Compare Dublin & Edinburgh by Great Value Vacations vs Best of Ireland & Scotland - Small Group Small Group by Insight Vacations

Day 1 Welcome to Dublin!

Arrive in Dublin airport and enjoy a transfer to your first accommodation! Get acquainted with the city while wandering its charming streets and watch the beauty of Dublin unfold right before your eyes.

At night, head to Dublin's oldest pub, The Brazen Head, dating back to 1198. Have a pint and say cheers with the locals! 

Day 2 Dublin

Start using your hop-on/hop-off pass! Don't miss the Chester Beatty Library in the grounds of the Dublin Castle, where you'll see the rare book collection of mining engineer Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. 

In the evening head to Grafton Street, home to Dublin's many restaurants and bars. Whether you're craving Indian, Thai or French, this city's food scene has it all! 

Day 3 Dublin

Explore Trinity College, one of the most prestigious universities in the world and a masterpiece of Georgian architecture. The buildings, dating back centuries, are each beautifully laid out on a cobbled or grassy square. 

Don't miss the Old Library, a visually stunning structure and home of the Book of Kells, widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure. 

At night see the illuminated city along the River Liffey, making sure to snap photos along the way. 

Day 4 Dublin - Edinburgh

Enjoy a full Irish breakfast at your hotel then grab your transfer to the airport because you're flying to Edinburgh, a city steeped in history, art and culture!

You'll be transferred to your Edinburgh hotel where you can settle in and explore at your leisure. Spend the evening in Leith, a historic port boasting some of the best food and drinks in the city.

Day 5 Edinburgh

Using your 48-hour Royal Edinburgh Ticket, you'll have access to three different city tours, plus admission to the capital's most iconic sites.Discover the famous Edinburgh Castle, a 12th-century fortress that makes an indelible mark on the skyline. Enjoy the ultimate royal experience as you explore The Palace of Holyroodhouse, The King's official residence in Edinburgh.

In the evening, venture to one of Edinburgh's theaters to experience a play, musical or performance. This is an art-lover's town!

Day 6 Edinburgh

Begin your day with a dose of art and history at the National Museum of Scotland, loved by locals and tourists alike. In addition to 20,000 artifacts, the museum's Victorian architecture is a visual treat, so bring your camera!

From fine art to street art, head to Edinburgh's Royal Mile, the city's main pedestrian thoroughfare. Lining the cobblestone streets are beautiful buildings, shops selling tartan, and quiet enclosures perfect for an afternoon respite. 

Duck into a pub at night and enjoy a strong glass of Scottish whiskey. 

Day 7 Depart Scotland

In accordance with your departure flight, make your way to Edinburgh airport (EDI). 

Day 1: Welcome to Dublin

On arrival at Dublin airport, your airport transfer service leaves for your hotel at 08:30, 11:00 and 13:00. Join your Travel Director at 18:30 for a warm and friendly Welcome Dinner, an opportunity to get to know each other over a meal with wine.

Day 2: In Dublin’s Fair City

An orientation with your Travel Director will take you past the Custom House and travel along the River Liffey. See the Guinness Brewery, Christchurch Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Enjoy entrance to the 9th century Book of Kells and a walk through the cobbled courtyards of Trinity College accompanied by a Local Expert, gaining their insight into modern life and the establishment's impressive history.

Day 3: Kildare and Cork

Witness life behind the scenes of the National Stud Farm, where many legendary racehorses are bred. Then see the finest Japanese gardens in Europe, where the symbolism of life the gardens portray, trace the journey of a soul, designed by master horticulturists, Tassa and Minoru Eida. Continue on to Cork, Ireland's second most populous city, built on the River Lee. Travel along Grand Parade to see Cork's City Hall and Opera House.

Day 4: Blarney Castle and Killarney Relaxed Start

Visit the ruined 15th century Blarney Castle, home of the famous Stone of Eloquence - once kissed, never forgotten! Or enjoy a sensory walk in the extensive and varied estate gardens. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure.

