Heart of England Coach Tour

Heart of England

Celtic Tour's new and unique program brings you some of the most famous landmarks in England, great for those with limited time!

Your Heart of England Includes:

* 3 nights in traditional & unique accommodation, rooms with ensuite facilities
* Experienced Driver/Guide
* All mini-coach transportation
* Full English cooked breakfast daily
* Three-course evening meals x 2
* Entrance fees as listed: Christ Church, Oxford, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, Anne Hathway's Cottage, Stratford, Roman Baths Pump House, Bath, Lacock Abbey, Stonehenge, Wiltshire, Windsor Castle

Join Celtic Tours on this new tour of England: The Heart of England.

St. Patrick's Well

The holy well dedicated to Saint Patrick is at Grianan Aileach. The cashel is a very historic spot, and so is the little well at its southern side. Here a chief of Inishowen was baptised by Saint Patrick. Patrick had come to Inishowen after visiting Tir Chonaill, the western part of Donegal which is separated from Inishowen by Lough Swilly. He went to the hill fort at Aileach to see Eoghan, a brother of Connall's chief of this territory, Inish Eoghain (Eoghan's Island) Eoghan wished to become a Christian and so Patrick baptised him at the well which lays a little distance downhill form the fort. The chief's family and servants were also converted and baptised.

There are several places connected with Patrick in Inishowen - Carndonagh where he founded a church, Moville where another was founded by him, Iskaheen where Prince Eoghan who was baptised by him is buried, a lake in the hills at Malin Head, a holy well at Three Trees near Iskaheen and a holy well at Magh Tochar near Carndonagh.

Visit this place of pilgrimage with Celtic Tours

Grianan of Aileach

Grianan of Aileach

The view from Aileach is breathtaking. The glistening waters of Lough Foyle and Lough Swilly are clear as is the form of the entire peninsula. A windy and exposed place, Grianan has been a silent witness to the history of Ireland. Grianan of Aileach is probably the best known monument in Inishowen. Situated on a hill top 800 feet above sea level the stone fort was probably built on an earthen rath. Legend states that the giants of Inishowen are lying sleeping but when the sacred sword is removed they will spring to life reclaiming their ancient lands.

Located in Inishowen, Grianan of Aileach is an impressive stone ringfort with surrounding earthworks perched on the summit of Greenan Mountain. The name Grianan of Aileach has been variously translated as "Stone Palace of the Sun", "Fortress of the Sun" and "Stone Temple of the Sun". Although heavily restored, there are no doubts as to the antiquity of the site as it is one of only five Irish locations marked on Ptolemy of Alexandria's 2nd century map of the world.

Noted in the mythologies of Ireland, it seems the fort was first constructed around 1700 BC, by the Tuatha de Danann. It has been ascertained that it was the Palace of the Northern Princes, from a period long before Christianity (AD 400) up until the 14th century. The Princes of Aileach play an important role in Irish history often becoming Ard Righ (or High King).

Discover this marker of history on your next Celtic Tours trip to the Inishowen Peninsula.

Celtic Sojourn: Premier Escorted Motorcoach Tour of Ireland

Premier Escorted Motorcoach Tour!

Celtic Sojourn Tour Highlights: Medieval Castle Banquet, Cliffs of Moher, Galway Bay, The Giants Causeway, Glenveagh Castle, Inishowen Peninsula, Belfast and the Titanic Tour.

Your Celtic Sojourn tour includes:

* First Class and Superior First Class hotels throughout.
* Full Irish breakfast daily, except day of arrival.
* Dinner each evening except for one night in Dublin, including a traditional medieval castle banquet and traditional Irish entertainment and dinner in Dublin.
* Full sightseeing by Deluxe Touring Motorcoach.
* Professional Irish driver/guide to escort you through out.
* Visit to Rathbaun Farm to see an actual working farm, including coffee/tea and Irish Farmhouse scones.
* Lough Foyle Ferry.
* Visits to: Cliffs of Moher, Rathbaun Farm, Galway Crystal Factory, Belleek Pottery Factory, Glenveagh Castle and National Park, Fort Dunree, Moville Pottery, Giants Causeway, Titanic Docks & Pump House.
* Porterage of one (1) suitcase per person.
* Tips and taxes in Ireland. Gratuities to the driver/guide not included.

