Irish & Scottish Sampler - 8 Days/7 Nights

Tour begins 2:00 PM at your Dublin hotel. Visit Dalkey Castle, built in 1390, where 500 years of history are brought to life with costumed actors in a fun and interactive tour. Your leisurely stroll in this heritage town will follow in the footsteps of international best-selling writer Maeve Binchy to the Memorial Garden in her honor and past the favorite pub of U2’s Bono, a local resident. Enjoy a welcome drink at your castle hotel with your group before dinner. (D)

Take a panoramic tour of central Dublin to see rows of stately Georgian houses lining elegant squares. Pass Trinity College and then Leinster House, where both houses of the government convene. In the afternoon, take the Hop-On, Hop-Off tour for independent exploration of Dublin and admission to your choice of one of Dublin’s top attractions: Guinness Storehouse, GPO Witness History, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, or Teeling Distillery. In the evening, head to Taylors Three Rock for an Irish night with a traditional dinner and lively show. (B, D)

Visit the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre to learn about the nearby passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, followed by a visit to one of these ancient tombs, constructed over 5,000 years ago. Embark on a panoramic tour of Belfast to see Victorian buildings, the imposing City Hall in Donegall Square, and the shipyards where RMS Titanic was built. Visit the stately Hillsborough Castle, the home of Queen Elizabeth when she visits Northern Ireland. (B, D)

Travel along part of the Nine Glens of Antrim, a scenic region with lovely views of mountains, valleys, and coastline. Discover the Giant’s Causeway, a natural wonder formed over 60 million years ago by cooling lava that has given rise to many legends. Enjoy lunch with your group in Ireland’s oldest thatched roof pub, the Crosskeys Inn. (B,L)

Take a ferry ride to Scotland and head to the outskirts of Glasgow. Enjoy a visit to Pollok House, a grand country house that gives a real flavor of life in the 1930s. Continue northwards into the magnificent scenery of the Scottish Highlands to your historic hotel in Pitlochry. The hotel still retains many original features, with unique guest rooms and spacious grounds. (B, D)

Tour Blair Athol Distillery to see how whisky is distilled and sample a “wee dram.” Continue to St Andrews on the east coast. This town is renowned as the “Home of Golf” and for its university, Scotland’s oldest. Take a short walking tour and spend some time exploring on your own. August 3-24 departures attend the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade. (B)

Head out on a sightseeing tour of Edinburgh to see the wide streets and elegant mansions of the 200-year-old Georgian New Town, built to expand the cramped conditions found in the old city. Walk along part of the Royal Mile, where medieval houses are clustered closely together. Tour the imposing Edinburgh Castle, where the Crown Jewels of Scotland are housed. In the evening, enjoy a traditional Scottish dinner followed by a lively show of bagpipes and Highland dancing. (B, D)

Your tour ends after breakfast. (B) B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner  >