Please note when booking flights for this tour: The Iconic Ireland & Scotland Tour starts in Edinburgh, Scotland (Arrival airport: Edinburgh Airport), and ends in Dublin, Ireland (Departure Airport: Dublin Airport).
On arrival in Edinburgh Airport reclaim your baggage and enter the Arrivals Hall. Here, you will meet your professional Tour Director (1 Person). There will be 3 group airport transfers this morning between 7:00 am and 1200 noon. To ensure a smooth start to your tour, it is advisable to aim for an arrival time in Edinburgh Airport before 11:00 am, as clearing immigration and reclaiming baggage typically takes around 1 hour.
Board your luxury air-conditioned coach with WI-FI on board and transfer to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City.
This afternoon you might like to take a stroll on the streets of Edinburgh. At 6:30 PM this evening all participants will gather for dinner in the hotel restaurant where you will become acquainted with your fellow travellers, the coming days can be discussed at leisure with your Tour Director. Overnight DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City.
For guests arriving in Edinburgh on the 9th and 16th of August, we have included a ticket to the world-famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
| Time | Arrival Transfer details |
|---|---|
| Between 07:00 and 12 (noon) | Edinburgh Airport There are 3 group airport transfers this morning, between 7am and 12 noon, from Edinburgh Airport to DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. |
After a hearty Scottish breakfast, depart on a panoramic tour of Edinburgh City, with a local Edinburgh Step-on Guide. Visit the Holyrood Palace. Known as the official Scottish residence of the British Royal Family. Adjacent to the palace is Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat — a volcano that has been extinct for millions of years.
Take a visit to the Scottish Parliament. This modern building was opened in 2004 after decades of Scottish calls for self-determination. Enjoy an afternoon visit to Edinburgh Castle, dating from the 12th century that has been a fortress, royal palace and prison through its turbulent past. It houses the oldest crown jewels of Britain - The Honours of Scotland.
Enjoy the afternoon free as you explore The Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of medieval Edinburgh. Overnight and Dine in DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City.
Depart for the picturesque town of Pitlochry, nestled amongst the stunning forested hills of Highland Perthshire. Enjoy a Kingsbarns Distillery Tour. Located in the majestic kingdom of Fife, Scotland, this tour takes you into the history and heritage of one of Britain's most celebrated spirits. Travel on via St. Andrew's. Scotland's oldest university town. Also referred to as the Home of Golf, the Old Course at St Andrew's Links is the oldest golf course in the world. Enjoy some free time walking its historic cobbled alleyways.
Continue onto the beautiful burgh of Pitlochry, lying on the River Tummel via Perth.
Travel onto the historic Atholl Palace Hotel for your overnight stay.
Evening free on the extensive grounds of the hotel. Dinner this evening will be served at the Atholl Palace Hotel restaurant with stunning views over the Tummel Valley.
Depart for the Scottish Highlands via Cairngorms National Park and Aviemore.
Visit the Capital of The Highlands- Inverness. Travel along the western shores of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus via the scenic Great Glen.
Enjoy a leisurely cruise on Loch Ness. Here you see the sights, wildlife and history of the famous loch.
Return to Pitlochry via the rugged terrains of Spean Bridge and Dalwhinnie and the backdrop of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain.
Overnight and dine at Atholl Palace Hotel.
Depart for Glasgow via Stirling & the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond.
Travel via Perth to Stirling to visit one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland – Stirling Castle. Travel on via Crianlarich and journey south along the western shores of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
The area is renowned for its natural beauty, history and tranquillity. Stop in the village of Luss before continuing onto Glasgow.
Overnight and dine tonight in Clayton Hotel Glasgow City.
Depart on a morning tour of Glasgow City. Enjoy a panoramic tour of Glasgow's famous Cathedral Quarter with a local Glasgow Step-on Guide. With its pre-industrial roots, Glasgow is now a modern and vibrant city. The great inventors James Watt and Charles Macintosh were born here, to name a few.
Visit Glasgow Cathedral. A truly rare example of an almost complete 13th century church.
Continue to Cairnryan Ferry Port located in Dumfries and Galloway.
15:30 Wave goodbye to Scotland as you board the ferry at Cairnryan for Belfast City, Northern Ireland.
17:45 Arrive in Belfast Port. Continue on to Belfast City.
Overnight and dine in Europa Hotel Belfast.
This morning, for your tour of Belfast City, you will be joined by a specialised step on local Belfast City Guide to see and hear all about the history of this once troubled city — including the Belfast Murals of the Loyalist Shankill Road and Nationalist Falls Road.
Depart for Donegal via the North Antrim Coast. Visit Giant's Causeway. This prehistoric geological phenomenon is the subject of many myths and legends. There are an estimated 37,000 basalt columns extending from cliffs down into the sea.
Continue onto Donegal. Dinner & Overnight in Lough Eske Castle.
Depart for Galway via Fermanagh and Sligo.
Visit Belleek Pottery, one of the oldest potteries in the world, and has been in operation since 1857.
