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Highlights of Scotland & Ireland | Escorted Small Group Tour

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Highlights of Scotland & Ireland

Come travel with us (Travel with the Crows) and Go Ahead Tours as we journey to see the highlights of Scotland & Ireland. This itinerary brings together two deeply storied countries in a way that feels intentional, unhurried, and genuinely shared.

This Scotland and Ireland escorted tour is designed for travelers who value thoughtful pacing, meaningful experiences, and the confidence of traveling with a small group.

Each year, we host a small-group international trip in partnership with Go Ahead Tours — choosing destinations that reward curiosity, conversation, and a slower, more meaningful way of traveling. This year, that journey takes us to Scotland and Ireland.

Some trips are about seeing places.
This one is about experiencing them at a pace that lets the landscapes, history, and stories actually land.

Our Highlights of Scotland & Ireland journey is designed for travelers who want ease and structure, without feeling rushed or managed and who value meaning just as much as scenery.

This is not a “see everything” tour.
It’s a travel-well tour.

Why Scotland & Ireland — together

Ireland is often a favorite for a reason: it’s warm, lyrical, and welcoming.
Scotland brings contrast: dramatic landscapes, layered history, and a quieter intensity.

Together, they offer:

  • Wild, cinematic scenery balanced with walkable cities
  • Deep cultural history without academic overload
  •  
  • Time to absorb the experience, not just document it

It’s a pairing that feels complete and memorable.

 Why this Scotland & Ireland tour is different

    • Small-group experience — no herding, no megaphones

    • Hosted throughout — we’re present, not just on the brochure

    • Thoughtful pacing — time to explore and rest

    • Shared experience, no forced togetherness

    • Designed for midlife travelers who value comfort, curiosity, and connection

People often tell us they didn’t realize how much these details mattered until they traveled this way.

We partner with Go Ahead Tours because they handle the logistics exceptionally well, from accommodations and transportation to on-the-ground coordination. Their experience allows the trip to run smoothly behind the scenes, so you can focus on being present, not managing details. It’s the kind of support that creates ease without taking away from the feeling of traveling thoughtfully and independently.

Highlights of the Scotland & Ireland Itinerary

In Scotland, expect moments that feel expansive and grounding:

    • Historic cities layered with story

    • Dramatic Highland landscapes

    • Castles, coastlines, and cultural depth

In Ireland, the experience turns warmer and more intimate:

    • Lush countryside and coastal beauty

    • Music, storytelling, and human-scale towns

    • The kind of encounters that linger long after the trip ends

What’s included

✔️ Carefully planned daily experiences
✔️ Comfortable accommodations
✔️ Transportation between destinations
✔️ Group size designed for ease and connection
✔️ A hosted experience from start to finish

All logistical details, including dates, activity level, and inclusions are outlined below.

Explore the details — and trust your curiosity

Below you’ll find the full itinerary, practical details, and answers to common questions.

Is this Scotland & Ireland trip right for you

If this trip feels like it might be your kind of travel, we invite you to keep reading and to reach out if you want to talk it through. We’re always happy to answer questions.

Sometimes the right trip doesn’t shout.
It just feels quietly right!

(Full daily itinerary below.)

Highlights of Scotland & Ireland Itinerary

Start here if you plan to arrive early to take the extension

Sep 22, Day 1: Overnight Flight to Edinburgh

Sep 23, Day 2: Arrival in Edinburgh (2 nights)

Welcome to Scotland! Transfer to your hotel, then meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers over a welcome drink this evening.

Sep 24, Day 3: Free day in Edinburgh

Included meal: Breakfast

Get a head start on exploring Edinburgh with a free day. You’ll get to walk the Royal Mile on a guided sightseeing tour with your group on the main portion of your trip, but if you want to get your bearings ahead of time, you can’t go wrong walking this historic stretch. For something off the beaten path, pay a visit to Dean Village—a dreamy hidden gem along the Water of Leith with timeworn stone buildings that date to its 12th-century origins as a milling center. 

You can also choose to join us on a curated excursion to St Andrews for a peek into the birthplace of golf and its eponymous university, as well as a hearty pub lunch of a North Sea favorite: fish and chips.

