This trip will take us to the five countries known as Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England.  Each portion of the trip has its own distinct character and culture, as you will experience as we travel around the area.  We will be traveling by plane, bus, ferry, and rail for this trip to take advantage of all there is to see.

Day 1-We depart MSP today for an overnight flight to Dublin.  Get some shut-eye if you can, so you will be ready to go when we arrive.

Day 2- We will only have a brief stop in Dublin before continuing on to Edinburgh, Scotland.  We will take a short flight to Edinburgh to locate our hotel.  After our arrival we will catch a bus from the airport to drop off our luggage followed by a short walk to explore the Edinburgh Castle to see how the people used to live.

Day 3-We will continue our exploration of Scotland by heading further north through the fishing villages along the coast ending up in St Andrews, homeland of golf.  This is also where Prince William and Kate met while attending college.  There is a beautiful castle/church ruin there that we will wander through.

Day 4- After two nights in Scotland, we will head for a two night stay in Northern Ireland with our base there being Belfast.   The city of Belfast, is the city in which the Titanic was constructed.  We will go to the actual locks from which the ship was built and led into the ocean for its voyage.  There are many other sights to see in this beautiful city, which we will see on a hop on- hop off bus tour.  This is also the city where many of the “Troubles” came to a head, which we will see the remains of throughout this tour.

Day 5- This morning we will take a side trip into the countryside and to the famous Giant’s Causeway.  After climbing around on the rocks for awhile, we will see more of the Atrium Coast with a stop at the ruins of Dunluce Castle.  We will return to Belfast for our second night in this city.

Day 6- Today we will head to our next country, England.  We will fly from Belfast to Liverpool, the town made famous by the Beatles.  We will take a bus for another hop on-hop off experience.  See many of the places of Beatles’ songs, such as Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, and even some of their childhood homes.  If you want more Beatles…there is a museum containing many of the artifacts from that era.  This would be an optional opportunity if you wish to add that to the trip.

Day 7- Today we will visit Wales and its beautiful landscapes.  This trip will include sights such as Conwy Castle, Conwy Suspension Bridge, Snowdonia National Park, as well as Fairy Glen, the birth place of all fairies.  We will return to Liverpool for our last night in this area.

Day 10-We will now go to the capital of England, London.  We will be using the famous Black Cabs to explore the sights of London.  Most of the places we would like to see are within walking distance from our hotel, but the experience in the Cabs with multiple stops is not to be missed.

Day 11- We will now spend a day in the outskirts of London by visiting the city of Bath, the Windsor Castle, and Stonehenge.  This will be a relaxing bus ride with three stops with enough time to see the sights leisurely.

Day 12- Today we will return from where we began, the Republic of Ireland and Dublin.  We will spend our day using the hop on-hop off service again.  It is the most efficient way to get to the sights and spend time at those sights that are of particular interest to you.

Day 13- This morning we will take an early departure to the train station for our guided tour of Ireland.  We will travel westerly past the many stud farms in the area.  We will make a brief stop in Portlaoise, on to Limerick, and finally to Cork to see the Blarney Castle.  After kissing the Blarney Stone we will continue on to Cobh, the last stop of the Titanic and a heritage center having information of the Great Famine of Ireland and the subsequent Irish immigrations, mainly to the USA.

Day 14- Enjoy your full Irish breakfast before we hit the road for the Ring of Kerry.  We will stop at the Bog Museum and several photo stops along the way.  We will pass through many passes and valleys to view this unspoiled nature region of Ireland.

 Day 15- Today we will depart Killarney and head to Limerick, which is known for many famous people, which we get into later.  After a quick tour of the city, we will travel to Bunratty Castle, which was completed in 1425.  Our next stop will be the Cliffs of Moher before we head through the Burren ending in Galway.

 Day 16-This morning we will leave Galway to view the Connemara area of Ireland.  We will have a lunch break at Kylemore Abbey and Gardens.  We will follow the Galway Bay to return to Galway for a second night.

Day 17- Today we will visit Aran Islands.  This is the filming location of the Movie “Banshees of Inisherin”.  We will visit Inis Mor, which is the largest of the three Aran Islands.  While here we will view the pre-Christian fort of Dun Anoghasa and other spectacular sea-cliff views of the Atlantic Ocean.  We will return to Galway (after everyone has an opportunity to purchase an Aran Island sweater) and end up back in Dublin for the evening.

Day 18- Today will be our return flight home.

***This itinerary may change due to schedules, weather, and opening hours of some of the sights during our trip.