Continue on via Drumcliffe. Located in County Sligo, this is the picturesque final resting place of W.B. Yeats. Here you can read the epitaph on the grave of one of Ireland's greatest poets.
Continue onto Galway.
Tonight, you will overnight & dine in the Menlo Park Hotel.
Today you will tour the sights of wild Connemara via the villages of Moycullen, Oughterard. At Oughterard, enjoy a Sheepdog Demonstration in Glengowla Mines, where you will also have the opportunity to explore the abandoned silver and lead mine.
Continue through the villages of Maam Cross and Recess, before travelling up the spectacular Inagh Valley with the 12 Bens of Connemara on your left and the Maumturks Mountains on your right as you travel to Kylemore.
You will visit Kylemore Abbey. An historic building nestled at the base of Duchruach Mountain, on the northern shore of Lough Pollacappul — in the heart of the Connemara Mountains. It is regarded as one of Ireland's most romantic buildings.
Travel on via the shores of Killary Fjord. This is Ireland's only fjord and is a Wild Atlantic Way signature discovery point, on the Mayo - Galway border, Ireland's only fjord, before crossing into Mayo and continuing on to the village of Cong, the film location of "The Quiet Man" for a brief stop.
Return to Galway City via the shores of Lough Corrib, the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland and is considered by many as the best fishing lake in Europe.
Tonight you will overnight & dine in the Menlo Park Hotel.
This morning bright and early, your route will take you down the Atlantic seaboard on the west coast of Clare to Killarney Town.
Travel via the famous Galway Bay, Dunguaire Castle and the fishing village of Kinvarra. You will see The Burren, which is Gaelic for rocky land—an apt name for this vast limestone plateau. In the 1640s, Cromwell's surveyor described it as "a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury".
On the coast, you will visit the Cliffs of Moher. Braced against the ocean, on the coast of County Clare. Here you will stand on the dramatic 702ft (214m) high and 9 miles (14km) long cliffs, a Wild Atlantic Way signature discovery point, to gaze out on the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.
Continue on via County Limerick to Killarney Town.
Tonight, you will overnight & dine in Dromhall Hotel.
This morning, after breakfast, you will set off on the world-famous Ring Of Kerry. It is officially known as the Iveragh Peninsula. You will travel via Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Coomakesta Pass with its magnificent views over Derrynane, home of Daniel O' Connell, known as "The Liberator", to Caherdaniel. Travel on via the hamlet of Castlecove, the colourful village of Sneem and on via Moll’s Gap, Ladies View, Killarney National Park and along the Lakes of Killarney to Killarney town.
Take a break at the Blind Piper Pub. Here you will have a traditional Irish Pub Lunch. Located in the village of Caherdaniel, locals and visitors alike have been drinking here since 1865. Who is the Blind Piper, you may ask? The Blind Piper is Mici Cumba O'Sullivan, who was born nearby in 1835 and became one of Ireland's most famous pipers.
Continue via the pretty village of Sneem, Moll's Gap, Ladies View and along the Killarney Lakes to Killarney Town.
Tonight, you will overnight & dine in the family-owned Dromhall Hotel.
This morning after breakfast, you will depart for Dublin, Ireland's capital city via the village of Blarney. Visit Blarney Castle. Built on this site in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy. You will have the chance to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone. You will also have an opportunity to shop at Blarney Woollen Mills, boasting a huge selection of Irish arts, crafts and produce.
Today, visit The Rock of Cashel. Rising dramatically from the grassy plains of county Tipperary. This was the seat of kings and medieval bishops for 900 years and flourished until the early 17th century. Brian Ború was crowned King of Munster here in 977, before becoming High King of Ireland in 1002.
Continue on to Dublin City.
Overnight and dine in the Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane.
After breakfast this morning, you will explore Dublin City.
Visit EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum. Voted, recently, as "Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction", this museum tour tells the story behind the millions of people who fled, or were forced from, Ireland over the past three centuries. Located in Dublin's Docklands.
You will also visit Christ Church Cathedral. Founded by the Viking King Sitric almost 1000 years ago in 1034. The cathedral crypt is one of the largest in the UK and Ireland, dating back to the 12th Century. Here, in the crypt, you can see the mummified remains of the Cat and the Rat which were found in the cathedral organ, and a rare 14th century copy of the Magna Carta.
Visit Guinness Storehouse. With an address at the world-famous St. James's Gate. Here you will tour the world-renowned brewery and enjoy a perfect complimentary pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar — located at the top of a glass tower that commands spectacular views of Dublin City.
Enjoy a farewell dinner and a Traditional Music Night at The Merry Ploughboy Pub—one of Dublin's iconic trad music venues.
Overnight in Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane.
Today marks the end of the Iconic Tour of Ireland & Scotland.
After a final great Irish breakfast this morning, there will be 3 group airport transfers between 0500 and 1100 to get you to Dublin Airport for your return flight home. The confirmed transfer times will be advised 10 days prior to the tour start date.
| Time | Departure Transfer details |
|---|---|
| Between 05:00 and 11:00 | Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane There are 3 group airport transfers this morning, between 5am and 11am, from Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane to Dublin Airport. |