Historic Gardens & Houses of ireland
7 Nights June 5 - 12, 2025
June 5 - 12, 2025
Double Occupancy: $6,500 per person
Single Occupancy: $8,500 per person
SOLD OUT
Our eight day trip to Ireland takes you to both sides of the border, from the royal Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland to the private gardens at Lismore, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Explore fine Georgian houses, antiques-filled interiors, and lush gardens (many regions here enjoy subtropical microclimates!). Along the way, we’ll enjoy lunches at private estates and stay in five-star historic hotels.
Capacity: Limited to 12 travelers
Transportation: Private 16-passenger luxury minibus to all included sights
Hotels: Slieve Donard (3 nights), Cashel Palace (2 nights), Carton House (2 nights)
Meals Included: 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY
To reserve your place, please submit the form or email Laura. She will email you a link to pay your deposit. Your spot is reserved once your deposit has been received.
To reserve your spot a $1,500 non-refundable deposit is due per person at registration. Reservations are not confirmed until the deposit is received. For reservations made within 90 days of departure, the entire trip cost must be paid at the time of booking. Trip prices are in US dollars.
Itinerary
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June 5 - Welcome to Ireland!
At 10:30am today our driver picks us up at The Westbury Hotel in Dublin and we head staight into the Irish countryside. We’ll have a fabulous lunch together in a local gastropub before enjoying private visit to Beaulieu, a Carolinian house dating from 1715 and still privately owned. We’ll settle in to the Slieve Donard, our hotel in Northern Ireland for the next three nights.
Sleep: Slieve Donard. Meals: Lunch, Dinner.
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June 6 - Hillsborough & Castle Ward
This morning we visit Hillsborough Castle, a royal estate that is the Northern Ireland base for th UK’s Secretary of State. After our private tour of the castle, you will have free time for lunch in their charming cafe and to explore the gardens. In the afternoon we visit Castle Ward (pictured), a classical 1762 structure with fabulous neo-Gothic interiors.
Sleep: Slieve Donard. Meals: Breakfast
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June 7 - Private House Tour & Mount Stewart
Today we visit two of the finest houses in Northern Ireland: Grey Abbey and Mount Stewart. At Grey Abbey, an estate not open to the general public, we will enjoy a private tour followed by lunch in their dining room. Next, we head right down the road to Mount Stewart, a fabulous early 19th-century house with lush gardens.
Sleep: Slieve Donard. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
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June 8 - Newbridge & Rock of Cashel
This morning we check out of our hotel and visit Newbridge House, a Georgian villa built in 1747. Inth afternoon, we’ll arrive in Cashel, our base for the next two nights, You will have time to visit the Rock of Cashel, a mystical example of Medieval Celtic architecture, or stroll the charming town.
Sleep: Cashel Place. Meals: Breakfast.
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June 9 - Private Garden & Lismore Gardens
Today we visit two privately-owned gardens. The first is the home of a prominent Irish family. We will have a private tour through their house and their garden. In the afternoon, we visit Lismore Castle Gardens, the Irish residence of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Dinner together tonight in Cashel.
Sleep: Cashel Palace. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
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June 10 - Heywood Gardens & Russborough House
Today we visit the fabulous Heywood Gardens, an early 20th century collaboration between architect Edwin Luytens and Gertrude Jekyll. We then head to Russborough House, where we’ll have lunch together before our private tour. Russborough is one of the finest preserved Palladian houses with a fine collection of Old Master paintings.
Sleep: Carton House. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
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June 11 - Killruddery House
On our last day, we visit Elizabethan interiors at the privately-owned Killruddery House, where you will have time to enjoy their gardens and farm shop on your own. Tonight we enjoy one last dinner together at our hotel's finest restaurant.
Sleep: Carton House. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
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June 12 - Departure Day
You can depart at anytime today. Our hotel is located just outside of Dublin’s city center and an easy 30-minute drive from the Dublin airport. The hotel can arrange transportation to the airport by taxi or private car for those flying home today.
Meals: Breakfast
the details
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7 nights accommodation in five-star hotels
Two full-time guides, Laura and Ross, with you the entire time
Private transportation by luxury minibus to all included sites listed on the itinerary.
7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 3 dinners.
Admission fees and guided visits for all sights listed on itinerary
Local stay taxes
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You must arrive in Dublin at least one day before the tour begins, on or before June 4th.
Our tour begins with a 10:30am pick up on June 5th at The Westbury Hotel in Dublin. Your guides Laura and Ross will be staying at The Westbury the night of June 4th. You are welcome to stay there or at any Dublin hotel of your choice.
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A $1,500 per person non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place.
We have financial obligations to our partners, therefore our cancellation policy is firm: all payments are non-refundable. We do not sell trip insurance but we strongly encourage you to purchase it (American Express and AIG Travel Guard are two options).
If you cancel your trip 6 months or more prior to departure, you can apply your deposit towards a future Wingback Travel trip.
Final payment is due 90 days before the tour start date. This amount is fully non-refundable.
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We recommend flying in and out of Dublin Airport (DUB). Dublin’s airport offers many direct flights to cities throughout the US, including New York and Atlanta.
Early Arrival in Dublin: Our tour begins at 10:30am June 5th. You should arrive in Dublin the day before, on or before June 4th, to ensure that you do not miss the departure.
Departure Day, June 12th: Our trip ends at the Carton House hotel, a former country house located just outside of Dublin. It is approximately 30 minutes from the Dublin airport and the front desk can arrange transfers by taxi or private car the morning of departure.
Luggage: Our 16-passenger minibus will have enough storage space for each traveler to have one checked suitcase (maximum size 26 x 18 x 12 - 14.5 in / 66 x 45.7 x 30.5 - 36.8 cm).
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What are your qualifications? Laura and Ross have both lived in Paris and speak French. Laura has also lived in London and Berlin and has spent significant time (several months a year) traveling, studying, and working in Europe. As a PhD student, she taught undergraduate art history classes from the ancient to modern periods and she co-led two study abroad trips, one to Paris, the other to Italy. Her students consistently gave her high ratings for her clear teaching. After years of informally planning other people’s trips and acting as a tour guide, she launched Wingback Travel.
Ross has been sourcing antiques from England and France for many years now, offering his finds for sale at his store in Columbus, GA. He is also an expert floral arranger and an excellent arbiter of good taste. If you are undecided about purchasing something at a market, Ross is the person to ask.
What is not included? Airfare, some meals (see itinerary), and anything else not listed on the itinerary.
Will there be any free time? On this tour we are typically out and about from 9am to 4-5pm.
How active is this trip? Laura and Ross are not fitness junkies, but we always find that we walk so much more when we are in Europe than when we are at home. We generally recommend being comfortable walking up to 8,000 steps or about 3-4 miles a day and for standing on your feet for 1-2 hours at a time. If you have mobility concerns, please speak with Laura before booking.
I have a group of friends who would love to do this trip. Do you offer a private version of this tour? Yes! We are available several times a year for private trips. Please call or email Laura for more details.