Donegal & the Giant's Causeway with Belfast

Following your flight to Ireland, meet your tour manager, and board the coach for the transfer to Letterkenny.

Depending on your arrival time, you'll be able to spend the rest of the day exploring the town. Visit imposing St Eunan’s Cathedral, which dominates the skyline, wander through the charming Market Square or take a stroll along the picturesque Swilly River walkway.

Alternatively, relax in one of the town's colourful pubs or perhaps find dinner (on your account) at one of the vibrant nearby restaurants. You'll find several within walking distance of your hotel.

Today, you'll head to Donegal town. Centred on its ancient marketplace, the Diamond, Donegal has a rich history reflected in its imposing Jacobean castle, which sits above the River Eske. The 70-minute waterbus trip (payable locally) around Donegal Bay offers another scenic perspective on this attractive town – especially on fine days. See the seal colony on Seal Island, the Bluestack Mountains, and the many islands dotted around the bay. Back on shore, you'll find no shortage of pubs and restaurants where you can grab a spot of lunch.

Today’s fascinating excursion takes you to the remote Inishowen Peninsula, a typically northern Irish landscape that includes Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head (familiar to listeners of the Shipping Forecast everywhere). Bordered by the waters of Lough Foyle and Lough Swilly, and the pristine beaches of the Atlantic coast, its towering mountains rising from a landscape dotted with ancient Celtic crosses and crumbling churches, Inishowen is a scenic delight.

Your day includes a visit to the Doagh Isle Famine Village, an outdoor museum where the sights, sounds, and stories of Irish life, from the famine of the 1840s to the present day, is recreated. The attraction is built around original thatched houses that were inhabited until 1983.

From here, you’ll travel through a beautiful, timeless landscape, and on through the remote peninsula town of Carndonagh, to wild, windswept Malin, to enjoy the stupendous views, which stretch to the distant west of Scotland on clear days.

The highlight of the whole tour for many will be today’s excursion to the breathtaking Giant’s Causeway. Long associated with legendary Irish hero Finn McCool, this astonishing collection of closely packed basalt columns, which rise like stepping stones from the Atlantic to the wild, windswept cliffs above, was formed after a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago.

Your visit will include entry to the Visitor Centre, where you'll receive a free audio guide to take to the stones, and have the chance to explore the exhibits in the active interpretation area. Take the short minibus trip from the visitor centre to the Causeway (small charge, typically payable locally) or walk the mile or so along the cliff path to take in the breathtaking views and sea air.

Continue to visit the city of Derry. On this walking tour, you'll view the 400-year-old city walls and learn about the city's marvellous history dating back from medieval times to modern day. Derry is renowned for its street murals and there will be an opportunity to visit and view these.

Today, you'll head to Glenveagh National Park. This remote area of outstanding natural beauty is home to herds of wild deer and a sanctuary for the endangered golden eagle and many other species of wildlife. By contrast to most of the rugged landscape, Glenveagh Castle, which overlooks the peaceful waters of Lough Veagh, comes as something of a surprise. A guided tour of the castle's keep and mismatched towers offers a real glimpse into the lifestyle of an earlier age, and you'll also have time to explore the spectacular gardens.

Your route back to Letterkenny takes you back to the coast, via Mount Errigal and through Dunlewy village to Bunbeg. Here (weather permitting), you may like to stretch your legs with a stroll along the sandy beach before continuing up and around the Bloody Foreland (named for the red hue of the rocks at sunset), for a final stop in one of the area's quaint villages, such as Dunfanaghy.

Bid farewell to Donegal and travel to Belfast to check into your next hotel. The rest of the day will be free to relax or explore the surrounding area, perhaps spent soaking up the atmosphere in one of the many traditional pubs in the city centre.

Following breakfast, you can use your included ticket for a self-guided visit to the Titanic Belfast, a museum set on the site where RMS Titanic was constructed a century ago. This museum is a 25-minute walk away from the hotel, and you can make your own way at your leisure.

Developed as much as a tribute to the days of shipbuilding in the city as well as in commemoration of the ill-fated liner that met her untimely end on her maiden voyage in 1912, the Titanic Belfast is a dramatic, innovative, and exciting presentation of the real story of the famous ship.

It’s housed in nine fascinating galleries in one of the most eye-catching buildings to have been built in the UK for years. Through the use of audiovisual presentation, life-size reconstructions, interactive features and even a ‘Shipyard Ride’, the ship’s conception, construction, tragic sinking and its aftermath, as well as its rediscovery in 1985, are brought vividly to life, and you’ll leave the exhibition with a real sense of the enormity as well as the human cost of one of the 20th century’s most fateful episodes.

Enjoy the remainder of the day and evening at leisure.

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and travel to Belfast airport to catch your flight home.