Tripology

Commercial Flight

Board your over­night transatlantic flight.

Sightseeing

Welcome to Glasgow! At 2:30, meet your Tour Director for an orientation drive around Glasgow.

Food and Dining

Tonight, enjoy a delicious Welcome Din­ner with your traveling companions. (D)

Hotel

Stay at Jurys Inn Glasgow (F).

Sightseeing

Today is dedicated to the rugged beauty of Scotland’s glens, lochs and isles as you make your way to Aviemore. En route from Glasgow, drive along the “Bonnie Banks” of Loch Lomond via Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, and Fort William nestled beneath Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. Take an opportunity to view Loch Ness, the home of the mysterious monster “Nessie,” as you continue to Aviemore, deep in the Cairngorm mountains. (B,D)

Hotel

Stay at Aviemore Highland Resort (F).

Sightseeing

Visit Cawdor Castle this ­morning, famous for its associations with Shake­speare’s Macbeth who was promised the Thanedom of Cawdor by the witches.

Historical and Educational Tours

Then on to the battlefields of Culloden, where in 1746 the Jacobite cause, with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s leadership, perished.

Sightseeing

Visit Glen Ord whisky distillery, then enjoy some free time in Inverness, the Highland capital. (B,D)

Sightseeing

Drive through Royal Deeside and pass Balmoral estate, the Queen’s private Highland ­residence. There is time for photos at Craithie Church, which the Royal Family attends when they are in Scotland.

Golfing

Stop in the ­village of Braemar, then on to St. Andrew’s, whose Royal & Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing.

Bus

Con­tinue to Edinburgh.

Food and Dining

Why not attend an optional Scottish evening in­clud­ing dinner, Highland dancers, bagpipers and the Ceremony of the Haggis? (B)

Hotel

Stay at Jurys Inn Edinburgh (F).

Sightseeing

With your local guide, tour through the regal city from Edinburgh Castle to the Royal Mile, to the fairy-tale Holyrood Palace.

Relaxation

Your afternoon and evening are free. (B)
Note: Tickets to the Military Tattoo are included on Aug 02-16 departures.

Bus

Motor south through the Scottish countryside, stopping at Moffat Tartan Mills, before arriving in Stranraer.

Enjoy the ferry crossing of the North Channel to Ireland. (B,D)

Hotel

Stay at Europa Belfast (SF).

Sightseeing

This morning, your guide takes you through the landmarks that have played their part in the city’s historic development.

Sightseeing

Next, explore the beautiful white cliffs and wide bays of North Antrim and some of the sheltered Nine Glens. At the incredible Giant’s Causeway, walk on top of this volcanic formation.

Food and Dining

Continue to your city center hotel in Derry for dinner. (B,D)

Hotel

Stay at City Hotel (SF).

Sightseeing

Join your local guide on a walking tour of the city walls.

Sightseeing

Then travel south, crossing the famous River Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon. Continue on to Galway, the “City of Tribes.” Your orientation tour here includes stately Galway Cathedral.

Bus

After, head to the coast and your hotel, beautifully situated overlooking Galway Bay. (B,D)

Hotel

Stay at Connemara Coast (SF).

Sightseeing

Today you tour Connemara, a wild land of rocky mountains, sparkling brooks, and rivers.

Sightseeing

Stop at lakeside Kylemore Abbey, a castellated neo-Gothic mansion, occupied today by the Irish Benedictine community of nuns who came from Ypres after World War I. Then on to Clifden, one of the prettiest towns in Connemara. Travel through bogland and villages to the Connemara Marble Factory and learn of the origin and uses of the area’s splendid marble.

Food and Dining

Return to hotel for dinner. (B,D)

Sightseeing

Drop in for coffee at Rathbaun Farm. Meet an Irish farming family as they carry out their everyday chores. Continue west across the Burren, a stark and barren land­scape, to see the Cliffs of Moher, rising approximately 700 feet above the Atlantic.

Later, take the Tarbert ferry across the Shannon estuary and continue your journey to Killarney. (B,MC,D)

Hotel

Stay at Killarney Avenue (SF) or Killarney Towers (SF).

Sightseeing

The road that winds around the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula, better known as The Ring of Kerry, is undoubtedly one of the most magical places in all Ireland.

Sightseeing

Here mountains, valleys, lakes and sea blend into a breathtaking landscape. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore the lively town of Killarney. (B)

Sightseeing

Your first visit today is Blarney Castle with its magical stone which gives the gift of eloquence for a kiss.

Shopping

There’s time for a stop at the Blarney Woollen Mills to shop for Waterford Crystal and fine Irish handicrafts.

Sightseeing

On to Cashel to view the Rock of Cashel. The dramatic limestone rock crowned with secular and ­religious building dominates the flat countryside for miles around. Continue to Dublin. (B)

Hotel

Stay at Jurys Croke Park (SF).

Sightseeing

During your morning city tour, visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, see Dublin’s Georgian squares, and walk the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College to its famed library and the 8th century Book of Kells.

Relaxation

Your afternoon is at leisure to continue exploring on your own. (B)

Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)