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Optional Experiences are enhancements to your tour and can be booked through your Travel Director while on trip. Explore the Optional Experiences available on this itinerary; subject to change.
Embrace the allure of Auld Reekie and explore its labyrinthine lanes, before joining your fellow travellers and Travel Director for a Welcome Dinner to kick-start your tour through an unimaginably beautiful part of the world.
Hotel
Voco Hotel Haymarket EdinburghMeals
DinnerHighlights
EdinburghLet your Local Specialist take you on an informative sightseeing tour of Edinburgh. See the regal Palace of Holyroodhouse, the new Scottish Parliament Building and the Royal Mile, delving into the heart of the city, before visiting Edinburgh Castle, perched atop Castle Rock. Stroll through the grand New Town with its Gothic façades enjoying the rest of the day at leisure. Tickets to see the Edinburgh Tattoo are included on departures that coincide with performance dates.
Hotel
Voco Hotel Haymarket EdinburghMeals
BreakfastHighlights
EdinburghA scenic day's excursion brings us to the ruins of the 12th-century Augustinian Jedburgh Abbey, which we will have an opportunity to view. Continue to nearby Melrose Abbey, said to be the final resting place of the embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce. We take the scenic route back to Edinburgh this afternoon, following the lush green landscapes along the Tweed River.
Hotel
Voco Hotel Haymarket EdinburghMeals
BreakfastHighlights
Edinburgh, Jedburgh, Melrose, EdinburghThis morning, we cross the Firth of Forth to the celebrated home of golf - St. Andrews, to view its ancient university and famous golf course. Shakespeare's Macbeth takes centre stage as we visit Glamis Castle, once the home of the beloved Queen Mother and birthplace of Princess Margaret. Enjoy a guided tour of the castle and explore its beautiful gardens, before we travel to the waterfront city of Dundee, distinguished for its status as the first UNESCO City of Design, and the original home of marmalade.
Hotel
Apex City QuayMeals
BreakfastHighlights
Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Glamis, DundeeToday we wind our way to the tragic battlefield and Visitor Centre at Culloden, past rugged landscapes and the imposing Cairngorms Mountains. Visit the site where Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army was defeated. Our final stop for the night is Inverness, the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands, where we’ll overnight.
Hotel
ColumbaMeals
BreakfastHighlights
Dundee, Pitlochry, Culloden, InvernessThe mystical haunt of Nessie is our first stop today en route to Dunrobin Castle. This stately home and its magnificent gardens, inspired by the Palace of Versailles, comes straight from the pages of a fairy tale. Spend your afternoon exploring its ch��teau-like structure and surrounds, once home to the Clan Sutherland. Dive Into Culture and learn about the local whisky industry at a distillery, including a tasting of Scotland's much-loved golden nectar. Arriving in Thurso, our home for the next two nights, we enjoy dinner at our hotel.
Hotel
PentlandMeals
Breakfast, DinnerHighlights
Inverness, ThursoAfter stopping at John O'Groats, we board a ferry to South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands. Visit the ornate Italian Chapel, built by Italian prisoners of war. See the prehistoric free-standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar before visiting Skara Brae and delving into the stories of the Neolithic village. We stop at beautiful Kirkwall Cathedral for a photo opportunity before returning to our hotel for dinner.
Hotel
PentlandMeals
Breakfast, DinnerHighlights
Thurso, Orkney Islands, ThursoDramatic landscapes accompany our scenic drive along the rugged north-west coastline of the Scottish Highlands to remote Ullapool on the shores of Loch Broom. We journey to Eilean Donan Castle, built in the 13th-century perched on a tiny island where three sea lochs meet, then continue to the Isle of Skye where we'll stay overnight and enjoy a delicious dinner in our hotel.
Hotel
Kings ArmsMeals
Breakfast, DinnerHighlights
Thurso, Ullapool, Isle of SkyeWe return to the mainland following a beautiful route that takes us past the Glenfinnan Viaduct, along which Harry Potter's Hogwarts Express once crossed to his beloved school of magic. We pass Fort William on the shores of Loch Linnhe, renowned as the gateway to Ben Nevis, before continuing to Oban, our Highland home for the next two nights.
Hotel
RoyalMeals
BreakfastHighlights
Isle of Skye, Fort William, ObanSet sail from Oban to the Isle of Mull, disembarking at Craignure. Cross the pretty island countryside to catch a ferry from Fionnphort to the island of Iona, which was once the home of a Gaelic monastic community in Iona Abbey. Before our journey back to Oban, we'll have the chance to view Rèilig Odhrain, the final resting place of many Scottish kings.
Hotel
RoyalMeals
Breakfast, DinnerHighlights
Oban, Isle of Mull, Iona, ObanA solemn reminder of the MacDonald clansmen, who were massacred at the 'Glen of Weeping', marks our morning journey south to Glasgow. Enjoy an orientation tour viewing St. Mungo’s Cathedral and George Square with its statues of Britain's famous sons and daughters.
