After breakfast, spend time getting acquainted with Dublin's history and charm on the Hop-on/Hop-off City Tour. The tour itself lasts 90 minutes, although you will be able to hop on and hop off as you wish at many of the city's most famous sites, including the Guinness Storehouse, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the National Museum of Ireland, and the Dublin Zoo. Your ticket even will get you discounts at a selection of the most popular attractions around town. Note: you may/will use your Hop-on/ Hop-off ticket to visit Trinity College to see the Book of Kells (entrance included with separate voucher). Founded in 1592, Trinity College is the oldest university in Ireland. Its medieval cobbled squares and peaceful gardens sit on more than 50 acres in the heart of Dublin, providing a peaceful refuge within the bustling city center. Also known as the University of Dublin, the college attracts more than a half million visitors annually for what is generally considered Ireland's greatest national treasure, the Book of Kells, one of the most extraordinary illuminated manuscripts in the world. The vibrantly ornamented medieval text is a lavish presentation of the Four Gospels of the New Testament and is believed to have been produced around 800 AD, though its exact origins remain a mystery. Admission to the college's Old Library includes entrance to the Book of Kells, the exhibition "Book of Kells: Turning Darkness into Light," and the current exhibition in the Long Room, which houses more than 200,000 of Trinity College's oldest books.
(Breakfast & Accommodations, Dublin)