Best of Ireland & Scotland

Europe Ireland
OVERVIEW
This unforgettable Ireland and Scotland guided tour offers travellers a deep dive into the heart of Gaelic culture and history. Dublin impresses with the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College and the millennia old Book of Kells. Experience centuries of rich Gaelic history as you take High-Tea at the Ardgowan Estate near Glasgow and see the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Glencoe offers a glimpse of Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis ahead of a cruise on Loch Ness and the chance to seek out Scotland’s most infamous bonnie monster. Up in the highlands, enjoy a whiskey tasting at a distillery, to uncork tales of smugglers before the vacation embarks on a grand tour of the Scottish capital. Edinburgh doesn’t disappoint with the Royal Mile, home to Edinburgh Castle, Scotland’s Crown Jewels and the Scottish Parliament.
EXPERIENCES
Dublin: A stunning combination of cobblestone walkways, emerald-green lawns and 18th-century architectural gems, Trinity College is one of Europe’s elite universities and counts poet Oscar Wilde among its alumni. See the enchanting college campus and discover insights into its impressive history. Enjoy access to view the famous Book of Kells, an exquisite manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament, renowned for the intricacy, detail and majesty of the illustrations.

Kildare: Horse racing is key part of Irish culture; and you'll gain a rare insight into it on your visit to the Irish National Stud. Set in Kildare at the breeding ground of champions and the birthplace of legends, explore the foaling unit, museum and the stallions that continue to make racing history. As the only stud farm in Ireland open to the public, learn the insights of horse-racing at a site whose former visitors include queens and presidents.

Kildare: Horse racing is key part of Irish culture; and you'll gain a rare insight into it on your visit to the Irish National Stud. Set in Kildare at the breeding ground of champions and the birthplace of legends, explore the foaling unit, museum and the stallions that continue to make racing history. As the only stud farm in Ireland open to the public, learn the insights of horse-racing at a site whose former visitors include queens and presidents.

Londonderry: There's no better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland's best storytellers, Ronan, as he takes you on a tour inside the city walls. See the Gothic Guildhall and the Georgian houses of Shipquay Street.
DEPARTURE DATES AND PRICES
Tour
Departs		 Tour
Returns		 Starting From
(price per person)		 Definite Departure
What's this?		 Book Now!
07/08/2025 20/08/2025 £6,550 Book
04/09/2025 17/09/2025 £6,225 Book
14/09/2025 27/09/2025 £6,225 Book
18/09/2025 01/10/2025 £6,225 Book
21/09/2025 04/10/2025 £6,195 Book
25/09/2025 08/10/2025 £6,195 Book
02/04/2026 15/04/2026 £5,395 Book
09/04/2026 22/04/2026 £5,395 Book
16/04/2026 29/04/2026 £5,395 Book
23/04/2026 06/05/2026 £5,425 Book
30/04/2026 13/05/2026 £5,475 Book
05/05/2026 18/05/2026 £5,475 Book
07/05/2026 20/05/2026 £5,475 Book
14/05/2026 27/05/2026 £5,475 Book
19/05/2026 01/06/2026 £5,475 Book
21/05/2026 03/06/2026 £5,550 Book
26/05/2026 08/06/2026 £5,550 Book
31/05/2026 13/06/2026 £5,550 Book
02/06/2026 15/06/2026 £5,550 Book
09/06/2026 22/06/2026 £5,550 Book
11/06/2026 24/06/2026 £5,550 Book
14/06/2026 27/06/2026 £5,550 Book
18/06/2026 01/07/2026 £5,625 Book
25/06/2026 08/07/2026 £5,650 Book
02/07/2026 15/07/2026 £5,650 Book
09/07/2026 22/07/2026 £5,650 Book
16/07/2026 29/07/2026 £5,650 Book
21/07/2026 03/08/2026 £5,975 Book
23/07/2026 05/08/2026 £5,975 Book
28/07/2026 10/08/2026 £5,975 Book
04/08/2026 17/08/2026 £5,975 Book
11/08/2026 24/08/2026 £5,975 Book
13/08/2026 26/08/2026 £5,750 Book
16/08/2026 29/08/2026 £5,750 Book
18/08/2026 31/08/2026 £5,750 Book
20/08/2026 02/09/2026 £5,650 Book
25/08/2026 07/09/2026 £5,595 Book
27/08/2026 09/09/2026 £5,595 Book
30/08/2026 12/09/2026 £5,595 Book
03/09/2026 16/09/2026 £5,625 Book
08/09/2026 21/09/2026 £5,625 Book
17/09/2026 30/09/2026 £5,625 Book
24/09/2026 07/10/2026 £5,595 Book
ACCOMMODATION
DAY 1: Clayton Charlemont, Dublin - Meals: Dinner
DAY 10: Kingsmills, Inverness - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 11: Kingsmills, Inverness - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 12: Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 13: Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 2: Clayton Charlemont, Dublin - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 3: The Kingsley, Cork, Maldron South Mall, Cork - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 4: Skellig Hotel, Dingle. - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5: Skellig Hotel, Dingle. - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6: Connemara Coast, Galway - Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7: Clayton, Sligo - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8: Ballygally Castle, Co. Antrim - Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 9: Radisson Blu, Glasgow - Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea
ITINERARY

Relax at your hotel before joining your Travel Director for a warm and friendly dinner, an opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers.

An orientation with your Local Expert will take you past the Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. See the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Enjoy entrance to the 9th-century Book of Kells and a walk through the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College to gain insight into the establishment's impressive history.