Sep 25, Day 4: Palace of Holyroodhouse 

Included meals: Breakfast, Welcome dinner

Make your way down the Royal Mile to pop by the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the King’s official residence in Edinburgh. This 16th-century retreat has been the Scottish home to British monarchs for more than 600 years. Take a self-guided audio tour of the palace and gardens to learn more about the royal family. You’ll walk through the state apartments, throne room, and portrait gallery, before heading outside to stroll along the pathways that wind through the manicured grounds.

Use your free afternoon in the city to go back and wander the winding streets of Old Town. If you’re feeling adventurous, perhaps consider a spooky stroll through the tunnels that weave underneath the city. Of course, there’s always tucking into a booth in a cozy cafe and lingering over tea and shortbread.

Meet up with the rest of your tour group this evening and get to know everyone during tonight’s welcome dinner. (You’ll pick up on day 2 of the regular itinerary.)

Please note: Photography is not permitted inside the palace.

Or start here without the extension!

Sep 24, Day 1: Overnight Flight to Edinburgh

Sep 25, Day 2: Arrival in Edinburgh (2 nights)

Included meal: Welcome dinner

Welcome to Scotland! Meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner, served with beer or wine.

Sep 26, Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Edinburgh

Included meal: Breakfast

Nestled between the rivers Almond and Esk, Edinburgh emerges from a series of hills and rocky ridges, earning its nickname “the Athens of the North.” Get to know the Scottish capital in all its medieval beauty on a tour led by a local expert.

  • View the elegant neoclassical and Georgian architecture of the New Town. Its ornate sandstone and granite structures, surrounding oasis-like gardens and green spaces, became a model for European urban planning in the 18th century and beyond.
  • Contrast the New Town’s grace with the Old Town’s rustic Royal Mile, which runs between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace—the official residence of British monarchs in Scotland. Here, you’ll cross moody, narrow streets and alleys (known as “closes”) flanked by brooding buildings and timeworn cathedrals.
  • Pass the towering Sir Walter Scott monument. Paying homage to the Ivanhoe and Rob Roy scribe, it’s one of the largest sculptural tributes to an author in the world.
  • Ascend Castle Rock and enter Edinburgh Castle. Standing on an extinct volcano at the top of the Royal Mile, it houses the Scottish crown jewels and Stone of Scone—used since the 13th century to coronate the monarchs of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom.

Use your free afternoon in the city to go back and wander the winding streets of the Old Town. Of course, there’s always the option of tucking into a cozy cafe booth and lingering over tea and shortbread.

Sep 27, Day 4: Glasgow via Stirling Castle

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Travel through the picturesque Scottish countryside and stop for a self-guided walking tour of Stirling Castle, where King James VI once lived. Then, continue to Glasgow for a tour with a local guide. 

  • Admire the buildings of the University of Glasgow. Founded in 1451, it’s the fourth-oldest institution of higher learning in the English-speaking world and one of four Renaissance-era universities still operating in Scotland today. 
  • View the 18th-century George Square and its monuments and catch a glimpse of the River Clyde.  
  • Stop outside the city’s medieval cathedral—the oldest cathedral on the Scottish mainland and the oldest building in all of Glasgow—for photos of its Gothic spires and facades. 
  • Visit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Opened in 1870 as Glasgow’s first municipal museum, it features substantial exhibitions of everything from European portraiture to Egyptian antiquities.

Tonight, gather with your groupmates for an included dinner, served with beer or wine.

Sep 28, Day 5: Free day in Glasgow

Included meal: Breakfast

Two national treasures await you today if you opt to join us in the Scottish Highlands. You’ll not only get to visit Inveraray Castle, but you’ll also enjoy a scenic drive through one of Scotland’s natural wonders: Trossachs National Park.  

If you’d rather use your free day in Glasgow to venture off on your own, you can head back to George Square for a closer look at the massive Glasgow City Chambers and a dozen statues of Scottish icons like Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. You can also head back to the University of Glasgow area to poke around the Byres Road’s lanes—tucked-away cobbled streets home to shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Sep 29, Day 6: Flight to Dublin

Included meal: Breakfast

Fly to Dublin, Ireland, today and—if you’re in the mood for some quintessential local merriment—join us on an excursion for dinner, complete with a showcase of the thundering rhythms and precise footwork of Irish dance. (You might even pick up some fancy steps yourself!)

Prefer a quieter night? Use your free time this evening to go for a sunset stroll along the River Liffey, or head to Ha’Penny Bridge for a breathtaking nighttime view of the city.

