ef tours england and scotland

Highlights of England, Scotland & Ireland

12 days   |   14 days with London extension

4.6 out of 5 stars

From modern to medieval and green to Gothic, explore the best of Great Britain and Ireland’s landscapes and landmarks.

Our travelers love this tour as their first time out of the country—or as an energetic way to experience as much of England, Scotland, and Ireland as they can. No wonder it’s one of our most popular trips. You’ll launch your Anglophile adventure in cosmopolitan London, where you’ll get to meet Big Ben and the Tower of London before boarding a train through the hilly English countryside to Edinburgh, Scotland. There, let the Georgian and Victorian architecture transport you back in time through cobblestone streets. Finish your trip with a feast for the eyes as you ferry to Ireland’s cliffs, swathed in a hundred hues of green. And, if London’s calling you, take the early arrival option and enjoy two more days in the city to explore its rich heritage—and rank your favorite chip shops.

Your tour package includes

• 10 nights in handpicked hotels
• 10 breakfasts
• 4 dinners with beer or wine
• 6 sightseeing tours
• Expert Tour Director & local guides
• Private deluxe motor coach
• 1 train ride
• 1 ferry transfer

Included highlights

• Trafalgar Square
• Buckingham Palace
• Edinburgh Castle
• Local pub culture
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• Ring of Kerry
• Rock of Cashel
• Blarney Castle
• Cliffs of Moher

Overnight Flight 1 night

Day 1: travel day.

Board your overnight flight to London today.

London 2 nights

Day 2: arrival in london.

Included meal : Welcome dinner

Welcome to England! If you arrive between noon and 6 p.m., we recommend you treat yourself to afternoon tea—the traditional British meal of cakes, biscuits, dainty sandwiches, and, of course, tea.  

Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers for a welcome dinner, served with beer or wine. 

Start planning today

Our travel experts are here to help.

We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.

Holiday Inn London Kensington

This boutique-styled hotel is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea in Central London. Guests enjoy the fitness room, a beautifully landscaped garden, and an indoor pool. Nearby you’ll find Kensington Palace, the...

Holiday Inn Express - Edinburgh City Centre

This modern hotel is located in the New Town of Edinburgh. Guests enjoy the lounge bar, the relaxing Great Room, and convenient location. Nearby, you’ll find Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Botanic...

Mercure Liverpool Atlantic Tower

This unique hotel is located along the River Mersey in Liverpool’s commercial district. Guests enjoy free Wi-Fi, a restaurant, and a bar. Nearby, you’ll find the Beatles Story museum, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, and the...

Cassidys Hotel

This boutique hotel is located in Dublin’s city center. Guests enjoy the bistro, a gym, and the hotel bar. Nearby, you’ll find EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Dublin Castle, and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery.

Meadowlands Hotel

This elegant hotel is located in Tralee, County Kerry, along the Wild Atlantic Way. Guests enjoy the manicured gardens and an intimate second-floor bar. Nearby, you’ll find Downtown Tralee, Ashe Memorial Town Park, and the...

Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.

Add our airfare and you’ll get:

• Round-trip flight for your tour
• Airport transfers at your destination
• A great price locked in today
• 24/7 support from our dedicated service team
• Options for arriving early, staying longer, or requesting an upgrade
• Flexible rebooking options if your tour itinerary changes

Find out more about flights

• In order to enter the United Kingdom and Ireland, U.S. and Canadian citizens need a valid passport with an expiration date extending at least six months beyond the date of reentry.
• We recommend having at least one blank passport page for entry stamps.
• There is no visa required for U.S. or Canadian citizens.
• If you are not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you must contact each country’s consulate for your specific entry requirements.
• You can see the most up-to-date entry requirements for the destination(s) you’ll visit on tour by going to goaheadtours.com/entry-requirements and searching the code BES.
• Round-trip flights booked through Go Ahead Tours arrive in London and depart from Dublin.
• Transfers to and from the airport at the beginning and end of the tour are included for travelers who purchased their flights through Go Ahead Tours. Travelers who booked their own flights are responsible for securing their own airport transfers.
• When you arrive in London, a driver from a private chauffeur service will be standing at the arrival hall with your name on a message board. If you do not see your driver, please be patient and stay in the arrivals area. They may be assisting another traveler who has also just arrived and will be back shortly.

Physical Activity Level

• This is a moderate physical activity-level tour. You can expect casual walks and plenty of time to explore throughout the course of the tour.

Tour Pacing

This is a brisk-paced tour. The pace of a tour itinerary considers how often you’ll switch hotels, the amount of planned daily activities, and how you’ll get from place to place. You can expect:

• Two 1-night stays
• Most days full of included activities (more if you add excursions)
• Most transportation by motor coach
• Some transportation by train and ferry
• Daily bus time varies and can be lengthy

Walking, Terrain & Physical Requirements

• Travelers should be prepared to walk 2 miles per day over varying terrain—this includes city streets, cobblestones, some stairs and hills.
• Cobblestone streets can become slick when wet.
• Access to Edinburgh Castle will involve walking half a mile up a steep hill.
• While visiting Blarney Castle, travelers have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone. In order to kiss the Blarney Stone, travelers must climb 128 very steep, narrow stairs.
• Travelers should be healthy enough to participate in all included walks without assistance.
• Please Note: Adding optional excursions may increase the total amount of walking on your tour.

Climate Considerations

• Travelers can expect cool, cloudy, and rainy days throughout the year, with occasional heatwaves in the summer months (June-September).

