Ultimate Scotland & Ireland Tour

Your journey begins on your overnight flight.

If you purchased airline tickets from YMT, a representative will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to spend at your leisure until the included welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)

Your first full day in Scotland starts with a comprehensive tour of Edinburgh. The beautifully maintained capital city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and tour highlights include the Royal Scottish Academy, The Georgian House, St. Giles Cathedral, The Scottish Parliament, and Greyfriars Bobby. Your final stop this morning is Edinburgh Castle, home to the Scottish Crown Jewels, and Edinburgh’s oldest building, St. Margaret’s Chapel. Admission to the castle is included for you to enjoy a self-guided tour. The guided portion of the day concludes at lunchtime, after which you are free to remain in the city and explore on your own, or to join our afternoon optional tour. (B)

Visit one of the most historically significant places in all of Britain—the iconic Scone Palace in Perth. Home of the Earl of Mansfield, it has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of the Kings of Scots since the 9th century. Continue to the Highlands to enjoy some free time, including a stop for lunch in the town of Pitlochry. Today also includes a visit to the Leault Working Sheepdog Farm for a 45-minute demonstration of up to eight dogs working as a team to herd sheep and responding to their own personalized commands and whistles. Meet the sheepdogs, see the lambs, and perhaps take part in shearing a sheep. Keep an eye out for the Highlander cows that also roam around! En route to the hotel, see Britain’s tallest mountain range in Cairngorms National Park! Upon arrival at your hotel in Inverness, enjoy an included dinner. (B, D)

Our first stop this morning is the historic battlefield site of the bloody Battle of Culloden Moor. Enjoy an innovative interactive exhibit about the battle, as well as a guided visit of the battlefield. Continue to Cawdor Castle, an ancient medieval fortress with three very different and extraordinary gardens. Explore the grounds and castle on a self-guided audio tour before continuing to a Whisky Distillery for an informative tour and tasting of beautiful Scotch Whisky! (B)

Enjoy stunning views of Inverness as you make your way into the Great Glen, and Loch Ness. Up to 755 feet deep in places, the murky lake has plenty of hiding space for the mythical Loch Ness Monster, or “Nessie.” Take a short scenic cruise across the loch to Urquhart Castle to explore the ruins dating back to the 13th century. After stopping for lunch in Fort Augustus, Continue on to the Commando Memorial, a commemorative statue that pays tribute to soldiers who served in WWII. Next, enjoy a stop at a woolen mill for some souvenir shopping End your day at Fort William in the early evening. (B, D)

Your tour takes you to the Isle of Skye, one of the Inner Hebrides islands. On route, enjoy a photo stop at Eilean Donan Castle before crossing the bridge onto the Isle of Skye. Your tour of Skye will include several photo stops to take in the stunning scenery and picturesque mountains. Stop for lunch in Portree, the largest town and the capital of the Isle of Skye. End your day with a short ferry crossing to take you back to the mainland, and enjoy an included dinner upon arrival at your hotel in Fort William. (B, D)

Travel along the rugged shoreline into Argyll. Visit Inveraray Castle, built in 1743 in the Gothic Revival style, and see the extensive collection of pikes, muskets and other weaponry. Enjoy a short break on the banks of Loch Lomond, the largest lake in the country, and continue into Glasgow, the biggest city in Scotland. (B)

During a panoramic morning city tour, see the remnants of the monastery at Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis, an ancient cemetery in the middle of the city. Visit Glasgow Green, The Kelvingrove Art Gallery, and George Square, named after King George III and the de facto center of Glasgow. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy. Join us for dinner, before making your way to Ireland the following day. (B, D)

Fly to Dublin for the next stage of your tour. A YMT representative will welcome you at Dublin Airport and transfer you to the hotel while the rest of the day is at your leisure. This vibrant, colorful city offers a compelling mix of history, culture, traditional pubs, elegant architecture, great shopping and dining. The great thing about Dublin is that the city is compact, so the shops and restaurants, the River Liffey and many of the highlights are all within walking distance of each other and easy to explore on foot. This evening, learn about the days ahead over dinner. (B, D)

This morning, enjoy a tour of the highlights of this richly historical city. See the Bank of Ireland, built in the 18th century to house the Parliament; and Leinster House, where the government convenes today. Visit the famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral, originally built in 450 AD and rebuilt in 1191. The afternoon is at leisure, giving you plenty of time to visit Trinity College, Henrietta Street’s Georgian mansions, or to take a stroll down Grafton Street in the center of Dublin. (B)

Today we visit the Rock of Cashel—a cluster of historic ruins towering on a hilltop 200 feet above the surrounding plains. We continue to Waterford, Ireland’s oldest city and home to the famous crystal. Enjoy an illuminating tour of the factory and learn about the manufacturing process and Waterford’s history. There will be time to browse the gift shop, and marvel at the largest Waterford Crystal collection in the world. (B)

This morning, continue to Cork for a guided tour of Jameson Midleton Distillery. Learn about history, heritage, and whiskey production before enjoying a comparative tasting of Scotch, American and Jameson whiskey. Also included in today’s visit is a complimentary drink at the bar! Next, we visit Blarney Castle, one of Ireland’s oldest and most historic. Our tour ends today in Killarney, our home for the next two nights. (B, D)

This morning take one of Europe’s most famous drives, the Ring of Kerry. This long loop takes us through spectacular scenery—lakes, rivers, historical landmarks, and charming villages on the Iveragh Peninsula. Back in Killarney this evening, you’re free to relax at the hotel or explore the quaint town at your leisure. (B)

Today we visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, where we’ll see one of the most complete and authentic medieval fortresses in the country. It now houses an exquisitely-detailed living history museum that gives you a taste of what country life was really like in turn-of-the-century Ireland. Next, drive through the scenic Burren area, stopping to view the picturesque Cliffs of Moher, sheer sea cliffs with incredible views of the north Atlantic. Arrive in the Galway area by late afternoon. (B, D)

Today, we travel through the rugged landscape of the Connemara region. We’ll visit the palatial Kylemore Abbey, nestled at the base of Druchruach Mountain. Our drive continues through Westport into the Sligo area by late afternoon. (B, D)

This morning, enjoy a short visit to Belleek Pottery, a porcelain company founded in 1884, for a lesson on its history—with time to buy souvenirs in their store. Next, visit the Ulster American Folk Park, a living history settlement, and learn about 300 years of Irish emigration to America. Continue to Belfast, your home for the next two nights. (B)

Today, we’ll enjoy an excursion along coastal roads, and take in the seaside cliffs and Atlantic Ocean. We’ll visit the Glenarm Walled Gardens, one of the oldest walled gardens in Ireland. Enjoy free time for lunch on your own at the Glenarm Gardens and Estate. After Glenarm Walled Gardens, you will spend time exploring the Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site with rock formations that tower up to 40 feet in the air. The stacks are said to be 50 million years old, and according to myth, were part of a road built by the giant Finn MacCool.  (B)

This morning we visit Titanic Belfast, the $150 million Titanic visitor experience in the city where the unsinkable ship was built. You will see fullscale reconstructions and learn about the Titanic’s conception through to her infamous maiden voyage and tragic end in 1912. The journey continues to the discovery of the wreck, and into the present day with a live undersea exploration center. We will then enjoy a panoramic motor coach tour of Belfast, taking in the impressive Parliament buildings at Stormont, Belfast City Hall, and the murals of the Falls Road. In the afternoon, we drive south to Dublin for our final evening in Ireland, and a farewell dinner at the hotel. (B, D)