2015 Detailed Itinerary

Experience Ireland and the Scottish Highlands

EF Customized Tour

June 22-July 1, 2015

DAY 1

Board your overnight flight to Glasgow, Scotland!

DAY 2

Arrive in Glasgow and Transfer to Fort William via Glencoe and Loch Lomond (time permitting)

Visit Glencoe, site of the notorious 1692 massacre of the MacDonald clan. Here, the fusion of natural beauty and historical preservation offer some of the most magnificent views in Scotland. Continue past the ‘‘Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond’’ to Fort William, second largest settlement in the Highlands.

Overnight in Fort William

DAY 3

Ride the Jacobite Steam Train

Enjoy this full day excursion in Harry Potter-style train carriages. You will pass by Loch Morar, the deepest freshwater loch in Britain, as well as Loch Nevis, the deepest seawater loch in Europe! Your route also includes the Glenfinnan viaduct, made famous in the Harry Potter films. After a stop to stretch your legs at Glennfinnan station you will continue through Arisaig to Mallaig, where you will have approximately an hour and a half to explore and enjoy lunch on your own before returning to Fort William.

Overnight in Fort William

DAY 4

Transfer to Cairnyan, Scotland for Ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland

View some of Scotland’s most beautiful scenery in the Western Highlands as you travel south from Fort William to board a ferry in Cairnyan that will take you to the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast.

Visit Titanic Belfast

The newly opened Titanic Belfast is a must-visit in any tour of Northern Ireland. It is located in the heart of Belfast, on the slipways where RMS Titanic was built, and offers over nine galleries including special effects, dark rides, full-scale reconstructions and innovative interactive features to explore the Titanic story in a fresh and insightful way. The museum traces the lifespan of the RMS Titanic from her conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, through her construction and launch, and finally to her infamous maiden voyage and catastrophic demise.

Overnight in Belfast

DAY 5

Excursion to the Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Take a walk on the exhilarating rope bridge to Carrick-a-Rede Island and enjoy a truly cliff-top experience. This 30-metre deep and 20-metre wide chasm is traversed by a rope bridge traditionally erected by salmon fishermen. Visitors bold enough to cross to the rocky island are rewarded with fantastic views.

Visit Giant’s Causeway

Journey to Ireland’s northernmost point to view the amazing Giant’s Causeway. This fascinating geological phenomenon comprises thousands of 55-million-year-old hexagonal basalt columns that form a honeycomb pathway into the sea. Explore rock formations including the Wishing Chair, the Punchbowl, and the Giant’s Granny, and learn the legend of Finn MacCool, the Irish giant said to have built the columns so that his true love could cross the water from Scotland. Near here, the Spanish Armada’s flagship Girona sank in 1588.

Visit Dunluce Castle

Rebuilt during the Anglo-Norman period on a much older fort site, Dunluce Castle is a magnificent site to behold. Crowning a rocky outcrop and joined to the mainland by an arched walkway, the castle looks out to sea and underneath lies the 'Mermaid's Cave'. Close by is the ancient church ruins of St. Cuthbert's named after a Northumbrian monk and the (possible) burial site of sailors and noblemen from the Spanish Armada. On a clear day you can look over an expanse of ocean from here to Donegal and round to Islay, a view which has remained unchanged for centuries. It was within this view that the tragedy of the emigrant ship, the Exmouth, took place in April, 1857. Bound for Quebec, she spent almost three days in horrendous sea conditions before finally breaking up on rocks off Islay with the loss of 240 lives.

Overnight in Belfast

Day 6

Transfer to Galway via a Visit to Ulster-American Folk Park

Travel to Galway via the Ulster-American Folk Park, an outdoor museum that tells the story of Irish emigration to America. Costumed guides representing Irish villagers welcome you into their replicated 19th-century homes and businesses, including a weaver’s cottage, a meeting house, a post office, and a blacksmith’s forge. Continuing the story of their emigration, you’ll be able to enter the Brig Union, a reconstruction of the 19th-century ship on which many of them sailed to the U.S. (a journey of three weeks in cramped and often perilous quarters). Disembark from the ship onto American Street for a glimpse at the New World they found when they arrived.

Arrive in Galway

Today Galway is the cultural and artistic capital of the west of Ireland-as well as one of the best places to hear traditional music. Originally known as a center for fishing, the industry still plays a part in everyday life here.

Overnight in Galway

Day 7

Visit the Cliffs of Moher

Enjoy an excursion to the Cliffs of Moher, which tower an imperious 750 feet above the Atlantic. This region is considered to have some of the most haunting and stunning beauty in a country filled with natural wonders.

Visit The Burren and Visitor Centre

From the Gaelic An Boireann, meaning ‘a stony place’, The Burren is a sweeping rock-strewn landscape rich in historical and archaeological sites. Ancient megalithic tombs, ring forts and rock formations are strewn across rolling hills of stone and grass. Take a moment to marvel at the natural beauty as you continue on your journey. As you drive through the Burren, stop to admire the Corcomroe Abbey and admired the detailed stone carvings as you imagine the abbey in its former glory.

Overnight in Galway

DAY 8

Transfer to Dublin via the Kildare National Stud Farm

Today, visit one of Ireland’s most famous places when you stop to see the Kildare National Stud Farm. You will see where Ireland has bred some of the world’s best race horses. Walk around the 958-acre grounds and see the steeds being groomed and exercised.  Also here are the Japanese Gardens, considered the most renowned in Europe; the natural beauty of St. Fiachra’s monastic garden; and the Horse Museum.

Visit Glendalough

Travel to scenic Glendalough. Located at the center of County Wicklow, this pastoral valley offers bewitching views of Ireland’s topographical splendor, including lakes, forest and waterfalls. Glendalough also contains the country’s best-preserved ruins of early monastic settlements.

Arrive in Dublin

Arrive in literary Dublin, one-time home of James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and W. B. Yeats! Dublin is also the setting for Joyce’s Ulysses, one of the 20th century’s greatest literary works. In recent years Dublin has also developed as one of Europe’s busiest entertainment centers.

Overnight in Dublin

DAY 9

Guided Sightseeing of Dublin

Begin your tour of the Irish capital by viewing some of Dublin’s celebrated Georgian squares. From here you will visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral to see the beautiful interior. You will then head past the Post Office, site of the 1916 rebellion, before continuing along the banks of the River Liffey. Continue your visit in Phoenix Park which houses the residence of the President of Ireland. Your tour of Dublin concludes with a visit to the city’s renowned Trinity College, established by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. Here you will view the illuminated 8th century Book of Kells, written by Irish monks and found buried in the ground in 1007.

Visit the Guinness Storehouse

Founded in 1759, it is one of the world’s largest breweries. You will see how the dark brown stout is made and, of course, taste a glass as well!

Visit Dublin Castle

Journey back to the 13th century, as you visit Dublin Castle. Originally the center of British control, it was taken over in 1922 by the new Irish Republic. Today it offers some of the oldest architecture in the city.

Overnight in Dublin

DAY 10

Transfer to the Airport for Your Return Flight

Your tour director assists with your transfer to the airport, where you’ll check in for your return flight home.