Physical Activity & Tour Pace Questions

• Go Ahead Tours and the Tour Director who accompanies your group are unable to provide special mobility or luggage handling assistance to travelers on tour. The responsibility of the Tour Director is to ensure the group enjoys a smooth and informative journey, and they can’t be relied on to provide individualized assistance to any one traveler.
• This tour moves at a reasonable pace to avoid missing scheduled stops. The rest of the group cannot miss any scheduled activities because of the needs of an individual.
• Due to the pace and physical activity level of this tour, mobility aids such as wheelchairs or walkers will be difficult to use and are not recommended. Please notify Go Ahead Tours before your departure if you plan to bring these on tour with you.
• If you have mobility concerns or tour pace questions, please visit our Help Center or send a message to our Customer Experience Team. We’re here to help!
• Private motor coaches use steps for boarding, and often don’t provide ramps or lifts.
• This tour utilizes various modes of transportation, including trains, ferries, and private motor coach. To board some of them, you may have to climb raised platforms or steps.
• You must be able to manage your own luggage while on tour, as porterage isn’t guaranteed. This includes when arriving at hotels or airports and boarding trains or ferries.
• Luggage storage on trains is extremely limited, and often requires travelers to lift their suitcases onto racks—sometimes located above their seats.
• You should be prepared to manage your bags during ferry transfers. This includes carrying them up and down boarding ramps, lifting them onto racks, and navigating spaces crowded with other people and motor vehicles.
• Elevators in hotels aren’t guaranteed.
• Some hotels on this tour are situated on narrow streets, so our buses can’t drop you off right out front. In these instances, you’ll have to walk your luggage to the property, no more than a few blocks.
• A train ride from London to Edinburgh and ferry ride from Holyhead to Dublin are included in the price of your tour.
• All other included transportation on this tour is by private motor coach.
• European train stations typically operate similarly to airports where security measures, such as baggage and body scanners, are common. Platforms are often spread out across large distances and require travelers to manage their luggage on escalators or stairs. Porterage services are not offered on train transfers and luggage storage on trains is extremely limited. Please keep in mind that trains may only be stopping at the stations for a few minutes; speed with loading and unloading may be imperative.
• Please note that our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one personal item per person due to storage limitations on motor coaches and other transfers, which include a train and ferry.
• Some airlines may impose additional charges if you exceed baggage size and weight restrictions. Be advised that you are responsible for any baggage fees incurred on all flights.
• Contact your airline(s) for baggage size and weight restrictions for your flights.
• Make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, and documents in your carry-on bag.
• Travelers must manage their own luggage throughout tour as porters are not guaranteed. This includes at hotels, getting on trains, and boarding ferries.
• Luggage storage on trains is extremely limited, and often requires travelers to lift their suitcases onto storage racks, sometimes above the seats.
• We recommend packing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that can be easily layered to accommodate varying temperatures, as well as a light jacket or rainwear.
• A sturdy pair of walking shoes or sneakers is recommended for sightseeing.
• You may want to pack dressier attire if you plan to visit a high-end restaurant or attend a special performance.
• It is preferable not to visit churches or other religious sites with bare legs and shoulders (and entrance may be denied on this basis).
• We recommend packing a reusable water bottle to cut down on single use plastic waste.
• We recommend packing a universal adapter, as well as a voltage converter if you plan on using your own hairdryer or other device without a built-in converter.
• In case of emergencies, we also recommend packing your medical insurance card in your carry-on.
• Please note: Porterage isn’t included on train transfers, and storage space is extremely limited. You should feel comfortable lifting and carrying your bags over steps, onto platforms, and into storage. To make things easier, we recommend traveling with one suitcase and personal item (e.g. a backpack or purse) per person.
• Go Ahead handpicks every hotel you’ll stay at, striking a balance between comfort, location, and local charm.
• Specific properties will vary based on your departure date, but are typically three-to-four-star hotels; always include private bathrooms; and usually have in-room safes for valuables. Additionally, your hotels will have Wi-Fi, but access may be limited to common areas. There may also not be elevators.
• Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that your accommodations will have laundry services or facilities. We recommend checking directly with your hotels once they’ve been confirmed, about 30 days prior to departure.
• Some hotels on this tour are situated on narrow streets; as such, our buses can’t drop you off right out front. In these instances, you’ll have to walk your luggage to the property, no more than a few blocks.
• Please be advised that the air conditioning in European hotels and buildings is often not as strong or cool as what you might be used to in the U.S. or Canada.
• The United Kingdom and Ireland operate within 230-240 volts and use a Type G plug with three large, flat pins.
• Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date.
• Excursions are available for purchase prior to departure, and most excursions will be available for purchase while you are on tour directly through your mobile app for an additional $10 USD.
• We recommend purchasing excursions at least 3 days prior to your tour departure. Please note some excursions have advance booking deadlines. Check your tour itinerary for more information to ensure you don’t miss the deadline to add them.
• Optional excursions may be canceled on tour due to reasons like low enrollment, weather or unexpected closures. If an excursion you signed up for is canceled by Go Ahead Tours, you will be refunded the full cost of the excursion. Please note it may take up to 60 days for your refund to be processed.
• Your Tour Director may offer their own optional excursions which can only be purchased on tour via cash (in local currency).
• At least 60 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider for the latest updates and entry requirements, or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website at cdc.gov .
• If you have dietary restrictions and/or food allergies, please notify Go Ahead Tours at least 30 days prior to departure by logging into your account and updating your traveler info. To update this information closer to your departure date, please contact our Customer Experience Team.
• If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour, as well as any possible delays encountered.
• Most of our itineraries include headsets used during certain sightseeing tours so travelers can hear their guides or Tour Director. If you use an assisted listening device, such as a hearing aid or cochlear implant, please visit our Help Center for more information or contact our customer experience team. Please note that at this time not all our destinations offer headsets due to supplier limitations.
• The water is safe to drink throughout your tour unless posted otherwise.
• This tour includes four dinners: They may be set menus, buffets, or family-style meals, depending on the location. Dinners also include one glass of beer, wine, or a soft drink, as well as water, coffee, and tea.
• Breakfast each morning is also included at the hotel and is typically buffet style with hot and cold options.
• For traditional English fare at a reasonable price, try a pub meal of fish and chips or bangers and mash. Stilton cheese, steak and kidney pie, and Cumberland sausages are also worth a try. Sip afternoon tea with delicious finger sandwiches and scones at Harrods in London for the ultimate in English tradition.
• Modern-day London boasts an array of diverse international restaurants. Popular options for the adventurous palate include Indian, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, Greek, and West African cuisine.
• Scottish cuisine relies on readily available ingredients like game, dairy, and fish, with little use of exotic spices. Pickled kippers and smoked salmon are popular, as well as hearty dishes like Scotch broth (stew of meat and root vegetables) and haggis (a savory pudding of sheep innards). Scotch whisky is a legendary local spirit, and Scottish ales are world-famous.
• Irish pubs serve up hearty lunches, such as the traditional stew of bacon and boiled cabbage. Soda bread is delicious, very filling, and served with many meals. Nibble a scone at afternoon tea, with a pat of high-quality butter from County Kerry. Guinness stout is an international sensation, but locals might favor Murphy's, depending on where you are.
• Dublin has seen something of a culinary revolution, and the city now boasts an impressive array of new restaurants offering exciting cuisine with continental Europe, Asian, and even American influences.
• At the conclusion of your tour, it is customary to offer your Tour Director and driver a gratuity in US dollars or local currency. Please keep current exchange rates in mind.
• We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10USD to $12USD per person, per day for your Tour Director and the equivalent of $3USD per person per day for your driver.
• If applicable, we also recommend the equivalent of $2USD per local guide.
• Tips can only be paid in cash.
• The cost of porterage is included in your tour price, and it is not necessary to tip baggage handlers.
• You will use the pound sterling in the United Kingdom and the euro in Ireland.
• Better rates of exchange are usually available overseas, but you may choose to order some currency from your local bank to use when you first arrive.
• We strongly advise that you take debit/bank cards and credit cards, which can be used to withdraw cash at local banks as needed.
• You can use most debit/credit cards at ATMs on the international networks Cirrus and Plus, but make sure to check with your home bank about withdrawal fees.
• Inform your bank and credit card company of your travel plans so that they won’t confuse your international purchases for fraudulent charges.
• International banks and businesses primarily accept debit and credit cards that work with the EMV chip system. If you don't already have at least one debit or credit card with a chip in it, we strongly recommend requesting one from your bank prior to your tour.
• Plan ahead and bring cash to tip your tour director, local guides, and bus drivers. We also recommend keeping coins in the local currency on hand, as some public bathrooms may charge a fee for use.
• To help you feel prepared before going on tour, we strongly recommend downloading the EF Go Ahead Tours mobile app. It’s free and provides information about important deadlines and entry requirements, as well as your detailed itinerary, packing tips, and more. You can also connect with fellow travelers through the app’s chat feature.
• Wi-Fi is available in most hotels, though some charges may apply.
• There’s no Wi-Fi on any of the motor coaches.
• Please contact your mobile service provider for information on roaming charges.
• Your Tour Director will lead your group. Their role is not only to provide information and context on the destinations you visit, but also to confirm services, coordinate inclusions, prepare each day’s activities, and support travelers while on tour. As such, they must focus on the success of the group, and can’t provide individualized assistance to any one traveler.
• One of the benefits of traveling with EF Go Ahead Tours is having access to our 24/7 Emergency Support Team.
• Our extensive network of global offices and our integration of ISO 31000 Risk Management Guidelines help this dedicated team anticipate and address on-tour challenges in a flexible, iterative way.
• Using a combination of extensive training, thorough incident response planning, and decades of experience, this team assists travelers and Tour Directors in case of emergencies—stepping in for everything from personal health concerns and injuries to major world events.
• Our On-Tour Support team can also provide additional help to travelers on tour, arranging assistance from outside specialists and liaising with local and international authorities as needed. And if there’s an emergency on the road or at home, the team will facilitate and support communication between travelers and their families.
• The United Kingdom and Ireland are on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Time (ET).
• When it’s noon in New York, it’s 5pm on tour.
• When you travel with Go Ahead Tours, you’ll make a positive impact on the places you visit and the people and animals you meet along the way. That’s because our three core Responsible Travel commitments—protecting the environment, supporting local communities, and promoting animal welfare—are at the heart of every tour we offer.
• Travel, when done responsibly, can have an enormous socioeconomic impact on communities. To maximize your impact, eat at locally owned restaurants and shop at small businesses. Ask your Tour Director to point out restaurants they recommend.
• Prepare for your trip: Be aware of monetary norms such as tipping and negotiating in a market; learn about the destination’s forms of etiquette; and take some time to learn a few words in the local language.
• When interacting with locals, make sure to ask people for permission before you take their picture, and approach cultural differences with empathy and an open mind.
• Go Ahead Tours encourages travelers to limit their waste while on the road, especially single-use plastics. You can cut back on generating plastic waste by packing your own toiletries, using electronic documents, and bringing a reusable water bottle and shopping bag. If you need to use plastics or paper, please recycle.
• When visiting national parks, reserves, or other protected areas, please do not remove anything from the natural environment or leave any litter. Carry out what you carried in.

