2020 Grand Tour of Britain & Ireland - 23 Days/22 Nights

2020 Grand Tour of Britain & Ireland 23 Days / 22 Nights / 38 Meals

Day 1: London Arrival & Kensington Palace
Tour begins 2:00 PM at your London hotel. Take a panoramic tour of London with a local guide. Visit Kensington Palace, Queen Victoria’s birthplace and former home of Princess Diana. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group at your hotel before a free evening for independent dining.

Day 2: Independent London Sightseeing & St. Paul’s Cathedral
Enjoy an independent day of sightseeing with tickets for the Original London Hop-On, Hop Off city tour. Explore St. Paul’s Cathedral with your enclosed admission voucher.
(B)

Day 3: Cotswolds & Shakespeare’s Birthplace
Travel through the Cotswolds, ¬ filled with rolling hills and charming villages. Stop for photos before arriving in Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace. Enjoy free time in Stratford for lunch and some independent exploration before heading to your hotel in York.
(B, D)

Day 4: York Minster & Scottish Evening
Take a walking tour of central York and visit York Minster. Drive through the lush green scenery of northern England and cross into Scotland. View the ruins of Melrose Abbey. Celebrate with a traditional Scottish banquet and entertainment this evening.
(B, D)

Day 5: Edinburgh Castle & Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo
Tour Edinburgh with a local guide, Scotland’s capital city, famous for its medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town. Tour Edinburgh Castle to view the Crown Jewels of Scotland. August 9 and August 16 departures will attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade.
(B)

Day 6: St Andrews & Pitlochry
Take a tour of St Andrews the “Home of Golf.” Enjoy some free time before traveling on to Pitlochry for lunch. Proceed to Aviemore, a popular resort town in the Highlands.
(B, D)

Day 7: Loch Ness Cruise & Glencoe
Cruise along Loch Ness; perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse of the legendary Nessie. Drive though the Highlands and visit Stirling Castle before going to your hotel in Strathclyde.
(B, D)

Day 8: Rabbie Burns Birthplace Museum & Belfast
Stop at the Robert Burns’ Birthplace Museum to learn about the famous poet. Drive to the Cairnryan port to travel by ferry to Belfast, where you will dine in your hotel.
(B, D)

Day 9: Glens of ANtrib& Giant’s Causeway
Drive through the scenic Nine Glens of Antrim. Visit the Giants Causeway, hexagonal columns formed over 60 million years ago. Return to Belfast for a panoramic tour of the city. Enjoy free time for dining independently.
(B)

Day 10: Donegal & Galway
Depart for Donegal, where you will enjoy some free time and lunch independently. Visit Knock Shrine, a pilgrimage site where an apparition of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. Depart for Galway and take a walking tour of the city with a local guide. Return to your hotel for dinner there.
(B, D)

Day 11: Wild Atlantic Way Drive & Quiet Man Walking Tour
Drive through the stunning scenery of Connemara. In Cong, take a short walking tour to see locations from the “Quiet Man.” Have lunch at Eddies of Clonbur, then travel to Galway via Maam Cross. The afternoon is free to enjoy Galway on your own.
(B, L)

Day 12: The Burren & Cliffs of Moher
Drive through the Burren and visit the Cliffs of Moher, and take a ferry across the River Shannon. Stop at John B. Keane’s Pub, where the famed playwright wrote his famous works.
(B, D)

Day 13: Muckross House & Sheep Farm
Visit the 19th-century Muckross House and Gardens. Take a scenic drive along the highlights of the Ring of Kerry before stopping in Kenmare for lunch and some free time to explore. Travel to a traditional farm to see highly-skilled sheepdogs herd sheep. Enjoy a free evening in Killarney.
(B, L)

Day 14: Blarney Castle & Cobh
Visit Blarney Castle and kiss the “Stone of Eloquence.” Visit Cobh and learn of this colorful town’s connection to the Titanic. Enjoy a walking tour of the historic city of Waterford with a local guide.
(B, D)

Day 15: Waterford Crystal & Taylors Three Rock
Tour the famous House of Waterford Crystal to see how its famous glassware is made. Visit the Dunbrody Famine Ship to learn the history of Irish emigration. Enjoy a night of traditional Irish entertainment and cuisine at Taylors Three Rock Pub.
(B, D)

Day 16: Dublin & Book of Kells
Tour Dublin, then take a walking tour of Trinity College and see the 9th-century Book of Kells, one of Ireland’s ¬ nest cultural treasures. Explore Dublin independently for the remainder of your day.
(B)

Day 17: Ferry to Wales & Conwy
Sail to Holyhead in Wales. Discover the town of Conwy and take a guided walking tour of its famous sights. Tour Conwy Castle with free time to explore on your own.
(B, D)

