Tour of Ireland and Scotland

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ITINERARY

DAY 01 DUBLIN

Arrival in Dublin, transfer to the hotel and free time to stroll around this small and lively city. As long as your flight arrival time allows, in the late afternoon you will meet your accompanying guide at the hotel reception. Overnight stay.

DAY 02 DUBLIN – COUNTY KERRY

Irish breakfast. Sightseeing tour with local guide. We will visit emblematic places of the city such as: Merrion Square, the Natural History Museum, the Courthouse, the Phoenix Park, the Embassy Quarter, etc. Free time or optional visit of Historic Dublin, visiting with local guide and tickets: Trinity College and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, undoubtedly the most representative symbols of the city. Departure to the west via Limerick, we will make a brief stop in Adare where we can photograph the typical thatched houses. Arrival in Tralee, founded in the 12th century by the Anglo-Normans. Free time to admire its historical monuments and then continue to our hotel in County Kerry. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 03 COUNTY KERRY

Irish breakfast. Full day tour of Ireland’s most famous county, Kerry. We start in the Dingle Peninsula, where natural areas are the main protagonists of our trip, we will enjoy magnificent views over the rugged Irish coast, and places that have served as a film set on more than one occasion and that retain the essence of Irish Gaelic culture. We continue on to Killarney, Ireland’s most visited tourist center, which has inspired poets and writers. We will then drive through part of the Killarney National Park, in a typical horse-drawn carriage, enjoying forests, lakes, and beautiful landscapes. Return to the hotel. Optional attendance to a traditional folk music show. Dinner and overnight in County Kerry.

DAY 04 COUNTY KERRY – BUNRATTY CASTLE – CLIFFS OF MOHER – GALWAY

Irish breakfast. Departure to the West where we will have the opportunity to visit some of Ireland’s most famous and celebrated sites. First stop at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park (entrance fees included), a must on our itinerary, offers us the opportunity to experience what life was like in Ireland in the 19th century through the recreation of period homes, stores, and schools. Time to explore the acclaimed 15th century Bunratty Castle. Continuation to the Cliffs of Moher (entrance included). If there is a photograph representative of this country, it is undoubtedly here, on these cliffs candidates to be declared a Wonder of Nature. Located on the Atlantic coast, its 8 kilometers long and 214 meters high, undoubtedly, will impact us. Crossing the windy region of Burren, we arrive in Galway. Free time to stroll around this lively city bathed by the river Corrib. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 05 GALWAY – CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK – LONDONDERRY

Irish breakfast. Departure to Connemara National Park, located west of Galway, occupies much of the county, for many where the essence of Irish culture survives. Our tour runs between green hills, grassy areas, and rivers and lakes such as Corrib or Ingah. We arrive at Kylemore Abbey (tickets included), an interesting architectural complex built in the 19th century by a rich English merchant as a gift for his wife; undoubtedly, a place full of legends and beauty. Then we will go to the only fjord that we can find in Ireland, Killary, where we will take a boat ride while enjoying lunch. After a pleasant tour, we continue to Northern Ireland arriving in Londonderry. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 06 LONDONDERRY – GIANT’S CAUSEWAY – BELFAST

Irish breakfast. Departure to the Giant’s Causeway (entrance included), undoubtedly one of the highlights of our tour. This natural area, which has been declared a World Heritage Site, is made up of huge blocks of hexagonal basalt like stepping stones, which go deep into the Atlantic Ocean. To explain the origin of this spectacular formation, we will refer to the legend of the giants: Fionn mac Cumhaill and Benandonner. Continuation to Larne where passengers embark for Scotland. Those who continue the journey through Ireland arrive in Belfast, and to know this interesting city we will make a panoramic visit with a local guide. Its streets that have been the scene for centuries of confrontation between Catholics and Protestants today are the sign of a peaceful coexistence, highlighting the walls with graffiti loaded with history, as well as the University building or the Hotel Europe and, of course, the shipyards where the Titanic was built. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 07 BELFAST – DUBLIN

Irish breakfast. Free morning in Belfast, if you wish, you can take an optional excursion to see inside the impressive museum “Titanic Experience”, opened in March 2012, which teaches us the history of this iconic ship and its relationship with Ireland. Departure to Dublin. Lunch. Arrival and free time or optional excursion to the famous Guinness Brewery, the dry stout, first brewed by the brewer Arthur Guinness, in 1759, which over time has become a hallmark of Ireland. In the visit we will know all the secrets of this drink and at the end of this we will be able to taste a pint in the known as Gravity the bar that offers a panoramic view of 360º over the city of Dublin. Accommodation.

DAY 08 DUBLIN – EDINBURGH

Irish breakfast. Free time until transfer to the airport to fly to Edinburgh. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. Free time to enjoy one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. One of the great attractions of the city lies in its medieval center, full of legends and tremendous stories, to know all of them we propose an optional excursion Mystery Edinburgh, which will certainly surprise you. As long as your flight arrival time allows, you will meet your tour guide at the hotel reception at the end of the afternoon. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 09 EDINBURGH

Scottish breakfast. Sightseeing tour with local guide. The Scottish capital has many attractions for the traveler; the medieval area around the Royal Mile, the distance between the Castle where the city was founded and the Palace of Holyrood, the seat of the Scottish Parliament and the famous Closed, in the new town, a fantastic architectural ensemble of Georgian style, we find the classic circular squares with their private gardens, and from the hills we can discover beautiful panoramic views over the city and the Firth of Forth, Calton Hill is also dotted with classicist buildings built to commemorate victories over Napoleon. Free time or if you wish you can make an optional excursion to see inside the Castle and Rosslyn Chapel. The castle is the emblem of Edinburgh and the most visited monument in Scotland, where you will find among others the Chapel of St. Margaret and the so-called stone of destiny a real relic. Just 15 km between forests and mountains is the Rosslyn Chapel, a place full of magic and mystery, linked to the Templars and the legend of the Holy Grail. Return to Edinburgh and free afternoon. Overnight.