Witness life behind the scenes of the National Stud Farm, where many legendary racehorses are bred. Then see the finest Japanese gardens in Europe, where the gardens portray the symbolism of life and trace the journey of a soul, designed by master horticulturists, Tassa and Minoru Eida. Continue on to Cork, Ireland's second most populous city, built on the River Lee. Travel along Grand Parade to see Cork's City Hall and Opera House.

Your Ireland and Scotland tour continues with a visit to the partially ruined 15th century Blarney Castle, home of the famous Stone of Eloquence - once kissed, never forgotten!

Today’s Insight Choice invites you to experience one of Ireland’s most iconic sites. Opt to explore Blarney Castle, climbing its medieval tower to kiss the famous Blarney Stone, long said to grant the ‘gift of the gab.’ Alternatively, skip the climb and take time to roam the castle’s 1,500-acre estate, discovering the Wishing Steps, Witch’s Kitchen and a series of imaginative themed gardens, from the tranquil Water Garden to the tropical Fern Garden.

Explore Killarney with Insight Choice. Choose a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys. Alternatively, join a gentle hike with a Local Expert along the lake shore and past the grounds of Ross Castle, admiring the incredible scenery of the National Park. While there aren't any mountains to climb, walkers should be fit, have good walking shoes or boots, sunscreen and rain gear. Tour the superb seascapes, towering cliffs and spectacular mountains of the Ring of Kerry. Journey past lush lakelands and through delightful villages like Sneem. Cross the peat bogs of the Black Valley to Moll's Gap and admire Queen Victoria's Ladies View. Upon returning in the mid-afternoon, the rest of the day is at leisure.

Enjoy a Relaxed Start before setting out along the Dingle Peninsula, a region rich in Gaelic culture and striking Atlantic views. Drive the Slea Head route, one of Ireland’s most scenic stretches, passing rugged cliffs, ancient stone huts and panoramic lookouts across the Blasket Islands. Along the way, gain insight into Ireland’s early Christian heritage and the daily life of this remote, Irish-speaking region.

Begin the day with a short ferry ride across the Shannon Estuary. Enjoy magnificent views of the Clare coast, as you journey to the Visitors' Centre at the 214 m (702 ft) Cliffs of Moher. Continue on to your hotel, located at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way. Join your Travel Director in Galway to see the infamous Lynch Memorial and the Church of St. Nicholas, where Christopher Columbus reputedly prayed before his discovery of America. Also see the aged Spanish Arch and Eyre Square, dedicated to the late U.S. President, John F. Kennedy.

Tour the wild Connemara region, a scenic wonderland of rivers, lakes and silent hills. Drive along the scenic shores of Sligo Bay.

Cross into Northern Ireland and arrive in Londonderry for a walking tour with Ronan, one of the region’s leading storytellers. Follow the original 17th-century city walls, complete with cannons, and make your way down Shipquay Street, lined with Georgian townhouses. Pause outside the red sandstone Guildhall, a prominent example of neo-Gothic architecture. Later, visit the UNESCO-listed Giant’s Causeway, where over 40,000 basalt columns were formed by ancient volcanic activity. Continue along the scenic Antrim Coast to your hotel overlooking Ballygally Bay.

Cross the Irish Sea by ferry and journey to Ardgowan. Sir Ludovic Shaw Stewart welcomes you to his family castle, set on a 10,000-acre coastal estate. Explore the history of the area and learn the Shaw Stewart family's conservation efforts to protect the land on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, followed by traditional Scottish tea and scones. Continue to Glasgow where your Travel Director will show you the city's grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo's Cathedral.

A scenic drive takes you along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. Absorb the dramatic landscape of Glencoe, still echoing with the cries of massacred clansmen. Pause at the Commando Memorial for a view of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis before reaching the Great Glen. Continue on to Loch Ness and embark on a cruise to soak up the scenery, historic monuments and intriguing tales of Nessie in the heart of Scotland's great glen.

In the morning, see the sights of Inverness before travelling to the Culloden Moor Visitor Centre, where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army met its fateful end. Then, enjoy a 'wee dram' with a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at Uile-bheist, a pioneering distillery blending age-old traditions with cutting-edge sustainability. Hear tales of whisky smugglers, explore the craft behind their signature single malts and beers, and uncover the legends that inspire their brews.

A scenic drive takes you through the Grampian Mountains past the Duke of Atholl's Blair Castle. Drive down and cross the Tay to visit St. Andrews. As you arrive, pass the Old Course, the home of golf since its invention in the 15th-century. Enjoy free time to explore. Why not wander to St. Andrews University where the love story of Kate Middleton and Prince William began? Alternately, stroll to West Sands Beach where the famous 'Chariots of Fire' scene was filmed. Continue across the majestic Forth Road Bridge to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. In the evening, select departures attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

In the morning, join a Local Expert to see the highlights of the city. Drive along Princes Street to the ornate Scott Memorial, then see the 18th century New Town with its neoclassical Georgian facades. In the Old Town see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the King. Venture up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle, home of Mons Meg and Scotland’s Crown Jewels, the Honours of Scotland. In the afternoon, you are at leisure to continue exploring as you wish, or perhaps go shopping. Join your friends in the heart of Edinburgh at a Celebration Dinner of modern Scottish cuisine served with wine.

Your 14 days in Ireland and Scotland come to an end after breakfast with transfers arriving at Edinburgh airport.
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