Day 18: Snowdonia & Brecon Beacons
Head south through Snowdonia National Park, stopping in a traditional Welsh market town, where you’ll have some free time for lunch. View the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Enjoy a panoramic tour of Cardiff before heading to Cardiff Castle, where you’ll enjoy a tour followed by an elegant banquet.
(B, D)

Day 19: Bath & Bodmin Moor
In Bath, visit the hot springs and the ancient Roman Baths. Stop in Glastonbury with its historic sites. Enjoy free time to explore and have lunch. Take a scenic drive through Devon, across Bodmin Moor and into Cornwall to your hotel in St Austell.
(B, D)

Day 20: St Michael’s Mount & St. Ives
Travel to Marazion and see St Michael’s Mount, a remarkable tidal island. If the tide allows, walk out across the causeway. Travel to the artistic community of St. Ives for a walking tour. Browse the picturesque ¬ fishing village of Mevagissey.
(B, D)

Day 21: Stonehenge & Salisbury
Visit the stone monoliths at Stonehenge. Take a tour of Salisbury, a medieval city famous for its cathedral, which houses one of the original copies of the Magna Carta.
(B, D)

Day 22: Windsor Walking Tour & Windsor Castle
Head to Windsor for a walking tour with a local guide, then visit Windsor Castle, the Queen’s Residence. Explore independently for the rest of the day and evening.
(B)

Day 23: Tour Ends in London
Your program ends after breakfast.
(B)

B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner

All components of this tour (hotels, visits and attractions) for 2020 itineraries are subject to change until finalized in September 2019.

Authentic Local Experiences:

• Expect an unforgettable evening of music, ceremony, theatre and dance with reserved seats for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 9th and 16th departures
• Discover the rich history of Dublin’s Trinity College with a local guide, and visit the library to see the Book of Kells, a splendid medieval manuscript.
• Tour Stonehenge, the famous mysterious stone monoliths built in prehistoric times.

Dining Experiences:

• 22 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 14 dinners including Scottish evening in Edinburgh, Taylors Three Rock Pub dinner and show, and a traditional Cardiff Castle Welsh Banquet

Trip Highlights:

• Cardiff Castle

  Cardiff Castle

  Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’ leading heritage attractions and a site of international significance. Located within beautiful parklands at the heart of the capital, Cardiff Castle’s walls and fairytale towers conceal 2,000 years of history.
• Cliffs of Moher
  
  

  Cliffs of Moher

  One of Ireland’s top visitor attractions, the cliffs are 700 feet high and extend for 5 miles over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O’Brien’s Tower stands proudly on a headland and one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay and Connemara. The cliffs are home to major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds.

• Edinburgh Castle

  Edinburgh Castle

  The rock on which today’s castle stands has been a stronghold for over 3000 years and Edinburgh Castle has dominated its surroundings for centuries. See the 12th century St. Margaret’s Chapel, the monumental great hall of James IV, opened in 1511, the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny.
• Giant's Causeway

  Giant's Causeway

  The Giant's Causeway, renowned for its hexagonal basalt columns, was created from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. It is Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Ireland's most popular visitor attractions. It is steeped in myth and legend, especially about the mighty giant, Finn McCool.
• Roman Baths & Pump Room

  Roman Baths & Pump Room

  Around Britain’s only hot springs, the Romans built the finest religious spa in northern Europe. This great temple and bathing complex still flows with natural hot water. See extensive remains and a Roman museum of international significance as well as the 18th century Regency influence
• Shakespeare’s Birthplace

  Shakespeare’s Birthplace

  This carefully restored 16th century half-timbered house in Stratford-upon-Avon is where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and spent his childhood years. See an exhibition on Shakespeare and his times before walking through the house, now restored to look at it would have been in his day.
• Stonehenge

  Stonehenge

  Stonehenge is probably the most important prehistoric monument in Britain. The circle of vast monoliths date from about 3,100 B.C. and are built from bluestone, sarson and Welsh sandstone. It is aligned with the summer solstice and is believed to have been built for lunar and solar worship.
• Windsor Castle

  Windsor Castle

  Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today. Walk through the many courtyards to visit the magnificent staterooms and St. George’s Chapel.

Hotels:

• GB-LON-NTB | London (2 nights)
• GB-YOR-YOM | York (1 night)
• GB-EDI-MEQ or GB-EDI-VOC | Edinburgh (2 nights)
• GB-AVI-MAV | Aviemore (1 night)
• GB-GLA-DHS | near Glasgow (1 nights)
• NI-BEL-EUR | Belfast (2 night)
• IE-GAL-GBA | Galway (2 nights)
• IE-KER-KPL | Killarney (2 nights)
• IE-WAT-DOO | Waterford (1 night)
• IE-DUB-RSH | Dublin (2 nights)
• GB-CWY-QUA | Conwy (1 night)
• GB-CDI-PCA | Cardiff (1 night)
• GB-SAU-COR | St Austell (2 nights)
• GB-SLB-MER | Salisbury (1 night)
• GB-BKS-MAC | Windsor (1 night)