Sep 30, Day 7: Sightseeing tour of Dublin

Included meal: Breakfast

Settled by the Gaels and disputed over centuries by the Vikings and Anglo-Normans, Dublin traces its history back more than 1,300 years. Today, you’ll peel back some of its layers on a comprehensive tour, led by a local expert.

  • Stop in Phoenix Park, the largest enclosed public park in any European capital city. First established as a royal hunting ground by government decree in 1662, this 1,750-acre green space now houses the country’s presidential residence.
  • Pass by St. James’s Gate Brewery, the legendary 260-year-old brewery behind Guinness dry stout. More than 50 million barrels ship out of the plant each year, making it the world’s most prolific producer of stout-style beers.
  • Traverse Dublin’s city center, passing 17th-century St. Stephen’s Green as you go. Afterward, take some time to admire the Georgian architecture of Merrion Square. Another gardened area in the heart of Dublin, it’s been called home by some of Ireland’s foremost writers—Oscar Wilde and W.B. Yeats among them.
  • See the dignified facade of Trinity College—Ireland’s oldest university and alma mater of notables from Oscar Wilde to Samuel Beckett.
  • Visit the city’s EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, an exhibition which highlights the journeys of more than 10 million Irish people who left the country over the centuries, from early religious missionaries to those escaping the Great Famine.

Fill your afternoon with an excursion out into County Wicklow and pay a visit to gorgeous Glendalough, the well-preserved ruins of a once-influential abbey. Or, if you’d prefer some free time, head down to the shores of the River Liffey and breathe in the ambiance of the lively Temple Bar district.

Oct 1, Day 8: Transfer to Galway & sightseeing tour

Included meal: Breakfast

Travel west to Galway, Ireland’s cultural heart, where a local guide will lead you on a walking tour of the city’s highlights.

  • Stroll past a trio of Galwegian icons: Lynch’s Castle, a castle-turned-bank that dates to the 16th century; the rustic home of “Ireland’s most prestigious theatre (troupe),” the Druid Theatre Company; and John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, a popular green space better known to locals (and the world) as Eyre Square.
  • Get a grasp of Galway’s Norman history by viewing its medieval walls—12th-century fortifications that once encircled the city—and the Spanish Arch. First erected in 1584 as an extension of Galway’s defenses, its name alludes to the Spaniards who moored their ships and lived in the area.
  • Peruse authentic claddagh (said “CLA-da”) rings in a local shop. Steeped in legend and symbolism, these pieces of jewelry have been produced in their current guise—two hands clasping a crowned heart—since at least 1700 and are inextricably linked to Galway.

Wrap up your day with a free evening in the city. Galway’s famous for its traditional music scene; for a stomping, clapping good time, head to the nearest pub and let the sounds of Gaelic song wash over you.

Oct 2, Day 9: The Burren & Cliffs of Moher

Included meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner

This morning, trace Ireland’s Atlantic coast as you detour into County Clare and prepare to be left breathless by its arresting terrain.  

  • Pass through the Burren. Distinct from the lush greens that typify the rest of the Irish landscape, greys dominate this limestone plateau, punctuated by bursts of wildflowers. Botanists will surely delight in this journey: More than 70% of Ireland’s flower species grow here.
  • Walk along the Cliffs of Moher. The typifying feature of Ireland’s west coast, these weathered promontories extend for about five miles and are marked by jagged rock formations and abundant birdlife. Walking close to the cliffs’ edge can be a thrilling, if dizzying experience, but rest assured knowing that the views from their well-maintained hiking trails are just as electrifying.

After a free afternoon, gather with your group for a final toast at your farewell dinner, served with beer or wine.

Oct 3, Day 10: Departure

Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Transfer to the Dublin airport for your flight home.

Additional Options

If you take the extension to Edinburgh prior to the trip, you have the option of visiting coastal Scotland & St. Andrews Pub lunch. Other customized excursion offers include: traditional Irish dinner & show, Inveraray Castle & Trossachs National Park, and Glendalough.

Pricing

Tour price is in double occupancy, for those traveling alone we do have single rooms available.

Double occupancy $3,919 pp without flights or extension. Edinburgh extension is $639 pp.

Single room additional cost is $280. 

How to Book

  1. Call 1-800-438-7672. Reference Sheila Crow at Travel with the Crows Scotland & Ireland.
  2. Use the unique online weblink:

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