Home »
Ireland

15 day tour Scotland and Ireland ancestry tour for Americans

Scots Irish and More

Scotland & Ireland Ancestral Journey

A Heritage Tour for Travelers with Irish & Scottish Roots

Follow the landscapes, legends, and traditions that shaped your family story on this carefully paced Scotland and Ireland heritage tour. Designed for mature US travelers with Scottish and Irish ancestry, this journey blends historic castles, ancestral regions, gentle walking tours, and warm cultural encounters—while staying in comfortable, character-filled hotels, including castle stays.

This tour is one of our most popular large coach tours – with 27-48 people on board.
Royal Highland Show
Are you Scottish & Irish?

Scots Northern Irish & More Coach Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Edinburgh & The Scotch Whisky Experience

Begin your journey in Edinburgh, departing your hotel at 2:00 PM for a visit to the Scotch Whisky Experience on the historic Royal Mile. Learn how Scotland’s national spirit has been crafted and perfected over centuries, explore the world’s largest collection of Scotch whisky, and enjoy a tasting of single malt or blended whisky.
This evening, savor dinner accompanied by storytelling that brings Scottish history, folklore, and clan traditions to life.
(Select August departures include the experience but dine independently.) (D*)

Call +1-800-221-2474 9AM - 5PM Mon-Fri Eastern Time Please Email Us For Information

Day 2: Edinburgh City Tour & Edinburgh Castle

Enjoy a panoramic tour of Edinburgh’s New Town, with its elegant Georgian architecture, and stroll part of the Royal Mile, walked for generations by Scots and visitors alike. Tour Edinburgh Castle, home to the Scottish Crown Jewels and a powerful symbol of Scotland’s national identity.
The afternoon and evening are free for quiet exploration or relaxation.
(Select August departures attend the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.) (B) Scottish Castle

Day 3: Highland Chocolates, Blair Castle & Into the Highlands

Travel north through the peaceful landscapes of Perthshire to visit Iain Burnett, the Highland Chocolatier, for a guided tasting of handcrafted chocolates made with local Scottish ingredients.
After free time and lunch in Pitlochry, tour romantic Blair Castle, seat of the Dukes of Atholl since the 13th century and steeped in Highland history. Continue through classic Scottish Highlands scenery to your hotel, where dinner awaits. (B, D)

Day 4: Loch Ness, Isle of Skye & Glencoe

Journey along the shores of legendary Loch Ness, passing iconic Eilean Donan Castle, before crossing to the Isle of Skye, long associated with clan history and Gaelic culture. Enjoy lunch in Sligachan, beneath the dramatic Cuillin Hills, and hear tales of the island’s enduring legends.
Return to the mainland, traveling through hauntingly beautiful Glencoe and the scenic Trossachs, before arriving in Dunblane. (B, L, D)

Maskintosh design

Day 5: Stirling Castle & Ferry to Ireland

Tour majestic Stirling Castle, once home to Mary, Queen of Scots, and a pivotal site in Scotland’s fight for independence. Travel southwest to Cairnryan and cross by ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland, continuing your ancestral journey across the Irish Sea. Dinner is included at your hotel. (B, D)

Royal Highland Show Day 6 Titanic Belfast & Crosskeys Inn
At Titanic Belfast, delve into the history of the famous liner. Walk with a local guide to see the imposing City Hall in Donegall Square and Victorian buildings, including the Opera House and the Crown Liquor Saloon. Your afternoon is free to explore. In the evening, visit Crosskeys Inn for dinner and entertainment. (B, D)

Day 6: Titanic Belfast & Traditional Irish Evening

Visit Titanic Belfast, an award-winning museum built beside the historic shipyards where the famed liner was constructed. Enjoy free time in Belfast before an evening at the Crosskeys Inn, Ireland’s oldest thatched pub, for traditional hospitality, music, and storytelling in a CIE Tours exclusive experience. (B, D)

Day 7: Antrim Coast, Giant’s Causeway & Derry

Travel the scenic Nine Glens of Antrim, a region long shaped by ancient clans and coastal communities. Visit the Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stop for photos at the dramatic ruins of Dunluce Castle.
In Derry, join a locally guided walking tour exploring the city’s complex past and hopeful present. Continue to your hotel in Letterkenny. (B, D)

Stobo Castle

Day 8: Donegal Heritage & Castle Stay

Stroll through Glenveagh National Park, home to wild landscapes, native woodlands, and a stately Victorian castle. Continue to Donegal town for free time and a visit to Triona Design, celebrating traditional Irish knitwear.
This evening, settle into elegant Kilronan Castle, where you’ll enjoy time to relax before dinner in the castle restaurant. (B, D)

