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CIE Tours
OFFER ID 1499760
2024 - 11 Day Taste Of Scotland & Ireland
Authentic Local Experiences:
July 30 – August 21 departures will have reserved seats for the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. All other departures will experience an exclusive Scottish Evening with dinner and traditional entertainment.
Experience farm life as you sample freshly baked scones with tea and watch a sheepdog demonstration.
Discover the rich history and local lore of Edinburgh, Galway and Dublin with local guides.
Trip Highlights:
Blair Athol Distillery
Scottish Evening*
Blarney Castle
Cliffs of Moher
Dublin Canal Cruise with Dinner
Edinburgh Castle
Loch Ness Cruise
Skellig Experience
Medieval Castle Banquet
Titanic Belfast
Sheepdog Demonstration
*August 2 – 23 departures.
Dining Experiences:
10 Breakfasts (B), 1 Lunch (L) and 6 Dinners* (D)
*Meal counts vary on Tattoo departures, as the Scottish Evening is replaced with the Tattoo and an independent dinner.
Hotels:
DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central | Glasgow (1)
Muthu Newton Hotel | Nairn (1)
Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club | near Edinburgh (2)
Hyatt Centric The Liberties | Dublin (2)
Killarney Avenue Hotel | Killarney (2)
Limerick Strand Hotel | Limerick (1)
Maldron Hotel Pearse Street | Dublin (1)
10 nights from $3,045 per person
Special Promotion: Save 15% on Last-Minute Departures For Travel October 13, 2024 - January 20, 2025
Valid for new bookings deposited now – December 2024 for travel from October 13, 2024 - January 20, 2025. Please confirm with your travel advisor which trips are applicable for discount.
*Promotion may not be combinable with any other offers, promotions, or discounts, and is subject to availability and airline booking guidelines. Other restrictions may apply.
CIE Tours: 2024 - 11 Day Taste Of Scotland & Ireland
Day 1 Glasgow Highlights
Your tour departs at 2:00 PM from your Glasgow hotel. Set out on a panoramic tour of central Glasgow - a city that flourished in Victorian times due to the shipbuilding industry and international trade. Drive around George Square with its ornate City Chambers. Visit Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a splendid, Spanish Baroque-style building housing one of Europe's finest art collections, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Titian, and Dali. Enjoy a welcome drink with your group before dinner.
(D)
Day 2 Loch Lomond | Loch Ness Cruise
Travel alongside the famous Loch Lomond, renowned for its beauty. Drive across the haunting Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe, admiring the wild and spectacular scenery. Continue through Fort William and on to Fort Augustus. Embark on a short cruise on Loch Ness before heading to your hotel.
(B, D)
Day 3 Whisky Tasting | St Andrews
Visit Blair Athol Distillery, founded in 1798, to discover traditional whisky production and taste a sample. Travel to St Andrews, a town rich in medieval heritage and the home of golf; take a panoramic drive and have time to explore independently. Continue on to your elegant manor house hotel outside Edinburgh; three centuries old, it's set on 1,000 acres of beautiful parkland. Explore as you wish and dine independently this evening.
(B)
Day 4 Edinburgh Castle | City Tour | Scottish Evening*
Explore the principal sights of central Edinburgh from the bustling Princes Street through the gracious, wide streets of the 200-year-old Georgian “New Town.” Walk along part of the Royal Mile where compact medieval houses reach several stories tall. Visit Edinburgh Castle perched high above the city on volcanic rock, home to the Scottish Crown Jewels. The rest of the day is free. Experience a lively Scottish evening with dinner and traditional entertainment. The August 1 - 23 departures attend the spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on the Castle Esplanade.
(B, D*)
Day 5 Ferry to Ireland | Belfast
Depart Edinburgh and travel through Ayrshire and along the coast. Embark on a ferry ride to Belfast. Take a panoramic drive through Belfast, seeing the highlights of this fascinating city, where the Titanic was built in the once-bustling shipyards. Visit Titanic Belfast to explore the fascinating story of the doomed ship. Then travel to Dublin, where you will enjoy some free time for dinner on your own.
(B)
Day 6 Dublin Sightseeing | Christ Church Cathedral | Canal Dinner Cruise
Explore Dublin on a panoramic tour with a local guide, discovering its history and viewing its elegant Georgian buildings, Trinity College, the River Liffey, and more. Visit Christ Church Cathedral, the spiritual heart of the city for more than 1,000 years. This evening, dine on a former Guinness barge as you cruise the Grand Canal, listening to traditional Irish music.
