14-Day Best of Ireland & Scotland - Classic Group 2027

Highlights

• Dublin: Enjoy a relaxing first night and dine together with your fellow guests.
• Kilmarnock: Visit Craufurdland Castle, home to the Craufurd family for over 800 years. Join the 29th Laird of Craufurdland and his wife for a guided look inside their historic residence before sitting down to afternoon tea: a cherished British tradition featuring finely cut sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, and a selection of sweet treats served with freshly brewed tea.
• Edinburgh: Enjoy a memorable dinner, reflecting on your journey in the company of newfound friends.
• Dublin: A stunning combination of cobblestone walkways, emerald-green lawns and 18th-century architectural gems, Trinity College is one of Europe’s elite universities and counts poet Oscar Wilde among its alumni. See the enchanting college campus and discover insights into its impressive history. Enjoy access to view the famous Book of Kells, an exquisite manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament, renowned for the intricacy, detail and majesty of the illustrations. 
• Kildare: Horse racing is key part of Irish culture; and you'll gain a rare insight into it on your visit to the Irish National Stud. Set in Kildare at the breeding ground of champions and the birthplace of legends, explore the foaling unit, museum and the stallions that continue to make racing history. As the only stud farm in Ireland open to the public, learn the insights of horse-racing at a site whose former visitors include queens and presidents.   
• Killarney: Settle into a traditional horse-drawn jaunting car and explore Killarney with one of the local jarveys who know these lanes by heart.
• Londonderry: There's no better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland's best storytellers, Ronan, as he takes you on a tour inside the city walls. See the Gothic Guildhall and the Georgian houses of Shipquay Street.
• Dublin: With a Local Expert leading the way, discover Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. You’ll see the Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral and even St. Patrick's Cathedral.
• Cork: Your Travel Director will show you the Grand Parade and South Mall, along with City Hall and the Opera House.
• Killarney: Take a gentle orientation through Killarney as your Travel Director brings the town’s history to life. Streets lined with shopfronts, church spires and the curve of the surrounding mountains help you place the stories being shared.
• Dingle Peninsula: Follow the Slea Head route, a dramatic coastal drive around the Dingle Peninsula, where sheer cliffs, secluded beaches, and ancient ruins reflect centuries of settlement. Pass prehistoric ring forts, beehive huts and Ogham stones, evidence of early Gaelic communities. Offshore, see the Blasket Islands, once home to a resilient Irish-speaking population who, facing isolation and hardship, relocated to the mainland in 1953. 
• Galway: Fascinating stories and interesting locals take center stage on your orientation of the historic heart of Galway. Visit the Lynch Memorial Window. Then make your way to the Church of St. Nicholas - the largest medieval parish church in Ireland in continuous use, Spanish Arch and Eyre Square.    
• Sligo: See Sligo’s streets and landmarks on an orientation that reveals why this part of Ireland inspired one of Ireland’s most famous literary figures, the poet William Butler Yeats. On your journey into town, you’ll quickly see why Yeats was inspired by the scenic beauty of the area. Explore its rich medieval history as well as its shops on an orientation with your Travel Director. After getting your bearings in town, enjoy free time to explore at your own pace or stop for lunch before your journey continues to Londonderry.
• Giant's Causeway: Visit Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago. Walk across thousands of interlocking basalt columns, shaped by nature and renowned for their striking geometric appearance.
• Ballygally: Take a gentle orientation walk through Ballygally with your Travel Director, following the curve of the bay where the sea brushes against a strip of pale sand. The village sits between cliffs and shoreline, with neat cottages, salty air and views that open towards the Antrim Coast. 
• Larne: Board your ferry to cross the Irish Sea to Cairnryan.
• Glasgow: Led by your Travel Director, take an easy orientation through Glasgow, where broad streets and bold Victorian architecture set the tone. Pause in George Square to take in its statues and grand civic buildings before continuing to St Mungo’s Cathedral, its dark stone and soaring interior hinting at the city’s medieval roots.
• Loch Ness: Soak up the scenery and hear intriguing tales of Nessie during a cruise on one of Scotland's most famous lakes.
• Fort William: Stop at the World War II Commando Memorial near Fort William, where bronze figures stand against a sweep of Highland landscape. From this quiet hillside, you get one of the clearest views of Ben Nevis, its ridges rising sharply above the glen.
• Inverness: With your Travel Director, see the River Ness, Inverness Castle and beautiful scenery as you explore the history of this Highland city.
• Inverness: At the Culloden Visitor Center, you’ll discover why the Battle of Culloden lasted only an hour yet changed the Highland way of life forever.  
• St. Andrews: Spend time in St Andrews, a coastal university town shaped by old quadrangles, sea air and open links. Walk to the stretch of West Sands Beach where Chariots of Fire filmed its iconic scene, then look across the Old Course, regarded as the birthplace of modern golf.
• Edinburgh: A hush descends and eyes turn to the castle. The skirl of the pipes rises and drums crack the night air as a tide of tunics and tartan flood from the drawbridge. For a limited time in August, witness the incredible spectacle of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
• Edinburgh: Explore Edinburgh Castle with your Local Expert to see the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Mons Meg up close.
• Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Expert 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.
• Blarney: Your up close and personal encounter with the lush gardens of the Blarney Castle estate is brought to life on a guided tour with a senior gardener. On your stroll enhanced by your expert’s insights, learn about the arboretum’s rare trees, mystical Druid rock formations and the Bog Garden boasting three 600-year-old yew trees. 
• Blarney: It is said that those who kiss the 330-million-year-old Blarney Stone, the famous stone of eloquence, are bestowed with the power to persuade, flatter and coax. Take your turn at giving it a peck!
• Cliffs of Moher: Towering cliffs and the dramatic sea, the Cliffs of Moher has inspired countless travelers. Visit the Exhibition Center and look out over the Wild Atlantic Way from these majestic cliffs that rise over 700 feet high. Gain insights from your Travel Director into the cliffs’ geology, history and the species that find sanctuary in its nooks and crannies.
• Inverness: Step into the world of Uile-bheist, where age-old whisky and beer traditions meet modern craftsmanship. Discover how folklore inspires their brews, explore the art of distillation, and savor a tasting of their signature creations. Built with sustainability at its core, Uile-bheist is one of Scotland’s lowest-carbon distilleries, aiming for net zero by 2030. Your visit supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action. 
• Blarney: Your up close and personal encounter with the lush gardens of the Blarney Castle estate is brought to life on a guided tour with a senior gardener. On your stroll enhanced by your expert’s insights, learn about the arboretum’s rare trees, mystical Druid rock formations and the Bog Garden boasting three 600-year-old yew trees. 
• Blarney: It is said that those who kiss the 330-million-year-old Blarney Stone, the famous stone of eloquence, are bestowed with the power to persuade, flatter and coax. Take your turn at giving it a peck!