DAY    1        DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to Ireland.

DAY    2    ARRIVE SHANNON - KILLARNEY (2 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Tour Manager/Guide, and transfer to the Cliffs of Moher, a dramatic sheer rock face, rising 700 feet from the Atlantic Ocean and stretching for five miles. During our visit, we will have the opportunity to climb O’Brien’s Tower, a viewing point built for the benefit of Victorian tourists.  We continue to our hotel in the Killarney area.

DAY    3               THE RING OF KERRY
Today we will enjoy a leisurely tour around the famed Ring of Kerry, a beautiful drive around the Iveragh Peninsula. We will enjoy a splendid variety of outstanding coastal panoramas and magnificent mountain views.  During the course of our tour, we will have the opportunity to stop and explore many small towns and villages on the peninsula, including Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Caherciveen.  We continue to Valentia Island, then through the Coomaskista Pass, before stopping to visit Staigue Fort, the best-preserved Iron Age drystone fort in Ireland.  Other highlights will include: the Hog’s Head, Moll’s Gap, Ladies View, Torc Waterfall and our visit to Sneem, a small village with brightly painted cottages.  We return to Killarney for the evening.

DAY    4               KILLARNEY - BLARNEY - CASHEL - DUBLIN (2 NIGHTS)
We leave Killarney early this morning and travel to Blarney, where we will visit Blarney Castle, one of the most haunting and striking castles in Ireland.  The remains of this impressive castle include a massive square tower, with a parapet rising 83 feet, and the infamous Blarney Stone, wedged underneath the battlements; it is traditional to kiss the stone to ensure the gift of eloquence.  We will also stroll through the gardens and a nearby dell beside Blarney Lake, before having the opportunity to visit Badger Cave and adjacent dungeons, penetrating the rock at the base of the castle.  We continue for a brief stop at the Blarney Woolen Mills, featuring quality garments and souvenirs.  This afternoon we visit the spectacular Rock of Cashel, a monumental 12th century cathedral complex dominating the surrounding landscape.  The Rock was the stronghold of the kings of Munster for seven centuries, and it was here that St. Patrick converted them and made the shamrock the emblem of Ireland.  We will continue to our hotel in Dublin, Ireland’s magnificent capital city. 

DAY    5               DUBLIN (SAINTS AND SCHOLARS)
Our morning begins with a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland.  It is said that St. Patrick baptized converts on this site, and consequently a church has stood here since A.D. 450, making it the oldest Christian site in Dublin.  St. Patrick's is closely associated with Jonathan Swift, who was dean from 1713 to 1745 and whose tomb lies in the south aisle.  Our day continues with a visit to Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland, with cobbled squares, beautiful gardens, a picturesque quadrangle, and buildings dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries.   The college is also home to the Book of Kells, an 8th-century version of the four Gospels with elaborate scripting and illumination.  This afternoon we visit the National Museum, established in 1890; the museum is a reflection of Ireland's heritage from 2000 B.C. to the present.  The museum houses many of the country's greatest historical finds, including the Treasury Exhibit, with the Ardagh Chalice, Tara Brooch, Cross of Cong, and an extensive exhibition of Irish Bronze Age gold ornaments.  This evening we will dine and wander through the lively Temple Bar area.

DAY    6               DUBLIN - FERRY TO HOLYHEAD - STRATFORD (1 NIGHT)
This morning we will transfer to the Port at Dun Laoghaire, where we will board a ferry and cross the Irish Sea to Holyhead in Northern Wales.  Upon our arrival, we will transfer to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we will visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace, where the Bard was born on April 23, 1564, and died on the same date 52 years later, as well as the modern Shakespeare Centre, built next door to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's birth.  We continue with a brief visit to Holy Trinity Church, the parish church where Shakespeare is buried, located in an attractive setting near the River Avon.  This evening we will enjoy a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company. (Subject to RSC schedule)

DAY    7               STRATFORD AREA - OXFORD - LONDON (3 NIGHTS)
Our morning commences with a visit to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, located just outside the city center.  The cottage provides a rare insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean times, and many of the original furnishings are preserved inside the house.  We continue Oxford, England’s oldest university city, which is associated with many notable literary alumni including such diverse characters as Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and Evelyn Waugh.  We will take a Walking Tour to view many of the colleges that make up Oxford, as well as the Sheldonian Theater and the Bodleian Library.  We will also visit Christ Church College, Oxford’s biggest and grandest Renaissance College, which was founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey.  The college’s Christ Church Cathedral is the smallest in England.  We will continue to London, Britain’s historic capital city.  Upon our arrival, we can take a leisurely Walking Tour of Westminster and Whitehall, including: Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Horseguards Parade, Parliament Square, Downing Street, St. James’s Park and Buckingham Palace.

DAY    8            LONDON (KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND)
We begin with a visit to Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066.  We will take a Blue-Badge guided tour, which will include the Royal Chapels, holding the tombs of the monarchs, as well as Poets' Corner, featuring memorials to famous British literary figures.  Our morning continues as we walk past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, before taking a Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of London’s most magnificent sights.  This afternoon we will visit the Tower of London, one of Britain’s most fascinating and important historical structures, with macabre associations with the legendary figures imprisoned and/or executed here.  Our visit will include the armories, a display of instruments of torture and execution and the Crown Jewels Exhibit.  This evening we will spend time around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, two of London’s most vibrant and lively areas.

DAY    9            LONDON (ARTIFACTS & ARCHITECTURE IN LONDON)
Our morning begins with a visit to the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world.  Highlights of our visit will include: the Rosetta Stone, whose discovery led to the deciphering of hieroglyphs, the Elgin Marbles, from the Parthenon in Athens, and the Sutton Hoo Treasure.  After a bit of free time to shop and explore Carnaby and Regent Streets, we continue with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren’s Renaissance-style masterpiece.  Our visit will include an ascent to the Whispering Gallery, an acoustic marvel in which the faintest whisper can be heard clearly on the opposite side, as well as the American Memorial Chapel, honoring the 28,000 U.S. service personnel who lost their lives while stationed in Britain during World War II.  This evening, we will dine and explore the area around Covent Garden, before attending a West End Theater Performance.

DAY    10               DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.

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