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Overall rating based on 1130 traveler reviews

Showing 1 - 6 of 1130 traveler reviews

5 out of 5 stars

1st-time traveler Steve, travelled in Jul 2024

1st-time traveler Anonymous, travelled in Jul 2024

2nd-time traveler Anonymous, travelled in Jun 2024

Excellent trip.

1st-time traveler Patricia, travelled in Aug 2024

1st-time traveler Judy, travelled in Aug 2024

This trip was wonderful! Our tour director, Tom, was wonderful and full of fun information! The trip was well planned and organized. We were also able to add a couple of extra activities at the end. The bus drivers we had were also wonderful and fun to have as a part of the... Read more of England , Scotland, Ireland

Go Ahead Tours

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We're delighted to hear that you had a wonderful trip and that Tom, your tour director, made... Read more of the response to England , Scotland, Ireland

1st-time traveler Bonnie, travelled in Jul 2024

The tour hits great spots, includes all the information you can absorb and then some, and leaves you breathless. Be prepared for a whirlwind. The guides were awesome, kind, and entertaining. A wealth of knowledge and energy.

Off Duty Traveler

Travel tour reviews and views, edinburgh and london | ef tour review.

Although I’ve been to London on the EF Tour of European Capital Cities , and Scotland was never really on my bucket list, I signed up for this tour because I couldn’t stand the idea of NOT going to Europe in the spring. It’s become a habit and one I knew I would miss, so I enrolled in the spring 2019 EF Tour of Edinburgh & London. My priority was, and is, to travel to new places and learn new things. And on my first day in Edinburgh, I encountered this sign, which in fact, was a sign…

The EF tour of Edinburgh & London is an 8-day tour, starting in Scotland’s ancient and beautiful Edinburgh, still going after 900 years, and ending in the historic London. In historical terms, Edinburgh and London go way back. Think Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth in the 1500s and beyond. In order to prepare for the trip, popcorn and wine in hand, I watched the newly released movie Mary Queen of Scots , which turned out to be a great synopsis of the relationship between the two queens and their respective castles, which, by the way, are both included in this tour.

What follows is my review of the EF Tour of Edinburgh & London, the itinerary, lodging, food, and excursions.

EF Tour of Edinburgh Review

As with all EF Tours after a full night on the airplane, you hit the ground and start touring. This helps offset any jetlag you may experience from the time difference, which in this case is five hours. We flew into Glasgow and our tour director, Chris, raised in Scotland but now living in Portugal, met us at the airport and directed us to our coach to head to Edinburgh, a trip of about one hour. On the way, he reminded us that, in Edinburgh, it’s possible to experience all four seasons on one day.

He wasn’t kidding.

As we arrived in Edinburgh it was pouring rain, the rain turned to sleet; a miserable cold and uninviting welcome. Magically, when our driver pulled to the curb to let us off, the sun came out and the temperature warmed significantly, causing us to shed our winter gear and stow our umbrellas. Rainwater poured from staircases and sidewalks, but we were free to explore for the afternoon.

After our first day in Edinburgh, we checked into our hotel, tired and ready to rest. EF Tour hotels are not five-star lodging, but in my experience, they are clean and comfortable. These tours are fast-paced and you aren’t going to spend much time in your hotel, so there’s no reason, for me, to want or need anything more than a clean and comfortable room. Since I’m typically traveling alone, I always upgrade to a single room, which is usually between $300 and $400. In my opinion, well worth it for the privacy and comfort.

The hotel almost always includes breakfast before heading out the next morning, which in Europe means fruit, yogurt, breads, and fantastic coffees. Also, baked beans and, sometimes, cold cuts, cheeses and Nutella. Lots of Nutella.

The University of St. Andrews | EF Tours Optional Tour Excursion

A newcomer to Scotland and someone who, despite having a father who was an avid golfer, I was not at all informed about this incredible destination. I signed up in blind faith, as I’ve not been disappointed yet by any of the EF Tour excursions, and I will be forever grateful I did. The University of St. Andrews campus and golf course, on which Mary Queen of Scots played golf, was astonishingly beautiful and wildly exceeded my expectations. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland, founded between 1410 and 1413, and also, fun fact, the one in which Prince William met Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

We had the entire day to explore, which included a guided walking tour of the campus and time on our own for lunch and the golf course and British Golf Museum.

Our Itinerary at the University of St. Andrews Included:

• Coach Transportation
• Guided Walking Tour
• Free time for lunch and to explore
• Photo stop at Scotland’s famous Three Bridges

Day Tour of Edinburgh

Our next day was spent exploring Edinburgh. We started with a guided bus tour, which included photo stops at Holyrood Castle, the official residence of the British Monarch when in Scotland. From there the tour proceeded up the Royal Mile, passing by Scotland’s new Parliament building, and culminated at Edinburgh Castle, which was our drop off point for a tour of the castle before setting out on our own to explore.

Edinburgh Castle , set high on a rock above the city, began as an iron age fortress and evolved to become the home of kings and queens for many centuries. Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in the castle, who later became king at 13 months old to unite the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603. It is the most besieged place in all of Britain.

Inside the castle, you can view the crown jewels, the oldest in Britain, the room where the king was born, and the iconic Stone of Destiny, as well as tour the grounds.

From there we had the rest of the day to explore on our own. We chose a Scotch tasting (when in Rome), some shopping, lunch on the Royal Mile and then a visit to Victoria’s Street, the most photographed street in all of Scotland.

Our last evening in Edinburgh included a group dinner, which is typical of EF Tours. We had the biggest lamb shanks I’ve ever seen in my life. From there it was time to retire to our hotel and leave for London the next morning on the train.

Our EF Tour Itinerary in Edinburgh Included:

• Guided bus tour of Edinburgh
• Entry tickets and self-guided tour of Edinburgh Castle
• Time to explore on our own
• Transportation to dinner
• Group dinner in Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland Tour Review

Lodging : Good! Our hotel was clean, comfortable and included the typical European breakfast. I can’t say they were particularly friendly, but that’s often the case when large groups arrive.

Food : Ok. As is with most British foods, it’s largely bland with little to no seasoning other than salt. Our lamb shank dinner was better than some of the EF Tour group dinners I’ve experienced.

Excursions and Itinerary: Great! The excursion to the University of St. Andrews was a highlight of the trip. In Edinburgh, we had enough time to explore the castle, the Royal Mile and the rest of the city on our own. Our bus tour guide was hilarious and extremely knowledgable about the history as well as the present tensions going on in light of Brexit and Scotland’s recent elections.

Pace : Fast, but you cover a lot of ground.

London, England Tour Review

The next morning we gathered our luggage and said goodbye to Edinburgh and headed to the rail station to board our train to London. The high-speed rail system in Europe is amazing . Boarding the train was fast and efficient and our entire trip took 4 1/2 hours. In comparison, time by motor vehicle is 7 1/2 hours.

Rail stations are beautiful and equipped with lovely coffee shops and food options. Behold my train-station turmeric and coconut latte and smoked salmon and hard-boiled egg sandwich.

