PRICES FROM £1519 GBP

Highlights:

• London Welcome Dinner
• Scottish Cabaret in Edinburgh
• Dublin's Abbey Tavern Dinner/Show
• Hampton Court Palace
• Beatles' Liverpool Tour
• Dingle Peninsula
• Galway Bay

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Grafton Hotel, London (2 nights)
• Malmaison Hotel, Liverpool (1 night)
• Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh (2 nights)
• Isles of Glencoe Hotel, Ballachulish (1 night)
• Menzies Hotel, Glasgow (1 night)
• Croke Park Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
• Brehon Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Meyrick Hotel, Galway (1 night) Dunboyne Castle Hotel, Dunboyne (1 night)

Tour includes:

• Group transfers on arrival at Heathrow and departure from Dublin
• Ferry from Scotland to Ireland
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Services of a professional tour director
• Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 13 nights
• 13 full breakfasts (B)
• 10 dinners (D) including
  - Welcome dinner in London
  - Scottish cabaret and dinner in Edinburgh
  - Traditional Irish evening with dinner and entertainment at the Abbey Tavern
  - Farewell dinner at Dunboyne Castle Hotel
  - 6 table d'hote dinners
• Welcome get-together drink
• Sightseeing tours of London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin
• Beatles-themed tour of Liverpool with a local guide
• Loch Lomond sightseeing cruise
• Reserved seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on August 04, 11 and 18 departures
• Visits and admissions to Hampton Court Palace, Dove Cottage, Gretna Green, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Kilmahog Woollen Mill, Book of Kells at Trinity College, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, Blasket Centre, Foynes Flying Boat Museum, Cliffs of Moher and Clonmacnoise Monastic Site
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

14 Day Itinerary

Day 1 - Fri: London Arrival & Tour

Welcome to Heathrow Airport, London! Take an independent transfer to your hotel, located near the Bloomsbury district. At 2:30 pm take a panoramic tour of central London to see famous landmarks including Piccadilly Circus, Nelson's Column and lions of Trafalgar Square, Big Ben towering over the Houses of Parliament and Hyde Park. In the evening meet your tour director and fellow travelers over a welcome drink to discuss your trip and relax over dinner. (D)

Day 2 - Sat: Hampton Court Palace & Gardens

This morning tour Hampton Court Palace, which is set in handsome grounds close to the River Thames. See the Tudor Kitchens, the great gatehouse, the orangery, the Hampton Court Vine and the maze. Return to London where the afternoon and evening are at leisure for independent activities - you may choose to sightsee, shop, dine or see a West End show. (CB)

Day 3 - Sun: Stratford-upon-Avon & Beatles' Liverpool

Drive through part of the Cotswolds, a delightful hilly region with honey-colored stone houses, many dating to medieval times. Stop in Shakespeare's town of Stratford-upon-Avon for a look around on your own. Continue to Liverpool where a Beatles-themed tour will show you Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and the world-famous Cavern Club while your guide will fill you in on the Beatles' lives. Check in to your centrally-located hotel beside the River Mersey. (B, D)

Day 4 - Mon: Lake District & Gretna Green

Travel through the glorious Lake District, associated with Beatrix Potter, and stop in Grasmere to visit Dove Cottage, where William Wordsworth penned his most popular lines. Also see his grave in the village churchyard. Cross into Scotland to Gretna Green, one of the world's most popular wedding destinations. Drive through the Borders to Edinburgh and your hotel near the Royal Mile. In the evening dine at a Scottish cabaret show with bagpipes, dancing, song and storytelling. (B, D)

Day 5 - Tue: Edinburgh Castle & City Tour

Explore central Edinburgh this morning, starting in the 200-year-old “New Town” with its planned streets and elegant Georgian houses where many famous writers and inventors lived. See the Royal Mile where the old medieval houses are clustered and tour Edinburgh Castle to see the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. The afternoon is free for independent activities. On August 04, 11 and 18 departures watch the spectacular Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)

