Celebrating 70 Years
Of Great Vacations

ESCORTED COACH TOURS - IRELAND & BRITAIN

From $2,079
(Including Land & Air)

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Bunratty Castle Banquet
• Abbey Tavern Ballads & Dinner
• Scottish Cabaret & Dinner
• Farmhouse Tea & Scones
• Loch Ness Cruise
• Waterford & York Walking Tours
• Abbotsford House & Scone Palace
• Waterford Crystal & Blarney

Click on the phrases below for full details:

• Your Day-by-Day Itinerary
• What Your Tour Includes
• Your Hotels
• Departure Dates & Rates
• 55 & Smiling Discounts
• Early Payment Discount
• General Conditions for All Tours

"Aged 69, we were the oldest members of our Irish & British Voyager tour. This tour did not require too much difficult walking or climbing and we were able to keep up and enjoy the sights. Our guide and driver looked after us so well that we are already planning our 2002 trip with CIE Tours."
~ Alfred & Eloise Q., Wilmington NY

Day 1 - Sun: Depart U.S. for Shannon
Welcome aboard your overnight flight to Shannon. Dinner and continental breakfast are served on board.

Day 2 - Mon: Bunratty Castle Banquet
Land at Shannon Airport where you go through immigration inspection and pick up your baggage. Find the CIE Tours desk in the Arrivals Hall to arrange a transfer to your hotel. If you have booked flights independently, complimentary transfers will be offered from the CIE Tours desk at Shannon Airport between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon. If your flight arrives later you will transfer to the hotel at your own expense. In the afternoon you are free to rest or explore Bunratty Folk Park beside your hotel. Meet your fellow travelers over a welcome drink and visit Bunratty Castle for a medieval-style meal and entertainment. (D)

Day 3 - Tue: Killarney & Muckross House
This morning drive through Limerick and stop in the delightful village of Adare with its thatched cottages. Continue your journey into the mountainous scenery of Kerry to Killarney, renowned for its marvelous natural location. Visit Muckross House, set on the shores of Muckross Lake, to see the magnificently furnished rooms and learn about its history. Enjoy some free time in the afternoon to take a look around Killarney and perhaps take a jaunting car ride or a walk to Ross Castle. (B, D)

Day 4 - Wed: Ring of Kerry Tour
Today enjoy one of Ireland's most popular scenic drives, the Ring of Kerry, which winds between lofty peaks and a magnificent Atlantic coastline. Stop often to savor the varied views and take photos. At the western end of the peninsula cross to Valencia Island to visit the Skellig Experience which shows how early Christian monks lived on the nearby islands. Drive through Waterville and Sneem and pause at Moll's Gap and Ladies' View for vistas of the famous lakes before returning to Killarney. (B, D)

Day 5 - Thu: Blarney Castle & Cobh Heritage Centre
Travel to Blarney Castle to kiss the famous "stone of eloquence." Pass the outskirts of Cork to visit the Cobh Heritage Centre. Cobh was the last port of call for many transatlantic liners, including the ill-fated "Titanic." The Centre explains the history of emigration and its impact on Ireland. Near Dungarvan visit a farmhouse for tea and home-baked scones and continue to Waterford to your hotel. After dinner join a local guide on a brief walk around the historic town center. (B, D)

Day 6 - Fri: Waterford & Glendalough
Tour the Waterford Crystal Factory to see how molten glass is blown, cut and polished into sophisticated crystal tableware. See the vast display of trophies and stemware in the showrooms. Then drive via Enniscorthy and Arklow into the soft granite landscape of the Wicklow Mountains. Visit the 6th century monastic settlement of Glendalough to see the round tower, church remains and Celtic crosses. Drive into Dublin and check into your hotel. In the evening enjoy dinner at the Abbey Tavern with a lusty ballad session afterwards. (B, D)

Day 7 - Sat: Dublin Sightseeing
See the many public buildings, delightful gardens and lively shopping streets throughout the center of Dublin. View the elegant Georgian townhouses with colored doors. Your sightseeing tour includes visits to the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral, associated with Dean Jonathan Swift, and Dublin Castle to see the richly decorated State Apartments. The afternoon and evening are free for further sightseeing, shopping and dining. (B)

Day 8 - Sun: Ferry Ride to Glasgow
Depart Dublin this morning and drive north through Drogheda to Belfast. Say goodbye to your Irish driver as you board the ferry for Stranraer with your tour director who will continue with your group. At Stranraer meet your British driver. Drive along the west coast of Scotland passing Turnberry, one of the famous golf courses, and Ayr. Continue into Glasgow for a short drive around the principal sights before checking into your hotel. (B, D)

Day 9 - Mon: Loch Ness & Highlands
Depart Glasgow and drive alongside Loch Lomond to enjoy lake and mountain views. Travel across Rannoch Moor and through Glen Coe, notorious for the massacre of the Clan Macdonald by the Campbells in 1692. At Fort Augustus take a cruise on mysterious Loch Ness to admire the scenery and maybe catch a glimpse of the monster. Drive to Culloden Moor to view the site where Bonnie Prince Charlie fought the last battle on Scottish soil in an attempt to regain the throne for Scotland in 1746. Drive to your Inverness hotel. (B, D)

