Taste of Scotland & Ireland Tour Includes:
Airport transfers at start and end of tour
Sightseeing by luxury coach
Professional tour director
9 nights in hotels listed above
Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
7 dinners (D) including:
- Scottish Highland Evening
- Edinburgh Restaurant dinner
- Dinner and traditional entertainment at Taylor's Three Rock Pub
- Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
- 3 table d'hote dinners
Welcome get-together drink
Tours of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin
Scenic cruise of Loch Ness
Blair Athol Distillery tour and tasting
Edinburgh ghost walking tour
Edinburgh Military Tattoo on July 31 to August 21 departures
Ferries from Scotland to Ireland and across the River Shannon
Sheepdog trials on Ring of Kerry
Dublin open-top bus tour with a visit and drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
Visits and admissions to Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Spean Bridge Woollen Mills, Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Edinburgh Castle, Titanic Belfast, Book of Kells at Trinity College, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Skellig Experience and Cliffs of Moher
Deluxe carry-on backpack, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
Highlights:
Edinburgh Dinner & Ghost Tour
Taylor's Three Rock Pub Evening
Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
Culloden Battlefield
Cliffs of Moher
Dublin Open-Top Bus Tour
10 Day Taste of Scotland & Ireland Tour Itinerary
Day 1 - Glasgow Highlights
Start your trip at Glasgow Airport with a group transfer to your hotel, departing at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. If you arrive later than noon, you must transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 2:30 pm set out on a coach tour to discover the main attractions of Glasgow, a city that flourished in Victorian times due to shipbuilding on the River Clyde. Drive around George Square with its ornate City Chambers and nearby Glasgow Cathedral. Visit extensive collections in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, originally opened in 1901. Join your tour director and travel companions for a welcome drink before dinner. (D)
Day 2 - Loch Lomond & Loch Ness Cruise
Depart Glasgow and travel alongside the famous Loch Lomond, renowned in song for its unsurpassed beauty. Travel across the haunting Rannoch Moor and through the deep valley of Glen Coe, notorious for the Campbell massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692. Continue through Fort William and stop at the Spean Bridge Woollen Mill, which offers a good selection of quality Scottish goods. At Fort Augustus embark on a short cruise on Loch Ness to keep an eye out for “Nessie.” Continue to Nairn where a Scottish Highland evening will feature haggis and bagpipe music. (B, D)
Day 3 - Culloden Battlefield & Ghost Tour
Visit the Culloden Visitor Centre to learn about the Battle of Culloden where Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated by the British army in 1746. Drive to Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry to see how whisky is distilled and sample some. Continue south to Edinburgh and check in to your hotel, a few miles from the city and set in lovely grounds with a golf course. In the evening dine at a lively restaurant in Edinburgh. Then head off on a fun walking tour to discover the haunts of Edinburgh's eccentric characters in the narrow streets of the old city. (B, D)
Day 4 - Edinburgh Castle & City Tour
This morning an Edinburgh city guide will point out the principal sights of this interesting capital city. Drive along the bustling Princes Street and through the gracious, wide streets of the 200-year-old Georgian New Town. See the compact medieval section along the Royal Mile where some houses reach 11 stories tall. Visit Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the city and contains the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Scone. The balance of the day is free for further sightseeing, shopping and dining. On July 31 to August 21 departures, seats are reserved for the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day 5 - Titanic Belfast & Dublin
Depart Edinburgh early this morning and drive south through Ayrshire and along the coast. At Cairnryan take a ferry ride to Larne. Drive to Belfast for a panoramic city tour followed by a visit to the newly-opened Titanic Belfast to learn about this famous liner through state-of-the-art displays. Drive south to Dublin and check in to your deluxe hotel, located in spacious grounds. The evening is at leisure for independent dining. (B)
Day 6 - Dublin & Taylor's Three Rock
Tour central Dublin with a local guide to see public buildings, lovely parks and rows of Georgian houses with brightly-painted doorways. Walk through the campus of Trinity College to view the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the gospels dating from the 8th century. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure or take an independent open-top bus tour and visit Guinness or Jameson. In the evening drive to Taylor's Three Rock Pub for a great dinner of Irish specialties and a lively show of Irish songs and step-dancing. (B, D)
Day 7 - Blarney Castle & Killarney
Travel through the midlands of Ireland, stopping for photos at the stately Rock of Cashel. Continue south to visit Blarney Castle and kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods. Drive into the mountainous countryside of County Kerry to Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes and mountains. Check in to your hotel and relax before dinner. Afterwards you may like to explore some of Killarney's famous “singing pubs.” (B, D)
Day 8 - Ring of Kerry & Skellig Experience
Today embark on the Ring of Kerry drive - a winding route with breathtaking sights of mountains and coastal views. Meet a local farmer for a taste of farm life with a sheepdog demonstration of herding flocks. Cross to Valencia Island by bridge to visit the Skellig Experience which describes the austere lives of early Christian monks on the nearby islands. Drive through Waterville and stop in Sneem to admire brightly-painted houses. Pause at Moll's Gap for stunning views before returning to Killarney in time to relax before dinner. (B, D)
Day 9 - Cliffs of Moher & Bunratty Castle
Take a ferry ride across the River Shannon to reach the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of limestone that reaches 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Check in to Bunratty Castle Hotel, close to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. If you wish, you may visit the Folk Park, have a drink in the 200-year-old Durty Nelly's Pub or shop at the Bunratty Mills. In the evening head to Bunratty Castle for a memorable medieval-style feast where the lords and ladies will serenade you with song and harp music, evocative of the Middle Ages. (B, D)
Day 10 - Tour Ends Shannon Airport
Take a group transfer to nearby Shannon Airport where your tour concludes at 10:30 am. (B)
B: Breakfast; D: Dinner
Hotels:
Superior First Class:
Thistle Hotel, Glasgow (1 night)
The Newton Hotel, Nairn (1 night)
Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights)
Radisson Blu St Helens Hotel , Dublin (2 nights)
Killarney Avenue Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