DAY 10 EDINBURGH – INVERNESS – HIGHLANDS

Scottish breakfast. Departure to the Highlands region, on the way we will see the iconic iron bridge over the Firth of Forth, recently declared a World Heritage Site. If there is something that is part of Scottish culture this is the Whisky, to learn about its manufacturing process and its taste we will stop at a typical distillery, visit and tasting. Arrival in Inverness the capital of the Highlands, commercial and administrative center, city located on the banks of the River Ness, and free time to stroll around the city and contemplate the attractive set from the Castle Hill. If you wish you can make an interesting optional excursion to visit Cawdor Castle, a magnificent example of baronial architecture, the castle is not just a monument, is the habitual residence of the Countess of Cawdor one of the oldest lineages of Scotland, and was the headquarters of the clan of Campbel. Continuation to the highland hotel. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 11 HIGHLANDS – LOCH NESS – WESTER ROSS – HIGHLANDS

Scottish breakfast. The first stop will be at the mythical Loch Ness (Loch Ness in Scottish) perhaps the reason for our visit to Scotland. We will take a boat ride to Urquhart Castle that reminds us of the struggle of the clans, and the legend of the monster that is said to inhabit this lake and popularly known by the name of Nessie. After the walk we continue to the Wester Ross, discovering: Loch Maree, glacial valleys, breathtaking moors, long beaches and lush forests, which make it one of the most beautiful regions of Scotland, near the coast are the gardens of Inverewe (entrance included) a surprising natural space that reminds us of the obstinacy of its founder Oswood Makenzie, to get a botanical garden with plants from Africa, Asia and Oceania. Lunch in a restaurant. We continue our way through the Ross lands, and the last stop will be to visit the waterfalls of Roggie, we will be surprised by the blackish color of its waters, a favorite place for the salmon that go there to spawn. Return to the hotel in the highlands. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 12 HIGHLANDS – ISLE OF SKYE – FORT WILLIAM

Scottish breakfast Departure to the Kyle of Lochalsh and photographic stop in front of the famous Eilean Donan Castle, which stands on an island where three estuaries converge, an enclave of unique beauty that has made it one of the most emblematic places of the Scottish Highlands, and the scene of many films. We enter by road on the Isle of Skye, the Isle of Heaven, and the last great stronghold of Gaelic culture. Following the line of the Cuillins Mountains, we will cross the western part of the island until we reach the Kilt Rocks, impressive cliffs whose shape gives its name to the typical Scottish skirt. We start our way back to the capital of the island, Portree (the king’s port) lively town. Free time for lunch. If you wish and weather conditions permit, you can make an optional excursion to see a colony of seals, taking a boat around Dunvegan. Departure from the Island again by road and arrival at the hotel in Fort William. Dinner at the hotel and overnight.

DAY 13 FORT WILLIAM – STIRLING – GLASGOW

Scottish breakfast. Near Fort William following the Loch Line, the loch that forms part of the Caledonian Canal, we arrive at Glencoe, the so-called valley of tears because of the sad story that took place there on February 13, 1692, when 38 members of the McDonalds clan were murdered for not accepting King William of Orange. Continuation through the mountainous area of the Trossachs. Short free time and departure to Stirling. Visit the famous castle (entrance included). If we want to relive great moments of the past, this is the place. Stirling and its castle are places that evoke stories of Vikings and great Scottish heroes such as Robert de Bruce or William Wallace. After the visit, departure to Glasgow and panoramic tour with local guide of the city of business, university and design linked to C. R. Mackintosh. During the nineteenth century was the protagonist of the Industrial Revolution, when everything was manufactured on the Clyde, the river that bathes its urban center. Testimony of those times is the Victorian buildings, including the Kelvingrove or the Town Hall, located in George Square, the real heart of the city. From its medieval past, we highlight the cathedral, and in the surroundings of the river, we find an interesting sample of contemporary architecture with: The SEC Armadillo, the SSE Hydro Arena, inspired by the city’s shipbuilding tradition, and the Riverside Museum. Dinner and overnight.

DAY 14 GLASGOW – EDINBURGH

Scottish breakfast and a free day to enjoy Glasgow, visit its museums or do some shopping. If you wish, you can take an optional excursion to New Lanark, a museum city located on the banks of the Clyde, declared a World Heritage Site. The visit is an authentic experience that takes us back to the nineteenth century at the height of the Industrial Revolution when on the initiative of David Dale was built a cotton manufacturing plant managed by Robert Owen who made it the largest in the UK. We will visit the school, the mill and the place where the factory workers lived. Departure to Edinburgh. Free time and if you wish as a farewell in the evening you can make an optional excursion dinner show to enjoy the Scottish tradition as far as dances, music and food are concerned, you can finally taste the typical “haggis”. Overnight stay.

DAY 15 EDINBURGH

Breakfast and at the indicated time transfer to the airport to take the departure flight. End of our services.