When we arrived in London it was pouring rain. We made our way to our tour guide, and, umbrellas in hand, headed to the iconic Tower of London. As many of us had already been to the Tower on a previous tour, we opted for a quick run through the crown jewels and then left to cross the Tower Bridge. The photos you are about to see were taken in the driving rain, umbrellas flailing and wind raging.

We consoled ourselves by tucking into a wonderfully warm pub for a drink before joining the group again for dinner that evening.

The next morning we awoke to some fresh Brexit controversy over breakfast and headed out for a guided bus tour of London.

Our guided bus and walking tour included a stop at Buckingham Palace to see the famous changing of the guard. The Queen was in residence while we were there, evidenced by her flag flying atop the palace.

From there a small group of us decided to head to Westminster Abbey, so we stopped for lunch across the road and then headed in.

Note: Photos are prohibited inside the Abbey.

There is not enough room here to describe the history of this site. The number of world-renowned historical figures (over 3,000), both ancient and present-day, buried here is beyond imagination. Here are a few examples:

• Stephen Hawking
• Oliver Cromwell
• Charles Darwin
• Mary Queen of Scots
• Geoffrey Chaucer
• Elizabeth I of England
• Sir Isaac Newton
• Alfred Tennyson
• Winston Churchill
• Laurence Olivier
• George Frederick Handel

For a complete list of graves in Westminster Abbey visit the official website of Westminster Abbey.

A small group wanted to head to Abbey Road, and I agreed to be the unofficial photographer.

From there we headed to the beautiful Harrods department store and on to Piccadilly Circus for dinner and some tourist shopping.

Our final morning in London was on our own, so a group of us chose to head to the top of The Shard for photos and champaign. Despite the rainy weather, we were not disappointed with the views.

After a quick lunch, our small group once again joined our tour director and the rest of the group for an excursion to Windsor Castle, home of the British Royal Family.

EF Tour Excursion | Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Founded in the 11th century, it has been the home of 39 monarchs and to this day, the Queen spends most of her private time at the castle. The Queen was once again in residence during our visit.

We were pretty sure by this point she was following us.

Our guided tour included St. George’s Chapel, site of the recent royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan and spiritual home of the Order of the Garter, the senior order of British Chivalry since 1348, and a tour of the state apartments. We had plenty of time to explore the gardens and grounds as well.

After our tour of the castle, we headed back into London for our final night together, which included a dinner in a hip and trendy London restaurant and a Jack the Ripper tour. Interestingly enough, a few days after our return scientists reported that they solved the mystery of the identity of the Jack the Ripper , a killer believed to have killed at least five women in London in 1888. I wonder how that will affect the popularity of the tour?

Our EF Tour Itinerary of London included:

• Hotel accommodations
• Breakfast and Dinner
• Excursion to Windsor Castle
• Guided bus tour of London
• Jack the Ripper Tour
• Free time on our own

EF Tour of London Ameninities Review:

Lodging : Good! Our hotel was centrally located and again, clean and comfortable

Food : Ok. Our group dinner was in a hip and trendy restaurant, but everyone thought it was way too loud in there. On the final night of a trip, the group usually wants to talk and reminisce. We were unable to even attempt to converse.

Excursions and Itinerary: Great! We had plenty of time to explore on our own, and the trip to Windsor Castle was a highlight of the week.

Pace : Medium. Since we have a lot of free time you can go at your own pace.

If you go with EF Tours Edinburgh & London

This trip packs in a lot in 8 days. You’re on a train, a bus and a plane, but it’s worth it. I recommended studying the relationship between Edinburgh and London throughout history before you, as you’ll get a lot more out of the castle visits and the overall royal environment.

As with all Europe trips, be prepared to do a lot of walking. The tour covers a ton of ground. By the time I got to the Jack the Ripper tour on the last night, I was dead. You’ll need good shoes to keep up, preferably more than one pair. I get along well with a pair of boots with good support and a pair of walking shoes with extra support added. Also, bring a raincoat and/or an umbrella and be prepared to use them. It’s the UK.

Bring your camera. These castles and vistas are astonishingly beautiful and the side trip to the University of St. Andrews is postcard-worthy. The entire trip, but especially Scotland, was beyond my expectations and I would go again if given the opportunity.

Cheerio the nou and see you on the next trip!

View all my Edinburgh and London photos on my Google Photos album !

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England trips

Give yourself the royal treatment with a trip to England. Spend your days immersed in history, visiting platform 9 ¾ (iykyk), and channeling your inner Beatle. And at night? Let’s just say the pub scene is thriving. It’s time for you to experience everything England has to offer. And it’s tea time, too.

Traveler photos from England

An absolutely incredible trip.

“This trip was a dream. An incredible West End show, afternoon tea cruise in London, the glittering Eiffel Tower, Harrods, the most magical Christmas markets—the list goes on and on!! A wonderful group, awesome itinerary, and our incredible Tour Director Matt all made this trip so amazing!!”

–Sherry, traveled on London & Paris Escape Dec. 2022

My bucket list trip!

“I went solo and it was my first time leaving the country. I had nothing to worry about! This was my absolute dream trip and I cant think of anything that would have made it better. The castles, the food, the music, the history…everything was so incredible. And the friends I made during the trip—I’m going to miss them so much!”

–Madeline, traveled on England, Scotland & Ireland Oct. 2022

Know before you go

As you prepare to spend time in new cities, countries, and cultures, here are some expert tips to help you live like a true local.

• Pack a raincoat. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again. Expect rain, wind, and more rain in England.
• Public restrooms in Europe sometimes require a small fee – hold on to your coins!
• Water is sometimes an added cost at restaurants and you may have to choose between still or sparkling.
• In London, do not stand on the left of an escalator in the London Underground – the left is for walking, the right is for standing. In Scotland, however, they abide by a “keep to the left” etiquette. Stick to this while walking and exploring the city!
• Visit one of London’s many free museums or galleries like the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, or the Sky Garden.
• We said it before and we’ll say it again: The weather changes in an instant. Expect the unexpected.

Beef, beer, whiskey, fish. These are some of the delicacies in the UK, and you’re more than guaranteed to try all of these staples in multiple forms while on your trip. You’ll sample a variety of other local dishes on your trip, but read on for all the tips, tricks, and delicacies you must try.

• English Breakfast: This traditional morning meal includes eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, and most importantly, tea,
• Afternoon Tea: The average Brit drinks 3 cups of tea per day. Try an afternoon tea with light sandwiches or pastries!
• Fish and Chips: Chips are actually french fries in this traditional dish with lightly battered fish. It’s common as a takeaway treat, too!
• Eton Mess: This is a classic British treat of crushed merengue, cream, and strawberries
• Beef Wellington: A filet steak wrapped in puff pastry and cooked.
• Bangers and Mash: Mashed potatoes and sausages… what more do you need?
• Sticky Toffee Pudding: Moist sponge cake stuffed with raisins or dates, covered in toffee sauce served with ice cream or custard
• Battered Mars Bar: You’ve heard of a Mars Bar, right? Instead, try it deep fried and out comes a melted, chocolatey, gooey dessert.

We plan it all. And then some.

Our group trips to England come with everything included. That’s accommodations, daily breakfasts, activities, and an expert Tour Director who knows all the best spots to feel like royalty.

Multilingual Tour Director & local guides

Sightseeing activities and excursions

Entrances to top attractions

Metro passes in major cities

Hand-picked accommodations

New travel BFFs

Welcome & Farewell Dinners

Private deluxe motorcoach

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Vita, vino, e viaggio!

Review: EF Go Ahead Tours’ Highlights of England, Scotland, and Ireland

We’ve traveled a few times on guided group tours, I’ve gone with some girlfriends on EF Ultimate Break tours and Rick and I did a guided tour with Go Ahead back in 2018 on our Barcelona, Southern France, and the Italian Riviera tour .

We enjoyed that tour way back when and when we got home we got a travel credit of $100 and we put that toward the Highlights of England, Scotland, and Ireland tour with the plan to go in June 2020…

I’m sure you can guess that that did not work out as planned.

