Visitors to Ireland can now take in a completely new experience of the island on a luxury locomotive express tour.
The train is named the Belmond Grand Hibernian and offers two, four and six night tours across some of the best places to visit in both Northern and the Republic of Ireland, with luxury dining and sleeping onboard.
The Grand Tours of Ireland innovation has come from Belmond Limited, a global collection of luxury hotels and travel adventures.
The Belmond Grand Hibernian can sleep up to 40 guests in elegant en-suite cabins, each named after one of the counties in Ireland. The cabins are all designed with the colours and culture of their given named county. A Belmond spokesman explained: “‘Down’ features shades of oranges and browns; ‘Kerry’ boasts shades of purple and blue; ‘Waterford’ is shades of green and ‘Leitrim’ has accents of red and ‘Fermanagh’ features silver and gold.”
There are also be two main dining carriages; Wexford and Sligo, as well as an observation carriage called Kildare for guests to look out at the magnificent Irish scenery during their journey.
The two day tour is named ‘Realm of Giants’, and begins in Dublin before moving north to Belfast and Portrush. Stops along the way include the Belfast Titanic Museum, the incredible Giant’s Causeway rock formation and a visit to the Old Bushmills Distillery to sample some traditional Irish whiskey.
The four day tour is called ‘Legends and Loughs’, and travels from Cork to Killarney, Galway and Westport. This journey includes a stop-off to kiss the Blarney Stone, the Lakes of Killarney and sporting and music activities.
The two tours can be combined into the six day tour for those who want to stay and sample Ireland’s beauty a little longer.
Belmond Ltd described the tours on their website: “Travelling on this stylish new train will be akin to a land cruise with daily excursions and experiences that will invite guests to immerse themselves in authentic Ireland.”
Prices for Grand Hibernian itineraries range from €3,160pp for two nights, to €5,420pp for four and €7,722pp for six.
