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Scenery

Best of Ireland & Scotland

Classic Group

This tour has other variations available

Everyday Price From

$8,267

$9,725

14 days

No Countries

Overview

This unforgettable Ireland and Scotland guided tour offers travelers a deep dive into the heart of Gaelic culture and history. Dublin impresses with the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College and the millennia old Book of Kells. Experience centuries of rich Gaelic history as you take High-Tea at the Ardgowan Estate near Glasgow and see 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, enjoy 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.

Locations Visited

Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Blarney Castle, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Connemara, Sligo Bay, Londonderry, Giant's Causeway, Ballygally, Ardgowan House, Glasgow, Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Loch Ness, Inverness, Culloden, St. Andrews, Edinburgh

Countries Visited

Ireland, Northern Ireland

Travel Style

Guided Vacation

Accommodations

13 nights included

Age Requirements

Minimum age 5

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Itinerary

COLLAPSE ALL EXPAND ALL

Day 1

Welcome to Dublin

Relax at your hotel before joining your Travel Director for a warm and friendly dinner, an opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers.

  • Accommodation

    Clayton Charlemont, Dublin


  • Meals

    Dinner

An orientation with your Local Expert will take you past the Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. See the Guinness Storehouse, 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.

  • Accommodation

    Clayton Charlemont, Dublin


  • Meals

    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 Opera House.

  • Accommodation

    The Kingsley, Cork, Maldron South Mall, Cork


  • Meals

    Breakfast

Your Ireland and Scotland tour continues with a visit to the partially ruined 15th century Blarney Castle, home of the famous Stone of Eloquence - once kissed, never forgotten!

  • Accommodation

    Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Dinner

Explore Killarney with Brendan 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 Valley 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.

  • Accommodation

    Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa


  • Meals

    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' Center 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.

  • Accommodation

    Connemara Coast, Galway


  • Meals

    Breakfast

Tour the wild Connemara region, a scenic wonderland of rivers, lakes and silent hills. Drive along the scenic shores of Sligo Bay.

  • Accommodation

    Clayton, Sligo


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Dinner

Cross into Northern Ireland and arrive in Londonderry for a walking tour with Ronan, one of the region’s leading storytellers. Follow the original 17th-century city walls, complete with cannons, and make your way down Shipquay Street, lined with Georgian townhouses. Pause outside the red sandstone Guildhall, a prominent example of neo-Gothic architecture. Later, visit the UNESCO-listed Giant’s Causeway, where over 40,000 basalt columns were formed by ancient volcanic activity. Continue along the scenic Antrim Coast to your hotel overlooking Ballygally Bay.

  • Accommodation

    Ballygally Castle, Co. Antrim


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Dinner

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.

  • Accommodation

    Radisson Blu, Glasgow


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Afternoon Tea

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.

  • Accommodation

    Kingsmills, Inverness


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Dinner

In the morning, see the sights of Inverness before traveling to the Culloden Moor Visitor Center, where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army met its fateful end. Then, enjoy a 'wee dram' with a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at Uile-bheist, a pioneering distillery blending age-old traditions with cutting-edge sustainability. Hear tales of whisky smugglers, explore the craft behind their signature single malts and beers, and uncover the legends that inspire their brews.

  • Accommodation

    Kingsmills, Inverness


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Dinner

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.

  • Accommodation

    Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh


  • Meals

    Breakfast

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 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.

  • Accommodation

    Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh


  • Meals

    Breakfast

    Dinner

Your 14 days in Ireland and Scotland come to an end after breakfast with transfers arriving at Edinburgh airport.

  • Meals

    Breakfast

Highlights

Dining Summary

  • 7 Dinner (D)
  • 13 Breakfast (B)
  • 1 Afternoon Tea (AT)

Choice Highlights

  • Explore the scenery of Killarney National Park on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys.
  • Join a gentle hike with a nature guide in Killarney National Park and admire stunning mountains, lakes, woods and waterfalls. Stroll along the lake shore and past the impressive 15th Century Ross Castle and the famous Muckross Estate, a charming 19th Century mansion and grounds. Alternatively, enjoy a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys.

Additional Included Highlights

  • Our highly-skilled Travel Director will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
  • Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
  • Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
  • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
  • Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
  • 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 us, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.

Authentic Dining

  • Join your Travel Director for a warm and friendly dinner, an opportunity to get to know each other over a meal.
  • Enjoy a dinner of modern Scottish cuisine in the heart of Edinburgh.

Brendan Choice

  • Explore the scenery of Killarney National Park on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys.
  • Join a gentle hike with a nature guide in Killarney National Park and admire stunning mountains, lakes, woods and waterfalls. Stroll along the lake shore and past the impressive 15th Century Ross Castle and the famous Muckross Estate, a charming 19th Century mansion and grounds. Alternatively, enjoy a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys.

Brendan Experiences

  • A stunning combination of cobblestone walkways, emerald-green lawns and 18th-century architectural gems, Trinity College is one of Europe’s elite universities and counts poet Oscar Wilde among its alumni. Tour the enchanting college campus with a Local Expert and discover insights into its impressive history. Enjoy access to view the famous Book of Kells, an exquisite manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament, renowned for the intricacy, detail and majesty of the illustrations.
  • Horse racing is key part of Irish culture; and you'll get a rare peek into it over your visit to the Irish National Stud. Set in Kildare at the breeding ground of champions and the birthplace of legends, explore the foaling unit, museum and the stallions that continue to make racing history. As the only stud farm in Ireland open to the public, learn the insights of horse-racing at a site whose former visitors include queens and presidents.
  • There's no better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland's best storytellers, Ronan, as he takes you on a tour inside the city walls. See the Gothic Guildhall and the Georgian houses of Shipquay Street.