* Celtic Tours flight bag and portfolio of travel documents.

Book your Celtic Sojourn today!

Alberobello and Trulli Dwellings

Alberobello, in the Puglia region on southern Italy, is a picturesque and fairy-tale like destination which makes an interesting daytrip destination of a pleasant base for a few days while traveling through Southern Italy. Famous for its trulli, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.It is a featured stop on Celtic Tours new The Amazing South of Italy tour.

A trullo is a small dwelling built with the local limestone, thick dry-stone walls and a characteristic conical roof. Many trulli roofs are adorned with ancient symbols of their pagan inhabitants. Trulli were generally constructed as dwellings or storehouses and were traditionally built without any cement or mortar, thus avoiding taxation. Legend has it that trullo were built by peasants and when the tax collector came around, they quickly dismantle their house. The vast majority of trulli have one room under each conical roof, a multi-roomed trullo house has many cones representing each room.

Icons of the Puglia region, trulli dot the countryside. But nowhere are they as numerous as in the city of Alberobello. Take a stroll through the twisting and turning steets, lined with trulli, of Rione Monti, The streets are also filled with wine shops, artisanal shops and kitschy souvenir shops. Around the main tourist area, there are many little bars, snack-shops, restaraunts and pizzerias, some in trulli. There are also a handful of small museums. When visiting Alberobello, don’t miss the Chiesa Sant’Antonia: a giant trullo church.

Visit Alberobello and the fairy-tale like trulli on Celtic Tours new The Amazing South of Italy Vacation.

The Amazing South of Italy Vacation

Amazing South of Italy!

Join Celtic Tours as you journey through southern Italy and experience its rich scenery, art, culture, food and wine! Witness the breathtaking scenery of the Amalfi Coast, discover the ruins of Pompeii, and visit the stunning trulli village of Alberobello. Sail to enchanting Capri and sip coffee in the Piazza.

Your Celtic Tours Amazing South of Italy Tour Includes:

* Accommodation at 4 Star hotels
* Italian buffet Breakfast daily (no eggs)
* Return Transfer by private car/minibus and driver from/to the airport in Rome to hotel in Rome
* Four dinners and two lunches included
* Service charges and taxes included
* Ground transportation by deluxe motorcoach from Day 3 until day 7 (with the arrival at the hotel in Rome)
* Tour escort / Assistant beginning on day 3
* Sightseeing tours as per the itinerary
* Local guides (English - French - Spanish language) and entrance fees during the tour

Learn more about Celtic Tours newest vacation in Southern Italy

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

"Do you know the land where the lemons are in flower?

In the green leaves golden oranges shine

A quiet wind blows from the blue sky

Quiet is the myrtle, serene the laurel

Do you know it well?

There, there

I would like with you, my love, to go!"

J.W. Goethe

Sorrento, wedged on a ledge between the mountains and the Mediterranean, is an attractive resort of 20,000 residents. Spritzed by lemon and olive groves, this gateway to the Amalfi Coast has an unspoiled old quarter, a lively main shopping street and a spectacular cliffside setting.

Sorrento Peninsula has a landscape unique in the world, where low and high hills, deep valleys and majestic mountains alternate, where the Man’s work - who levelled even the most impervious areas, transforming them in the famous terraces degrading towards the sea, on which he cultivated orange and lemon trees, olive groves and vineyards - has been grandiose. These are the delight’s gardens that in springtime exhale a stirring scent of orange - blossom. The mild and dry climate for most part of the year makes Sorrento Peninsula the ideal destination in every season.

The Amalfi Coast, Italy (la Costiera Amalfi tana) is a breathtaking 35-mile stretch of mountainous coastline situated on the Sorrento peninsula, just south of Naples, in the region of Campania. Considered one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, it is characterized by very steep, rocky hillsides plunging dramatically into the Mediterranean Sea. Precariously perched on these hills are charming old fi shing villages. Around every turn of this “road of a thousand bends”, one catches a new view of the seaside more spectacular than the last. Across the water lies the Isle of Capri, or the Blue Island. The Isle of Capri is renowned the world over as an exclusive holiday destination.

Join Celtic Tours for an unforgettable Sorrento and Amalfi Coast Vacation