Ireland and Scotland Travel Tour 64

1. 4:00 PM - Arrival in Edinburgh. || 55.95224878903263, -3.188869067565829

Edinburgh is Scotland's compact, hilly capital. It has a medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town with gardens and neoclassical buildings. Looming over the city is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish rulers. Arthur’s Seat is an imposing peak in Holyrood Park with sweeping views, and Calton Hill is topped with monuments and memorials.

2. Pick up rental car

3. Hotel check in. || 55.94638793644544, -3.2004644429108007

4. Night in Edinburgh

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || 55.947156928360684, -3.201494411166147

2. 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM - Guided Edinburgh sightseeing tour 

Tour Meeting Address: 15 Calton Hill, EH 3BJ, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

3. Edinburgh Castle. || 55.948696799955286, -3.199881315959712

Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear.

4. The Royal Mile. || 55.950217403176524, -3.1880210024676088

The Royal Mile is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.

5. Princes Street Gardens. || 55.951086793652486, -3.1985487024675416

Princes Street Gardens are two adjacent public parks in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s

6. St. GIles Cathedral. || 55.949579790297584, -3.1909132601396295

St Giles' Cathedral, or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh.

7. John Knox House. || 55.9506936660696, -3.1850905178115427

John Knox House, popularly known as John Knox's House, is an historic house in Edinburgh, Scotland, reputed to have been owned and lived in by Protestant reformer John Knox during the 16th century.

8. Museum of Edinburgh. || 55.95164470140604, -3.1794265945310243

The Museum of Edinburgh, formerly known as Huntly House Museum, is a museum in Edinburgh, Scotland, housing a collection relating to the town's origins, history and legends.

9. Calton Hill. || 55.95557284759714, -3.183084379356416

Calton Hill is a mix of bustling commercial areas and quiet residential streets. The hill itself, with its city views, is home to the Collective contemporary art gallery and the unfinished National Monument. Gay bars and casual eateries cluster around the top of busy Leith Walk, where the Edinburgh Playhouse stages musicals and comedy. Locals frequent the bakeries, cafes and gift stores on vibrant Broughton Street.

10. Free time

11. Head to hotel. || 55.94638793644544, -3.201494411166147

12. Night in Edinburgh

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || 55.947156928360684, -3.202181056669711

2. Drive from Edinburgh to Inverness 

The total drive time is 3 hours and 30 minutes plus the stops you make along the way.

3. Visit Cairngorms National Park. || 57.0493126432512, -3.561534315889537

Cairngorms National Park is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which was set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and surrounding hills.

4. Hotel check in. || 55.94677243431193, -3.201151088414365

5. Free time

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || 55.94619568608053, -3.201837733917929

This will be a long day guided by yourselves and moved at the pace most preferred by you.

2. Scottish Highlands. || 57.7149409337208, -4.667986119748186

The Scottish Highlands are a mountainous region encompassing northwest Scotland. Loch Ness is at the centre, overlooked by the ruins of medieval Urquhart Castle and known for mythical monster “Nessie”. Northeast, near the city of Inverness, dolphins swim in the Moray Firth. Southwest, in the Western Highlands, trails wind up Ben Nevis, the U.K.’s highest peak, and red deer roam Glencoe valley with its waterfalls.

3. Loch Ness. || 57.26469385491537, -4.492108430378972

Loch Ness is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end.

4. Haunting Valley of Glencoe. || 56.654061061260606, -4.994723414062849

Glencoe is known for its haunting past as well as its wild beauty. The infamous massacre that took place here in 1692 is a tragic and poignant chapter in Scottish history, and a key moment in the story of the Jacobites.

5. Loch Lomond 

Loch Lomond is a lake in southern Scotland. It’s part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The surrounding highlands area is home to red deer and oak woodlands. On the eastern shore, footpaths and cycle trails criss-cross craggy Ben Lomond mountain and the smaller Conic Hill. Across the loch, Luss Heritage Path winds through rolling countryside and ancient Luss village, with its stone cottages.

6. Glasgow. || 55.85733200189864, -4.269575732268451

Glasgow is a port city on the River Clyde in Scotland's western Lowlands. It's famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture, a rich legacy of the city's 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. Today it's a national cultural hub, home to institutions including the Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and National Theatre of Scotland, as well as acclaimed museums and a thriving music scene.

7. Hotel check in. || 55.94638793644544, -3.201837733917929

8. Free time

1. 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM - Breakfast at the hotel. || 55.94658018585588, -3.200807765662583

2. 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Guided sightseeing tour in Glasgow 

Ensure you arrive at the tour meeting address 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your tour. This tour will include a guide and a ticket to the Glasgow Cathedral.

3. Tennent’s Brewery. || 55.859380492737465, -4.230954944801373

4. Glasgow Necropolis. || 55.86278902638916, -4.231175346653131

The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral. Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone.

5. Glasgow Cathedral. || 55.863128808443456, -4.2346681331610565

Glasgow Cathedral is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow.