Iconic Experience

  • Blarney

    It is said that those who kiss the Blarney Stone, the famous stone of eloquence, are bestowed with the power to persuade, flatter and coax. Take your turn at giving it a peck knowing that the stone was sourced from 330-million-year-old limestone.
  • Cliffs of Moher

    Towering cliffs and the dramatic sea, the Cliffs of Moher has inspired countless travelers. Visit the Exhibition Center and look out over the Wild Atlantic Way from these majestic cliffs that rise over 700 feet high. Gain insights from your Travel Director into the cliffs’ geology, history and the species that find sanctuary in its nooks and crannies.

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

  • Join Sir Ludovic for a tour of his family home, Ardgowan Estate, and savor a traditional Scottish tea made from local ingredients. Hear more about centuries of history onthe beautiful grounds during the Make Travel Matter experience. Your visit helps support the estate, helping keep Scottish history alive.  The Estate educates its visitors and the local rural community about their sustainability initiatives, reducing food waste and sourcing all ingredients locally to support the local economy.  Ardgowan Estate invests in renewable projects including a wood bio mass boiler, a gas plant and wind turbines, to create a greener, more sustainable future. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 7 & 12
  • Step into the world of Uile-bheist, where age-old whisky and beer traditions meet modern craftsmanship. Discover how folklore inspires their brews, explore the art of distillation, and savor a tasting of their signature creations. Built with sustainability at its core, Uile-bheist is one of Scotland’s lowest-carbon distilleries, aiming for net zero by 2030. Your visit supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13

Top Rated Highlights

  • See Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. See the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral.
  • Your Travel Director will show you the Grand Parade and South Mall, along with City Hall and the Opera House.
  • Enjoy hearing of the history of Killarney during your city orientation.
  • Venture into a world of towering cliffs, lush lakelands, beaches, fields dotted with sheep, rocky coastline, remote villages and historical sites, as you journey the magical Ring of Kerry. This 111-mile circular route is the best place to admire Ireland's scenic beauty and truly one of the most beautiful drives in the world.
  • Fascinating stories and interesting locals take center stage on your orientation of the historic heart of Galway. Visit the Lynch Memorial Window. Then make your way to the Church of St. Nicholas - the largest medieval parish church in Ireland in continuous use, Spanish Arch and Eyre Square.
  • Explore this scenic town during an orientation with your Travel Director.
  • Visit Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Walk across thousands of interlocking basalt columns, shaped by nature and renowned for their striking geometric appearance.
  • Explore this seaside town with your Travel Director.
  • Board your ferry to cross the Irish Sea to Cairnryan.
  • See the grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo's Cathedral.
  • Soak up the scenery and hear intriguing tales of Nessie during a cruise on one of Scotland's most famous lakes.
  • Enjoy an excellent view of Ben Nevis from the World War II Commando Memorial.
  • See the River Ness, Inverness Castle and beautiful scenery as you explore the history of this Highland city.
  • At the exciting Culloden Visitor Center, discover why the Battle of Culloden lasted only an hour yet changed the Highland way of life forever.
  • Visit the university town where the famous beach scene from 'Chariots of Fire' was filmed and see the golf course where the sport was created.
  • A hush descends and eyes turn to the castle. The skirl of the pipes rises and drums crack the night air as a tide of tunics and tartan flood from the drawbridge. For a limited time in August, witness the incredible spectacle of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
  • Visit Edinburgh Castle to view the Scottish Crown Jewels, Mons Meg and other artefacts with your Local Expert.
  • Explore the city with your Local Expert as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Well-being

  • Enjoy the comfort of the luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

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Terms & Conditions

Trip Notes:

  • ​International Air: Please note that airfares are not included. We will quote you the lowest possible airfare available on the day you book.
  • ​Travel to Europe often requires an overnight flight. Please arrange flights to arrive on or before Day 1 of itinerary.

Terms & Conditions:

  • ​Prices listed are per person, land only and based on double occupancy in CAD. Single room supplements are available.
  • Guided Vacations: ​'Price with Current Deals' reflects current applicable 'Early Payment Discounts' or 'Early Booking Discounts.' Early Payment Discounts (land only) savings vary by itinerary, are not valid on all vacations/departure dates and are subject to availability; not valid with all other promotional offers. Early Booking Discounts are available on select departures only and only available to travelers departing from the United States; not combinable with Early Payment Discounts or any other promotional offers; full payment due at time of booking. All discounts are for new bookings only, subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Call or request a quote for complete details.
  • 'Exclusive Costco Member Price' is available upon member login. 
  • Costco Vacations of a Lifetime: Private Chauffeur Ireland itinerary, price shown is the final base price, exclusive to Costco members and already reflective of any special member savings.
  • Please see all separate Vacations of a Lifetime Private Chauffeur Ireland Terms & Conditions.
  • ​​​Trip prices and information are correct at the time of the trips going live online, however are subject to confirmation - please confirm all details at time of quote and booking.
  • For full details, please refer to our Terms & Conditions page.
  • Other conditions may apply. TICO # R50025597 and W50025598