Best of the British Isles

Best of the British Isles
With its tranquil rolling hills of the Irish countryside, chaotic London streets buzzing with activity, and the curious Stonehenge shrouded in mystery, this tour allows students to experience the historically rich and culturally diverse British Isles.
Learn more
-
Day 1 Start tour
Details: Fly to Ireland
Please note that due to limited service to Shannon, a transfer from Dublin will likely be substituted.
Day 2 Hello Shannon
Meet your tour director, travel to Killarney & check into hotel
Day 3 Ring of Kerry
Details: Ring of Kerry excursion
Get a feel for Ireland’s emerald beauty on an excursion around the Iveragh Peninsula on the panoramic coastal route, Ring of Kerry. Along the 112 miles of breathtaking views, you’ll spy 360 degrees of the vast Atlantic Ocean, the Lakes of Killarney, the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks (Ireland’s tallest mountains), and every shade of green known to the Emerald Isle.
Details: Sheep farm visit (March to October)
Mountain sheep have dotted the hills around Killarney for ages. Come face-to-face with these fluffy landmarks at a traditional Irish sheep farm. Please note that during the winter months, this activity will not be available and will be replaced with a visit to the Bog Village.
Day 4 Killarney--Dublin
Details: Travel to Dublin via Blarney Castle
During your journey to the capital of the Republic of Ireland, you will stop for a visit to Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney stone. Dublin is a city steeped in cultural significance and hosts some of Ireland’s finest national treasures including the Book of Kells and the fine cathedrals of Christ Church and St Patrick’s. Dublin’s medieval streetscape is faithfully preserved around Temple Bar, where it provides the backdrop to a vibrant cultural quarter. Stretches of the City’s walls can still be found in Wood Quay and at St Audoen’s Arch.
Details: Blarney Castle visit
Stop for a visit to Blarney Castle, the medieval stone structure built on solid limestone around 1466. (The slivers of windows served as a defense, enabling Lord Blarney and his men to shoot arrows at invaders while staying protected from within.) Climb the spiral staircases to the top of the castle to kiss the Blarney stone. Legend promises that if you lean backwards and kiss the stone upside-down, you’ll be granted the “gift of the gab” (the privilege of babbling questionable commentary for seven years). Before you leave, wander the path to Rock Close to ponder the druidic circle of mystical stones. Enter Lord Blarney’s dungeon if you dare...
Day 5 Dublin landmarks
Dublin city walk
O’Connell StreetParnell SquareHenry Street
Traditional public house dinner
Details: Dublin guided sightseeing tour
Join a professional licensed tour guide on an adventure to Dublin’s finest attractions. Pass the residence of Ireland’s president along your journey through Phoenix Park. Within Europe’s grandest enclosed park, encounter 1,760 undeveloped acres scattered with cricket pitches, grazing cows, and red deer. Stop to eye a stone phoenix rising from flames atop the Corinthian-style Phoenix Column. Tour the roads along the River Liffey to 12th-century St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest of its kind in all Ireland. Get a glimpse of the neighboring park where St. Patrick (who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century) baptized converts. Continue on to Trinity College, the stone-clad sprawling campus where Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett studied. Stop by the Long Room in the Old Library for a zoom-view of the illuminated edition of four Gospels, the Book of Kells. The original manuscript was penned in Latin around AD 800 by four Irish Monks who used multicolored ink from plants and bugs. Take some time to study the brilliant latticework of curvy Celtic symbols woven with animal figures that enlivens the script.
Details: Phoenix Park visit
Visit Phoenix Park, an urban park that is one of the largest walled city parks in Europe at a size of 1,750 acres. The park is filled with large areas of grassland, beautiful tree-lined avenues, and even a herd of wild deer.
Details: Trinity College & Book of Kells visit
Discover Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The beautiful campus features cobbled squares, gardens, a picturesque quadrangle and buildings that date from the 17th to 20th centuries. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, an 8th-century version of the four Gospels decorated with elaborate scripting and illumination. We will view this famous treasure and other early Christian manuscripts in the Colonnades, an exhibition area on the ground floor of the Old Library.
