DAY 1: DUBLIN, IRELAND

Céad míle fáilte—a hundred-thousand welcomes! Your Local Host will help you maximize your time in the “Fair City.”

DAY 2: DUBLIN

Morning guided sightseeing takes you past St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland, along elegant Georgian squares, and statue-lined O’Connell Street. Look out for the effigy of Oscar Wilde, reclining on a huge granite stone and seemingly without a care in the world; or Molly Malone, commemorating the young woman featured in the local ballad Cockles and Mussels.

Finally, visit the Old Library at TRINITY COLLEGE, and see the famous 1,200-year-old Book of Kells. It is testimony to Dublin’s literary tradition, dating back over a thousand years, when monks would transcribe the Bible into beautiful manuscripts.

NOTE:
Dublin sightseeing might take place on Day 1.

DAY 3: DUBLIN

Your Local Host will have some interesting suggestions for your leisure day. Why not take a tour into Wicklow combined with a guided visit to Glendalough, one of the centers of Irish Celtic Christianity founded by St. Kevin? Later, you could join an Irish cabaret evening with dinner, wine, dance, song, and laughter.

DAY 4: DUBLIN – LONDON, ENGLAND

Travel to London by AIR on selected flights.

DAY 5: LONDON

Morning guided sightseeing includes all of London’s famous landmarks. Drive past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben; Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married; Whitehall’s mounted horseguards; the Prime Minister’s Downing Street; and Piccadilly Circus. Take photographs of the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel situated on the riverbank, and the Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe.

Visit ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL. Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece with its world-famous dome is an iconic feature of London’s skyline, and the awe-inspiring interior holds fascinating stories about its history. The final highlight is the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard (if held).

DAY 6: LONDON

Full day at leisure for you to enjoy the very best of London. Your Local Hosts will have recommendations, like a guided tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, an afternoon visit to Windsor Castle, or you could even take a day trip to Paris by Eurostar train.

DAY 7: LONDON – EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Travel to Edinburgh by EXPRESS TRAIN (first-class).

DAY 8: EDINBURGH

Morning guided sightseeing introduces you to the 200-year-old elegant “New Town” with its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. In the “Old Town,” follow the Royal Mile and visit perched on top of a rocky crag, the remnants of an extinct volcano. Tour the castle and admire the “Honours of Scotland,” the oldest set of crown jewels in the British Isles and first used for the coronation of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543.

NOTE:
Edinburgh sightseeing might take place on Day 7

DAY 9: EDINBURGH

Ask your Local Host for recommendations on how to make the most of your day—you could discover the “Secrets of the Royal Mile,” or enjoy a Scottish Evening with dinner, wine, and a show featuring singers, dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis.

DAY 10: EDINBURGH

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.