Scotland

Scotland
Discover Scotland’s contemporary cultural center in Glasgow with trendy boutiques and cafés nestled between Venetian-style buildings and travel through the rugged highlands to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, once the religious capital of Scotland.
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Day 1 Start tour
Day 2 Hello Glasgow
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Glasgow city walk
Strathclyde UniversityCity ChambersGeorge Square
Details: Glasgow city walk
Home of Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow is the center of contemporary Scottish culture-and a hotbed of trendy restaurants, boutiques and pubs. Glasgow grew around a church built in the mid-6th century, but many of its most impressive buildings are from the 19th century, when an industrial boom led to a building frenzy. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the city's most famous sites, passing Glasgow's blend of modern and traditional architecture. See the Venetian-style colonnaded façade of the city chambers, take in the statuary at George Square, and peek into the academic world of Strathclyde University. Glasgow has more than just buildings. It's often referred to as "The dear green place," because of its many parks.
Day 3 Glasgow--Highlands
Details: Travel to the Highlands via Loch Lomond
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. It's a favourite recreational spot for the Scots and is full of native wildlife.
Details: Nevis Range Mountain Gondola ride
Nevis Range in Fort William is home to the UK’s only Mountain Gondola, transporting visitors to 650m on the mountain of Aonach Mor. You'll find a range of activities for all ages, both on the mountain, and around the Gondola Base Station.
Day 4 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 5 Highlands--Edinburgh
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 favourite 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 is 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.
Day 6 Edinburgh landmarks
Edinburgh guided sightseeing tour
Royal MileOld TownSir Walter Scott Monument
Edinburgh city walk
Charlotte SquareAlexander Graham Bell's homeRobert Louis Stevenson's homeRobert Burns monument
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: Visit Edinburgh Castle
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.
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.
Details: Edinburgh guided ghost tour
Stunning Edinburgh hides a horrific past. Witch burnings. Plague. Murder. Ghosts. Everyone in Scotland has a ghost story to tell. Hear a handful on this guided tour through some of Edinburgh's most infamous spots. Be prepared to be spooked by tales of the ghouls and apparitions that are said to haunt this old city still.
Day 7 St. Andrews
St. Andrews excursion
UniversityVisit CathedralVisit CastleOld Course (golf course)
Optional  Scottish folklore show  $145
Details: St. Andrews excursion
Best known as the Home of Golf, St. Andrews was also once the religious capital of Scotland. It sits on a plateau of sandstone rock about 50 feet high and ends in steep cliffs to the north. Visit the ruins of the once-huge cathedral and the dramatic castle. Stroll the campus of St. Andrews University, Scotland's oldest university, founded in 1411. See where Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake outside one of the colleges in 1528. Legend has it that the image of a face on the opposite wall appeared as he died. As for golf, the renowned Old Course claims to date back to the 15th century.
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Day 8 

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    Day 8 Start extension to 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 chips shops ("chippies") for every McDonald's in the county. Head to an authentic pub with your Tour Director for a taste of this national food, generally served with malt vinegar.
    Day 9 London landmarks
    London & Windsor guided sightseeing tour
    Buckingham PalaceBig BenHouses of ParliamentWestminster AbbeyTower BridgeHyde ParkSt. Paul's CathedralWindsor Castle visit
    Details: London & Windsor 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. See how the King relaxes on this guided tour of the royal weekend estate, originally built as a fortress in the 11th century under William the Conqueror. Tiptoe through the flowers in the East Terrace Gardens, marvel at the Gothic St. George's Chapel, or peek into the rooms of Queen Mary's doll house with its gallery of pint-size perfect furniture. Get decorating tips for your own country estate (or dorm room, as it may be).
    Details: Windsor Castle visit
    Visit Windsor Castle, the world's largest inhabited castle, and one of the official residencies of the British monarch. Our visit will include the richly decorated State Apartments and St. George's Chapel, a pantheon of English Monarchs.
    Details: Hard Rock Cafe dinner
    Enjoy a meal at the first hard Rock Cafe, a legndary place for rock'n'roll fans around the world.
    Day 10 London
    Details: West End theatre performance
    End with a night at the theater. You'll see a play in the West End, the British version of Broadway, with London's 40-or-so professional theaters, as well as restaurants, shops and cafés. Please note that theater performances may be moved to alternate days due to availability.
    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 11 End tour
    Map of Scotland Educational Tour
    Tour Includes:
    • Round-trip airfare
    • 6 overnight stays (9 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
    • West End theater performance on extension
    • Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
    • Tour Diary™
    • 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 1.888.378.8845 to price this tour with your requested options.

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    4233.00 total fee
    Basic Options


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