magnificent. As the day ends, you return to Dublin. This evening, savour a fine dinner and the elegant, sociable atmosphere of the city. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to medieval Kilkenny and its great castle.

Today you journey south to Kilkenny, Ireland's finest medieval city, and its magnificent castle. You travel through the green countryside of Leinster, perhaps pausing at a country garden or estate along the way, and arrive in Kilkenny, a beautifully preserved medieval city of narrow lanes, old stone houses and historic pubs above the River Nore. You tour Kilkenny Castle, a mighty Norman fortress remodelled as a stately home, exploring its grand restored rooms, including the magnificent Long Gallery hung with portraits, and strolling its beautiful landscaped parkland, rose garden and woodland. You walk the atmospheric Medieval Mile past merchant houses, craft workshops and the soaring Saint Canice's Cathedral. The history and gardens are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into Kilkenny. This evening, enjoy the city's historic pubs and fine local food. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to Killarney and visit elegant Muckross House and its lakeside gardens.

Today you journey west to Killarney, with a great historic site and an elegant garden along the way. You might pause at the dramatic Rock of Cashel, a great outcrop crowned with a medieval cathedral, round tower and high crosses, then continue through rolling countryside into Kerry. Reaching Killarney by afternoon, you visit elegant Muckross House, a grand Victorian mansion on the shores of the lakes within the national park, touring its beautifully furnished rooms and wandering its magnificent gardens, famous for rhododendrons, azaleas and rare subtropical plants, with sweeping lawns running down to the water beneath the mountains. The elegance and setting are captivating. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel in Killarney, ringed by lakes and mountains. This evening, enjoy fine Kerry produce and the lively, welcoming atmosphere of the town. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to your magnificent lakeside castle in the west of Ireland.

Today you journey north and west to the crowning glory of this journey, a magnificent lakeside castle set in a vast garden estate. You travel up through Clare, perhaps pausing at the mighty Cliffs of Moher or a coastal garden, and continue to the shores of Lough Corrib and the village of Cong. Here, beneath wooded hills on the edge of a mirror-still lake, stands a magnificent castle transformed into one of the finest hotels in the world, set in a vast estate of ancient woodland, formal gardens, terraces and lough. As the day ends, you settle into your fairytale surroundings, perhaps with afternoon tea or a glass of champagne overlooking the gardens and lake. This evening, dine by candlelight on the finest Irish produce in the grand dining room, amid turrets, antiques and log fires. Rest well amid the luxury and beauty of your lakeside castle estate.

Today you enjoy a full day at your magnificent castle estate and the gardens of Connemara. In the morning you wander the estate's manicured Victorian gardens, terraces and woodland walks, and might try the ancient art of falconry, walking a Harris hawk through the grounds, or cruise the mirror-still lake in a classic boat. In the afternoon you could drive into wild Connemara to visit the fairytale Kylemore Abbey, a Victorian castle reflected in its lake beneath the mountains, with its celebrated six-acre walled Victorian garden, beautifully restored with formal flower borders, a kitchen garden and glasshouses. The gardens, castles and scenery are magnificent. As the day ends, you return to your lakeside castle. This evening, savour a final elegant dinner, reflecting on the great houses, castles and gardens you have explored across Ireland. Rest well amid the fairytale luxury of your lakeside castle estate ahead of your departure.

After a final, unhurried morning at your magnificent castle estate, perhaps a last walk through the gardens, a leisurely breakfast overlooking the lake or a final falconry stroll through the woodland, you are transferred to Shannon or Dublin Airport for your onward journey. You leave having enjoyed an elegant immersion in Ireland's finest castles and gardens, the sublime terraces of Powerscourt, medieval Kilkenny Castle and its parkland, elegant Muckross House and its lakeside gardens, the walled garden of Kylemore, and a magnificent lakeside castle estate. The images stay vivid long after you land, the Italianate terraces of Powerscourt, the Long Gallery of Kilkenny, the rhododendrons of Muckross, the walled garden of Kylemore, and the turrets, woodland and lough of your castle estate. Ireland offers castles, gardens, heritage and luxury in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the Emerald Isle to discover yet more of its grand houses and glorious green estates.