This exciting itinerary combines scenic highlights of Ireland, Scotland, and England. Start in Limerick with two overnights and an excursion to the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, and Rathbaun Farm, where you learn about sheep hearing and scone baking. Take in the stunning 100-mile drive around the Ring of Kerry and stop in the popular resort town of Killarney. Then, on to Blarney, Cashel, and Dublin, including a comprehensive orientation drive. Cross into Northern Ireland to visit fascinating Giant’s Causeway, and explore the Titanic Exhibition in Belfast. Next, board the ferry to Scotland and drive through the Scottish Lowlands to Edinburgh with its castle and Crown Jewels. In Alnwick, decide whether you want to visit the ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe or explore the lavish Alnwick Garden. Your Tour Director will take you on a walking tour through the narrow Shambles in York. Then, travel to Stratford for a visit of William Shakespeare’s birthplace before setting off for our Local Favorite—supper in a village inn at 13th-century Castle Combe in the Cotsworlds. The Roman ruins at Baths, prehistoric Stonehenge, and London, with a guided sightseeing tour including all the famous landmarks, are the final highlights of your vacation.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Shannon, Ireland–Limerick. Céad míle fáilte! A hundred-thousand welcomes! After checking into your hotel, free time to relax and perhaps enjoy the hotel’s leisure amenities or explore the city. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (D)
Day #2 Limerick. Cliffs of Moher & Galway Excursion. Your vacation starts in earnest with a drive to the breathtaking CLIFFS OF MOHER, rising 668 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, to savor the magnificent panorama of the Clare coast. Then, visit Galway, a popular seaside destination and a buzzing cosmopolitan center with cobblestone streets, colorful shops, and a busy café and bar culture. And finally, a special treat: try your hand at scone making at RATHBAUN FARM, and learn from the farmer about sheep shearing and dog whistling. Afterwards, enjoy [LF] COFFEE and your SCONES, fresh from the oven. A suggestion for a unique night out: an optional medieval banquet at Knappogue Castle. (B)
Day #3 Limerick–Adare–Ring of Kerry–Killarney. A day full of splendid scenery. Head south and stop at quaint Adare with its pretty thatched cottages. At Killorglin, join the famous RING OF KERRY for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island’s southwestern tip. Plenty to focus your camera on here: sparkling seascapes, mountains dotted with brightly colored farmhouses, winding lanes bordered with subtropical vegetation, and the breathtaking panorama of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View. Overnight is in the popular resort of Killarney. (B,D)
Day #4 Killarney–Blarney–Dublin. On the way to Dublin, stop in Blarney, renowned for its castle and magical Kissing Stone, and at the Rock of Cashel, where St. Patrick preached in the 5th century. Later, why not join an optional cabaret evening with dinner, followed by dance, song, and laughter? (B)
Day #5 Dublin. The morning’s orientation drive in the “Fair City” includes statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Then, a highlight visit to Oscar Wilde’s TRINITY COLLEGE, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library. The afternoon is at leisure. Tonight, maybe take in an optional dinner outing to the Guinness Storehouse. (B)
Day #6 Dublin–Armagh, Northern Ireland–Belfast. On your way to Northern Ireland, cross the River Boyne, then stop in Armagh, seat of the Archbishop of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. Travel on to experience awe-inspiring GIANT’S CAUSEWAY with its brand-new visitor center. Then, in Belfast, an orientation drive introduces you to City Hall, the Albert Memorial Clock Tower, Queens University, and the Parliament House at Stormont. (B,D)
Day #7 Belfast–Edinburgh, Scotland. First thing this morning, visit the fascinating TITANIC EXHIBITION and learn all about the building of the largest passenger steam ship, its maiden voyage, and the tragic night of April 14, 1912. As a reminder of this unique experience, take home your [LF] TITANIC SOUVENIR. Next, board your FERRY to cross the North Channel to Cairnryan on Scotland’s southwest coast and continue through the scenic Scottish border country to Edinburgh. Tonight, enjoy our optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis. (B)
Day #8 Edinburgh. Morning city sightseeing with a local expert introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town” and famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the “Old Town,” drive up the narrow Royal Mile to EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland’s Crown Jewels. The afternoon is free to enjoy the Scottish capital at your own pace. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. For departures July 31, August 7 and August 14, tickets are included for tonight’s performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO, a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands that takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (B)
Day #9 Edinburgh–York, England–Leeds. This morning at ALNWICK CASTLE the choice is yours: visit the CASTLE itself, the opulent ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, or explore ALNWICK GARDEN, where the fountains and waterfalls are a breathtaking feature. In York, England’s most complete medieval city, follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles. Your overnight is in Leeds, renowned for its major role in the wool trade during the 17th- and 18th-century and later for its ornate and opulent Victorian shopping arcades. (B,D)
Day #10 Leeds–Stratford-Upon-Avon–Bath. Head for Stratford-upon-Avon to take your photographs of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, then visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE, and take some time to wander around the historic market town. In the afternoon, drive to elegant Georgian Bath and in the evening, join an excursion to the picture-book 13th-century village of Castle Combe for [LF] SUPPER at a quaint old village inn. (B,D)
Day #11 Bath–Stonehenge–London. There is time this morning to explore the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS and walk where Romans walked 2,000 years ago, then try to figure out the intriguing riddle of STONEHENGE, the most famous monument of prehistoric Europe. In London, your final destination, why not take in a Shownight Theater Evening? (B)
Day #12 London. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. Free time in the afternoon for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to Windsor Castle or the Tower of London with its fabulous Crown Jewels. Later, an optional dinner followed by a relaxed night-time cruise on the River Thames, viewing some of the capital’s most beautiful illuminated sights, would be an incredible finale to your vacation. (B)
Day #13 London. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)