Britain & Ireland Explorer
Day 1 - Depart USA Overnight transatlantic flight to London.
Day 2 - Arrive London (2 nights) Time to relax after checking into your Trafalgar hotel.
Day 3 - London at leisure A full day at leisure to explore Britains capital. (Buffet Breakfast)
Day 4 - London - Stratford - Leeds Greetings from our Tour Director as we drive through scenic Cotswold villages to Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon. Here orientation reveals its Elizabethan charm before heading to Coventry, home of Lady Godiva, to view the old and new Cathedrals standing side by side. Then on through the Midlands into Yorkshire arriving at our hotel in Leeds. (Dinner)
Day 5 - Leeds - Edinburgh (Bo'ness) (2 nights) A short drive brings us to York, where an orientation stroll includes the famous Minster and picturesque 'Shambles'. From here we pass Hadrian's Wall and ruined Jedburgh Abbey as we make our way to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. (Full Breakfast)
Day 6 - Edinburgh sightseeing & at leisure Our morning sightseeing tour shows us the Royal Mile, Princes Street and views of the castle. Later with time at leisure you may wish to visit Holyrood House, where Mary Queen of Scots lived, or perhaps sample some delicious shortbread. (Full Breakfast)
Day 7 - Edinburgh (Bo'ness) - Scottish Highlands (2 nights) Today we travel over the incredible Firth of Forth Bridge to the charming University town of St. Andrews on the Fife coast. We'll visit the town and stop at the famous golf course before continuing north towards the Highlands via Perth and Pitlochry — the very centre of Scotland — to the Cairngorm mountains and our hotel for the next two nights. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 8 - Scottish Highlands — Isle of Skye Excursion This morning we follow the banks of beautiful Loch Ness — look out for the monster! — on our way through the Western Highlands to the Kyle of Lochalsh. We cross over to the Isle of Skye — associated with Bonnie Prince Charlie — and spend some time here exploring the glorious scenery of this unique Scottish island. Finally we return to our hotel for dinner. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 9 - Scottish Highlands - Glasgow After breakfast this morning we drive to Fort William, in the shadow of Ben Nevis — Britain's highest mountain, and then along the shores of Loch Linnhe to Glencoe — Vale of the Weeping. Our ever more scenic route takes us along the 'banks and braes of Loch Lomond' to Glasgow, where we spend the night(Full Breakfast)
Day 10 - Glasgow - North Wales (Wrexham) (2 nights) Today begins with a drive through scenic countryside to Gretna Green, wedding venue for eloping lovers. From here we continue south into England towards the breathtaking mountains of the Lake District. Finally we reach our hotel at Wrexham, just over the border in Wales, for two nights. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 11 - Chester & North Wales Excursion First we're off to Chester, where an orientation tour shows us the arcaded 'Rows'. Next into the hills and valleys of North Wales. Over the Horseshoe pass, we arrive in Llangollen, home of the Music Eisteddfod, before returning to Wrexham (Full Breakfast)
Day 12 - North Wales (Wrexham) - Dublin (2 nights) We drive along the Welsh Coast via Colwyn Bay, skirting the Snowdonia National Park,
to Caernarvon. Here we view the castle where the Prince of Wales was invested, before crossing to the island of Anglesey. Here we board our ferry at Holyhead to Ireland. On arrival join our coach and drive to the 'fair city' — Dublin for two nights (Full Breakfast)
Day 13 - Dublin sightseeing & at leisure Our morning sightseeing features Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, historic Phoenix Park, the Four Courts and more. The rest of your day is at leisure. (Full Breakfast)
Day 14 - Dublin - Sligo (2 nights) This morning we head north-westward to follow the Royal Canal to Mullingar. Then on to Boyle to view the 12th century Cistercian Abbey ruins. Later, lush green Irish countryside rolls by on our approach to Sligo Bay where we spend the next two nights. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 15 - Northern Ireland & Donegal Today we travel along the coast to the seaside resort of Bundoran in County Donegal. Next across the border into Northern Ireland to visit the famous Beleek Pottery Centre, continuing along the shores of Lough Erne to the town of Enniskillen before returning through beautiful countryside to our hotel in Sligo (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 16 - Sligo - Ennis (2 nights) Enjoy a morning drive through the region of Connemara, stopping at Kylemore Abbey. From here we cross to Galway Bay. Then we stop in Galway before reaching Ennis. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 17 - Excursion to The Burren After breakfast we begin our day with a drive to view the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. From O'Brien's Tower, we can see the Aran Islands, (weather permitting), at the entrance to Galway Bay. We return to Ennis for the evening. (Full Breakfast)
Day 18 - Ennis - Waterville (Kerry) After stopping to view the thatched cottages of Adare, the prettiest village in Ireland, we head for County Kerry. There's time for a stop in Killarney before we enjoy the first half of our Ring of Kerry drive along Dingle Bay, Ryan's Daughter country, to Waterville. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 19 - Waterville (Kerry) - Waterford Today we complete our drive around the Ring of Kerry and we travel on to Blarney Castle, where we have a chance to acquire the 'gift of the gab'. Then we continue through Cork and along the coast to Waterford, home of the famous crystal for the night.(Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 20 - Waterford - Cardiff (2 nights) We travel to Rosslare this morning where we board our ferry and cruise back to Wales. We arrive at Fishguard to join our coach and drive on to Cardiff for two nights. (Full Breakfast )
Day 21 - Valleys and Mountains of South Wales excursion We will begin our day in the Welsh capital, Cardiff for an orientation tour and a chance to visit the castle. Then into the Rhonddha, most famous of the Welsh Valleys where old mining towns are packed into narrow cracks in the mountains. Next we head into the stark beauty of the Brecon Beacons National Park before we return to our hotel in Cardiff. (Full Breakfast / Dinner)
Day 22 - Cardiff — Bath — London The last day of our comprehensive tour of Britain brings us to Bath, where we see the Roman Baths and have time to admire the Georgian architecture of the Royal Crescent. We return to London via Salisbury and its Cathedral and also make a picture-stop at the ancient Stone Circle of Stonehenge. (Buffet Breakfast)
Day 23 - London - USA Bid farewell on your return flight to the USA. (Buffet Breakfast)
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