2020 Taste of Scotland & Ireland - 10 days/9 Nights

2020 Taste of Scotland & Ireland 10 Days / 9 Nights / 16 Meals

Day 1: Glasgow Highlights
Tour begins 2:30 PM at your Glasgow hotel. Set out on an introductory tour of central Glasgow -- a city that flourished in Victorian times due to the shipbuilding industry and international trade. Drive around George Square with its ornate City Chambers, and visit Provand’s Lordship, Glasgow’s oldest house, built in 1471. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dinner.
(D)

Day 2: Loch Lomond & Loch Ness Cruise
Travel alongside the famous Loch Lomond, renowned for its beauty. Drive across the haunting Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe, admiring the wild and spectacular scenery. Continue through Fort William and stop at a woolen mill to shop for quality Scottish goods. Embark on a short cruise on Loch Ness before heading to Nairn.
(B, D)

Day 3: Whisky Tasting & St Andrews
Visit Blair Athol Distillery to see how whisky is distilled and enjoy a sample. Travel to St Andrews, best known as the “Home of Golf.” Take a panoramic drive around, then spend some time exploring independently. Continue on to your gracious manor house hotel oiutside Edinburgh, set on 1,000 acres with two golf courses. Enjoy a Scottish evening with traditional cuisine and a lively show of songs, stories, and dancing.
(B, D)

Day 4: Edinburgh Castle & City Tour
Explore the principal sights of central Edinburgh from the bustling Princes Street and through the gracious, wide streets of the 200-year-old Georgian “New Town.” Walk along part of the Royal Mile where compact medieval houses reach several stories tall. Visit Edinburgh Castle perched high above the city on volcanic rock. The castle contains the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Scone. The rest of the day is free. The August 4 – 25 departures attend the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade.
(B)

Day 5: Ferry to Ireland & Titanic Belfast
Depart Edinburgh and travel through Ayrshire and along the coast. Embark on a ferry ride to Belfast. At Titanic Belfast, immerse yourself through state-of-the-art displays in the local history of this ill-fated ocean liner, built in the nearby shipyards. Then travel to Dublin, where you will enjoy some free time for dinner on your own.
(B)

Day 6: Dublin Sightseeing & Canal Dinner Cruise
Discover central Dublin with a local guide. See the shopping areas around Grafton and Nassau Streets, view elegant Georgian squares, and the General Post Office, where the 1916 Uprising started. Take a walk around Christ Church Cathedral, founded in 1028. In the evening, board a former Guinness barge for a canal dinner cruise complete with traditional Irish music.
(B, D)

Day 7: Farmhouse Tea with Sheepdog Demonstration & Blarney Castle
Travel through the midlands of Ireland on your way to a traditional farm. Immerse yourself in farm life with tea and scones at a farmhouse visit and watch skilled dogs herd sheep. Head to Blarney Castle and kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Head to Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes and mountains.
(B, D)

Day 8: Ring of Kerry & Skellig Experience
Step back in time as a jaunting car drives you past Ross Castle on Lough Leane. Embark on the Ring of Kerry drive -- a winding route with breathtaking sights of mountains and coastal views. Cross the bridge to Valentia Island to visit the Skellig Experience, which explains the life of early Christian hermits on Skellig Michael, a rocky offshore island featured in the film “Star Wars VII.” Enjoy a casual lunch before a pause at Moll’s Gap for panoramic mountain views. Return to Killarney where the evening is free.
(B, L)

Day 9: Cliffs of Moher & Medieval Castle Banquet
After crossing Shannon by ferry, take in the enormity of the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of sandstone that reaches 700 feet above the Atlantic. Walk along the cliffs for stunning views. Later, at Bunratty Castle Hotel, you’ll have free time to visit the Folk Park, have a drink in 200-year-old Durty Nelly’s Pub, or just relax independently. In the evening, enjoy 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 In Shannon
Your program ends after breakfast today.
(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, theater, and dance with reserved seats for Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 4 – 25 departures.
• Enjoy farm life as you sample freshly baked scones with tea and watch a sheepdog demonstration.
• Discover the rich history and local lore of Edinburgh, Galway and Dublin with local guides.

Trip Highlights:

• Blair Athol Distillery
  Blair Athol Distillery Blair Athol Distillery is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland. After enjoying a leisurely conducted tour, you can mull over the distinctive character of the finished article as you sip your dram of Blair Athol 12 Year Old.
• Blarney Castle

  Blarney Castle

  Built nearly 600 years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy, this stronghold has been attracting attention ever since. Millions have flocked to Blarney to kiss the legendary Stone of Eloquence, found at the top of the tower, making it one of Ireland’s greatest treasures.
• 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.
• Loch Ness Cruise

  Loch Ness Cruise

  This large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands is approximately 23 miles long and forms part of the Caledonian Canal. It is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 21.8 square miles after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, also known as “Nessie”.
• Skellig Experience

  Skellig Experience

  You can experience many aspects of those offshore Skellig islands while remaining on the dry land, in a custom built, stone clad, grass roofed, prize winning building located right on the waterfront beside the Valentia Island bridge at Valentia, County Kerry!
• Titanic Belfast

  Titanic Belfast

  Opened in April 2012 to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of this iconic ship, this new visitor experience tells the story of the Titanic from conception and construction right through the maiden voyage and tragic ending.
• Sheepdog Demonstration

Dining Experiences:

• 9 breakfasts (B), 1 lunch (L) and 6 dinners (D) including a Scottish evening in Edinburgh and a festive medieval castle banquet.

Hotels:

• GB-GLA-GTH | Glasgow (1 night)
• GB-NAI-NEW | Nairn (1 night)
• GB-EDI-MAR| near Edinburgh (2 nights)
• IE-DUB-HYA | Dublin (2 nights)
• IE-KER-KAV | Killarney (2 nights)
• IE-CLA-BCA | Bunratty (1 night)