Day 5: Ring of Kerry Experience Relaxed Start

Explore Killarney with Insight Choice. Choose a memorable ride on a horse-drawn jaunting car with the local jarveys. Alternatively, join a gentle hike with a Local Expert along the lake shore and past the grounds of Ross Castle, admiring the incredible scenery of the National Park. While there aren't any mountains to climb, walkers should be fit, have good walking shoes or boots, sunscreen and rain gear. Tour the superb seascapes, towering cliffs and spectacular mountains of the Ring of Kerry. Journey past lush lakelands and through delightful villages like Sneem. Cross the peat bogs of the Black Mountains to Moll's Gap and admire Queen Victoria's Ladies View. Upon returning in the mid-afternoon, the rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 6: The Cliffs of Moher

Begin the day with a short ferry ride across the Shannon estuary. Enjoy magnificent views of the Clare coast, as you journey to the Visitors' Centre at the 700-foot Cliffs of Moher. Continue to Galway and take in the scenery from your hotel, which is spectacularly set overlooking Galway Bay.

Day 7: Glorious Galway to Sligo Bay Relaxed Start

Join your Travel Director in Galway to see the infamous Lynch Memorial and the Church of St. Nicholas, where Christopher Columbus reputedly prayed before his discovery of America. Also see the aged Spanish Arch and Eyre Square, dedicated to the late US President, John F. Kennedy. Tour the wild Connemara region, a scenic wonderland of rivers, lakes and silent hills. Drive along the scenic shores of Sligo Bay.

Day 8: Walk in the Giant’s Steps

The day begins in Drumcliffe, with a visit to the final resting place of Ireland's famous poet, William Butler Yeats. Cross into Northern Ireland to visit Londonderry. What better way to experience sightseeing than with one of Northern Ireland's best storytellers, Ronan, as he walks with you inside the city walls, still topped with cannons. Walk down steep Shipquay Street, with its elegant Georgian houses, to the Gothic Guildhall. Journey to the iconic Giant's Causeway for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. This geological masterpiece was created by the cooling of lava which burst through the earth's crust millions of years ago. Learn how the National Trust is enabling farming and biodiversity to work together, supporting both wildlife and quality food production. Next, take a spectacular drive along the Antrim Coast to your hotel, overlooking the sea at the head of Ballygally Bay.

Day 9: High Tea at Ardgowan Estate Relaxed Start

Cross the Irish Sea by ferry and journey to Ardgowan. Sir Ludovic Shaw Stewart welcomes you to his family castle, set on a 10,000-acre coastal estate. Explore the history of the area and learn the Shaw Stewart family's conservation efforts to protect the land on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, followed by delightful traditional Scottish tea and scones. Continue to Glasgow where your Travel Director will show you the city's grand public buildings, including George Square and St. Mungo's Cathedral.

Day 10: Glencoe and Loch Ness

A scenic drive takes you along the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond. Absorb the dramatic landscape of Glencoe, still echoing with the cries of massacred clansmen. Pause at the Commando Memorial for a view of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis before reaching the Great Glen. Continue on to Loch Ness and embark on a cruise to soak up the scenery, historic monuments and intriguing tales of Nessie in the heart of Scotland's great glen.

Day 11: A Highlands Experience Relaxed Start

In the morning, see the sights of Inverness, before travelling to the Culloden Moor Visitor Centre, where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army was finally defeated. Then have a 'wee dram' during a visit to a local distillery, hear stories of the whisky smugglers as you delve into the fascinating world of the single malt.

Day 12: St. Andrews and Edinburgh

A scenic drive takes you through the Grampian Mountains past the Duke of Atholl's Blair Castle. Drive down and cross the Tay to visit St. Andrews. As you arrive, pass the Old Course, the home of golf since its invention in the 15th century. Enjoy free time to explore. Why not wander to St. Andrews University where the love story of Kate Middleton and Prince William began? Alternately, stroll to West Sands Beach where the famous 'Chariots of Fire' scene was filmed. Continue across the majestic Forth Road Bridge to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. In the evening, select departures attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Day 13: Scotland’s Capital of Culture

In the morning, join a Local Expert to see the highlights of the city. Drive along Princes Street to the ornate Scott Memorial, then see the 18th century New Town with its neoclassical Georgian facades. In the Old Town see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the Queen. Venture up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle, home of Mons Meg, the Stone of Destiny and Scotland’s Crown Jewels, the Honours of Scotland. In the afternoon, you are at leisure to continue exploring as you wish, or perhaps go shopping. Join your friends at the stylish Grazing by Mark Greenaway, located in the heart of Edinburgh's West End. Your grand finale Celebration Dinner is a mouthwatering meal of modern Scottish cuisine with a Parisian twist, and is of course served with wine.

Day 14: Farewell Edinburgh

Your journey comes to an end after breakfast with transfers arriving at Edinburgh airport at 06:15 and 09:00.