Day 10 - Tue: Pitlochry & Scone Palace
Travel through the Highlands to visit Edradour Distillery, Scotland's smallest distillery. Discover the secrets of Highland malt whisky and sample a "wee dram." Drive to Scone Palace for a tour of the interior which contains excellent antiques. Learn about the Stone of Scone, on which Scottish kings were crowned until 1296. The Stone of Destiny was taken to Westminster Abbey but recently restored to Scotland. Continue to Edinburgh and check into your centrally located hotel. At this evening's Scottish Cabaret sample local specialties, including haggis, and enjoy traditional bagpipe music. (B, D)

Day 11 - Wed: Edinburgh Highlights
This morning take a sightseeing tour of Edinburgh. Drive through the 200-year-old New Town with its planned streets and lavish Georgian houses. Pass the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the Queen. Drive along the Royal Mile and the medieval section of the city to Edinburgh Castle. Here see the Crown Jewels of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny. The afternoon is free for independent activities. On departures from July 28 to August 11 watch the impressive Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. (B)

Day 12 - Thu: Abbotsford & York Minster
Drive through lovely lowland scenery of Scotland to Abbotsford to visit Sir Walter Scott's home where he wrote most of his novels. Stop to view a portion of Hadrian's Wall, the Roman-built barrier separating Scotland and England. Journey across Northumberland and the Yorkshire Moors to York. Take a walking tour around the center of York to visit the majestic York Minster. Observe the winding medieval streets and ancient houses in the historic city center. (B, D)

Day 13 - Fri: Stratford-upon-Avon
Travel south to visit Coventry Cathedral, an excellent modern design built after World War II when the medieval edifice was bombed. Continue to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage, home of William Shakespeare's wife. With original 16th century furniture, the house conveys the atmosphere of Shakespeare's era. Take a walk around the lovely town with many half-timbered houses. Then drive to London where the evening is free for independent activities. (B)

Day 14 - Sat: London Tour
This morning take a guided tour of London's best-known landmarks in and around Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Drive by the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and visit St. Paul's Cathedral to see its huge dome and crypt. The afternoon and evening are at leisure so that you can do some shopping or sightseeing on your own. (CB)

Day 15 - Sun: Depart for Home
Today is the final day of your tour so travel to Heathrow Airport by group coach transfer or to Gatwick Airport by independent coach transfer. Allow plenty of time for check in formalities and do some duty free shopping before your flight home. (CB)

What Your Tour Includes

15 days/13 nights/22 meals

• Round trip flights from U.S. to Shannon & return from London
• Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
• Transfers between hotels and airports at start and end of tour
• Ferry transportation from Ireland to Scotland
• Services of a professional tour director
• Local guides in Edinburgh and London
• Superior and first class hotels with private bath/shower for 13 nights
• 11 full breakfasts (B) and 2 continental breakfasts in London (CB)
• 9 dinners (D) including
  - 6 table d'hote dinners
  - Medieval banquet and entertainment in Bunratty Castle
  - Dinner and ballad session at the Abbey Tavern in Dublin
  - Scottish cabaret and dinner in Edinburgh
• Welcome get-together drink
• Tea and scones at an Irish farmhouse
• Walking tours of Waterford and York
• Whisky tasting tour of Edradour Whisky Distillery
• Reserved seats for Edinburgh Military Tattoo on departures from July 28 to August 11
• Sightseeing cruise on Loch Ness
• Visits and admissions to Muckross House, Skellig Experience, Blarney Castle, Cobh Heritage Centre, Waterford Crystal Factory, Glendalough Visitor Centre, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Culloden Moor, Scone Palace, Edinburgh Castle, Abbotsford House, Hadrian's Wall, York Minster, Coventry Cathedral, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and St. Paul's Cathedral
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Your Hotels

Stay at the following (or similar):

• Fitzpatrick Bunratty Hotel, Bunratty (1 night)
• International Hotel, Killarney (2 nights)
• Dooley's Hotel, Waterford (1 night)
• Mespil Hotel, Dublin (2 nights)
• Thistle Hotel, Glasgow (1 night)
• Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Inverness (1 night)
• Jurys Edinburgh Inn, Edinburgh (2 nights)
• Ramada Jarvis Hotel, York (1 night)
• Jurys London Inn, London (2 nights)

Departure Dates & Rates

55 & Smiling Discounts

Save $75! All departure dates with a bullet in the chart above qualify for the 55 & Smiling discount.

Early Payment Discount

Inclusive air prices reflect savings of between $85 & $170 per person when airfare is paid at least 90 days prior to departure. Book early and save. For travel from Chicago ask about special airfares with Aer Lingus.

General Conditions for All Tours