Day 9: Arigna Mining Experience & Shannon Waterways

Discover the lives of generations of Irish miners at the Arigna Mining Experience, guided by former miners who share personal stories of resilience and community. Continue to Carrick-on-Shannon, a charming riverside town, before returning to your castle hotel in Ballyfarnon for dinner. (B, D)

Northern ireland Tour

Day 10: Galway, Cliffs of Moher & Medieval Banquet

Enjoy a guided walking tour of Galway, exploring medieval streets, city walls, and Lynch’s Castle. Travel through the limestone landscapes of the Burren, then stand atop the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, rising high above the Atlantic Ocean.
Celebrate your journey with a medieval-style banquet in a historic castle, a fitting finale to your ancestral adventure. (B, D)

Blarney Castle Day 11: South Pole Inn | Dingle Peninsula | Slea Head | Killarney Take a ferry across the River Shannon Estuary to discover the Dingle Peninsula. Enjoy the views from Slea Head at the westernmost tip. Stop in Dingle to explore and sip an Irish coffee at the South Pole Inn. Head to Killarney, a town settled beside three lakes in the shadow of Ireland's highest mountains. (B, D)

Day 12: Jaunting Car Ride | Ring of Kerry Highlights | Sheepdog Demonstration

Enjoy a horse-drawn jaunting car ride to Ross Castle for views of Lough Leane, Killarney's largest lake. Visit Moriarty's in the beautiful Gap of Dunloe. Next, see the highlights of the Ring of Kerry scenic drive, with its breathtaking vistas of mountains, cliffs and beaches. Head to Kenmare for lunch. Visit a traditional farm and see dogs herding sheep. Return to Killarney for a free evening. (B, L)

Day 13: BLARNEY CASTLE & ABBEY TAVERN
Visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous stone or stroll through the gardens. Travel through the rich dairy country of Cork and Tipperary, past the gentle slopes of the Galtee Mountains. Arrive in Dublin and enjoy a festive dinner at the Abbey Tavern followed by traditional entertainment. (B, D)

Day 14: DUBLIN SIGHTSEEING
Explore Dublin at your own pace with an independent Dublin open-top bus tour and a visit to one of Dublin's top attractions - Teeling Distillery, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, or GPO Museum. (B))

Day 15: TOUR ENDS IN DUBLIN
Your tour ends after breakfast.(B)

From the Irish Times: (About Irish in the USA) A second surprise followed with publication of a number of opinion polls which revealed that a majority of those who indicated an Irish background were Protestant and not Catholic, as had been widely assumed. For example, a survey by Gallup in the 1980s put the proportion of Protestants at 54 per cent. Another explanation is that these figures of Irish with a Protestant background include descendants of people who were Catholic. Several historians have argued that numbers for the Irish in the 18th-century American colonies include Catholics, who became Protestant because there were very weak Catholic Church structures. During the 19th and 20th centuries, in predominantly Protestant America, people from a Catholic background became Protestant. A good example was Ronald Reagan whose father was from an Irish Catholic background, but who followed the Protestant faith of his mother.

What's Included

GROUP AIRPORT TRANSFERS
When we book your flights together with a coach tour, we include complimentary group transfers on the starting and ending date of tours at times specified on each itinerary-a $30 per person fee applies to land only bookings.
Sightseeing by luxury coach throughout
Services of professional driver/guides
Superior first class hotels with private bath/shower for 14 nights
Full Scottish or Irish breakfast daily (B)
14 nights in hotels listed
14 breakfasts (B), 1 lunch (L) and 11 dinners (D) including a Scottish evening in Edinburgh, and a festive Medieval castle banquet.
Welcome get-together drink
Visits and admissions
All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel Edinburgh (2 nights)

Columba Hotel Inverness (Sunday Departure) or

or Muthu Newton Hotel, Nairn (Tuesday Departures)(1 night)

Doubletree Hydro Dunblane (1 night)

Europa Hotel Belfast (2 nights)

Station House Hotel Letterkenny (1 night)

Kilronan Castle Ballyfarnon (2 nights)

Temple Gate Hotel Ennis (1 night)
Killarney Plaza
Dublin Radison Blu

Price per person sharing a twin or triple room. ONLY ONE TRIPLE ROOM IS AVAILABLE PER DEPARTURE - BOOK EARLY. Save 10% per person on coach land tour prices if you 8 & under 18 and traveling with at least one full fare paying passenger. Airfare is available from many cities. Just ask.

Ask for rates and dates for 2026.