Throughout this tour, you’ll witness spectacular scenery, including the 668-foot Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s west coast, with breathtaking views of these rugged cliffs dropping into the ocean, and the Ring of Kerry, a 100-mile panoramic drive through rugged and magnificent landscapes. In Northern Ireland you’ll see Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site formed millions of years ago. Words cannot capture the magnificence of all of these natural beauties; you must witness them in person!
Destinations & Sightseeing
LIMERICK
Welcome dinner
CLIFFS OF MOHER
Savor the spectacular views
GALWAY
Orientation
RATHBAUN FARM
See the farmer at work and enjoy traditional tea in the farmhouse
ADARE
Admire the thatched cottages
RING OF KERRY
Scenic peninsula drive
BLARNEY
Visit the famous village
DUBLIN
Orientation drive
COUNTY ANTRIM
Visit Giant’s Causeway
BELFAST
Visit the Titanic Exhibition
BELFAST-CAIRNRYAN
Cross the North Channel by ferry
EDINBURGH
Guided sightseeing, visit Edinburgh Castle
ALNWICK
Visit the ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland or explore the spectacular garden
YORK
Walking tour
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Take pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, visit Shakespeare’s birthplace and enjoy lunch
BATH
Visit the Roman relics
STONEHENGE
Visit the prehistoric monument
LONDON
Guided sightseeing and see the Changing of the Guard, if held
Headsets throughout the tour except London
NOTE:
Transportation:
Motorcoach; ferry Belfast-Cairnryan. Free Wi-Fi available on your motorcoach and in most hotel lobbies.
Meals
Meals & Itinerary
Full English breakfast daily; 1 lunch; 4 three-course dinners with wine and choice of menus, including a welcome dinner in Limerick
Itinerary
Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description.
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 with wine at your hotel.
Dinner
Day 2 Limerick. Cliffs of Mohr & 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 colorful shops and a busy café and bar culture. And finally, a special treat: at RATHBAUN FARM, watch the farmer shear a sheep and maneuver a flock with the help of a sheep dog. Then, enjoy a TRADITIONAL TEA in the 150-year old farmhouse. A suggestion for a unique night out: an optional medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle.
Breakfast
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.
Breakfast
Dinner
Day 4 Killarney–Blarney–Cashel–Dublin
On the way to Dublin, stop in Blarney, renowned for its castle and magical Kissing Stone, and Cashel to take your photographs of the rock where St. Patrick preached in the 5th century. Later, why not join an optional cabaret evening with dinner, followed by dance, song, and laughter?
Breakfast
Day 5 Dublin
The morning’s orientation drive in the “Fair City” includes statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Oscar Wilde’s Trinity College. The afternoon is at leisure for you to enjoy this vibrant city. Tonight, maybe take in an optional dinner outing to the Guinness Storehouse.
Breakfast
Day 6 Dublin–Lisbon, Northern Ireland–Giant’s Causeway–Belfast
Cross the Boyne River and stop in Lisbon on your way to the awe-inspiring GIANT’S CAUSEWAY. Hear how millions of years ago, the earth cracked open, lava forced its way out, and as it cooled slowly and evenly, more than 40,000 interlocking basalt columns were formed, leading from the cliff foot into the sea. Spend the night in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.
Breakfast
Day 7 Belfast–Edinburgh, Scotland
First thing this morning, visit the fascinating TITANIC EXPERIENCE and learn all about the building of the largest passenger steam ship, its maiden voyage, and the tragic night of April 14, 1912. Next, board your FERRY and 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.
Breakfast
Day 8 Edinburgh
Morning city sightseeing with a local expert introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town” and the famous scientists, inventors, and novelists who lived there. 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 departure numbers August 2, August 9 and August 16, 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.
Breakfast
Day 9 Edinburgh–Alnwick, England–York
This morning at ALNWICK CASTLE, the choice is yours: visit the CASTLE itself, the opulent ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, featured in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, 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.
Breakfast
Dinner
Day 10 York–Stratford-Upon-Avon–Bath
Head for Stratford-upon-Avon to take your photographs of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, then visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE, enjoy a light lunch, and take some time to wander around the historic market town. In the afternoon, drive to elegant Georgian Bath and explore the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS, built nearly 2,000 years ago.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 11 Bath–Stonehenge–London
A drive through Salisbury Plain brings you to STONEHENGE, the most famous monument of prehistoric Europe. First, explore the visitor center with its imaginative exhibitions, then take the shuttle to the stone circle and admire its magnificence up close. In London, your final destination, why not take in a Shownight Theater Evening?
Breakfast
Day 12 London
Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the Thames River, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horse guards 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 nighttime cruise on the Thames River, viewing some of the capital’s most beautiful illuminated sights, would be an incredible finale to your vacation.
Breakfast
Day 13 London
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
Breakfast