Details: Dublin city walk
Get a friendly introduction to Ireland’s capital city, compliments of your Tour Director. Discover an urban landscape of Georgian buildings, castles and cathedrals. Stroll bustling O’Connell Street, once (at 150 ft wide) the widest street in Europe, and still the busiest thoroughfare in Dublin. Pass shop after shop of local and global wares and flairs, and a lush street-meridian lined with tall trees and ebony statues of Irish leaders. Make your way to the end of the strip to Parnell Square, an antique scape of red brick townhouses and classic Irish theaters. As you wander the streets, take in the international glamour of Ireland’s most cosmopolitan city.
Details: O’Connell Street
O'Connell Street is the city's main avenue, lined with shopping and monuments, including the Spire (Monument of Light).
Day 6 Dublin--North Wales
Ferry to Holyhead across Irish Sea
Details: Travel to North Wales
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. No, that is not a typo. The smallest town in Wales is the longest named village in the world. Travel through this little-big town, with a nickname of Llanfair P.G., across the Brittania Bridge to the Snowdonia National Park. What Llanfair P.G. has in length, Mt. Snowdon offers in height, standing at a breathtaking 3,560 feet. The park also touts Stone and Bronze Age burial chambers, Norman castles, Roman forts and steam railways. View the unspoiled coastlands and sea cliff-perched lighthouses of Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey.
Details: Llanfairpwllgwyngyll- gogerychwyrndrobw- llllantysilio- gogogoch
That's no typo... Visit the village with the longest name in Europe, commonly referred to as Llanfair PG or Llanfairpwll. Take a quick detour for a photo opportunity under the railway station sign to bring home proof of this 58 letter appellation!
Details: Snowdonia National Park
The highest mountain in Wales, Mt. Snowdon—Old English for “snow hill”—provides a view of all of the British Isles from the summit on a clear day.
Day 7 North Wales--Lake District
Rydal Mount visit
Details: Travel to Lake District via Rydal Mount, home of Romantic poet William Wordsworth
Journey to Britain’s largest national park, where meandering rivers cut through what some describe as the country’s most beautiful region. Along the scenic ride, encounter countless lakes glittering between rugged hills, jagged mountain peaks hovering above, and rippling waters flowing to and from every direction. Venturing on, enter the picturesque village of Grasmere, home to William Wordsworth since 1799. Stop for an intimate tour of Rydal Mount, the house where the master wordsmith spent the last 37 years of his life (1813-1850). Wander through the garden terrace (designed by Wordsworth himself) to a small cabin-like abode for a peek at his favorite spot for penning poetic prose. Along the riverbanks, discover the inspiration of literary genius -- and leave with a little of your own.
Day 8 Lake District--Highlands
Gretna Green
Loch Lomond
Details: Travel to Highlands via Lake District & Loch Lomond
Like an 18th-century European Vegas. For a century, young couples flocked to Gretna Green to get married. Why? In 1754, England passed a law prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 to marry without parental consent. Gretna Green is the first village north of the Scottish-English border, so young English lovers, eager to tie the knot, would head here to do it. (Unlike in Vegas, there were no Elvis impersonators around to help.) Head for the hills (well, the Highlands, actually). On the way, you'll pass the largest expanse of fresh water in Britain. Loch Lomond is five miles wide at its broadest point and has more than 30 islands in the middle of it, three of which are inhabited. Full of native wildlife, it's a favorite recreational spot for the Scots.
Day 9 Glencoe and Loch Ness
Glencoe and Loch Ness excursion
Loch Ness boat cruiseCulloden Moor
Details: Glencoe and Loch Ness excursion
The idea that Loch Ness is inhabited by some sort of mysterious aquatic beast has been around for more than 1,500 years. If the monster does exist, the misty Loch, which is 24 miles long and as deep as 700 feet, would be the perfect place for Nessie to hide.
Day 10 Highlands--Edinburgh
Edinburgh city walk
Charlotte SquareAlexander Graham Bell’s homeRobert Louis Stevenson’s homeRobert Burns Monument
Details: Travel to Edinburgh via the Trossachs
Dramatic peaks. Small lochs. Peaceful glens. Sheep. Pass through the heart of the Scottish countryside. Renowned for its natural beauty, the area was a favorite spot of poet William Wordsworth. Stirling Castle. The site of the battles in Braveheart, this huge gray stone castle towers over the countryside from its position up high on a cliff, enabling its inhabitants to survey the main north-south and east-west routes across Scotland. The castle has been strategically important to Scotland for centuries and has passed back and forth between Scottish and English control innumerable times. Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned in the castle, but she's not among the many ghosts said to make their homes here. The castle is architecturally and artistically beautiful, with Renaissance and medieval elements and breathtaking views.