Hotel
Ibis Styles Glasgow CentralMeals
BreakfastHighlights
Oban, Glencoe, GlasgowVenture to Bannockburn, where King Robert Bruce of Scotland defeated Edward II of England during the First War of Scottish Independence. Mary, Queen of Scots and several Scottish kings and queens have made Stirling Castle their home over the centuries. Enjoy a visit to its grounds and delve into the history of this royal residence and fortress, besieged by Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 18th century. We'll visit the splendidly decorated Royal Palace of King James V and view the renowned Stirling Heads. Later, we Connect With Locals, joining the Wood family this afternoon for a memorable Be My Guest experience at their 15th-century farm, on the shores of Loch Ard, amidst tales of Rob Roy. This evening, we return to Glasgow for time at leisure to enjoy true Scottish hospitality.
Hotel
Ibis Styles Glasgow CentralMeals
Breakfast, LunchHighlights
Glasgow, Stirling, GlasgowOur epic journey across Scotland’s highlands, islands and cities has come to an end. It’s time to say a fond farewell to our travel companions and Travel Director as our memorable holiday comes to an end. Find out more about your free airport transfer at http://www.https://www.brendanvacations.com//freetransfers.
Meals
BreakfastHighlights
GlasgowWhat's Included?
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Return ferry to the Orkney Isles
- Ferry from the Isle of Skye to Mallaig
- Return ferry to the Isle of Mull and Iona
- Optional Experiences and free time
- 5 Dinner (D)
- 12 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
- Kinlochard: Join the Wood family at their 15th-century farm on the shores of Loch Ard for a home-cooked Scottish Be My Guest lunch, tales of Rob Roy and a few foot-tapping ceilidh tunes.
- Pitlochry: Warm your heart with a little Scottish whisky at a traditional distillery in the Scottish Highlands.
- Edinburgh: Explore the city with your Local Specialist as you travel along Princes Street to see the Scott Memorial, the neoclassical Adam facades of New Town and the official Scottish residence of the King, Palace of Holyroodhouse.
- Jedburgh: See the impressive 12th-century Jedburgh Abbey that dominates the centre of town.
- Melrose: View the historic ruins of Melrose Abbey and appreciate its many carved decorative details.
- St. Andrews: Visit the university town where the famous beach scene from 'Chariots of Fire' was filmed and see the golf course where the sport was created.
- Glamis: Visit Glamis Castle, and appreciate the building's illustrious history and picturesque setting.
- Inverness: At the exciting Culloden Visitor Centre, discover why the Battle of Culloden lasted only an hour yet changed the Highland way of life forever.
- Golspie: Explore the grand castle and admire its magnificent gardens during your visit of Dunrobin Castle.
- Orkney Islands: Cruise to the windswept Orkney Islands. Come face-to-face with relics spanning human history, from pagan stone circles to reminders of wartime tragedy.
- Scottish Highlands: Admire picturesque lochs and glens as you travel through the Scottish Highlands.
- Eilean Donan: Stop for a photo of this gorgeous castle.
- Glenfinnan Viaduct: See the Glenfinnan Viaduct, along which the Hogwart's Express once crossed in the Harry Potter series.
- Isle of Mull: Explore the Scottish Highlands in depth as you travel to the Isles of Mull and Iona. Visit the Reilig Odhrain, sacred burial ground of 48 Scottish Kings.
- Glasgow: See the grand public buildings of Glasgow, including George Square.
- Glencoe: Visit this Highland village on Loch Leven.
- Stirling: Visit Stirling and see its castle, once the seat of Scottish royalty.
- : Explore Edinburgh with a Local Specialist
- : Discover Dundee, Orkney Islands, Stirling and Glasgow
- : Visit Edinburgh Castle, Glamis Castle, Blair Athol whisky distillery in Pitlochry, the battlefield and Visitor Centre of Culloden, Dunrobin Castle, John O'Groats, The Italian Chapel in Orkney Islands, Skara Brae, Ullapool, Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull, Isle of Iona, St. Mungo's Cathedral in Glasgow and Stirling Castle
- : View Jedburgh Abbey, the 18th green at St. Andrews, Inverness Castle, Eilean Donan Castle and Glencoe
- : See Loch Ness, Loch Lomond and the Battlefield at Bannockburn
- : Tickets for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are included on departures that coincide with performance dates
Columba
Ibis Styles Glasgow Central
Kings Arms
Pentland
Royal
Voco Hotel Haymarket Edinburgh
*Price is per person, land only and based on double occupancy. Subject to availability; varies by inclusions and travel dates. CST#2084503-20| BN#776064719 | TICO # R50025597 and W50025598