Waterford: The Crystal City
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Port
Dunmore East (Waterford), Ireland
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$109.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
A panoramic drive through the Waterford countryside brings you to Waterford city -- Ireland's oldest tourist destination visited first by the Vikings and now by you. The Vikings, who came in AD 852, liked it so much that they stayed until the Anglo-Normans politely asked them to leave three centuries later. In fact, the city's English name comes from the Norse word Vadrefjord, meaning Water Fjord. Nowadays, Waterford is better known as the Crystal City.
You will stop at the House of Waterford Crystal. Since the closure of the original factory in 2009, only a limited production of crystal can still found here in Waterford. The new showrooms and exhibition area will take you through the production process, and the finished product is here on display for you to browse or perhaps purchase a memento.
A panoramic drive through town takes you past Reginald's Tower -- an ancient fortification erected in 1003 as part of the Danish defenses. Strongbow later occupied the tower in 1171.
You'll have free time in this historic city before rejoining the coach and returning to Dunmore East.
Notes:
The crystal factory is no longer on site; however, the new exhibition displays the production process on a smaller scale.