Highlights of Ireland and Scotland
From CAD $5,625
Guarantee
Group Tour
Easy
Rating
(10 reviews)
Experience Overview
Tick off all the travel highlights of Scotland and Ireland on your trip filled with tons of craic and special moments with friends, whether you’re hopping across the mythical stones of Giant’s Causeway or passing the lovely lochs, Highlands and castles of Scotland.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 10 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
- 2 Dinner (D)
Be My Guest
- Cong: Uncover centuries of Irish heritage as you explore Catherine and Jim Power’s Glen Keen Farm. Marvel at collies herding sheep, and enjoy a traditional tea of scones, freshly whipped cream and jam.
Dive into Culture
- Connemara: Visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory and witness master craftsmen bring these intricate crystal designs to life.
- Belfast: Discover the full story of the Titanic at the Titanic Belfast visitor attraction and monument in Belfast.
- Belfast: Warm your heart with a little Irish whiskey at a the Titanic Distillery.
Iconic Experience
- Dublin: A Local Specialist will show you Dublin's elegant Georgian squares, O'Connell Street and the Custom House.
- Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden: Visit the turreted Neo-Gothic Kylemore Abbey. This monastery was founded in 1920 for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I.
- Cong: Enjoy time as you wish to explore this delightful, quintessential Irish village, used as the location for 1952 film, 'The Quiet Man.' See the statue of the lead characters played by John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and the ruins of the Medieval Cong Abbey.
- Bushmills: In Northern Ireland you'll discover the legend of the Giant's Causeway as you explore this iconic natural landmark.
- Londonderry: With a Local Specialist explore inside the city walls. See the Gothic Guildhall and the Georgian houses of Shipquay Street.
- Belfast: Join a Local Specialist to hear about the history of the city and learn of its progress and current prosperity. See the murals in different locations indicating the political sentiments of local residents.
- Glasgow: See the grand public buildings of Glasgow, including George Square.
- Scottish Highlands: Admire picturesque lochs and glens as you travel through the Scottish Highlands.
- Glencoe: Drive through this Highland village on Loch Leven.
- Fort William: Near the foothills of Ben Nevis, stop in Fort William for a stroll along the charming High Street.
- St. Andrews: Visit the university town where the famous beach scene from 'Chariots of Fire' was filmed and see the golf course where the sport was created.
- Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Specialist as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Must-see Highlights
- Explore Dublin, Londonderry, Belfast and Edinburgh
- Discover Galway, Cong and Glasgow
- Visit Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, Kylemore Abbey, Cong, Donegal, Giant's Causeway, Titanic Experience and a whisky distillery in Belfast, Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Fort William, Loch Ness, Pitlochry, Edinburgh Castle and EPIC - The Irish Emigration Museum
- View Glencoe and the 18th hole at St. Andrews, St Patrick's Cathedral Dublin, City Walls and Murals of Derry/Londonderry, Belfast City Hall, Ailsa Crag, Forth Rail Bridge and Arthur's Seat
- See Ailsa Craig
- Tickets for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are included on departures that coincide with performance dates
Trip Details
Product Code: 28183
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 576.1583B
Starts: Dublin, Ireland
Finishes: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Duration: 11 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Ferry from Northern Ireland to Scotland
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $5,625 ($511 /day)
Itinerary
You’re in for a lyrical love affair with Ireland’s whimsical capital, your launch pad to an enchanting encounter with the 'Emerald Isle' and Scotland. On arrival, transfer to your hotel, then spend the rest of the day exploring the city’s effervescence on your own. This evening sees you visiting EPIC - The Irish Emigration Museum, for some drinks and canapes. Resist the urge to retire early and head to the Temple Bar to soak up the craic in one of the many colorful pubs for which Dublin is justifiably famous.
Accommodation: Hampton by Hilton Dublin City Center
Poetry and politics, music and literature – Dublin is famous for all this and more as you’ll come to discover when you join a Local Specialist to delve into Dublin’s tumultuous history and see some iconic sights including Guinness Storehouse and St Patrick's Cathedral. Then, leave the capital behind bound for the harbor city of Galway, known as the 'City of Tribes'.
Accommodation: Maldron Sandy Road
Meals: Breakfast
Connemara’s 'savage beauty' takes center stage today on your full-day excursion through the endless shades of green which once captured the heart of Oscar Wilde. Visit Kylemore Abbey, a magnificent castellated structure built as a family home and now inhabited by a group of Benedictine nuns. Later, we visit the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory where you'll Dive into Culture and witness first-hand how their famous crystal designs are made.
Accommodation: Maldron Sandy Road
Meals: Breakfast
Explore the quintessential Irish village of Cong and see firsthand why its rugged beauty was chosen as the backdrop of John Wayne's award winning 'The Quiet Man'. Meet the locals at Ireland’s largest sheep farm, Glen Keen Farm, for a heart-warming Be My Guest experience with your hosts, Catherine, Jim and their son James. You’ll watch in deep admiration as the energetic collies herd sheep and enjoy a traditional tea of scones, freshly whipped cream and jam, gaining a deep appreciation for the family’s efforts to preserve Irish heritage and traditions. Then, continue to Donegal, the gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way.