(B, D)
Day 7 Farmhouse Tea with Sheepdog Demonstration | Blarney Castle | Killarney
Travel through the countryside to a traditional farm, where you'll savor tea and homemade scones and watch sheepdogs display their skills at herding sheep. Head to Blarney Castle and climb the winding stairs to kiss its famous stone, or enjoy the gardens. Move on to the lively lakeside town of Killarney, where you'll have dinner.
(B, D)
Day 8 Jaunting Car Ride | Ring of Kerry | Skellig Experience
Step back in time as a jaunting car drives you past Ross Castle on Lough Leane. Head to the scenic Gap of Dunloe to visit Moriarty's, a CIE Tours preferred shopping partner. Embark on the Ring of Kerry drive - a winding route with breath-taking sights of mountains and coastal views. Cross the bridge to Valentia Island to visit the Skellig Experience, which explains the life of early Christian hermits on Skellig Michael, a rocky offshore island featured in the film “Star Wars VII.” Enjoy a casual lunch before a pause at Moll's Gap for panoramic mountain views. Return to Killarney where the evening is free.
(B, L)
Day 9 Cliffs of Moher | Medieval Castle Banquet
Cross the Shannon Estuary by ferry on your way to visit the Cliffs of Moher. Take in the spectacular views from these awesome cliffs, soaring 700 feet above the Atlantic. Head on to Bunratty, where you'll have a little time to relax in your hotel or have a drink in the famed Durty Nelly's Pub nearby. Your dinner will be a medieval-style feast in a castle, complete with serenading lords and ladies.
(B, D)
Day 10 Galway | Clonmacnoise | Dublin
Head to lively Galway for a walking tour around the city center with a local guide. Drive to Dublin, stopping to visit the picturesque monastic ruins of Clonmacnoise, founded in 544 AD by Saint Ciaran. Your evening is free to explore Dublin's restaurants and pubs.
(B)
Day 11 Tour Ends in Dublin
Your tour ends after breakfast today.
(B)
B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner
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Inishmore, Aran Islands - 8 hours Full Day
On the very edge of Europe, is an Island rich in the language, culture and heritage of Ireland, unique in its geology and archaeology and in its long tradition of gentle hospitality. Here is a place to sense the spirit of Gaelic Ireland, to touch the past, but with all the comforts and facilities of the present. Aran will take you back to an Ireland of Celts and Early Christians. This is an island of great peace and tranquility, but it is also an island of great fun and activity. A timeless land in an endless sea, weathered monuments on awesome cliffs, great labyrinths of limestone, meandering walls, patchwork fields, quiet beaches and a welcoming island people.
This morning we will depart from Galway and take a ferry to Inishmore, the largest of the three islands, the other islands being Inishmaan and Inisheer. The Islands are located off the West Coast of Galway about 18km out from Rossaveal Harbour in Connemara. Inishmore is approx. 13km long, and contains 3,092 ha. with a native population of about 900. Kilronan the chief center and port.
Landing in Kilronan on Inishmore, you are met by your driver in a horse drawn buggy for a guided tour of the Island and visiting one of its more impressive stone forts called Dun Aonghasa. It is semi-circular structure, resting on the edge of a perpendicular cliff rising 100 meters out of the ocean. The fort consists of an inner court 50 meters across surrounded by a wall six meters high and five meters thick at the base.
Visit the Aran Islands Interpretative Centre which highlights the unique history, spirit and landscapes of the Aran Islands. The center details the geology, history and present lifestyle of the islands. See how the legendary currachs, those open-topped, often tar-coated, boats that skim over the waves, are made. Also on display are details of the fish species off the islands and how the islanders have long used seaweed to create patches of soil that could be cultivated for crops, in between the dry stone walls that crisscross the islands and divide its tiny fields. The islands' other craft traditions, including weaving of the famous Aran sweaters, are also documented.
Duration: 8 hours
Included:
Enjoy a pub lunch on Inishmore
Departing the island by ferry you return to Galway City.
Note: it is also possible to fly to Inishmore.
Pricing: Please inquire
Dublin: Highlights of Dublin City - 8 hours
Ireland, known affectionately as the “the Emerald Isle” is renowned for its excellent hospitality and you can be assured of a warm welcome by your guide and driver, who will meet you at the port. Discover the history, literary heritage and culture that lies behind Dublin’s elegant Georgian architecture and famous landmarks, during your full-day tour.
