Best of Ireland & Scotland - Classic Group
Best of Ireland & Scotland - Classic Group
Best of Ireland & Scotland - Classic Group
14 Days Starting in Dublin and ending in Edinburgh, UK
Visiting: Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Blarney Castle, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Connemara National Park, Sligo Bay, Londonderry, Giant's Causeway, Ballygalley, Ardgowan House, Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Commando Memorial, Loch Ness, Inverness, Culloden, Blair Atholl, St Andrews, Edinburgh
Tour operator:
Tour code:
B935ZN19
Specialist Group:
Family/Kids
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
20 - 40
Age range:
5-99
Special diets catered:
Vegetarians
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Experience centuries of rich Gaelic history as you take High-Tea at the Ardgowan Estate near Glasgow and see the Queen’s residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Glencoe offers a glimpse of Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis ahead of a cruise on Loch Ness and the chance to seek out Scotland’s most infamous bonnie monster. Up in the highlands, a whiskey tasting at a distillery, to uncork tales of smugglers before the vacation embarks on a grand tour of the Scottish capital. Edinburgh doesn’t disappoint with the Royal Mile, home to Edinburgh Castle, Scotland’s Crown Jewels and the Scottish Parliament. Not to be outdone, Dublin impresses with the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College and the millennia old Book of Kells.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome To Dublin
Location: Dublin
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Clayton Hotel Charlemont or Riu Plaza The Gresham
Meals Included: Dinner, with Wine
On arrival at Dublin airport, your airport transfer service leaves for your hotel at 08:30, 11:00 and 13:00. Join your Travel Director at 18:00 for a warm and friendly Welcome Dinner, an opportunity to get to know each other over a meal with wine at your hotel.
Day 2: In Dublin’S Fair City
Location: Dublin
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Clayton Hotel Charlemont
Meals Included: Breakfast
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.
Day 3: Kildare And Cork
Location: Dublin, Kildare, Cork
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Maldron Hotel South Mall Cork City or The Kingsley Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
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 Georgian Buildings.
Day 4: Blarney Castle And Killarney Relaxed Start
Location: Cork, Blarney Castle, Killarney
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner, with Wine
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.
Day 5: Ring Of Kerry Experience Relaxed Start
Location: Killarney, Ring of Kerry
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast
Explore Killarney with Insight Choice. 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.
Day 6: The Cliffs Of Moher
Location: Killarney, Cliffs of Moher, Galway
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: The Galmont Hotel & Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast
Begin the day with a short ferry ride across the Shannon estuary. Enjoy magnificent views of the Clare coast, as you journey to the Visitors' Centre at the 700-foot Cliffs of Moher.Continue on to your hotel, located at the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way. 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.
Day 7: Glorious Galway To Sligo Bay Relaxed Start
Location: Galway, Connemara National Park, Sligo Bay
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Clayton Hotel Sligo
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner, with Wine
Tour the wild Connemara region, a scenic wonderland of rivers, lakes and silent hills.Drive along the scenic shores of Sligo Bay.
Day 8: Walk In The Giant’S Steps
Location: Sligo Bay, Londonderry, Giant's Causeway, Ballygalley
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Ballygally Castle Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner, with Wine
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. Journey to the iconic Giant's Causeway for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. This geological masterpiece was created by the cooling of lava which burst through the earth's crust millions of years ago. Learn how the National Trust is enabling farming and biodiversity to work together, supporting both wildlife and quality food production. Next, take a spectacular drive along the Antrim Coast to your hotel, overlooking the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay.
Day 9: High Tea At Ardgowan Estate Relaxed Start
Location: Ballygalley, Ardgowan House, Glasgow
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Radisson Blu Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea
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.
Day 10: Glencoe And Loch Ness
Location: Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Commando Memorial, Loch Ness, Inverness
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Kingsmills Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner, with Wine
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.
Day 11: A Highlands Experience Relaxed Start
Location: Inverness, Culloden
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Kingsmills Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner, with Wine
In the morning, see the sights of Inverness, before travelling to the Culloden Moor Visitor Centre, where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army was finally defeated. Then have a 'wee dram' during a visit to a local distillery, hear stories of the whisky smugglers as you delve into the fascinating world of the single malt.
Day 12: St. Andrews And Edinburgh
Location: Inverness, Blair Atholl, St Andrews, Edinburgh
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast
A scenic drive takes you through the Grampian Mountains past the Duke of Atholl's Blair Castle. Drive down and cross the Tay to visit St. Andrews. As you arrive, pass the Old Course, the home of golf since its invention in the 15th century. Enjoy free time to explore. Why not wander to St. Andrews University where the love story of Kate Middleton and Prince William began? Alternately, stroll to West Sands Beach where the famous 'Chariots of Fire' scene was filmed. Continue across the majestic Forth Road Bridge to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. In the evening, select departures attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Day 13: Scotland’S Capital Of Culture
Location: Edinburgh
Accommodation: Hotel
Accommodation Name: Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner, with Wine
In the morning, 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 King. 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. In the afternoon, you are at leisure to continue exploring as you wish, or perhaps go shopping. Join your friends in the heart of Edinburgh at a Celebration Dinner of modern Scottish cuisine served with wine.
Day 14: Farewell Edinburgh
Location: Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your journey comes to an end after breakfast with transfers arriving at Edinburgh airport at 06:15 and 09:00.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Your hotel will be dependent on your departure date
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Meals
As detailed in the itinerary
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Fully Guided
Expert travel director and local guides
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Transport
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
What's Not Included
International flights to and from the start and end points of the tour are not included.
Mode of Transport
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
Check out our Q&As
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What countries does the Best of Ireland & Scotland tour visit?
The Best of Ireland & Scotland tour visits Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
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What are some highlights of the tour?
Some highlights of the tour include a private visit to an Irish Stud Farm in Kildare, exploring Cork with a Travel Director, journeying the Ring of Kerry, discovering the Culloden Visitor Centre in Inverness, and exploring Edinburgh with a Local Expert.
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What types of activities are included in the tour?
The tour includes activities such as boat/cruise excursions, exploring ruins and archaeology, hiking, coach tours in the UK, and learning about history.
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What is the primary focus of the tour?
The primary focus of the tour is Gardens & Nature Tours.
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Are meals included in the tour?
Yes, meals as detailed in the itinerary are included in the tour.
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Is international travel included in the tour package?
No, international travel is not included in the tour package.
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What is the accommodation like?
The accommodation depends on the departure date, with examples including Clayton Hotel Charlemont or Riu Plaza The Gresham in Dublin, and Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh.
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Are there any age restrictions for the tour?
The provided information does not specify any age restrictions for the tour.
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Is there a private tour option available?
The provided information does not specify whether a private tour option is available.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
We regret that no refunds can be made for absences from a tour, including experiences such as missed meals or sightseeing.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Since 1978.
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Insight Vacations is a founding member of the TreadRight Foundation, a joint initiative created by the brands within The Travel Corporation (TTC) almost 15 years ago to ensure our impact through tourism is positive. Our ethos to #MakeTravelMatter guides our decision-making at every level of our business.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
You have two options as a solo traveller. Either choose to be matched with a same sex partner for a room share - at no extra cost. Or choose a room of your own with a reduced or even free private room upgrade on select tours.
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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Low Deposit
Insight Vacations requires a minimum deposit of 350 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of insight vacations charges.
Up to 91 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 90 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
At 29 days before tour starts: Forfeit 80% of booking price.
At 1 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Terms and Conditions