Accommodation: The Abbey Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Start your day with a visit to Londonderry where a Local Specialist will take you on a stroll along the ancient walls that surround the Renaissance-style old city. Follow the scenic Causeway Coastal Route through rolling countryside and past rugged cliffs to the Giant’s Causeway. You’ll have some free time to tiptoe in the giant geometric steps of Finn McCool and enjoy lunch before continuing to Belfast, your home for the next two nights.
Accommodation: AC by Marriott
Meals: Breakfast
Today, join a Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour of Northern Ireland’s trendy capital. Visit the Titanic Belfast Experience, where you’ll Dive Into Culture and gain insights into the tragic story of the famous ship that met its end in the Atlantic. Then, at the Titantic Distillery enjoy a whiskey tasting and learn how Ireland's golden goodness is made. Take the rest of the afternoon to explore at your leisure, perhaps enjoying a pint in Belfast’s oldest traditional pub or visit Victoria Square for some shopping or consider joining a Local Specialist 'Cabbie' who will take you on a journey through the recent history of Belfast in their taxi.
Accommodation: AC by Marriott
Meals: Breakfast
Bid Ireland farewell as you board your ferry to Scotland. Follow the rugged Ayrshire coast past Ailsa Craig, then continue to Glasgow, where you’ll enjoy an orientation of a city that exudes edginess. Take to the streets on your own exploration and see George Square, Glasgow Cathedral and the Clyde River before finding a cozy pub to warm your heart with a little local whisky and a night on the toon.
Accommodation: Maldron
Meals: Breakfast
Sensational scenery follows your journey through the Scottish Highlands from Glasgow to Newtonmore. Loch Lomond sets the tone with views over the water to craggy Ben Lomond. Continue to Glencoe where the tragic 17th-century massacre of the MacDonalds turned the wild beauty of this valley into a 'Glen of Weeping'. Then, on to Fort William, the self-proclaimed ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’ before arriving in Loch Ness, where you’ll keep a keen eye out for the beloved monster that lurks beneath its surface. Tonight, you’ll enjoy dinner at your hotel.
Accommodation: Highlander
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Continue to the home of golfing gods, St. Andrews. You’ll view its famous 18th hole before continuing to Edinburgh, your home for the next two nights. Tickets to The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are included on departures that align with performance dates.
Accommodation: Novotel Edinburgh Park
Meals: Breakfast
Surrender to the charms of Edinburgh, one of the world’s most enchanting cities. Your Local Specialist will guide your sightseeing tour through the New Town and its elegant Georgian façades to the medieval Old Town where you'll see the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Mile. Afterwards, enjoy the day to explore on your own or get stuck into some last-minute souvenir shopping before visiting Edinburgh Castle, perched atop Castle Rock. This evening joining your travel companions for a rousing dinner to toast your memorable journey together.
Accommodation: Novotel Edinburgh Park
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Imbued with Gaelic spirit, your holiday has come to an end. Bid your new friends a fond farewell as you prepare for your return journey home.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
Satisfaction guaranteed! Gave 5 star because everything about the company was first-rate…host *Personal information removed by Feefo* was fantastic as well as bus driver *Personal information removed by Feefo*. *Personal information removed by Feefo* was so knowledgeable and took care of everything for all. Realize a lot of mileage had to be covered to get everywhere but found would have been nice to spend more time in a few places than we did. All hotels great…best for me was AC in Belfast with least being the Highland hotel. Bed quite uncomfortable & floor above very creaky had trouble sleeping.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/26/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, July 2024
*Personal details removed by Feefo* were excellant
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/20/2024
David Yeager - Traveled, August 2024
They kept you moving, most tours were great. *Personal information removed by Feefo* was excellent and *Personal information removed by Feefo* our driver was fantastic. A couple of excursions were not that great. The talk at lock ness we fell asleep. The hotel in the highlands was terrible!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/26/2024
Shawna Flores - Traveled, August 2024
Highly recommend this trip to everyone. Best trip I’ve been on. Our travel director *Personal information removed by Feefo* was phenomenal. The knowledge she has was incredible. She had our entire team on time and everywhere we needed to be. She made this experience much more enjoyable. Along with our coach driver *Personal information . removed by Feefo*….he was great as well. The itinerary for this trip was perfect! Loved every minute of it. Our Travel Director, *Personal information removed by Feefo*, and our coach driver, *Personal information removed by Feefo*, made this trip even better. Cannot say enough good things about them both. Highly recommend this trip to anyone.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/19/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
First time with Trafalgar; had a great time. Travel director, *Personal information removed by Feefo*, was excellent, very considerate and easy to listen to. Driver, *Personal information removed by Feefo*, was an excellent driver and also personable. They made a great team. Would love to travel with them again. I enjoyed the variety of hotels although it was a challenge to remember where our rooms were and how the different showers worked. I appreciated the consideration given to scheduling of activities allowing for the tired/less physically able as well as the more energetic traveler. Would definitely recommend Trafalgar. Travel director, *Personal information removed by Feefo*, was excellent. Bus driver *Personal information removed by Feefo*, was also an excellent driver and also quite personable. They made a great team. I appreciated how the activities seemed to be scheduled with consideration for how tired (or energetic) we would be. I enjoyed the contrast between Dublin, Galway, Donegal, and Belfast as well as Glasgow, the Scottish Highlands, and Edinburgh. I especially liked the Highlands and Belfast. Made quite a few friends on the tour and would definitely recommend Trafalgar.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/31/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
