The Best Of The British Isles 2017

Welcome to London! Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the Thames River, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall's mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister's Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. Highlights are a visit to ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. This afternoon, why not join an optional excursion to Windsor Castle or the Tower of London, and later, maybe an optional dinner, followed by a cruise on the Thames River?

Meet your Tour Director and travelling companions and depart London at 8 am for a lovely day of sightseeing: a special visit to admire the breathtaking ORNAMENTAL GARDENS of Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace; Runnymede, site of the sealing of the Magna Carta; and a walking tour in the university city of Oxford. At Stratford-upon-Avon, visit SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHPLACE and take pictures of Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner with wine at your hotel.

A spectacular start to the day with a special, pre-public-opening guided tour of magnificent WARWICK CASTLE. Marvel at the opulent Great Hall and State Rooms, and visit the former private apartments. Later, in York, stand in awe in front of the great Minster, then follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles.

See a section of Hadrian's Wall, and in Jedburgh, take pictures of the abbey ruins. Then, enjoy a light LUNCH at Ochiltree's Dining before taking a guided tour of Sir Walter Scott's ABBOTSFORD HOUSE. Spend the next two nights in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, once the perfect royal residence for glittering state visits and family holidays. Dinner rounds off this optional evening. For departure numbers 0801 through 0822, tickets are included for tonight's performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO.

Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old "New Town" and the famous scientists, inventors, and novelists who lived there. In the "Old Town," drive up the narrow Royal Mile to EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland's Crown Jewels, then explore HOLYROOD PALACE (when available). Afternoon at leisure. Tonight, consider an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and the Ceremony of the Haggis.

Drive over the elegant Forth Road Bridge and through Fife to St. Andrews, whose Royal and Ancient Golf Club has given us the rules of golfing. Then, through Dundee and the Victorian mountain resort of Pitlochry to the CULLODEN VISITOR CENTRE, where you hear the story of the crushing Hanoverian victory over Bonnie Prince Charlie's Scottish clans. Overnight at Inverness, the Highland capital.

Start your day with a drive along Loch Ness with its mysterious monster and stop at the LOCH NESS EXHIBITION, a fascinating experience, revealing the legends, history, and natural wonders of the world's most famous lake. Then, at BEN NEVIS WHISKY DISTILLERY, discover the art of converting barley, water, and yeast into a heart-warming liquor. Along Loch Linnhe, over haunting Glen Coe and across wild Rannoch Moor, you reach the "Bonnie Banks" of Loch Lomond for a CRUISE on the loch before heading south to Glasgow.

On the way through the Lowland Hills, stop at Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Pause in the beautiful Lake District and in Liverpool, visit the award-winning BEATLES STORY, an atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture, and music of the "Fab Four."

Cross the border into North Wales and drive to lovely Betws-y-Coed and through the incomparable landscapes of Snowdonia National Park. After a stop at tongue-twisting Llanfair..., board your FERRY at Holyhead for the crossing to Dublin. For a first taste of Ireland, why not join an optional Irish cabaret evening, including dinner, dance, song, and laughter?

An orientation drive in the Irish capital includes statue-lined O'Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Oscar Wilde's Trinity College. The afternoon is at leisure for you to enjoy the vibrant city. Maybe take in an optional dinner outing to the Guinness Storehouse.

Across the Curragh to the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare. On the way to Limerick, see the Rock of Cashel, Tipperary, and on arrival, an orientation drive acquaints you with St. Mary's Cathedral, King John's Castle, and the stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691. Tonight, you might like to join an optional banquet at Knappogue Castle.

A breathtaking view of the Clare coast from the 203 metre (668 foot) CLIFFS OF MOHER, then a drive across the limestone plateau of The Burren to the port city of Galway. Next, a special treat at RATHBAUN FARM: watch the farmer shear a sheep and maneuver a flock with the help of a sheep dog. Then, enjoy TRADITIONAL TEA in the 150-year old farmhouse.

Via quaint Adare with its pretty thatched cottages and Killorglin on Dingle Bay, join the spectacular RING OF KERRY for a 161 kilometre (100 mile) panoramic drive around the island's southwestern tip. Later, you might like to take an optional jaunting car ride through Killarney National Park, with glorious views of the Lakes of Killarney and ancient Ross Castle.

Morning visit to Blarney, renowned for its magical Kissing Stone. Time for lunch, to walk up to the castle, and to shop for traditional Irish handicrafts. In the afternoon, proceed via Cork to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings, where you join a guided tour of the HOUSE OF WATERFORD CRYSTAL.

By FERRY from Rosslare across St. George's Channel to Pembroke and a drive through South Wales. Why not join an evening of Welsh entertainment and dinner tonight?

First, this morning, journey to the elegant Georgian city of Bath to see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS. You will also have time to explore the town further on your own. Then, head into wild and romantic Dartmoor for a tasty DINNER at a local pub. The next two nights are spent in Exeter.

Today's excursion takes you to Cornwall, of Poldark fame, and to the pretty fishing village and former smuggler's port of Looe. Then, follow in the footsteps of Drake, Raleigh, and the Pilgrim Fathers with a CRUISE on Plymouth Sound, one of the world's great natural harbours. You will also have time at the historic Plymouth Barbican to see the Mayflower Steps before returning to Exeter.

For the finale of your journey, travel to prehistoric STONEHENGE and try to unravel its mystery. Explore the visitor centre with its imaginative exhibitions, then take the shuttle to the stone circle and admire the magnificence of the monument up close. Return to London around 4 pm. How about celebrating the success of your holiday by taking in one of the great West End shows?

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning.