Travel to Ireland from the USA
“I never set out to create tours. These journeys grew naturally out of the places I kept returning to while filming.”
Ireland does something to people.
You arrive expecting castles and green hills and you leave carrying something harder to name. The music still in your head, a conversation with a stranger that lasted two hours, a landscape that made you feel small in the best possible way. For Americans, it hits differently. Whether your family came from Cork or Donegal three generations back, or you simply grew up watching the place in films and always wondered, Ireland has a pull that is real and it delivers.
This is your starting point for planning a trip to Ireland from the United States. Whether you want a fully guided custom tour led by a local expert, a day trip built around the places featured in the PBS® series Ireland With Michael, or simply a travel guide written by someone who has spent decades on the road there, you're in the right place.
How to Experience Ireland: Three Ways to Travel
Custom Guided Tours for American Travelers
Travel Ireland with Michael Londra on a fully guided small-group tour. Each itinerary is built around the places, people, and stories from the PBS® series, with hand-selected hotels, most meals, and a professional CIE Tours driver-guide included throughout.
2026 tours are now open.
Northern Ireland & Donegal Tour - May 24 to June 2, 2026
This nine-day guided tour travels from Belfast and the Antrim Coast through Derry's historic walled city, along the dramatic cliffs of Slieve League, and deep into the wild landscapes of Donegal. Highlights include the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills Distillery, Hillsborough Castle, and a stay at Kilronan Castle. Michael hosts a welcome dinner on arrival. From $4,199 per person, land only.
Ireland Music and Culture Tour - June 6 to 15, 2026 SOLD OUT
A ten-day journey shaped around Irish traditional music and culture, traveling from Wexford to Kilkenny, Galway, Connemara, Westport, and Dublin. Includes a private concert in Wexford, a session with Riverdance musicians at Trad on the Prom in Galway, and a farewell evening of Irish step-dancing in Dublin. A tour designed for travelers who want music at the center of every day. From $4,300 per person.
Southern Ireland Tour - October 3 to 12, 2026
Nine days covering the best of southern and western Ireland, starting with a private concert in Michael's hometown of Wexford before heading south through Cork, Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, the Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara, finishing in Dublin. This tour covers the Wild Atlantic Way in autumn, when the light is at its best and the crowds have thinned. From $4,199 per person, land only.
Ready to book? Call or email Quest Travel Adventures, the team behind all of Michael's guided tours, at:
1-800-693-1815
or
ireland@questtraveladventures.com
2026 Ireland Tours with Michael Londra
Travel beyond the guidebooks with curated Ireland tours featuring historic landmarks, local experiences, and hand-selected hotels across the country. When you’re ready, book one of the above tours and start planning your trip.
Day Trips and Experiences Across Ireland
Not every trip needs to be a full package. Ireland With Michael has partnered with DoDublin to offer day tours and experiences built around the sites, stories, and local culture from the television series. Whether you're already in Dublin and want a single great day out, or you're building your own itinerary and want expert-led excursions along the way, these experiences let you step into the show.
Day trips are available across Dublin, the Wild Atlantic Way, and beyond. Browse all Ireland day trips and experiences →
Take The Journey Home
Planning your own trip? This guide is written by Michael from the ground up — not compiled from listicles, but drawn from years of filming, eating, drinking, and wandering across every corner of the island. The book covers where to go, where to stay, what to eat, and what most visitors miss.
Start with the city or region you're most drawn to and let the place lead you from there.
Travel Guides for Independent Travelers
Ireland Travel Guides by Region
Planning your own trip? These guides are written by Michael from years of filming, eating, and wandering across Ireland. Each one covers where to go, where to stay, what to eat, and what most visitors miss
Dublin Travel Guide — What to See, Do, and Where to Stay
Dublin is where most American travelers begin their Ireland trip, and it rewards those who slow down. This guide covers Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol, the best traditional music pubs to avoid the tourist traps, day trips to Newgrange and Howth, and where to stay from budget to luxury.
Galway Travel Guide — Three Days on Ireland's West Coast
Galway is compact, electric, and best explored slowly. This three-day guide covers Eyre Square and the Latin Quarter, the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher day trip, a full day in Connemara and Kylemore Abbey, the best traditional music pubs, and where to stay inside and outside the city. The Wild Atlantic Way starts here.
Kilkenny Travel Guide - Ireland's Best-Preserved Medieval City
Discover Kilkenny, Ireland's best-preserved medieval city -- a castle, craft shops, cozy pubs, and unforgettable charm just 90 minutes from Dublin.
Cork Travel Guide — The Real Capital of Ireland
County Cork is Ireland's largest county and one of its most rewarding to explore. This guide covers Cork City and the English Market, Blarney Castle and its extraordinary gardens, Kinsale's harbor and its reputation as Ireland's gourmet capital, Midleton Distillery, and the dramatic headlands of Mizen Head. Cork locals will tell you it's the real capital. Spend a few days here and you may find yourself agreeing.
Create Your Own Custom Tour
Book one of our tours or let us build something custom for you. Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.
Planning Your Trip to Ireland from the USA: Practical Notes
When to Go
Late spring (May to June) and early autumn (September to October) are the sweet spots for American travelers. The light is extraordinary, the crowds are thinner than July and August, and the prices are lower. September in particular is underrated — the greens are deepest, the evenings are long, and the harvest festivals are running across the country.
Ireland's weather is famously unpredictable at any time of year, so packing layers and a waterproof is non-negotiable regardless of when you travel.
Getting Around
Outside Dublin, a car is the most practical way to travel. Roads are narrower than anything most Americans are used to, and you'll be driving on the left, but the pace slows you down naturally and that turns out to be the point. Give yourself more time between places than you think you need.
For structured tours, Michael's curated trips use a luxury coach with a professional driver-guide, so logistics are handled from day one.
How Long Do You Need?
Eight to ten days is the sweet spot for a first trip. That gives you Dublin, one western city (Galway or Limerick), the Wild Atlantic Way or the Ring of Kerry, and time to breathe between stops. Two weeks lets you add the north — Belfast, the Antrim Coast, the Giant's Causeway, and Donegal, which most first-time visitors miss entirely and shouldn't.
Flights from the United States
Nonstop flights from the U.S. to Ireland now serve Dublin from 24 American gateways, plus direct service to Shannon from Boston, Chicago, New York–JFK, and Newark. Carriers include Aer Lingus, United, Delta, American, and JetBlue, with some routes operating seasonally.
Why Travel with a Local Guide Matters
Ireland is small enough to navigate alone and complicated enough to miss completely without someone who knows it. The difference between a good trip and a great one is almost always a person — a guide who knows which pub in Dingle has the best session on a Tuesday, which back road bypasses the tour bus traffic to the Cliffs of Moher, and which local restaurant has been there for forty years without ever needing a TripAdvisor listing.
Michael Londra has spent over a decade filming, performing, and hosting travelers across the island. The tours he leads aren't built from a template. They're built from the places he keeps going back to.
Stay Updated
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Ireland is waiting. The only question is how you want to arrive.
The Perfect Travel Companion
The perfect book to get for someone traveling to Ireland, someone who wants to travel to Ireland or someone who just loves the place. Filled with tips on travel around the island, on getting to know the natives, on what music to listen to while you’re there, on pouring and enjoying the perfect pint of Guinness. There’s even a recipe in there for Irish brown bread.
If our paths cross in Ireland, the first round is on me!
— Michael
Take a once in a lifetime curated trip to Ireland, and meet up with Michael Londra along the way.