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

DAY    2            ARRIVE GLASGOW - EDINBURGH (2 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Tour manager/guide, where we will board our own private bus and transfer into the beautiful Scottish countryside, en route to Edinburgh, Scotland's spectacular capital city. Upon our arrival we will begin with a visit to Edinburgh Castle, a place filled with history, legend, and lore. Our visit will include: St. Margaret's Chapel, the State Apartments, the Great Hall and the Crown Chamber, which houses the Honours of Scotland (Scottish Crown Jewels). We continue with a Walking Tour along the Royal Mile, where we will view many of the city's most interesting structures, with turrets, gables, and towering chimneys. During our walk, we will visit the High Kirk of St. Giles, one of the most important architectural landmarks along the Royal Mile. Our final stop will be the Palace of Holyroodhouse, built by James IV, adjacent to the Augustinian abbey David I established in the 12th century. Our tour of the palace will include: King James Tower, the Throne Room, the King's Bedchamber and the Picture Gallery, with portraits of Scottish monarchs.

DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO FALKIRK, DRUMMOND CASTLE & BANNOCKBURN
Today we will take a day trip out of Edinburgh to visit locations used in a wide variety of films. We begin near Falkirk, where we will visit Blackness Castle, whose stark and forbidding structure dominates the skyline and was used as a location for the filming of Hamlet. Next we visit Drummond Castle, famous for its magnificent gardens, and used as a set in the film Rob Roy. This afternoon, we will explore Bannockburn, a name that looms large in Scottish history. It was here that Robert the Bruce and his army of 6,000 (outnumbered three to one) defeated the forces of Edward II in 1314. We will walk along the Battlefield, which was the climactic scene of the 1995 Academy Award winning film Braveheart. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the Bannockburn Heritage Centre, where an audiovisual presentation tells the story of the battle.

DAY    4            EDINBURGH - STIRLING - MEGGINCH CASTLE - ABERDEEN (2 NIGHTS)
We begin the day with a visit to Stirling Castle, which dates from the Middle Ages, and was an important seat of two kings, James IV and James V. Included in our tour of the castle is the Museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, which presents an excellent exhibit of colors, pipe banners, and regimental silver, along with medals won by Scottish soldiers for valor. From the castle, we will also get a wonderful view of the Wallace Monument, which commemorates the Scottish hero of the film Braveheart, and his victory over the English at Stirling Bridge in 1297. We then travel to Aberdeen via Megginch Castle, used in the filming of Rob Roy. We will continue to Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, which lies on the estuaries of the Rivers Dee and Don and is built almost entirely of granite, hence its nickname, the Granite City.

DAY    5            ABERDEEN & DUNNOTTAR CASTLE
Our morning sightseeing begins with a visit to St. Machar Cathedral. We will also include visits to the Fish Market, the Old City (with its cobbled streets and quaint cottages) and Duthie Park. The afternoon offers a trip to Dunnottar Castle - an impressive ruined fortress situated 160 feet above the sea on a rocky cliff. Dunnottar was the stronghold of the Earl Marischal of Scotland from the 14th century. The castle provided the impressive back-drop for the filming of Hamlet.

DAY    6            ABERDEEN - CRAIGIEVAR CASTLE - CULLODEN - INVERNESS (1 NIGHT)
An early morning start will take us to Inverness. En route we will visit 17th century Craigievar Castle, an example of a traditional Scottish tower house, which remains virtually unchanged since it was built. The interior reflects the lifestyle of a 17th century Scottish laird. We will then continue to the battlefield of Culloden. On 16 April 1746 the Jacobite army (under Bonnie Prince Charlie) was slaughtered here by Government troops led by "Butcher Cumberland", George II's younger son; thus finally ending the hopes of the Stuart restoration to the British throne. We continue to Inverness, the traditional capital of the Highlands. Standing astride the River Ness, flowing from Loch Ness, the historic town center contains many lovely shops and attractive buildings that have been carefully restored to preserve its character. On arrival in Inverness (time permitting) your guide will be pleased to accompany you on a local Walking Tour.

DAY    7            INVERNESS - CAWDOR CASTLE - LOCH NESS - FORT WILLIAM AREA (1 NIGHT)
After a visit to Cawdor Castle, built in the 14th century by the Thanes of Cawdor, we will spend the day investigating the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster. Our search begins with an expedition along the shores of the Loch. If we are unsuccessful in our sighting, our visit to the Loch Ness Monster Museum provides photographic evidence to challenge the skeptics. We will also visit Urquhart Castle in its beautiful setting on a promontory jutting out into the loch. We continue to Fort William, which provided one of the settings for Highlander.

DAY    8            FORT WILLIAM AREA - GLEN NEVIS - GLEN COE - TROSSACHS - GLASGOW (1 NIGHT)
We will drive south through magnificent Highland scenery to Glen Nevis, in the shadow of Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in Britain, where the Highland village in Braveheart was situated. During the afternoon we will make our way to Glen Coe where much of Highlander was filmed. In 1692, the glen was the site of a treacherous massacre of the MacDonald clan by the Campbells. We continue through the historic Trossachs where we will be rewarded with a dramatic view of the lakes and the mountains. This rugged scenery inspired Sir Walter Scott to write 'The Lady of the Lake' and provided the setting for the bandit hero, Rob Roy. We continue to Glasgow, famous for its Victorian architecture, for our final night in Scotland.

DAY    9            DEPARTURE FROM GLASGOW
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.