14 Day Tours 2012 SCOTS IRISH TOUR
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Scots Irish Tour - from $2498 14 Day Tour including Superior & First Class HotelsLondon to Dublin - 13 Nights / 27 Meals Overnights: 2 Edinburgh, 1 Inverness, 1 Ballachulish, 2 Belfast, 2 Letterkenny, 1 Ballyfarnon, 1 Ennis, 2 Killarney, 1 Dublin |
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The Package
Highlights:
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Superior & first class:
- Davenport Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
- Carlton Hotel, Kinsale (1 night)
- Benner's Hotel, Dingle (2 nights)
- Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
- Galway Bay Hotel, Galway (2 nights)
- Millpark Hotel, Donegal (2 nights)
Tour Include:
- Airport transfers at start and end of tour
- Sightseeing by luxury coach
- Professional tour director
- 13 nights in hotels listed above
- Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
- 11 dinners (D) including
- Dinner and traditional entertainment at Taylor's Three Rock Pub
- Knappogue Castle Medieval Banquet
- Cabra Castle Hotel farewell dinner and music session
- 8 table d'hote dinners - Welcome get-together drink
- Tours of Dublin & Belfast
- Walking tours of Kinsale & Derry with guides
- Horse-drawn jaunting car ride in killarney
- “The Quiet Man” walking tour of Cong
- Catamaran cruise with an Irish coffee
- Slieve League sea cliffs followed by home-baked scones with coffee or tea
- Dublin open-top bus tour with a visit and drink at Guinness Storehouse or Old Jameson Distillery
- Visits and admissions to Dublin Castle, National Stud & Japanese Gardens, House of Waterford Crystal, Muckross House & Gardens, Blasket Experience, Gallarus Oratory, Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Display Centre, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Kylemore Abbey Visitor Centre, Knock Shrine, W. B. Yeats' Grave, Belleek Pottery Factory, Donegal Castle, Triona Design, Giant's Causeway and Battle of the Boyne Centre
- Deluxe carry-on backpack, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
- All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
Itinerary
Day 1
Day 1 - Edinburgh & Scottish Cabaret
Your trip starts in Edinburgh Airport with a group transfer to your hotel, departing at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. Passengers arriving later will transfer to the hotel at their own expense. Spend a free afternoon to rest after the journey. Enjoy a welcome drink at your hotel and head into Edinburgh for a Scottish Cabaret with local foods, including haggis, and a lively show afterwards. (D)
Day 2
Day 2 - Edinburgh Castle & City TourExplore Edinburgh to see the elegant mansions of the Georgian 200-year-old “New Town” and the medieval townhouses along the Royal Mile. Learn about many prominent Scottish inventors, doctors and writers. Finish your tour at Edinburgh Castle to see historic buildings and enjoy splendid views of Edinburgh. The balance of the day is free for independent exploring, shopping and dining. On August 5 to 19 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day 3
Day 3 - Sheepdog Trials & Culloden
Drive into the Highlands to visit Leault Farm where dogs herd sheep and ducks through various obstacles. Tour Culloden Moor Visitor Centre to walk around the battlefield where, on 16th April 1746, British Government forces defeated the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie and ended hopes of restoring the Jacobite Stuarts to the British throne. After dinner enjoy a ceilidh, traditional Scottish music, in your hotel. (B, D)
Day 4
Day 4 - Isle of Skye & Clan Donald Centre
Drive through wild Highland scenery, pausing for photos at the picturesque Eilean Donan Castle and cross to the Isle of Skye by bridge. Drive through part of the island and visit the Clan Donald Centre at Armadale Castle to discover the history of the powerful Lords of the Isles. Return to the mainland by ferry and take the “Road to the Isles” through some of Scotland's loveliest scenery, stopping for photos at the Glenfinnan Monument. (B, D)
Day 5
Day 5 - Rabbie Burns & Belfast
