Recommended Irish Tour Operators
There are a myriad of companies offering tours in Ireland, but these ones, in our opinion, are the pick of the crop.
There may be others just as good, but these are ones that we know well, and that we know to have maintained a high standard over the years and to provide a consistently excellent experience for visitors to Ireland.
If you are just starting your search for the right Irish tour company for you, please read our advice on choosing a tour operator.
The guide prices quoted are per person sharing, generally at mid-low season.
General Operators
12 Travel
12 Travel are an Irish based company who sell a very broad range of tours - from general tours to specialist ones, budget to high end, long to short.
Their self-drive tours use good cars and accommodation and provide a number of extras that are very useful, such as a day-by-day planning service. For their escorted coach tours they use well qualified Irish guides, high spec luxury coaches and good accommodation - you can choose the standard of accommodation and they have excellent manor house and castle choices available.
They are a particularly good company to choose if you are organising a group tour as they have an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team who will essentially take care of all the planning and are happy to plan a tour around any special interests your group may have.
Luxury Tours of Ireland
1. Brehon Tours
Specialise in providing private, chauffeur driven, luxury tours, using top quality vehicles and accommodation and very experienced driver/guides.
All itineraries are individually custom built to suit your interests and the pace you want to travel at. Because the tours are private - your party only, you do not join a group - there is absolute flexibility both when planning the tour and while you are here.
This is an exclusive, high-end service and as you would expect includes the best accommodation available in Ireland and a host of extras such as golf at top courses, luxury spa treatments, meals in exclusive restaurants and so on.
They also organise custom designed private tours for up to 20 or so people traveling togeter though their sister company, Small Escorted Tours of Ireland, and these are worth looking into as they can be a very affordable alternative to joining a larger group.
Sample Tour: An 11 day chauffer driven tour, staying in castles and luxury hotels with most meals and lots of extras included, from €5900 per person
2. Abercrombie & Kent
As a watchword for luxury, the one thing you can be sure of with an A&K tour is the best of everything all the way. They don't offer much choice for Ireland - just one itinerary is available, but its a good one.
These tours include additional features not often available elsewhere, such as visits to houses not normally open to the public and lunchs or dinners with people like the Knight of Glin.
They are not private tours though - you will join a larger group of people and travel in a coach, albeit a luxurious one.
Sample Tour: Only tour visits Dublin, the West, the South West and the South East, with the good rooms in luxurious castles and hotels each night. From $9,275 land only.
Mid-Range Tours of Ireland
1. Brendan Tours
A long established US company with a great track record of organising tours of Ireland, both land only and inclusive of flights. They use better hotels than the average operator and are an especially good choice if you want to combine time in Ireland with a tour of England or Scotland.
People consistently speak highly of Brendan tour guides, who have a reputation for being both extremely knowledgeable and very friendly.
In addition to coach tours, which is their main business, Brendan also organise self-drive tours.
Sample Tour: "Ireland at Leisure" is a 12 day tour taking in Dublin and the West Coast, with accommodation in mid-range but good hotesl. From $1848 land only.
2. Brian Moore International Tours
Irish and UK based company who have been delivering an excellent personal service to visitors to Ireland for many years. They have a really good choice of well thought-out itineraries and are very open to customising their tours if you have a larger group.
Their prices are particularly keen for those able to travel outside the absolute high season of July and August. This is somewhat reflected in the hotels used, which are mainly chain hotels. These are in good location and provide excellent accommodation but perhaps lack a little whin it comes to character.
In addition to escorted tours, Brian Moore have a good handle on family holidays in Ireland, based in a rented house in one or two loactions with a self-drive car for touring. The houses offered for these family vacations are top notch.
Sample Tour: The 9 day Undiscovered Ireland Tour takes in Dublin, the West and the North staying in good if somewhat characterless hotels. It starts at $949, land only.
Budget Tours of Ireland
1. Paddywagon Tours
Just about the only game in town for real rock bottom priced tours of Ireland, the bright green Paddywagon buses are a familiar sight on Irish roads, ferrying happy crowds on anything from 1 day to 10 day tours.
There is no luxury here! Accommodation is in clean but basic hostels, transport in functional but basic buses and and nothing much included except the tour itself - expect little privacy and occasionally perhaps a little discomfort.
BUT - you will see exactly the same things as those paying 10 times as much, often more, as the tours frequently veer from the well worn track. You will meet loads of people, have wild nights out and if you are gregarious and unconcerned about luxurious trimmings you will have a fantastic time!
Sample Tour: The 10 Day All Ireland tour makes a big circle right around the coast of Ireland, north and south, with accommodation in hostels. Costs about $500, land only.
Your Comments
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Posted by: Maria Pierce
02 Feb 2008, 00:28
With so may tour guides advertised on the web,it was refreshing to find
your site. It "kept things simple" in helping me make a decision.Having a
reputation in good standing,along with price categories, was what I was
looking for. Thank-you!
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