Best Of Ireland & Scotland

On arrival at Dublin Airport, your airport transfer service leaves for your hotel in the morning to early afternoon. Join your travel director in the evening for a warm and friendly welcome dinner.

An orientation with your local expert will take you past the Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. See the Guinness Brewery, 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.

Visit the ruined 15th century Blarney Castle, home of the famous Stone of Eloquence - once kissed, never forgotten! Or enjoy a sensory walk in the extensive and varied estate gardens. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Explore Killarney. 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 Mountains 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.

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 US 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.

The day begins in Drumcliffe, with a visit to the final resting place of Ireland's famous poet, William Butler Yeats. Cross into Northern Ireland to visit Londonderry. What better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland's best storytellers, Ronan, as he walks with you inside the city walls, still topped with cannons. Walk down steep Shipquay Street, with its elegant Georgian houses, to the Gothic Guildhall. Continue around the coast to the amazing Giant's Causeway, then take a spectacular drive along the Antrim Coast to your hotel, overlooking the sea at the head of 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 delightful 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.

Enjoy an orientation of Inverness, before driving out to the Culloden Moor Visitor Centre, where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army was finally defeated. Savor a "wee dram" during a visit to the Glen Ord Distillery, as you delve into the fascinating world of the single malt.

A scenic drive takes you through the Grampian Mountains passing Blair Castle. Cross the Tay to visit St. Andrews and see the Old Course, the home of golf since the 15th century before enjoying free time to explore. Continue to Edinburgh. In the evening, select departures will attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

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 Queen. Venture up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle, home of Mons Meg, the Stone of Destiny and Scotland's Crown Jewels, the Honours of Scotland. Join your friends at the stylish Grazing by Mark Greenaway, for a grand finale celebration dinner of modern Scottish cuisine, served with wine.

Your journey comes to an end after breakfast. You will depart from Edinburgh airport.