15 Day Best of Scotland and Ireland

Tour Description

An opportunity to explore Ireland’s fantastic castles and plunging cliffs, plus the Scotland’s renowned highlands and ancient ruins. Visit the noble cities of Dublin and Edinburgh, and sample local cuisine and whisky.

Tour Highlights

• Dublin: Views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Phoenix Park and visit Trinity College.
• Kildare: Visit the Irish National Stud Farm and Japanese Garden.
• Waterford: Visit the Crystal Showroom (when open).
• Blarney: Visit to the Castle.
• Tralee: Ring of Kerry excursion.
• Limerick: Orientation includes St. Mary’s Cathedral and King John’s Castle. Visit the spectacular Cliffs of Moher and the Burren.
• Galway Bay: Panoramic views.
• Drumcliff: See Yeat’s burial place.
• Omagh: Visit the Ulster-American Folk Park.
• Londonderry/Derry: See the city walls and St. Columb’s Cathedral.
• Giants Causeway: Visit this geological formation of huge basalt columns.
• Belfast: See the City Hall and Queen’s University.
• Glasgow: Orientation tour, visiting St. Mungo’s Cathedral, seeing George Square, Clydeside and the city chambers. Visit the Burrell Collection of Art in Pollok Park.
• Glencoe: See the Vale of Weeping.
• Isle of Skye: Visit the beautiful island.
• Culloden: Visit the famous battlefield.
• St. Andrews: View the famous golf course.
• Edinburgh: Visit the castle and views Holyrood House.

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Trinity Capital Hotel, Dublin
• The Belfry, Waterford
• Ballygarry House, Tralee
• Days Hotel Castlebar, Castlebar
• City Hotel, Londonderry
• Jury’s Inn, Glasgow
• Tongadale Hotel, Isle of Skye
• Macdonalds Highland Resort
• Marriott Hotel, Edinburgh

First Class Travel Highlights

• All hotel service charges and tips, baggage handling fees and local taxes included.
• Touring by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and a washroom onboard.
• The services of one of Trafalgar’s top professional Tour Directors.
• A qualified local city guide in Dublin, Londonderry/Derry, Belfast and Edinburgh.
• Tickets are included for the world-famous Tattoo during the Edinburgh Festival.
• Ferry across the Irish Sea from Northern Ireland to Scotland.
• Stay in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities.
• Airport transfers are provided on Day 1 and Day 15.
• A stylish wallet, tour documents and a Welcome on Tour book.

Dining Highlights

• 8 Irish and 6 Scottish full breakfasts
• 7 three-course dinners
• Local highlight pub restaurant dinner with wine in Glasgow
• Farewell Dinner with wine in Edinburgh

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Dublin (2 nights)

Welcome to Dublin and Ireland. After check-inthe remainder of your day is at leisure to perhaps admire the elegant architecture of this great city. This evening, you’ll meet with your TourDirector and fellow travelling companions for a Welcome Drink. Stay: Trinity Capital

Day 2: Dublin sightseeing & at leisure

After a hearty Irish breakfast, our sightseeing tour with a local guide takes in this ‘fair city’s’ highlights.We’ll see Phoenix Park and Dublin Castle and enjoy views of St. Patrick’s Cathedral – and our highlight will be a visit of Trinity College so that we canadmire the ancient Book of Kells. The rest of the day is at leisure to explorefurther. (B)

Day 3: Dublin – Kildare – Waterford

Today’s first stop is a visit to theIrish Stud Farm at Kildare. With a guide we will enjoy a walking tour of theStud and see some of the country’s finest thoroughbreds. We will also visit the Japanese Garden – designed by a Japanese landscape artist at the turn of thelast century. Next off to the coast of this Emerald Isle and to the seasideresort of Waterford where we see the 12th century Reginald’s Tower and stop tovisit the Waterford Crystal Showroom. (B/D) Stay: The Belfry

Day 4: Waterford – Blarney – Tralee (2 nights)

This morning’s drive takes usalong the scenic coast via the fishing village of Youghal where Moby Dick wasfilmed, and through the city of Cork to Blarney where we visit the castle inorder to kiss the stone and acquire ‘the gift of the gab’! Finally, we drivenorth to Tralee. (B/D) Stay: Ballygarry House

Day 5: Ring of Kerry excursion

Not only spectacular scenery today but also aHidden Treasure will be revealed to us by our Tour Director as we tour the Ring of Kerry. Plunging cliffs, glassy lakes, granite mountains and jagged coastlines regale us as our trip passes Killorglin (of Puck Fair fame), Daniel O’Connell’sCahirciveen, Waterville and Moll’s Gap before returning to Tralee and our hotelfor the night. (B)

