Porto – The City of Wonders

Gourmets, history buffs and art lovers will love Portugal’s second largest city, Porto. With so much to see and do in Porto, we recommend spending at least 3 days in the city. A few of the highlights of the city: explore the fascinating churches, stroll the picturesque alleyways with wrought-iron balconies filled with potted flowers, explore the history of port wine, visit one of the magnificent museums and shop till you drop in one of the city’s many shopping streets and malls.

A world heritage site, Porto, Portugal is recognized as one of the oldest European centers with a huge number of well-preserved historical buildings, monuments, castles, parks and gardens.

Fascinating churches are among the favorite destinations of travelers to Porto, Portugal. Some of our favorites are the Porto Cathedral and the extraordinarily lavish Sao Francisco. The Porto Cathedral was built in the 12th century and is one of the oldest monuments in the country. The Sao Francisco, though no longer serves as a church is an excellent exhibition of 17th and 18th century baroque architecture and decoration.

While visiting Porto, Portugal it is important to stroll through the charming historical neighborhoods and alleyways such as the Ribeira district and the Street of Flowers. As the capital of port wine, another not miss attraction is to learn about and sample Port Wine.

Visit the City of Wonders, Porto, Portugal on your next vacation to Portugal with Celtic Tours. Give us a call at 1-800-833-4373 or visit our website for more vacation inspiration!

Crystal Palace Gardens, Porto, Portugal

The Crystal Palace is a huge domed pavilion set in beautiful gardens in Portugal’s second largest city Porto.

The original iron and glass structure was built in 1861, but was replaced by the present one in 1952. Today the pavilion serves as a venue for concerts and sporting events, seating 10,000 spectators.

A beautifully landscaped park surrounds the Crystal Palace. Here you will find lush green lawns, statues, ponds, exotic plants, peacocks and superb views of the city and the River Douro. There is also a multimedia library, an auditorium, a cafeteria, and the Romantic Museum.

The Crystal Palace Gardens make a great place to stop for a picnic or if traveling to Portugal with children, a great place for the kids to run around. Visit the Crystal Palace gardens on your next Celtic Tours vacation to Portugal.

Royal County Down

Royal County Down
New Castle, County Down

Royal County Down is located in one of the world’s most naturally beautiful links settings in the Murlough Nature Reserve. Against the magnificent backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne, the links stretches along the shores of Dundrum Bay, zigzagging back and forth to provide a different vista from virtually every hole.

The narrowest ribbons of fairways thread their way through as impressive a set of sand dunes as could be imagined. The fairways are surrounded by purple heather and golden gorse, so beautiful to look at but so punishing for any who may stray from the prescribed path.

The ‘bearded’ bunkers are world famous and feature overhanging lips of marram, red fescue and heather. The greens are fast and many are domed, rejecting any shot lacking conviction. This is a true test of any player’s command of the traditional bump and run, the preferred way to play any links.

Ireland is home to over 408 Golf Clubs, 53 of them links courses, choosing can be difficult. So our golf experts, at Celtic Tours, have played the courses and tailored itineraries to suit the average and expert golfer alike. Golf at Royal County Down on Celtic Tours North and East Links Golf Tour of Ireland.

Carne Golf Links, Ireland

Carne Golf Links
Belmullet, County Mayo

Carne Golf Links in North Mayo on the West Coast of Ireland lies in magnificent unspoiled sand dunes overlooking Blacksod Bay and the wild Atlantic Ocean near the town of Belmullet. Discover Erris in North Mayo an area that is famed the world over for its golf course and white sandy atlantic beaches that stretch for miles, its bountiful wildlife and warm welcome. Carne Golf Links was the last links course to be designed by the late Eddie Hackett and it is now believed by many who have played it to his greatest challenge.


The building of Carne has caused little disturbance to this wild and ancient landscape. Tees and greens occurred naturally and very little earth moving was involved in the course construction. There are some breathtaking views over the Atlantic and the legendary islands of Inis Glóire and Inis Géidhe.

Ireland is home to over 408 Golf Clubs, 53 of them links courses, choosing can be difficult. So our golf experts, at Celtic Tours, have played the courses and tailored itineraries to suit the average and expert golfer alike. Play Carne Golf Links on Celtic Tours South and West Links Golf Tour of Ireland

Ballybunion Golf Club

Ballybunion Golf Club
Ballybunion, County Kerry

Located on the north west coast of County Kerry, on a beautiful stretch of sand dunes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, you'll find two wonderfully challenging and unique links golf courses at Ballybunion - the Old Course and the Cashen Course.

The Old Course exudes a majestic feel that simply cannot be compared to any other course on earth. With beautifully contoured fairways that tumble down through a blanket of grassy dunes, it's no wonder these challenging holes have been consistently rated among the top courses in the world.

The Trent Jones Cashen Course, located along the sweeping, undisturbed shoreline, offers breathtaking views throughout. There is a wild look to the place. Long grass covers the dunes that pitch and roll throughout the course.

Whatever your choice, every hole, every hazard and every shot is defined by nature's infinite presence.


Ireland is home to over 408 Golf Clubs, 53 of them links courses, choosing can be difficult. So our golf experts, at Celtic Tours, have played the courses and tailored itineraries to suit the average and expert golfer alike.You can find this spectacular golf course on our Southern Links Golf Tour of Ireland

Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain

When visiting Barcelona with Celtic Tours, do stop into the tree-lined pedestrian street mall Las Ramblas. Here you will find street performers, interesting architecture and vibrant culture.

Las Ramblas is one of the most famous streets in Barcelona with visitors and locals alike. The Rambla was originally a stream that flowed outside the city walls. Even though it is one continuous street, the Rambla actually consists of five 'ramblas', hence it is called Las Ramblas.

Visit this popular pedestrian street mall on your next tour of Barcelona with Celtic Tours. Give us a call at 1-800-833-4373 to start planning your perfect vacation to Spain!

Casa Battlo

Casa Batllo, in Barcelona, Spain,  is a completely unreal masterpiece of architecture and imagination. Originally built in 1877, the building was completely restored by Antoni Gaudi in the early 1900s for Josep Batllo, a wealthy aristocrat. Everything about Casa Batllo is completely remarkable from the skull and bones façade to the amazing detail in planning the natural interior lighting.

The local name for the building is “House of Bones” this comes from the skull and bones motif of the façade. The skulls are in fact balconies and the bones are supporting pillars. Gaudi used colors and shapes from marine life as inspiration for the mosaic façade. The roof is arched and shaped like the back of a dragon. Casa Batllo is a stunning piece of work that is well worth a visit.

Antoni Gaudi, the amazing artist of this home was a Spanish Catalan architect and the best-known representative of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works are marked by a highly individual style and the vast majority of them are situated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, including his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família. Much of Gaudí's work was marked by the four passions of his life: architecture, nature, religion and his love for Catalonia. Between 1984 and 2005 seven of his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Visit Casa Batllo and be mesmerized by the shear masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi on your next visit to Spain with Celtic Tours.