Details: Stirling Castle visit
Tour Stirling Castle, which dates from the Middle Ages and was an important seat of two kings; James IV and James V. View the Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, presenting an excellent exhibit of colors, pipe banners, and regimental silver. From the castlethere is a wonderful view of the Wallace Monument.
Details: Edinburgh city walk
The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh has steep streets and stone buildings zigzagging up hills and down into small valleys, and the brooding Edinburgh Castle looms over the whole thing. Follow your Tour Director through New Town's Charlotte Square, with its elegant Georgian townhouses. See where inventor Alexander Graham Bell was born in 1847, pass Robert Louis Stevenson's birthplace near the Royal Botanic Garden, and stroll by the monument commemorating Scottish poet Robert Burns. Hear the castle's ramparts echo with gunfire at 1 p.m. Gaze out at the steep slopes and craggy cliffs of the northwest Highlands, visible from Edinburgh's highest points. Peer down into the blue sea stretching out beyond the city.
Day 11 Edinburgh landmarks
Edinburgh guided sightseeing tour
Royal MileOld TownSir Walter Scott Monument
Optional  Scottish folklore show  $105
Details: Edinburgh guided sightseeing tour
Edinburgh Castle, the historical and emotional heart of the city, is just one of the many sights you will see on this tour, led by a licensed professional guide. Make your way along the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the 16th and 17th centuries. (It's actually one mile and 107 yards long--from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House). As you make your way along cobbled streets, you'll see a handful of the several thousand buildings officially protected in Edinburgh because of their architectural or historic importance. The 200-foot spire of the Sir Walter Scott monument soars above the East Princes Street Gardens. Grand figures from Scottish history adorn its heights, make sure you also look down -- the figure below the marble statue is Scott's favorite dog, Maida.
Details: Royal Mile
From Edinburgh Castle walk the Royal Mile, one of the most famous and scenic city walks in Europe.
Details: Edinburgh Castle visit
Perched high on a volcanic rock, Edinburgh Castle makes for an imposing and impressive sight. Explore this medieval castle, learn about its significance in Scottish history and appreciate its magnificent panoramic views of the city below.
Day 12 Edinburgh--London
Fly to London
Details: London city walk
Step outside your hotel for a stroll through the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, royal parks to street art. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques.
Details: Trafalgar Square
See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.
Details: National Gallery visit
Visit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Botticelli; but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Cézanne.
Details: Piccadilly Circus
Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.
Details: Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Details: Leicester Square
Leicester Square is perfectly situated in the heart of London's West End, with Trafalgar Square to the south, Piccadilly Circus to the west, Covent Garden to the east, and China Town to the north.
Details: Classic fish & chips dinner
Nothing’s more British than fish and chips—there are eight fish and chip shops (“chippies”) for every McDonald’s in the country. Head to an authentic pub with your Tour Director for a taste of this national food, generally served with malt vinegar.
Day 13 London landmarks
London guided sightseeing tour
Buckingham PalaceBig BenHouses of ParliamentWestminster AbbeyTower BridgeHyde ParkSt. Paul’s Cathedral
Details: London guided sightseeing tour
Join a licensed local guide for an in-depth look at London, from the royal haunt of Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of King Charles III) to the slightly more democratic Speakers’ Corner of Hyde Park, where anyone can pull up a soapbox and orate to his heart’s content. You’ll see the changing of the guard (season permitting), the clock tower of Big Ben with its 14-ton bell, and Westminster Abbey, where almost every English king and queen since William the Conqueror has been crowned. After a stop at the Houses of Parliament, continue on to the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of London architect Christopher Wren.
Details: Hard Rock Cafe dinner
Enjoy a meal at the first hard Rock Cafe, a legendary place for rock'n'roll fans around the world.
Day 14 London
Details: Curry dinner
The history of Indian food in Britain is now almost four hundred years old and today the country is home to some of the best Indian food in the world. Today, traditional meals like Fish & Chips are matched in popularity by curry dishes. Sit down to a delicious authentic Indian meal for dinner tonight. Taste different dishes with fragrant spices to understand why Indian food is one of the nation's favorites.