We decided to get a voucher for the amount we’d paid and we could use that for a future trip which ended up being the same itinerary just in September 2023 instead.

I’m happy to report we’ve finally crossed Scotland and Ireland off our travel bucket list and finally did this tour that we’ve been waiting to go on since before we were married five years ago!

Why group tours?

Just like any form of travel, group tours are not for everyone but they can also be great options for travelers!

One reason I like booking group tours is when we’re doing multi-country tours and I’m not in the mood to figure out trains, planes, and automobiles on our own. Most of the trips we’ve done with groups have been to several countries as it just makes it easy to hop on a bus and be taken to a new destination.

We also are planning a group tour to Japan in 2024 as it’ll be both of our first times visiting Asia and I’d prefer to have a guide. Otherwise, we’ve started to discuss unless we’re doing multi-country tours, we can navigate these trips on our own in the future.

Some benefits of booking a group tour:

• Organized transport: Like I said, there are some destinations that I’d rather just let someone else figure out how to get us from Point A to Point B and I can just enjoy the ride.
• Off the beaten path places: Another thing Rick and I agree on with these types of tours are that we have stops in small towns or places we wouldn’t normally plan to visit on our own. Like on this tour we stopped in Kendal in Cumbria, which we probably wouldn’t have gone out of our way to visit if we were on our own. But it’s definitely neat to visit some of these smaller stops.
• Mix of free time and organized activities: I also like that these tours know why people are visiting the cities we do and make sure to include stops to the important sightseeing stops or attractions while also giving us free time to explore on our own. Like this tour included Edinburgh Castle, Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, and so on, but also gave us time to do our own thing. I like the inclusion of the major sites as I don’t have to worry about buying tickets and getting the timing just right as so many attractions are moving to a timed entry system.
• The tour director: Lastly, it’s always nice having a tour director who organizes everything and takes charge of the day’s plans. Plus, the directors know what to recommend and what to skip so you’re not wasting your precious time in each stop along the tour.

The Go Ahead tour review

We chose this tour due to its itinerary as we wanted to see a variety of places in Ireland without worrying about figuring out how to get to all these places on our own.

The Highlights of England, Scotland, & Ireland itinerary:

• Day 1: Overnight flight
• Day 2: London (2 nights)
• Day 3: London (sightseeing tour & free afternoon or paid excursion)
• Day 4: Train to Edinburgh (2 nights) and included dinner
• Day 5: Edinburgh (sightseeing tour & free afternoon)
• Day 6: Liverpool (1 night)
• Day 7: Ferry to Dublin (2 nights)
• Day 8: Dublin (sightseeing tour in the morning and free evening or paid excursion)
• Day 9: County Kerry (2 nights) & a stop at Blarney Castle
• Day 10: Sightseeing tour of the Ring of Kerry
• Day 11: Dublin & the Cliffs of Moher
• Day 12: Flight home

So, we did change the itinerary just a bit! The tour officially started on Monday, September 4 and we figured we should fly out early to acclimate to the time change and add on a stop to our tour. I know, we were very ambitious.

We contacted Go Ahead and asked instead of flying us to London on Monday, could they fly us out to Paris on Friday instead? We just had to pay for the change in airfare otherwise it wasn’t a problem. We also obviously had to pay for our own accommodations in Paris and then get ourselves to London to join our tour group. No problem!

It worked out really well for us as I could finally get Rick to Paris for a weekend and then the Eurostar to London is super easy to navigate.

I was so excited for this tour’s itinerary as we got to go back to London but then see all new places in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Again, I like this style of travel when we’re visiting multiple countries.

I’ve had my eye on Edinburgh for a while now and Rick has always wanted to see Ireland so this itinerary was the perfect compromise. We got a taste of Scotland and now know we have to go back and we got to see quite a bit of Ireland!

What we did on our tour

Here’s a high-level breakdown of each day of our Go Ahead tour, with our included activities and our use of our free time.

We started our tour in Paris on our own and planned to arrive on Tuesday, Sept. 5 in London to meet up with our group. Day one of these tours is always a travel day with an overnight flight so most people were arriving on Tuesday in the mid-morning or early afternoon.

Some in our group did the tour extension so they arrived in London on Saturday. We got into London around 1:30 and bought our oyster cards so we could take the tube to our hotel in Kensington.

We had some free time to freshen up before our welcome drinks and dinner that night. We met in the hotel bar and got a complimentary drink as Colin, our tour director, introduced himself and discussed some housekeeping items and went over the itinerary for the trip.

He handed out printed itineraries (we could also use the Go Ahead app to track our day-by-day activities), and our Vox boxes and headphones so we could hear the local tour guides while on our walking tours.

Then it was off to our included dinner at a nearby pub where we could get to know our fellow travelers. After dinner, Rick and I went out to another pub as it was a lovely night.

On our full day in London we started off at 8:30 a.m. with a guided tour of London by bus and got off at Westminster Abbey (the tour does not include going inside the abbey) and then walked through a park to get a spot to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

Then, we had a free afternoon or London or we could have done the excursion to Hampton Court Palace (11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Rick and I were fine skipping the palace and just enjoying London on our own.

We collected our stuff from the bus and made our way toward a pub for a lunch of fish and chips and beer while we planned the rest of our day. We had seen posters for the Back to the Future: The Musical show while on the tube and then passed the theater on our guided tour that morning and found there were tickets available that night!

We had originally planned to do a Jack the Ripper tour, but we can do that anytime we return to London so we canceled our tour and booked tickets for the show. I mean, our blog’s name is in honor of that amazing trilogy, we had to go!!

But, we had some time to kill between lunch and our show. I’ve always wanted to visit the Shard and saw some spots open for afternoon tea. So, we booked a tea time for two hours later!

We then rushed back to our hotel to change for the evening and grab our portable chargers and anything we needed for the night.

We then hopped back on the tube back to the Shard for our afternoon tea at Aqua Shard. They had a Peter Pan-themed set menu and it was fabulous. We both added a glass of sparkling rose to our order!

My favorite savory item was the sausage roll though the cucumber sandwich was also very tasty. The desserts were delicious and we had a chocolate cake, raspberry mousse and a shortbread cookie, a coconut cake, and super yummy scones!

After our tea, we walked across Tower Bridge where I snapped 100 photos and went to visit a magic shop Rick likes.

Then we strolled through London back to the theater district to see the show.

It was an amazing performance and they adapted it to the stage so well! I’m so glad we skipped our Jack the Ripper tour to see this show as it doesn’t look like it’s coming to Denver anytime soon.

It truly was a fabulous performance for us Back to the Future nerds and the special effects were mind-blowing. There were a few changes to the story but Rick and I both agreed they still work within the movie’s original canon and made sense as to why they were changed.

The rest of our group also went to the theater that night as our tour director had scored a deal on some tickets to Wicked.

Afterward we hopped back on the tube back to Kensington as we had to pack up for our train ride to Scotland in the morning.

The next morning it was time to eat before boarding our train at King’s Cross to take us to Edinburgh! Of course we stopped for a photo opp at Platform 9 3/4.

We had to have our bags ready at 8:15 a.m. and our train departed at 10:30 a.m. and arrived in Edinburgh at 3:15 p.m.

We took the LNER train to Edinburgh and arrived mid-afternoon. We got checked into our hotel and then we joined Colin on his guided walk of Edinburgh which ended with a hike up Calton Hill to take in the amazing view over the city – and to try some typical Scottish snacks and drinks.

Colin lives in Edinburgh so it was great to get his perspective on what to do in the city and he gave us recommendations of pubs and restaurants to check out while we were in the city.

That night we had an included group dinner at Indigo Yard at 7:15 p.m. After dinner, Rick and I checked out our neighborhood and went to one of Colin’s recommendations, Pickles, the wine bar. It was a cute spot and we each had two glasses of red wine.