6. St. Mungo Museum. || 55.86252868541977, -4.236498133161094

The St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art is a museum of religion in Glasgow, Scotland. It has been described as the only public museum in the world devoted solely to this subject.

7. George Square. || 55.86126000939254, -4.250079271785294

George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Square, and Blythswood Square on Blythswood Hill.

8. Provand’s Lordship. || 55.8624703480667, -4.2369067024731555

Provand's Lordship is a medieval historic house museum in Glasgow, Scotland, located in Townhead the top of Castle Street within sight of Glasgow Cathedral and next to the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art.

9. Statue of William II 

You will learn of the city center’s history, vibrant architectural heritage, trading and shipping history, thriving contemporary art scene and successful financial sector.

10. Transfer to airport

11. Return rental car

12. Check in for flight

13. 5:05 PM - 6:20 PM - Flight from Glasgow to Dublin. || 53.34846640768519, -6.2732111077912664

Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland, is on Ireland’s east coast at the mouth of the River Liffey. Its historic buildings include Dublin Castle, dating to the 13th century, and imposing St Patrick’s Cathedral, founded in 1191. City parks include landscaped St Stephen’s Green and huge Phoenix Park, containing Dublin Zoo. The National Museum of Ireland explores Irish heritage and culture.

14. Pick up new rental car

15. Hotel check in

16. Free time

1. Breakfast at the hotel

2. Free time

3. 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM - Dublin Walking Guided Tour 

While on this tour you will admire the magnificent Georgian Architecture of the city, learn of the historic heart of Ireland’s vibrant capital city, learn of the daily life of a modern day Dublin, history dating back over 1000 years, artsy and bohemian district and the governmental complex.

4. O’Connell’s Street. || 53.35126773009917, -6.260969002629761

O'Connell Street is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry Street. The Luas tram system runs along the street.

5. Ha’Penny Bridge. || 53.34643714998277, -6.263102902630063

The Ha'penny Bridge, known later for a time as the Penny Ha'penny Bridge, and officially the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in May 1816 over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. Made of cast iron, the bridge was cast in Shropshire, England.

6. Temple Bar. || 53.34502213470672, -6.267212047146472

The Temple Bar Pub is a proud family-owned pub in the heart of Dublin City. It's famous for its unrivaled craic & service, incredible traditional Irish Music all day everyday and its vast whiskey and beer collections.

7. Parliament Street. || 53.34483043853378, -6.267423831466152

8. Dublin Castle. || 53.34300777436494, -6.267428402630303

Dublin Castle is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the seat of the British government's administration in Ireland.

9. Satue of Molly Malone. || 53.34382414049868, -6.26096177379423

Bronze statue of a fictional fishmonger named Molly Malone, the star of a well-known Irish song.

10. Trinity College. || 53.34390876654785, -6.254560873794224 

Trinity College, officially The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin, a research university in Dublin, Ireland.

11. St. Stephen’s Green Historic Building

12. Free time

13. Transfer to hotel. || 53.312643211306415, -6.202219489140138

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || 53.312668850993745, -6.202251675648116

2. Powerscourt. || 53.34226555451832, -6.261987202630311

Powerscourt Estate, located in Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a large country estate which is noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares.

3. Kilkenny. || 52.65491695427585, -7.247509418339798

Kilkenny is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2022 census gave the population of Kilkenny as 27,184, the thirteenth-largest urban center in Ireland.

4. Cork. || 51.898187957460195, -8.472470235890226

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland, third largest on the island of Ireland, and largest in the province of Munster. At the 2022 census, it had a population of 222,526.

5. Limerick. || 52.66410011684731, -8.628648156853103

Limerick is a major city in the Republic of Ireland, set in Munster province in the south of the country. Its compact old town is known for the medieval-era St. Mary’s Cathedral and St. John’s square, which is lined with Georgian townhouses. Standing along the River Shannon, the 13th-century King John’s Castle is one of the city’s most recognizable sites.

6. Transfer to hotel. || 52.66260491467025, -8.628689931507827

7. Free time

1. Breakfast at the hotel. || 52.662559364814356, -8.628614829655879

2. Moher Cliffs. || 52.972568222238856, -9.431140060611877

The Cliffs of Moher are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about 14 kilometres.

3. Galway. || 53.276408048644974, -9.05493682751616

Galway, a harbour city on Ireland’s west coast, sits where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city’s hub is 18th-century Eyre Square, a popular meeting spot surrounded by shops and traditional pubs that often offer live Irish folk music. Nearby, stone-clad cafes, boutiques and art galleries line the winding lanes of the Latin Quarter, which retains portions of the medieval city walls.

4. Transfer to hotel airport. || 53.49378759518594, -6.204297780401974

5. Free time the rest of the night 

Prepare for flight departure tomorrow morning.

1. 1:20 PM - Flight departure. || 53.50032296723722, -6.193311452344949

2. 7:00 PM - Arrival in USA. || 40.79115812672951, -111.97683611867592