Day 6 - Wed: Stirling Castle & Glen Coe

Visit the mighty Stirling Castle, captured from the English by “Braveheart” William Wallace and again by Robert the Bruce. Drive through Callander and the scenic Trossachs region. Stop at Kilmahog Woollen Mill, which stocks a large selection of Scottish goods and whiskies. Travel across Rannoch Moor and through Glencoe, notorious for the massacre of the Clan Macdonald by the Campbells. Check in to your hotel overlooking the glen and relax before dinner. (B, D)

Day 7 - Thu: Highlands & Loch Lomond Cruise

Travel through wonderful Highland scenery passing Loch Etive and Loch Awe. Stop in the Georgian town of Inveraray, built between 1753 and 1776 by the 3rd Duke of Argyll who decided to move the existing town to landscape his splendid new castle. Cross the mountain pass of “Rest and Be Thankful” to Loch Lomond for a scenic cruise to admire panoramic views. Drive into Glasgow for a short orientation tour. (B, D)

Day 8 - Fri: Ferry to Ireland & Dublin

Make an early start this morning as you drive south through Ayrshire to Cairnryan for a short ferry journey to Larne with your tour group and coach. Take a brief look around Belfast before traveling south past the Mourne Mountains to Dublin. Check in to your hotel on the north side of the city and the evening is free for independent dining. (B)

Day 9 - Sat: Dublin Tour & Abbey Tavern

This morning tour Dublin city center to see Georgian squares with elegant row houses, public buildings, colorful parks and lively shopping streets. Enter Trinity College to view the 8th century illuminated gospel manuscript of the Book of Kells. The afternoon is at leisure for further sightseeing and shopping and in the evening head to the nearby Abbey Tavern for dinner and a festive entertainment program. (B, D)

Day 10 - Sun: Blarney Castle & Killarney

Travel south through farming country and stop to view the Rock of Cashel, which rises high above the surrounding plain. Just a few miles outside Cork, visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous “Stone of Eloquence.” Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills before driving through Macroom and into County Kerry, where the scenery becomes more mountainous. Check in to your hotel in Killarney and relax before dinner. (B, D)

Day 11 - Mon: Dingle Peninsula & Blasket Experience

Today discover the scenic Dingle Peninsula, made famous by two movies - “Ryan's Daughter” and “Far & Away.” Pause in Dingle before continuing to the western tip of the peninsula. Tour the Blasket Centre in Dunquin to learn about the Blasket Islands, inhabited until 1953 by hardy farming and fishing families. Return to Killarney for free time. (B, D)

Day 12 - Tue: Flying Boat Museum & Cliffs of Moher

Travel to the River Shannon Estuary to visit Foynes Flying Boat Museum. Learn about the early days of flight as this was the landing place for Pam Am Clippers. Stop in Bunratty for a look around Durty Nelly's Pub or the Bunratty Folk Park. Head to the coast to view the Cliffs of Moher, an impressive wall of rock that rises 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Continue to Galway for a panoramic drive and check in to your hotel, which overlooks Galway Bay. (B, D)

Day 13 - Wed: 6th Century Clonmacnoise & Dunboyne Castle

Drive to the center of the country to visit Clonmacnoise, a monastic settlement founded in 545 AD by St. Ciaran. See round towers, elaborate Celtic crosses and church ruins picturesquely set on the banks of the River Shannon. Continue your drive to your elegant hotel, just outside Dublin. Relax for a while before joining in a farewell dinner with your group. Savor great food followed by some local entertainment. (B, D)

Day 14 - Thu: Depart Dublin for Home

Complimentary group transfers are provided to Dublin Airport to arrive at 6:00 am, 9:00 am or 12:00 noon. After check-in, you'll have time to shop at the duty-free stores before the journey home. (B)

B = Breakfast, D = Dinner