The next day we had a free morning in the city as we opted not to do the excursion to Abbotsford House and Melrose Abbey (8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.). I do think the abbey would have been neat to see, but Rick and I also just enjoy wandering through cities and seeing what we see as we stroll.

We took the time and wandered over to Dean Village for the picturesque views, then up toward Edinburgh Castle, and then down the Royal Mile while popping into some souvenir shops along the way as I was not leaving Scotland without some shortbread biscuits!

After walking along the Royal Mile, listening to the locals play the bagpipes and buying some Scottish souvenirs, we made our way to the end of the road to have lunch at The World’s End pub, where we dined on the traditional dish of haggis!

As soon as we had driven past The World’s End pub we knew we were going to be eating there at some point as I’m a huge Simon Pegg fan!

After lunch, we met back at our hotel to join our group for a guided tour of the city that ended at Edinburgh Castle. We had to be back at 2 p.m. as the bus was getting us at 2:15 p.m.

Our guided sightseeing tour was by bus and we drove around the city while learning about Edinburgh’s history before being dropped off at the Castle and walking around the grounds. We got some time to visit the castle, enjoy the views, and see the Crown Jewels.

I do wish we had had a bit more time to explore the grounds as I think we had an hour of free time there, but it goes by very quickly when waiting in line to see things or get into certain buildings.

After our tour of Edinburgh Castle we jumped back on our coach to go back to the hotel to change, get some more cash, and our chargers so we could head out for our ghost tour! The activity I was super excited about in Edinburgh as the city is supposed to be extremely haunted.

We didn’t have time for dinner as we were done at the castle around 4:30/5 and our ghost tour was at 6:30 p.m., but it was fine as we were sooooo full from our giant lunch.

So, we made our way back to the Royal Mile to meet up with our ghost tour guide and group.

On our ghost tour of Edinburgh we got to explore the Blair Street Vaults and Canongate Cemetery.

Some of the highlights from our Edinburgh ghost tour include:

• The grave in a parking lot that’s used today
• The story of half-hanged Maggie
• The story of William Barton and his deal with the devil
• The Blair Street Underground Vaults and the ghosts that reside there, including Jack, the cobbler, and Mr. Boots (AKA The Watcher)
• A visit to Canongate graveyard
• The story of Burke and Hare, the Edinburgh body snatchers and murderers

After our great ghost tour we made our way to Greyfriars Kirkyard to recognize some names from Harry Potter. We weren’t ready to turn in yet so we walked back up Calton Hill to see the view over Edinburgh at night.

We ended our evening at Keller which was just around the corner from our hotel and got a charcuterie board and some beers.

The next morning, we packed up everything on the bus by 7:45 a.m. and made our way toward Liverpool by way of some smaller stops for bathroom breaks, such as a stop in Kendal in Cumbria, which is famous for its mint cakes.

Most of the people in our group opted to do the Beatles museum while in Liverpool but Rick and I weren’t that interested so we just decided to Google what to do in Liverpool not Beatles-related.

We ended up booking a cruise on the River Mersey while learning about the history of Liverpool. The cruise afforded amazing views of the city, but the voice over was pretty rough and hard to hear.

So we mostly enjoyed our drinks and the views as we cruised the river for 50 minutes. The river cruise was only £12, so worth it even if we couldn’t hear the commentary.

After that we went for a ride on the ferris wheel that also gave us great views over Liverpool and the river we were just on.

After our ride on the Wheel of Liverpool, which was also £12 per person, we crossed the street to Royal Albert Dock and found this great wine and tapas bar and dug into some of our favorite foods from Spain!

To be honest, we were both a bit fish and chipped and beer’d out at that time.

So we gorged ourselves on sangria, croquetas, sardines, meatballs, and paella. It was amazing.

We had about five hours total in Liverpool before we had to be back on the bus to head to Chester, where we were spending the night.

Our hotel in Chester was gorgeous and had a lively bar scene, so we dropped off our suitcases in our room and went downstairs to be social with the other travelers in our group.

We couldn’t stay up too late though as we had to pack up and get ready for the ferry ride to Dublin! We loaded up our luggage on the bus at 8:15 a.m. and made our way to Holyhead to climb aboard the ferry over to Ireland.

On our way, we stopped at the seaside village of Llandudno to stretch our legs, get a snack, and use the restrooms.

After that stop we were back on the bus to continue our drive through Wales toward Holyhead.

But, before we got there, we had one more stop to make just for the photos alone! A stop at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! It’s the Welsh village with the longest name in Britain!

As you can see, the English translation is below which is “The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White hazel near the fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave.”

That’s a name right there.

After that stop it was onto the ferry to head over to Ireland! The Stena Line ferry took about three hours and I was glad I brought a few books with me. The ferry is large but there aren’t many that many communal spots. We first had to snag seats in the theater but finally we made another lap by the bar and found a table to sit at.

I can get seasick when we travel by water but this ferry is so slow that I didn’t feel a thing while onboard. All in it was an easy journey. Good to know if you want to pay in cash on board it was euros, not pounds.

We got into Dublin around 6 p.m. and got picked up by a new bus and new driver, Declan, who took us to our hotel in Dublin. Luckily our hotel had a restaurant inside so we could eat when we got there.

After dinner, it was time to check out Dublin’s nightlife and we headed off to the Templebar district for some beers and live music!

We found a great spot where a musician was playing a fantastic mix of ’90s and early ’00s jams as well as some traditional Irish pub music.

Of course we got ourselves some Guinness and sang along – at least along with the songs we knew! It was exactly what we were expecting on our first night in Dublin.

We also did go out on a night when Ireland was playing football against the Netherlands, and unfortunately lost, but we were in our green cheering them on anyway!

The next day, our full day in Dublin, we started at 8:30 a.m. with a guided tour of Phoenix Park before a guided tour of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

We had time to get off the bus at the park, though it was raining so most of us just snapped some pics and got back on the bus. Then we drove over to St. Patrick’s and had time to explore inside the church and take our photographs.

After the Cathedral, we took a little walk to visit the Molly Malone statue. Poor Molly has been fondled for almost ten years as tourists will rub her bosom for “good luck.”

Next up on our itinerary was a stop at the Guinness Storehouse at 11:30 a.m.! We had to go and get a perfectly poured pint at the Gravity Bar!

The tour was interesting and really went in-depth on Guinness’ history, production, and marketing for the brand. The storehouse is a museum meets tasting room meets restaurant venue. Rick and I have been to Coors over in Golden, CO and the Guinness experience blew the Coors one out of the water. It was just floor after floor of beer history and information.

Of course we made a stop at the tasting room where we could smell the different ingredients that gives Guinness its flavor and ruby red (yes, ruby red) color. Then we learned how to taste the beer, much like doing a wine tasting.

We continued our exploration a bit and went to get our free beer up at the bar located on top of the building and then we headed back down for lunch. We stopped at the 1837 Bar & Brasserie where Rick tried a different beer and I opted for a black velvet cocktail which was a Guinness stout mixed with prosecco. Not going to lie, it was damn good!

Of course we also got Irish coffees at the end of our meal. It was still raining out so we needed something to warm us up before heading back out into Dublin!

We decided to take one of the carriages back into town and that was a mistake. They told us one price and then asked us for something different at the end, so I would not recommend going with them no matter how fun the ride looks.

I was also dumb and didn’t realize we would need tickets to see the Trinity College library, and we’d been dropped off there. So we walked the campus a bit but then headed back to our hotel to rest up and freshen up before our dinner that evening.

That night we were booked for the Go Ahead excursion of a Traditional Irish Dinner & Show at The Merry Ploughboy pub, from 6-10 p.m.

This was really fun as we got both live music, singing, and dancing! The dinner was a set menu and I opted for the cheese plate starter, the fish for my main, and the apple pie for dessert. Rick got the seafood chowder to start, chicken, and he also had apple pie.

The food was good but you’re really going for the entertainment and these guys and gals are true performers. They encourage audience participation for some songs and are all extremely talented.