Founded in the 16th-century, Trinity College is Ireland's oldest university and holds the Book of Kells, a greatly treasured example of early Irish manuscript illumination. History lovers may opt to visit the nearby Treasury of the National Museum or EPIC - the interactive museum commemorating the emigration of 10 million Irish. For those interested in art, the National Gallery houses a superb collection.
Afterwards make a lunchtime pit stop at the Guinness Storehouse, where you learn how a pint of the world-famous Guinness is created. The heart of the building is modelled on a giant pint glass, which would hold approximately 14 million pints of Guinness beer if filled! Enjoy a complimentary pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar, which boast 360-degree views of the capital.
Complete your touring this afternoon, with a visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland and final resting place of Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels. Here, take a guided tour of the impressive staterooms which are a longtime symbol of British rule in Ireland, before being transferred back to your ship.
Highlights:
Tour Duration: 8 hours
Wheelchair Accessible: Please enquire for more information
Physical Activity Level: Light
Inclusions:
Dublin: An Introduction to Dublin - 4 hours
Disembark for a city adventure this morning accompanied by your expert guide and driver. Your tour of Dublin begins with the impressive Trinity College; Ireland's oldest university. Explore the Old Library, which houses 200,000 antiquarian texts and the oldest surviving harp in Ireland. Here you will see the world-famous Book of Kells; a fabulous example of early Irish manuscript illumination. Hand-crafted by monks, it contains the four gospels and has been resident at Trinity College since the 17th century. Continue to St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland, where you have the opportunity to see a memorial to Jonathan Swift, the author of 'Gulliver's Travels', who became Dean of St. Patrick's in 1713. Afterwards you are transferred back to port.
Highlights:
Dublin - Dublin City & Powerscourt - Full Day Tour
Upon arrival in Dublin Port, you will meet with your private driver/guide and transfer directly to Powerscourt House & Gardens in Co. Wicklow
This stunning 18th Century Stately home comprises extensive gardens, which are open to the public; as is the Main House. There is a lovely restaurant in the house, overlooking the gardens and Wicklow Mountains, which offers the finest in Irish artisan, home cooked cuisine. The 34,000 acres of this estate extend along both shores of the River Dargle . Powerscourt is one of the finest properties in Europe, designed and laid out by Daniel Robertson between 1745 and 1767. This property is filled with splendid Greek and Italian-inspired statuary, decorative ironwork, a petrified-moss grotto, lovely herbaceous borders, a Japanese garden, a circular pond and fountain with statues of winged horses, and an occasional herd of deer. Opportunity for shopping at Avoca Handweavers now located in Powerscourt House. Enjoy lunch here at Powerscourt or at a traditional Irish pub in the city centre.
Upon your return from Powerscourt Estate, your private driver guide will take you on your tour of Dublin City.
Whilst Dublin is a vibrant and bustling city, by European standards it is a small city with a population of just over 1 million people. Much of Dublin’s streetscapes are adorned with beautiful 18th century townhouses and a number of city parks, such as St. Stephen’s Green and indeed Merrion Square. The highlights of any tour in Dublin may include a visit to Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse… and –if time permits –St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Following the city tour, your driver will return you to your ship.
Inclusions
Edinburgh: Royal Edinburgh - 8 hours
Edinburgh: Introducing Edinburgh - 4 hours
The capital city of Scotland is undoubtedly one of the most dramatically-situated cities in Europe; this setting has had a profound effect on its historical development and today your expert local guide unravels these themes on a half-day sightseeing tour. The focal point of the city is Edinburgh Castle, a royal fortress that symbolises the Scottish nation and is home to the 'Honours of Scotland', the oldest set of Crown Jewels in the British Isles. From the impressive military installations there are stunning views of the city. The Royal Mile stretches down on from castle through the 'Old Town' of Edinburgh, at the heart of which is St. Giles Cathedral. This fascinating Gothic church is topped by a fine medieval spire in the shape of a crown. At the foot of the Royal Mile is Holyrood Palace, the Queen's Official Residence in Scotland*. The palace's neighbour is the much more recent Scottish Parliament Building; its striking contemporary designs are in eye-catching contrast to the classical style of the palace.
*Tour of palace staterooms is included if no member of the Royal Family is present at time of visit
Highlights:
All fares are quoted in US Dollars.
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