-
Day 15 End tour

  • Or
  • -
    Day 15 Start extension to Paris
    Paris city walk
    Île de la CitéNotre-Dame CathedralÎle St. LouisLatin Quarter
    Dinner in Latin Quarter
    Details: Eurostar Chunnel crossing
    Take the Eurostar under the English Channel. Faster than you can say... anything, in French, you'll whiz through a tunnel and arrive in Paris.
    Details: Paris city walk
    This city was made for walking. Stroll grand boulevards with sweeping views of the city, pristine parks with trees planted in perfect rows, and narrow streets crowded with vendors selling flowers, pastries and cheese. Then head to the Île de la Cité, a small island in the Seine, to see Notre Dame Cathedral. Please note Notre Dame Cathedral is currently closed due to fire damage.
    Details: Notre-Dame Cathedral
    View the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Work began in 1163 on a spot that had been a holy shrine since Roman times. Over the centuries, the cathedral has been the scene of some of France's most momentous occasions, including the coronation of Napoleon.
    Day 16 Paris landmarks
    Paris guided sightseeing tour
    Arc de TriompheChamps ÉlyséesEiffel TowerChamp de MarsÉcole MilitaireLes InvalidesConciergerieTuileries GardenPlace VendômeOpera House
    Details: Paris guided sightseeing tour
    What's that huge white arch at the end of the Champs-Élysées? The Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after his victory at Austerlitz. Your licensed local guide will elaborate on this, and other Parisian landmarks. See some of the most famous sites, including the ornate, 19th-century Opera, the Presidential residence, the ultra-chic shops of the Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, and the gardens of the Tuileries. You'll pass the Place de la Concorde, where in the center you’ll find the Obelisk of Luxor, a gift from Egypt in 1836, and the Place Vendôme, a huge square surrounded by 17th-century buildings. Spot chic locals (and tons of tourists) strolling the Champs-Élysées. Look up at the iron girders of the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. See Les Invalides (a refuge for war wounded), the École Militaire (Napoleon's alma mater), and the Conciergerie (the prison where Marie Antoinette was kept during the French Revolution).
    Details: Tuileries Garden
    Tuileries was originally the name of an old tiles factory. Yet, in the sixteen century, the queen of France, Marie de Medicis, ordered to build a castle with a long French garden at this place. Parisians used to call this new building the Tuileries Palace. During three centuries the garden was exclusively reserved for the court and the King. During the nineteen century, the Tuileries palace became the residence of Napoleon I, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis-Phillipe and Napoleon III. In 1871, Parisians burnt down the castle of Tuileries, during the last French Revolution and the insurrection of Paris.However, the garden kept its 17th-century design and became a popular place, always crowded in summer time.
    Details: Louvre visit
    The world's largest art museum, the Louvre is housed in a Medieval fortress-turned-castle so grand it's worth a tour itself. You walk through the 71-foot glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and added in 1989, and step into another world--one with carved ceilings, deep-set windows, and so many architectural details you could spend a week just admiring the rooms. The Mona Lisa is here, as well as the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory (the headless statue, circa 200 BC, discovered at Samothrace). The Louvre has seven different departments of paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and antiquities. Don't miss the Egyptian collection, complete with creepy sarcophagi, or the collection of Greek ceramics, one of the largest in the world. (Please note the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.)
    Details: Seine River cruise
    See the city from the water on an hour-long cruise along the River Seine. The Seine cuts right through Paris, dividing the city in half. See the Eiffel tower rising up on the Left Bank, the walls of the Louvre on the Right Bank. A guide will point out other monuments and architectural marvels as you pass, many of which are illuminated by clear white light at night.
    Day 17 Flight home from Paris
    Map of Best of the British Isles Educational Tour
    Tour Includes:
    • Round-trip airfare
    • Flight from Edinburgh--London
    • 13 overnight stays (15 with extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
    • Full European breakfast daily
    • Dinner daily
    • Full-time services of a professional tour director
    • Guided sightseeing tours and city walks as per itinerary
    • Visits to select attractions as per itinerary
    • 4-day London travel card
    • High-Speed Eurostar Chunnel crossing on extension
    • Tour Diary™
    • Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
    • Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
    • Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
    We are better able to assist you with a quote for your selected departure date and city over the phone. Please call 1.888.310.7120 to price this tour with your requested options.
    Please select a postal code
    4653.00 total fee
    Basic Options


    Estimate total number in your group, including yourself and any chaperones
    Private Tour
    Please wait while we process your request...

    This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us improve the user experience. By using the site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. Read our privacy-policy to learn more.