We had an excellent coach driver named *Personal information removed by Feefo*. His skill, patience, and extensive knowledge of routes enabled is to relax and enjoy the views! Our guide, *Personal information removed by Feefo*, kept us informed of sights, locations and places of interest. Great itinerary! We were able to see how beautiful each country was.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/16/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, August 2024
Great trip to Ireland and Scotland. The trip was scheduled as an uncomfirmed trip, but when we needed to move the dates, the process was easy and the price was honored. We were also able to call and have questions answered. Good service. We enjoyed our tour very much. Our travel guide, *Personal information removed by Feefo* was very attentive, helpful and available to answer questions. Our driver *Personal information removed by Feefo* was very safe and we felt comfortable in his coach. The coach was very clean and kept in excellent condition. The itinerary was generally good. A couple of places that we went were just okay like Sean's pub. The local guide took way too much time and we dismissed ourselves to go see other things in town. I was disappointed that we didn't go into Trinity College in Dublin and see the Book of Kells at the library. We would have liked to see Stirling Castle but probably because of our travel, we didn't arrive during their open times. However, we enjoyed the wonderful scenery of Connemara Valley (we stopped once for photos), The Highlands in Scotland and the Edinburgh castle. The Military Tattoo was a wonderful bonus, so we overall had a great trip. The need for travel in the bus was anticipated and I didn't think it was overly long. We were able to break up the travel usually. I would enjoy a similar trip in the future. I definitely would not have been driving those narrow roads myself.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/12/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2024
The initial hotel in Dublin, Hampton by Hilton was disappointing. While a good location, the rooms were incredibly small. I felt the staff attitude was indifferent at best -- by far the least pleasant of any of the hotels on the tour. We had arrived early the day before and no effort was made to get us in before 3 O'Clock. In fact, the staff appeared annoyed when we asked. I would suggest that the initial meeting with the Tour Director should include a 30 minute power point presentation of what to expect through the week, with special emphasis on the optional experiences and the times during the week when and where we were going to need to be obtaining our own lunches. We seemed to learn that at the last minute, making it needlessly difficult. While the Director was very flexible in allowing to people to sign up for excursions at the last moment, I think there needs to be better communication early on. The River Cruise on the Shannon was completely substandard except for the visit to Sean's Pub, where we were given a wonderful presentation by a young employee of the bar. The visit to Cong was disappointing since all of the Quiet Man attractions were not open yet. While the movie was mentioned as we approached, I might suggest a 5 minute film clip as we approached to give the travelers a bit of the flavor of the town and movie. The lunch, musician and sheep dog presentation at Glen Keen Farm was tremendous on every level. The dinner at Biddy O'Barnes was average at best and candidly, the stories of Irish Folklore did not even rise to that low standard. The walking tour of Derry with *Personal information removed by Feefo* was excellent. He was knowledgeable, passionate and forthcoming. You could feel the emotion in recounting "the troubles" and his hopes for the future. The Giant's Causeway was breathtaking. The Titanic Museum was great and the tour of the Titanic Distillery was wonderful. *Personal information removed by Feefo* walking tour and *Personal information removed by Feefo* Black Taxi in Belfast were tremendous. We covered a tremendous amount of territory in Scotland which was beautiful. Our driver was extraordinary in his handling of the massive vehicle on the tiny roads. The Tour Director hit his stride in Scotland and offered more background info on the sites visited. Selfishly, I would have preferred a little more time at St. Andrews but understand that if you are not a golfer, there is only so much to do there. It was great to be able to walk portions of the course and purchase merchandise at the clubhouse. The hotel in the Highlands needs to be updated but I would imagine there are only so many choices in that remote a location. The hotel in Edinburgh was very nice. The final dinner was poor and very disappointing considering the cost and the grand nature of the hotel. Overall, I would certainly recommend the tour. Other than the suggestions made above, I found it very enjoyable and informative. If I were designing the itinerary myself, I might make the tour a little longer. The times when we were only in a hotel for a single night felt very rushed and seemed as though we really did not get to enjoy those cities. I understand though it is always a balancing act with time, distance and expense. Again, this was my first bus tour and overall it was well done and enjoyable.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/16/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, May 2024
Everything was great, except the first night at the Epic Ireland Exhibition was a dud and the Shannon River boat cruise was also a waste of time and money. Our tour guide- *Personal information removed by Feefo* was awesome and the bus driver excellent. And all the other tours were great!!! Had a wonderful time.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/16/2025
Deborah Beavers - Traveled, August 2024
Great tour directo and excellent driver. Food experiences left much to be desired. Hotels mediore.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/05/2024
Download a personalized trip brochure!
