Tailor-Made Tours is an Irish company focusing exclusively on self-guided walking and driving multi-day tours and guided day hikes in Ireland. Their walking tours cover the Irish national routes (Beara, Burren, Connemara, Dingle, Donegal, Kerry, Sheep’s Head and Wicklow) and their driving tours can cover just about anywhere in Ireland that you wish to visit. What sets Tailor-Made Tours apart from their competitors is summed up perfectly by their name — this company is who you want for a truly customized walking holiday in Ireland.
Review of Tailor-Made Tours Website
Tailor-Made Tours announced new ownership in 2023 and we’re happy to say the new owner is someone we know and trust and he will continue working closely with Tailor-Made Tours’ founder and her team. With this change in ownership we expect there may be changes to the website coming soon, but for now we’ll review the current site. The About Us page gives you a good idea of how this company began as a small tour operator focused on creating an authentic personalized Irish experience for its clients. You’ll find itineraries for every national route on this site, each offering daily walking distances and ascents and basic descriptions of the walk and type of accommodation. They include a few photos and guest reviews as well, which is always helpful. While I’m not sure it’s necessary any longer with modern flight search apps, they provide a list of airlines offering direct flights to Ireland, which is a thoughtful touch.
Things to like about Tailor-Made Tours
- Trusted local company with 23+ years in business
- Careful attention paid to lodging and an excellent reputation with local innkeepers
- Customized tours means a trip that’s perfectly designed to meet your needs and wants — especially useful if you don’t want super long walks each day
- Excellent prices, especially considering you’re getting a custom-designed tour
- Options to add different activities or a guided hike here and there make for a richer experience
Our first choice for self-guided walking holidays in Ireland is Ireland Walk Hike Bike, mostly because we’ve personally hiked with them but also because their website and online presence provides the type of information that modern-day travelers are seeking. My gut tells me, however, that Tailor-Made Tours may provide equal (if not better) service to those willing to look beyond the pretty online baubles. For this reason we’ve rated them as a Local Choice for self-guided tours in Ireland.
Route types
- Inn to inn hiking
Destinations include
- Ireland
Great choice for
- Those new to walking holidays who want a trusted company who can help guide their choices
- Small groups who want self-guided walking tours and need help creating an itinerary that works for everyone
- Anyone interested in independent walking or self-drive holidays in Ireland
Established in 2001
last reviewed May 21, 2023
Because I spent the first 20 years of my career as a librarian, I feel compelled to share that the founder of this company, Deirdre O’Sullivan, happens to also be an author. Read her book Kinship Tales from the Two Spoons and I feel confident that you’ll be booking a trip with Tailor-Made Tours very quickly!
