TASTE OF SCOTLAND & IRELAND
Superior First Class Hotels – 10 or 11 Day Coach Tour

Euro 1280 Onwards

Tour Highlights

Dinner & Ghost Tour in Edinburgh

Traditional Dublin Pub Evening with Music

Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet

Culloden Battlefield

Cliffs of Moher

Dublin Open-Top Bus Tour

DAY 1: GLASGOW HIGHLIGHTS

Land in Glasgow Airport and take 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 Kelvinqrove Art Gallery and Museum, originally opened in 1901 and recently refurbished. Join your fellow travellers for a welcome drink before dinner. (D)

DAY 2: LOCH LOMOND & URQUHART CASTLE

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 Glencoe, notorious for the Campbell massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692. Continue through Fort William and stop at the Spean Bridge Woollen Mills before driving beside Loch Ness to enjoy delightful scenery and keep an eye out for “Nessie”. Visit Urquhart Castle to see the ruins of what was once the largest castle in Scotland and enjoy scenic views over the loch. Continue to Nairn where your hotel was a favourite summer residence of Charlie Chaplin. After dinner enjoy Scottish Highland entertainment with bagpipe music, song and dance. (B, D)

DAY 3: CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD & EDINBURGH 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, changing the traditional way of Highland clan life forever. Drive south through the Grampian Mountains to visit Blair Athol Distillery to see how whisky is distilled and sample some. Continue south to Edinburgh and check in to your hotel, set in lovely grounds and golf course a few miles from the city centre. In the evening dine in the Heights Restaurant, a rooftop eatery affording panoramic views of Edinburgh Castle. Then head down to street level for a fun walking tour with a local guide to discover the haunts of Edinburgh’s many colourful characters. (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 centre 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 August 07, 09, 14, 21 and 23 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)

DAY 5: LARNE FERRY & DRIVE TO DUBLIN

Depart Edinburgh early this morning and drive south through part of the Scottish Borders and along the coast. At Cairnryan take a ferry ride across the narrow channel between Scotland and Ireland to Larne, just outside Belfast. Enjoy a panoramic city tour of Belfast before we drive south to Dublin and check in to your hotel, where the evening is at leisure for independent dining. (B)

DAY 6: VIKING DUBLIN & TRADITIONAL PUB DUBLIN

This morning tour central Dublin in the company of a local guide. Pass Trinity College, where the Book of Kells is housed; Dail Eireann, where the government meets; and rows of Georgian houses with gaily-coloured 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 use your vouchers for an independent open-top bus tour and a visit to Guinness or Jameson. In the evening drive to Taylor’s Three Rock Pub (or smilar) for a great dinner of Irish specialties, which is followed by a lively show of Irish songs and step-dancing. (B, D)

DAY 7: BLARNEY CASTLE & KILLARNEY

Depart Dublin and travel through the centre of Ireland, stopping to view the stately Rock of Cashel. Continue your drive 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 downtown 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

Drive to Tarbert for a ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary. Continue to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of limestone that reaches 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Drive to Bunratty to check into 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. Throughout the banquet the lords and ladies will serenade you with song and harp music, evocative of the middle Ages. (B, D)

DAY 10: SHANNON AIRPORT OR GALWAY EXTENSION

Clients on the 10-day tour will take a group transfer to nearby Shannon Airport where your tour concludes at 10:30 am. The lucky people on the 11 day tour will drive along the famous Galway Bay to Spiddal and across the rugged boglands of Connemara. See locally-quarried marble and enjoy tea and scones at the Connemara Marble Factory. Take a panoramic tour around Galway and have a look around the city before travelling to Dublin. Check into City centre hotel and you are free for independent activities and dining. (B)

DAY 11: DEPART FROM DUBLIN AIRPORT

Use your complimentary taxi transfer to arrive in Dublin Airport in ample time to check in for your flight. After check-in, you’ll have time to shop at the duty-free shops before boarding the aircraft for the journey home. (B)

DEPARTURE DATES

March

June

July

October

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES

• Transfers on arrival and departure

• Ferry from Scotland to Ireland

• Dublin open-top bus tour with complimentary visit and a drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery

• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout

• Services of a professional tour director

• Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 9 or 10 nights

• Full Scottish & Irish breakfast daily (B)

• 7 dinners (D) including: Heights Restaurant with views of Edinburgh Castle, Dinner and traditional Irish entertainment at Taylor’s Three Rock Pub (or similar)
  Medieval banquet and entertainment in Bunratty Castle, 3 table d’hôte dinners

• Welcome get-together drink

• Sightseeing tours of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin

• Scottish Highland Evening in Nairn

• Whisky tasting and tour of Blair Athol Distillery

• Ghost walking tour of Edinburgh

• Reserved seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 07, 09, 14, 21 and 23 departures

• Sheepdog trials on Ring of Kerry

• Ferry ride across the River Shannon

• Visits and admissions to Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Spean Bridge Woollen Mills, Urquhart Castle, Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre, Edinburgh Castle, Book of Kells in Trinity College, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Skellig Experience, Cliffs of Moher and Connemara Marble Factory

• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap

• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

YOUR HOTELS

Stay at the following (or similar)

• Thistle Hotel, Glasgow  (1 night)

• The Newton Hotel, Nairn  (1 night)

• Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel, Edinburgh  (2 nights)

• Radisson Blue St. Helens, Dublin   (2 nights)

• Killarney Avenue Hotel, Killarney  (2 nights)

• Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty  (1 night)

• Academy Plaza Hotel, Dublin  (1 night – 11-day tour only)