This morning enjoy final views of peaks and glens of the magnificent Highland scenery as you drive south along the shores of Loch Lomond. Stop in Alloway for a brief visit at the Burns National Heritage Park to see famous landmarks from Burns' poetry. Travel along the coastline to Cairnryan for a short ferry ride to Larne. Drive to your hotel in Belfast in time for dinner. (B, D)
Day 6
Day 6 - Titanic Belfast & Mount Stewart
This morning a Belfast guide will show you Victorian buildings, the imposing City Hall in Donegall Square, the Shankill and Falls Road areas and the shipyards where RMS Titanic was built in 1912. Visit the newly-opened Titanic Belfast to learn about this famous liner through state-of-the-art displays. In the afternoon tour Mount Stewart House and Gardens to see antiques and world-famous paintings. Hear stories about the many prominent political visitors. The extensive gardens were planted in the 1920's by Edith, Lady Londonderry, and have been nominated a World Heritage Site. (B, D)
Day 7
Day 7 - Giant's Causeway & Derry's Walls
Drive along the scenic route of the “Nine Glens of Antrim,” for views of mountains, valleys and coastline. Stop at the Giant's Causeway, enormous hexagonal columns formed by volcanic activity 60 million years ago which have spawned legends about the mythical giant, Finn McCool. In Derry join a local guide for a short walking tour around the defensive walls of the compact city before driving to Letterkenny. (B, D)
Day 8
Day 8 - Glenveagh Castle & Donegal
Travel to Glenveagh National Park where Captain Adair evicted 225 tenants to build Glenveagh Castle in 1870. Learn about the history of the mansion, owners and guests as you tour the rooms and walk around the extensive gardens. Then experience the natural beauty of the Grand Atlantic Drive, which winds through Downings and Rosapenna. Return to Letterkenny in time for dinner. (B, D)
Day 9
Day 9 - Belleek China & Kilronan Castle StayDrive through the Blue Stack Mountains for a look around Donegal town. Visit the Belleek Pottery Factory to see how the craftspeople shape and decorate clay, creating the world-famous fine china. Pause at Drumcliffe Churchyard to view the grave of W. B. Yeats, the Nobel prize-winning poet. A short drive will take you to Kilronan Castle Hotel for leisure time to relax and enjoy the lovely setting. (B, D)
Day 10
Day 10 - Strokestown House & Cliffs of Moher
Visit Strokestown Park House to see the 18th century mansion with its original furnishings; the four-acre walled garden and the Famine Museum, which explains the 1840's Irish Famine. Pass Galway on the way to the Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic wall of rock that plunges to the Atlantic Ocean. Head to 15th century Bunratty Castle for a fun medieval-style banquet with entertainment by the lords and ladies of the castle. (B, D)
Day 11
Day 11 - Dingle Peninsula & KillarneyToday discover the glorious Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies, “Ryan's Daughter” and “Far & Away.” Drive to Slea Head at the westernmost tip and tour the Blasket Experience to learn about the Blasket Islands. Travel up to the Conor Pass for sweeping views and then head to Killarney, famous for its glorious setting near Ireland's highest mountains. (B, D)
Day 12
Day 12 - Killarney & Jaunting Car Ride
Take a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle for views of Lough Leane, Killarney's largest lake. Drive to the delightful town of Kenmare where brightly-painted buildings are enhanced with flowers. Enjoy spectacular mountain scenery at Moll's Gap and travel part of the Ring of Kerry, pausing at Ladies' View. Return to Killarney to relax or go shopping before dinner. (B, D)
Day 13
Day 13 - Blarney Castle & Abbey TavernDrive through County Cork to climb Blarney Castle to kiss the famous stone. Also shop at the Blarney Woollen Mills for quality Irish-made products. Pause for photos at the stately Rock of Cashel as you drive north to Dublin. A short drive will bring you to the popular Abbey Tavern for a farewell dinner and entertaining traditional Irish songs and step-dancing. (B, D)
The Hotels
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