Vacation Overview
Tour Details
Discover the treasures Scotland and Ireland on your affordable tour from Edinburgh to Dublin. In 9 days, you’ll visit the Highlands and Lowlands and three capital cities. Starting in Scotland, a city tour of Edinburgh introduces you to the home of scientists, inventors, and novelists, not to mention the imposing castle. The home of golf, St Andrews, and the beautiful Victorian resort town of Pitlochry are on the way to the Cairngorms National Park and Highlands of Scotland. Look out for Nessie as you drive along the shores of Loch Ness, and through the lush and rugged countryside to the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond to Glasgow. Your budget-minded travel through Scotland ends with the ferry across the Irish Sea to Belfast, where the Titanic was built. Plenty of time to immerse yourself in this unique city before moving south to Dublin, Ireland’s capital city. Here you’ll drive along the statue-lined O’Connell Street and see the elegant Georgian squares with their red-brick townhouses, Trinity College, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Your value-minded tour of Scotland and Ireland is chock-full of priceless experiences, sights, and memories brave and true!
Daily Itinerary
Best Of Scotland And Ireland
Day 1: ARRIVE IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND Check into your hotel. In the afternoon, there’s time to rest or discover Scotland’s great capital city. Meet your Tour Director and travel companions at 6 pm for dinner at the hotel. (D)
Day 2: EDINBURGH Enjoy a full day to enjoy the Scottish capital. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town”, home to famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the “Old Town,” visit Edinburgh Castle to admire Scotland’s Crown Jewels. Your afternoon is at leisure. No trip to Scotland is complete without an authentic Scottish night out! Join an optional evening filled with traditional food, drinks, singers, dancers, bagpipes and of course the unforgettable Ceremony of the Haggis! For August 13 departure, tickets are included for tonight’s performance of the world-renowned Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, featuring Scottish pipe bands, military displays, and cultural performances on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day 3: EDINBURGH–ST. ANDREWS–PITLOCHRY–CULLODEN MOOR–HIGHLANDS A day of memorable sightseeing: cross the Firth of Forth and head to St. Andrews, home of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club and widely regarded as the Home of Golf. Continue across the Firth of Tay and, via Dundee and Perth, head into the Highlands stopping in the Victorian resort town of Pitlochry. Visit Culloden Moor, site of the 1746 Battle of Culloden. (B,D)
Day 4: HIGHLANDS–FORT WILLIAM–GLASGOW Look out for signs of the mysterious Loch Ness monster as you travel along Loch Ness then proceed via Fort William, beneath Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. Drive through Glen Coe, where the MacDonald Clan was massacred in 1692, and along the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond before arriving in Glasgow. (B)
Day 5: GLASGOW–ALLOWAY–BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND On this morning’s orientation drive through Scotland’s largest city, see the fine 12th-century cathedral, imposing university buildings, and elegant Victorian architecture. Stop at Alloway, the birthplace of Robert Burns, before boarding the ferry for the Irish Sea crossing to Belfast. (B)
Day 6: BELFAST Enjoy a full day to explore Belfast on your own or experience the legend and legacy of the ill-fated ocean liner, Titanic, on a morning optional city tour that includes a visit to Titanic Belfast. Be moved by the compelling story of the Titanic from conception to construction and launch and its subsequent place in history. This afternoon, why not join an optional to the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Giant’s Causeway. Taking its name from the legendary Irish giant Finn McCool, 40,000 basalt columns were formed around 60 million years ago to create a unique rock formation that is a sight to behold. (B)
Day 7: BELFAST–DUBLIN, IRELAND Head south this morning for arrival in Dublin before lunchtime. Your orientation drive through Ireland’s capital includes statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This evening’s optional excursion toasts Irish tradition with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, where Ireland’s most famous export has been brewed since 1759. A guided tour is followed by a “pint of the black stuff” and dinner. (B)
Day 8: DUBLIN Enjoy a day to explore the “Fair City” of Dublin on your own. Your Tour Director will have suggestions. Everyone’s Irish on tonight’s popular optional outing to the legendary Taylors Irish Cabaret, featuring a delicious dinner, drinks, and outstanding Irish music, dance, and comedy. (B)
Day 9: DUBLIN Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)