Ireland

Why Choose an Escorted Holiday to Ireland?

Ireland has a quality that is difficult to pin down and easy to feel within the first few hours of arriving. It is something to do with the pace, the warmth of how people speak to strangers, the particular quality of the green that the Atlantic rain produces, and a storytelling culture that makes even a conversation at a petrol station worth having. It is also a country with a history of extraordinary complexity and occasional tragedy, and understanding what you are looking at - why certain landscapes are empty, what the famine memorials mean, what the Troubles left behind in the north - requires some context.

An escorted tour brings that context without heaviness. Ireland is a country where good company and good commentary make the journey. The Wild Atlantic Way coastline is one of the most dramatic in Europe; the Ring of Kerry, the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara are not overhyped. For British-Indian passengers, Ireland is an accessible short-haul destination with no language barrier, excellent vegetarian food in the cities and a warmth that makes it one of the more personally rewarding countries we cover.

Indian-Friendly Features on Our Ireland Tours

• Indian dinners included on most multi-day tours, with Indian restaurants available in Dublin, Cork and Galway
• Vegetarian options widely available throughout Ireland
• No beef or pork compulsory in any included meals
• Midlands, Leicester and London pick-up points with coach or ferry, or with UK departure flights from regional airports
• No significant language barrier - an easy and comfortable choice for first-time international group travellers

Best Time to Visit Ireland

April and May are genuinely lovely: spring light, the countryside at its greenest and crowds at the main sights - Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Giant's Causeway - at their most manageable.

June to August brings the best weather, relatively speaking. Ireland is reliably mild rather than hot; July averages around 18°C on the west coast. The long evenings are a particular pleasure.

September is excellent: summer visitors gone, weather still decent, and the light has a quality that photographers favour.

November to March is the quiet season. Some coastal roads and seasonal attractions operate with reduced hours, but the cities are comfortable and the landscape has its own austere beauty.

Popular Destinations Within Ireland

Dublin - Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the Guinness Storehouse, St Patrick's Cathedral, the National Museum, Temple Bar and the Georgian squares of Merrion and Fitzwilliam. A walkable city with real character.

The Cliffs of Moher - 214-metre sea cliffs running for eight kilometres along the County Clare coastline. One of Ireland's most visited sites and fully deserving of the status.

The Ring of Kerry - the circular route around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, with Killarney, Muckross House, Ladies View and the mountain and coastal scenery that defined Ireland's tourism image.

Killarney National Park - one of the finest national parks in the British Isles, with three lakes, native oak woodland, red deer and the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range behind.

Galway and Connemara - Galway is one of Ireland's most characterful cities, with a strong arts and music scene. West of it, Connemara opens into a landscape of bogland, mountains and Atlantic coast that is quite unlike anywhere else in Ireland.

The Giant's Causeway - the UNESCO World Heritage site on the north Antrim coast: 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed by ancient volcanic activity. In Northern Ireland, and often included on longer Irish itineraries.

Blarney Castle and Cork - the Blarney Stone is Ireland's most famous tourist tradition; Cork is Ireland's second city, with a food market culture and confident local identity.

Practical Information

• Currency: Euro (€) in the Republic of Ireland; Pound Sterling (£) in Northern Ireland
• Language: English (and Irish, which has official status but limited everyday use)
• Time zone: GMT in winter, IST (GMT+1) in summer
• Electricity: Type G plugs (230V). Standard UK plugs work throughout Ireland.
• Tipping: Included in your Star Tours holiday price
• India bookings: Call our India line free on 1800 123 181 181 (10am-7pm)
• ABTA & ATOL: All our Ireland holidays are fully protected