Day 6: Tralee – Limerick – Galway – Castlebar

This morning after breakfast wedrive to Limerick where the film ‘Angela’s Ashes’ was set and where we see St.Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle and the Treaty Stone. From here we visit the magnificent Cliffs of Moher and drive across the mysterious limestonelandscape known as the Burren, before continuing to beautiful Galway Bay. Thenwe head north to Castlebar and our hotel for dinner and overnight. (B/D) Stay: Days Hotel Castlebar

Day 7: Castlebar – Londonderry (2 nights)

First we see Yeats’ grave inDrumcliff before crossing the border into Northern Ireland and along the shoresof Lough Erne to Enniskillen in Ireland’s lake district. Then up to Omagh wherewe stop to visit the Ulster-American Folk Park. Next via Strabane we soon reachLondonderry/Derry where a walking tour with a local guide takes us to the citywalls, some of the best-preserved in Europe. We also see the 17th century St.Columb’s Cathedral with its tower before heading to the Derry Craft Village andon to the quay where Irish emigrants sailed to the New World. (B/D) Stay: City Hotel

Day 8: Giant’s Causeway excursion

Our day begins with a drive along thebeautiful Antrim coast road as we make our way to the Giants Causeway. Here westop to see the basalt columns rising from the sea before we make our way back to Londonderry for the night. (B/D)

Day 9: Londonderry – Belfast – Glasgow (2 nights)

Today’s drive takes us tothe capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast. Here our sightseeing tour shows usStormont Castle, the City Chambers and Queen’s University before heading to theport of Larne where we board our ferry for the sea crossing to Cairnryan in Scotland. Then we drive through Ayrshire where we stop in Alloway to see thegreat poet Robbie Burn’s cottage before arriving in Scotland’s commercialcapital, Glasgow, for a leisurely two-night stay. Tonight we will enjoy atypical
Glaswegian Highlight Dinner in a characteristic local restaurant. (B/HD) Stay: Jurys Inn

Day 10: Glasgow orientation & at leisure

Another Hidden Treasure isrevealed today by your Tour Director. But first our orientation tour includes avisit to St. Mungo’s Cathedral and views of the City Chambers and George Square. Later we visit the Burrell Collection where some 9,000 artefacts and works ofart are on view. Then time at leisure and maybe join a Burns suppertonight? (B)

Day 11: Glasgow – Fort William – Isle of Skye

We drive along the bonnie banksof Loch Lomond then through Glencoe, where we will be able to take pictures ofthe site of the famous 1692 massacre. Then along the shores of Loch Linnhe inthe shadow of Ben Nevis and over the sea to Skye, made famous by Bonnie PrinceCharlie. We spend the night and have dinner on this beautiful isle. (B/D) Stay: Tongadale

Day 12: Isle of Skye – Loch Ness – Inverness – Culloden – ScottishHighlands

Through Glen Shiel to the banks of Loch Ness where we canlook out for the famous monster! The Loch Ness Monster is one of the best knowncryptids, alleged animals, in the world and the first sighting was reported in1933. Past the ruins of Urquhart Castle and romantic scenery, we reachInverness. Then we continue to visit the battlefield of Culloden, where BonniePrince Charlie was defeated by Butcher Cumberland and to the ski resort ofAviemore. (B/D) Stay: Macdonalds Highland Resort

Day 13: Scottish Highlands – Pitlochry – Edinburgh (2 nights)

This morning wetravel through the Cairngorm Mountains to reach Blair Castle and Pitlochry, renowned for salmon fishing. Then we stop in St. Andrews to see theecclesiastical ruins and to take a picture at the 18th hole of the famous golfcourse. Recently Prince William attended St. Andrews University, making it worldrenowned. Then through the Kingdom of Fife to the Forth Bridge where we cross the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh. (B) Stay: Marriott

Day 14: Edinburgh sightseeing & at leisure

After breakfast our guidedsightseeing tour includes a visit to Edinburgh Castle and views of HolyroodHouse and Arthur’s Seat at either end of the Royal Mile. We also see PrincesStreet and see the new Scottish Parliament before free time – perhaps to take an excursion to the Rosslyn Chapel, long associated with the Knight Templars andthe Freemasons, this pretty church has come to notoriety through the popular ‘DaVinci Code’. During the Edinburgh Festival in August, tickets for thespectacular Edinburgh Tattoo are included. Tonight we enjoy a Farewell Dinnertogether with our Tour Director and fellow-travelling companions. (B/D)

Day 15: Depart Edinburgh

This morning after breakfast it is time to bid farewell to your Tour Director and new-found friends as your tour of Ireland andScotland comes to an end and we return home with happy memories. (B)

Dates and Prices for 2011

Dates and Prices for 2012

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Accommodation rating Represents the standard of hotel used most frequently throughout this tour

Extras Represents the individual operators suggested budget to pay for additional activities on tour (dinners,entertainment,excursions etc) NOT included in base tour price

Hotel legend:
D deluxe | SF superior first | F first | MF moderate first | ST superior tourist | T Tourist