Killarney + County Kerry

The next morning we were back on the bus at 8:30 a.m. and heading off to Blarney Castle, where yes, we did kiss the Blarney Stone!

I want to say we had two or three hours at the castle grounds so we had time to get in line to kiss the stone, check out the rooms of the castle (including the murder hole room), and walk the grounds and poison garden. We also had time for a little shopping and to pick up some lunch before getting back on the bus and heading off to Killarney for the night.

That night we had a group dinner near our hotel after getting checked in.

On our second day, we took a bus ride along the Ring of Kerry and made various photo stops as well as just enjoyed the stunningly beautiful scenery and many, many sheep sightings.

We checked out the Kerry Bog Village, had a stop for some shopping and complimentary Irish coffees, visited Sneem, and a few other coastal stops.

Our day included a stop at a restaurant with Ireland’s best known view (fog permitting). You be the judge:

I decided to try a seafood pie and Rick got a sandwich and some chips. We both got salads too as we were all set in the carbs department!

We explored a few more stops and enjoyed the rolling green hills before heading back to our hotel in Killarney.

Even though we had done the Irish Dinner & Show, Colin was also organizing a group in Killarney to see the Celtic Steps at 7:30 p.m. It doesn’t take much convincing to get me to a show, especially one that’s about dance, so we obviously asked for tickets.

The dancers at Merry Ploughboy were good, but the dancers at the Celtic Steps were another level. It was a fabulous show and makes me wish I was just as talented as those dancers!

After the show, Rick and I wanted to check out the nightlife there in Killarney and got dropped off in the city before the bus took everyone else back to the hotel.

We found a nice pub with live music and thought what the hell, we haven’t had enough Guinness yet in Ireland! We were at the pub for an hour to hour and a half before it was closing time and walked back to our hotel.

Killarney was very walkable! Again, I think our hotels were all pretty centrally located for anything we wanted to do with our free time and not needing public transportation or a taxi to get us there.

Cliffs of Moher + Dublin

On our last day of the trip we finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher!

We had about three hours to explore the beautiful work of nature and it wasn’t enough for me! I loved being able to walk the cliffside trails and we got extremely fortunate with our weather that day as it was sunny.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, that I’ve talked to who has been to the Cliffs of Moher warned me it would be windy, it would be cloudy, it would be rainy. It was none of those things when we were there the second week of September!

In fact, it was so warm I ended up getting some ice cream from the shop!

Afterward, it was time to head back to Dublin for the night before departing for home. We had our farewell dinner at the hotel which was ideal as we had a 5 a.m. alarm set the next morning for our flight to Zurich and then on to Denver.

It was hard saying goodbye to our fellow travelers! You would really have to go out of your way to not make friends on these types of tours.

Go Ahead also offers extra excursions at a cost during the tour. We ended up only booking one on this itinerary compared to our last trip where I think we ended up doing all of those add-on excursions. The only one that caught our attention was the traditional Irish dinner, music, and dancing show.

Our time in London and Edinburgh were too short to want to do excursions when we had our own list of things we wanted to see and do, such as afternoon tea, the theater, and a ghost tour.

The tour director

Our tour director was Colin and he was fantastic. Truly fantastic! He was always engaging, friendly, and knowledgeable. He was also very communicative, even when the group was having technical difficulties with WhatsApp. Like Rick and I apparently went against their terms of service, as did a bunch of people on our tour (I still never got a real answer from stupid Meta what that was about), but Colin just made sure to communicate through the Go Ahead app as well.

He even added his own excursions to the itinerary (we just paid him in cash for his add-ons), and it worked out well as some of his picks were things we wanted to do anyway!

Some of Colin’s excursions:

• A ticket to Wicked in London (we actually did end up going to the theater that night but opted to see Back to the Future: The Musical instead!)
• A walking tour of Edinburgh & hike up Calton Hill (he’s an Edinburgh local!)
• The Guinness Storehouse & Gravity Bar
• The Celtic Steps in Killarney

He also offered a few other excursions that unfortunately didn’t pan out due to low enrollment, such as the seaweed hot tub on our Ring of Kerry day and the Cliffs of Moher cruise due to weather.

Colin was always on time, energetic, and ready for whatever. He was a great guide and really made sure everything on our tour went as well as it could.

Accommodations

I did notice a change on this tour compared to our Spain, France, and Italy tour with Go Ahead. This time we stayed in more chain hotels, like Holiday Inns. It was fine, I just felt like our last trip we stayed at more boutique or locally-owned hotels.

Though, this change might be due to some of the travelers as people in our group complained in Dublin that the hotel didn’t have AC. Which the weather in Dublin wasn’t warranting the need of AC, at least in Rick’s and my opinion.

The hotels we stayed at:

• London: Holiday Inn Kensington High Street
• Edinburgh: Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh City Centre GAT
• Chester (Liverpool day): Indigo Chester Hotel
• Dublin: Cassidys Hotel
• Killarney: Earls Court House Hotel
• Dublin: Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport

All of our hotels offered breakfast each morning with most serving up a breakfast buffet or a continental breakfast with a limited menu for made-to-order eggs or pancakes. Most of the breakfasts also featured the standard hot coffee station that had americanos or lattes, so don’t expect our typical American drip coffee.

I really enjoyed the breakfasts at our hotels as I could make full English or Scottish breakfasts with beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, and bacon, and even black pudding at some hotels.

We were booked in a double room, so we often had the two beds pushed together in our rooms, and all of our accommodations were comfortable and provided what we needed. Minus one very important thing for me. For the life of me I cannot understand why only one of our hotels had both shampoo and conditioner.

This was a lesson learned for me as I was trying to travel light and did not bring my own shampoo, conditioner, and soap as every hotel we’ve been to offers those things. Every hotel we stayed at had soap. But there was at least one hotel that didn’t have shampoo in our shower. So, lesson learned that I need to bring my own conditioner next time we’re traveling through Europe!

I realize this is a total first-world problem, but it was something I just didn’t expect.

But, all the hotels were very nice and most were very centrally located. We never had a problem walking back to our hotels after a night out, especially in Edinburgh and Dublin. The only one that wasn’t in walking distance of much was our hotel in London, but the tube is easy enough to manage.

Transportation

The transportation between all of our travel destinations was handled all by Go Ahead.

Our flights to and from Denver were fine, though they are booking us on cheaper flights as I know there are direct flights from DIA to Paris, but they booked us on a flight that had a layover in Munich, which was fine honestly. We flew out from DIA at about 4 p.m. on Friday and arrived in Paris at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

But our flight home from Dublin made no sense. We flew Dublin to Zurich and then back all the way to Denver. So we left Dublin at 8 a.m., changed planes in Zurich, and landed in Denver around 4:30 p.m.

Go Ahead is willing to take any accommodations you have into account if you’re willing to pay for those changes, like seat upgrades or when we switched from flying into London to flying into Paris. You just have to call the customer service line and make those requests.

The reason we do book flights with Go Ahead is in case anything goes wrong, their customer service will handle our rebookings and getting us where we need to be. Especially with so many flight delays and cancelations happening across the board, I’d rather know we have someone in our corner who can take care of the airlines should something go wrong instead of stressing out about it ourselves.

Airport transfers

If you book flights with Go Ahead, transportation to and from the airport is included with that fee. You can also add on airport pick up and drop off. I want to say it was around $25 when we looked at it for our Barcelona trip.

The majority of the transportation on this trip is by bus, but that wasn’t a problem for us. Most of our buses had giant windows so you could see everything, snap some pictures, and just enjoy the ride.

All the bus drivers we had were great drivers, friendly, and funny. They also do a lot of work in getting our luggage stowed away when it’s time to drive to a new hotel.

I am just truly amazed at how skilled our bus drivers are at navigating these small streets with super tight turns, but they all do it like it’s nothing!

