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Taste of Scotland & Ireland Tour
11 Day Coach Tour - Superior & First Class Hotels
From US$1,698.00 land only
• Taylor's Three Rock Pub Evening
• Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
• Loch Ness Panoramic Cruise
• Bonnie Prince Charlie's Defeat at Culloden
• Edinburgh Castle
• Kiss the Blarney Stone
• Ring of Kerry Tour
• Cliffs of Moher
• Ferry from Scotland to Ireland
• Dublin open-top bus tour & Guinness or Jameson visit
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Services of professional driver/guides
• Superior & first class hotels with private bath/shower for 9 nights
• 9 Full Scottish & Irish breakfasts (B)
• 7 dinners (D) including
- Scottish cabaret with dinner in Edinburgh
- Dinner & traditional Irish entertainment at Taylor's Three Rock Pub
- Medieval banquet and entertainment in Bunratty Castle
- 4 table d'hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• Scenic cruise on Loch Ness
• Reserved seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 08, 15 and 22 departures
• Tours of Edinburgh and Dublin with local guides
• Ferry ride across the River Shannon
Spean Bridge Woollen Mills, Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre,
Edinburgh Castle, Dublin Castle, Blarney Castle,
Blarney Woollen Mills, Essence of Kerry AV Show.
Muckross Gardens, Cliffs of Moher and Irish National Stud & Japanese Gardens
• Delux flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person
YOUR HOTELS
Stay at the following (or similar):
• Jurys Inn Glasgow - Glasgow - 1 night
• Newton Hotel - Nairn - 1 night
• Jurys Inn - Edinburgh - 2 nights
• The Stillorgan Park Hotel Ltd - Stillorgan, Co Dublin - 2 nights
• Killarney Towers Hotel & Leisure Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry - 2 nights
• Bunratty Castle Hotel - Bunratty, Co Clare - 1 night
Depart U.S. on your overnight flight to Glasgow.
Enjoy in-flight entertainment and meals as you start your vacation.
Land in Glasgow Airport where you'll meet your CIE Tours driver/guide or representative. Take a group transfer to your hotel, departing at 8:00 am, 10:00 am or 12:00 noon. If you arrive later than noon, you must transfer to the hotel at your own expense. At 3:00 pm set out on a coach tour to discover the main attractions of Glasgow, a city that flourished in Victorian times due to the shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde. Drive around George Square with its ornate City Chambers and nearby Glasgow Cathedral. Visit the Museum of Transport to view collections of cars, buses and bicycles, many invented in Scotland. Back at your hotel, join your fellow travelers for a welcome drink before dinner. (D)
Depart Glasgow and drive alongside the famous Loch Lomond, renowned in song and also for unsurpassed beauty of the lake and mountains. Travel across the haunting Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe, notorious for the Campbell massacre of the Clan Macdonald in 1692. Continue through Fort William and stop at Spean Bridge Woollen Mills, which offer a good selection of quality Scottish goods. At Fort Augustus embark on a short cruise on Loch Ness to admire enchanting scenic views and perhaps spot the famous monster. Motor alongside the loch and through Inverness. Continue to Nairn where your hotel was a favorite summer residence of Charlie Chaplin. (B, D)
Visit the newly-opened Culloden Visitor Centre to learn about the Battle of Culloden where Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated by the British army in 1746 in a fierce combat that lasted just one hour. The Scottish defeat changed the traditional way of Highland clan life forever. Drive south through the majestic peaks of the Grampian Mountains and the gentle countryside of Perthshire to Edinburgh and check in to your hotel. In the evening attend a Scottish cabaret where you dine on local specialties, including the famous haggis, and enjoy traditional entertainment. (B, D)
This morning an Edinburgh city guide will point out the principal sights of this interesting capital city. Drive along the bustling Princes Street and through the gracious, wide streets of the 200-year-old Georgian New Town. See the compact medieval section along the Royal Mile where some houses reach 11 stories tall. Visit Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the city center and contains the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Scone. The balance of the day is free for further sightseeing, shopping and dining. On August 08, 15 and 22 departures enjoy the Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)
This morning depart Edinburgh after breakfast and drive south through part of the Southern Uplands and along the coastline. At Cairnryan take a ferry ride across the narrow channel between Scotland and Ireland to Larne, just outside Belfast. Drive south to Dublin and check into your hotel where the evening is at leisure for independent dining. (B)
This morning join your fellow travelers and a local guide for a tour of central Dublin in the company of a local guide. Pass Trinity College, where the Book of Kells is housed; Dail Eireann, where the government meets; and rows of Georgian houses with gaily-colored doorways. Stop at Dublin Castle for a guided tour through the elegant State Apartments, which are filled with elaborate Waterford Crystal chandeliers and furnishings. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure or use your open-top bus voucher to explore the city on your own. In the evening drive to Taylor's Three Rock Pub for a great dinner of Irish specialties, which is followed by a lively show of traditional Irish songs and intricate step-dancing. (B, D)
Depart Dublin and travel through the center of Ireland, stopping to view the stately church ruins atop the Rock of Cashel. Continue your drive south to visit Blarney Castle and kiss the famous "Stone of Eloquence." Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods. Drive into County Kerry where the scenery becomes more mountainous to Killarney, picturesquely set beside lakes and mountains. Check into your downtown hotel and relax before dinner. Afterwards you may like to head to a "singing pub." (B, D)
Today embark on the Ring of Kerry drive - a winding route with breathtaking sights of mountains and coastal views. Stop near the Gap of Dunloe to see Essence of Kerry, an audio-visual presentation. As you travel, there will be plenty of stops for photos. Drive through Cahirciveen and Waterville and stop to walk around Sneem, where brightly-painted houses are grouped around the central green. Pause at Moll's Gap for stunning views and stop for a guided walk around Muckross Gardens on the shores of Muckross Lake before returning to Killarney in time to relax before dinner. (B, D)
Drive to Tarbert for a ferry ride across the River Shannon Estuary. Continue to the Cliffs of Moher, a spectacular wall of limestone that reaches 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Drive to Bunratty to check into Bunratty Castle Hotel, located very close to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. If you wish, you may visit the Folk Park, have a drink in the 200-year-old Durty Nelly's Pub or shop at the Bunratty Mills. In the evening head to Bunratty Castle for a memorable medieval-style feast. During and after the meal the lords and ladies will serenade you with song and harp music, evocative of the Middle Ages. (B, D)
Take a group transfer to nearby Shannon Airport where your tour concludes at 10:30 am. (B)
