First trip to Ireland: HELP

We did a self drive so cannot recommend a tour but like you, I waited 30 years to go and it did not disappoint... I went back last year... Ireland has a piece of my heart :)

Hi Kathleen, I haven’t done a CIE tour but I have been on 8 Rick Steves tours. All of the RS tours were excellent! We did the Best of Ireland June 2017 and enjoyed it very much, beautiful country. RS tours are a good mix of guided time and free time. Nice people, small groups, comfortable busses. Check out the Tours tab for more info. You could combine 2 tours - Ireland and England - to plan the vacation you want. Call the RS office for help and advice. Hope you have a great trip!

We have taken 2 tours to Europe with Gate 1 (not to Ireland though). We have been satisfied with the company and tour guides. They schedule some group sightseeing as well as free time. They are not a top of the line company nor a budget company. They're kind of right in the middle. One thing we have always been very satisfied with is the hotels Gate 1 books. They are conveniently located within walking distance of most major sites in the city centers of the towns you stay in.

We did much of travels to Europe on our own until my husband did not want to drive there anymore so are now taking tours and cruises.
We have done 3 tours with CIE. 2 of Ireland and Northern Ireland and 1 of best of Britain. We enjoyed all very much.
We have also take several Rick Steves tours of other parts of Europe.

CIE tends to have more upscale hotels though sometimes in less central city areas especially in Dublin. All within walking distance of sights though. We also like the convenience of the transfers from the airport which were all taken care of without any glitches. Rick Steves tours leaves getting to you first hotel and leaving your last on your own. The CIE guides were all very informative and very entertaining. CIE also seems to have less free time and provide almost all evening meals. We always had very friendly fellow passenger but they tend to be a little older than on Rick's tours. We never had to handle our own bags in and off the bus. They were portered to and from our rooms and never had to climb stairs. Tips are expected at the end of the tour for the guide as well as the bus driver.

Rick Steves tours are more expensive but with smaller number of passengers which is very good for plenty of room on buses . The ages of fellow passenger tend to be varied from fairly young to elderly though mobility is a requirement .Tour guides we also very good and always available for suggestions for free time. The hotels were always right in the centers and almost all were good though some are a little more rustic. Stair climbing is often required and carrying your own bags.
Many afternoons are free and on longer tours a complete free day. No tips are required or wanted.

Would say all in all we thoroughly enjoyed both tour experiences and each was a good value . We would do either one again. Each has its benefits and negatives.

If you're going to England, you can easily do that on trains. Ireland is difficult because public transportation is less comprehensive. I have not done a RS tour yet (have one in mind when I can convince my husband)-RS tours are too pricey for us since we primarily rely on hotel points for housing. However we did take a Gate 1 tour to Spain last summer and would definitely use them again. Our guide was both friendly and professional and clearly enjoyed sharing his country with us.