Do note that it’s a toss up if your bus’ bathroom will be unlocked and available to you. On some we could use the on-board facilities and some we couldn’t or it was difficult to unlock the door. But, the itinerary allows for quite a few bathroom breaks on bus-heavy days so it wasn’t really a problem.

This trip did include a train ride from London to Edinburgh. You are responsible for getting your own luggage on and off the train though our tour director knew someone who worked for the train and gave him a tip to help us with our bags. Colin had all the connections!

Pace of tour

This tour is very fast-paced as you have a lot to see in two weeks! We were so, so glad we packed in carry-ons for this trip as we were changing hotels a lot. But, that’s to be expected when visiting four countries and cramming a lot of sightseeing in.

If the idea of spending one or two nights in a city before moving onto the next sounds too chaotic or challenging, this itinerary might not be for you. We were on the move a lot, but that’s what Rick and I were expecting. We’ll often use these types of tours to get a taste a place and see if we need to come back, like we realized with Edinburgh!

We knew we’d be moving around a lot on this tour and prepared accordingly by packing light and being able to pack up our room quickly.

Price of tour

Take our price of the tour with a grain of salt as we originally booked this tour in 2018.

Tour cost (per person):

• Tour: $3,659
• Flights (from Denver): $1,345
• Trip insurance: $329

Go Ahead does offer other excursions and add-ons, though we only did one, the Irish Dinner and Show. Here are the excursions offered on this itinerary and their costs per person:

• Windsor Castle: $119
• Abbotsford House & Melrose Abbey: $99
• The Beatles: History & Story Museum: $99
• Traditional Irish Dinner & Show: $109

We did apply a few discounts, such as an online promo ($200 off) and our Club Go rewards ($100).

Inclusions: Group dinners

Some nights of the tour do also include group dinners, which can be great especially after a long day of traveling, we didn’t have to worry about finding somewhere to eat.

Colin was great on these nights as I do have a food allergy and he always made sure to pop over and let me know if I had to avoid any dishes on the menu due to my allergy.

I will say that we heard some complaints about these included dinners from other travelers. Were these dinner like eating at a Michelin-star restaurant? No. Were they fast food dinners? Also no! I’d compare these dinners to conference or wedding catering.

It was typically a set menu with three or four options for mains, sometimes a starter, always a dessert served with tea or coffee, and a complimentary drink, such as white or red wine, beer, or cider. You could get more drinks with your dinner out of pocket.

Here’s what Rick and I had during our included group dinners:

• London: We both had the steak pie, London Pride (beer), and brownie with ice cream
• Edinburgh: We both opted for a beer and both got the same soup starter, then I had the shrimp pasta, Rick had the cheeseburger and fries, and we both got sticky toffee pudding for dessert
• Killarney: I started with a meat and cheese plate, then had the bacon and mash, and dessert was a coconut chocolate tart. Rick had the lemon sorbet, beef stew, and the same dessert. Rick had red wine and I had a cider.
• Dublin (farewell dinner at the hotel): I had the cod, a cider, and salted caramel cake for dessert. Rick opted for the chicken and same dessert as it sounded fantastic, and it was!

Overall thoughts

Rick and I were able to check off most items on our bingo card of what the other travelers would say to us as we were the youngest couple on the tour. These tours tend to have travelers from the 50+ age demographic, but we also don’t mind being the youngsters. You’ll still make friends and many of the people in your group are excited to be there and enjoy traveling.

We’re booked on another Go Ahead trip in March to Japan and we’ve got our eye on a food and wine tour of Spain with Go Ahead that might be put on the schedule for 2025.

Like I said, group tours are not for everyone. But, we’ve enjoyed the ones we’ve done with Go Ahead and would (and will) travel with them again in the future.

We really enjoyed this itinerary as it was just what we were looking for in a guided experience and we packed a lot in during our two weeks in Europe, which is exactly what we wanted.

If you’ve got recommendations of other group tour companies we should check out, please let us know in the comments!

Hey, I'm Stephanie! I'm a copywriter living in beautiful Denver with my husband Rick, and our dog Rocco. I love traveling, writing, reading, and being outside as much as possible - unless I'm on the couch binge watching Stranger Things with a glass of wine! Thanks for reading and being a part of the adventure with Back to the Passport! ❤️

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A traveler’s review on England, Scotland, and Ireland

Go Ahead traveler Stephanie embarked on our 12-day tour of England, Scotland, and Ireland. We caught up with Stephanie to see what she thought of her tour and get some advice.

by Go Ahead Tours team

September 4, 2019

Go Ahead traveler Stephanie embarked on our 12-day tour of England, Scotland and Ireland . We caught up with Stephanie to see what she thought of her tour and get some advice. Here’s what she had to say about her adventures in England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Why did you choose Go Ahead?

I did EF Educational Tours when I was in high school and college. When I graduated from Indiana University, I wanted to do a big trip. I went ahead with it because I loved EF tours, and Go Ahead is the group tour company for adults. I like doing group tours because they take a lot of the stress out of having to plan the logistics for yourself. I can just enjoy it and add on to things if I want.

What was it about England, Scotland and Ireland that intrigued you?

I just always wanted to visit those countries. Looking at the different tour options, this one really stuck out to me since I’d been wanting to go there for a while, and there are no language barriers or anything like that to worry about.

Who did you travel with?

I originally wanted to do a trip by myself, but I was talking about it with a friend I knew from school and she asked, “Can I go?” and I said “Sure!” Then, another friend who I work with in Chicago heard about the trip and asked if there was any room left and if she could join too.

Before you went, what were you looking forward to most? What took you by surprise?

For London especially, it was the big touristy things I’ve always seen in the movies and heard about. I always knew London was big, but I didn’t expect it to be so massive. There’s so much happening in London.

Scotland was wonderful, I fell in love with Edinburgh. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so beautiful. You see all the photos and it really just takes your breath away. We had great weather, we were really lucky.

Dublin was great, but what really sold Ireland for me was when we went to County Kerry, County Clare, all the places outside of the city. Our Tour Director was from Ireland and was able to share a lot—I wasn’t expecting to see all those historic great sights in Ireland. To be able to see some of the smaller cities that weren’t as “touristy” was great insight into what Irish life is like.

What was your favorite city?

My favorite city out of the whole tour was Edinburgh . I liked it because it was like London in that it was a bigger city, there were a lot of activities and historic sites, but it was small enough that you could walk through it (unlike London, which is so huge you have to take the Tube everywhere). It was just gorgeous and you could do everything—shopping, history, museums, nightlife, hiking—it was all right there.

Favorite free-time suggestion?

The whisky tour outside of Edinburgh Castle. I recommend it for everyone because you get to see how whisky is made and taste it. It’s nice to learn the history, taste the different kinds and see the different regions of Scotland where it’s made.

What are your tips for someone traveling on this tour?

There’s a lot of walking, it can be very vigorous. When you visit a new place you really want to explore the area, so be prepared for that: bring good walking shoes.

Also, be open to new things. These countries aren’t too far off from American culture, but there are some smaller things to try to get used to. Don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask questions, you can learn a lot from them.

If you had to summarize this tour in just a few sentences, how would you describe it?

Overall, the locations were the true stars of this tour. Everything was so beautiful, there was so much to learn and at the end of the day it’s great to share with others. It’s really all about the people who you’ll meet in the locations you visit. Being able to go to so many different places and meet so many new, local people, that’s why I did it.

Why do you think traveling is important?

It really goes back to being able to understand different people and different cultures, anything outside your bubble. The world is so busy, you don’t always have time to get out and see how other people are living their lives. [Traveling] puts my life in perspective, makes me more aware of other countries that are doing great and those that are struggling. It makes you a more well-rounded person.

Have you been on our England, Scotland & Ireland tour ? What did you think? Share your thoughts on Facebook !

About the author

Go Ahead Tours team

We’re a team of passionate travel experts, dedicated to helping people explore the world. From inspiring stories to tips for an amazing trip, the topics we cover are all about getting you out there and making discoveries.

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