Day 1 - Sunday, September 27:
Evening departure from Toronto to Edinburgh.
** Please note airfare is not included in the tour cost. Pauwels Travel will be happy to assist with your reservations. Westjet Airlines operates a direct service into Edinburgh. Rates including a checked bag at time of printing were $1325.00. The coach will be based on the Westjet arrival time of 1010.
Day 2 - Monday, September 28: Arrive in Edinburgh (D)
Morning arrival at 10:10. Here you will be met by your tour hosts and taken to the coach for immediate departure to Linlithgow Palace, birthplace and christening chapel of Mary, Queen of Scots. Photo-op, admission and time for lunch before mid afternoon transfer to the hotel, centrally located in Scotland's capital. Opportunity to refresh before we walk the Royal Mile with John Knox House, the High Kirk of St. Giles, the Palace of Holyrood house and faithful Greyfriars Bobby. Dinner in-house.
Day 3 - Tuesday, September 29: City Tour
We begin our day with a city tour with notable sites such as Edinburgh Castle with its Battlements, Argyle Battery, St. Margaret's Chapel, the Crown Room and Mons Meg. Afternoon for personal choices that may include the National and Portrait Galleries, a quick city bus to nearby Leith and the Royal Yacht Britannia...how the Royals lived at sea! Or Scott’s Monument and the beginnings of Scottish shopping on Princes Street. Evening at leisure.
Day 4 - Wednesday, September 30: Edinburgh and Surroundings
Today’s full day excursion includes some of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks. We begin at Stirling Castle, a magnificent royal stronghold rich with stories of monarchs, battles, and sweeping Highland views. From there, we continue to the remarkable Falkirk Wheel, the world’s only rotating boat lift and a striking example of modern Scottish engineering. The day concludes at the spectacular Kelpies, two towering steel horse sculptures that have quickly become a national symbol. It’s a beautifully balanced day of history, innovation, and unforgettable scenery. No group dinner this evening.
Day 5 - Thursday, October 01: St. Andrews and on to Sepyside (D)
Morning departure from Edinburgh brings us north into the Kingdom of Fife, where we pause in the historic town of St Andrews for a scenic photo stop and a taste of its coastal charm. Continuing across the Tay Bridge with views over the river and Dundee’s waterfront, we make our way to Glamis Castle, the beloved childhood home of the late Queen Mother and forever linked with the legends of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. After exploring this remarkable estate, we travel onward to Speyside and settle into our hotel for dinner in house.
Day 6 - Friday, October 02: All Around Speyside
A visual day as we explore picturesque Speyside by way of Kildrummy Castle to the Cairngorm Mountains, with magnificent landscape and clear running streams. We encounter familiar names…Tomintoul, Ballindallach, Glenlivet, Knockandu, and Cardhu. Highland hospitality demands simple tastings but which and where? Lunch before a touch of Canada at Craigellachie. No “Last Spike” here but rather the Speyside Cooperage where we end our day with demonstrations of traditional barrel making, so fundamental and essential to whisky maturation! Late afternoon return to our hotel.
Day 7 - Saturday, October 03: On to Inverness
We continue our Speyside explorations toward Inverness, passing through the whisky-famous communities of Dufftown, Rothes, and Keith. Midday brings us to Cawdor Castle, a legendary setting linked to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, where we enjoy lunch and time to explore the castle and its beautiful gardens. The afternoon includes a moving visit to Culloden Moor, site of the final Jacobite battle, followed by a stop at the nearby Clava Cairns, whose ancient stone circles offer a striking glimpse into the Highlands’ earliest history. We arrive in Inverness late afternoon for dinner in house.
Day 8 - Sunday, October 04: Inverness and Loch Ness
This morning begins with a panoramic tour of Inverness, highlighting the River Ness, the castle viewpoint, and the historic centre of the Highland capital. Late morning we travel to Loch Ness for a scenic cruise on its deep, legendary waters, framed by the dramatic hills of the Great Glen. After returning to shore, we continue to a nearby distillery for a guided tasting that showcases the distinctive character of Highland whisky. We return to Inverness in the late afternoon with time to relax or explore at your own pace. No group dinner this evening, allowing you to enjoy the city’s many restaurants and pubs independently.
Day 9 - Monday, October 05: From Inverness to the Isle of Skye (D)
Leaving the capital of the Highlands, we travel south along Loch Ness through Drumnadrochit and into the Great Glen, a dramatic geological fault line that cuts across the Highlands through a chain of freshwater lochs linked by the Caledonian Canal. Continuing past Fort Augustus and Invergarry, the landscape opens toward the West Highlands as we arrive at Eilean Donan, the quintessential Scottish castle set at the meeting of three sea lochs. We enjoy a full visit of this iconic fortress before continuing toward the Kyle of Lochalsh and crossing to the Hebridean Isle of Skye. Registration and dinner in house.
Day 10 - Tuesday, October 06: Isle of Skye
A full-day exploration of the Isle of Skye reveals some of its most celebrated landscapes. We begin with the colourful harbour town of Portree before travelling north into the island’s dramatic Trotternish Peninsula. Here the great escarpments of the Storr and the Quiraing rise in sweeping ridges, and Kilt Rock plunges sheer into the sea—each offering unforgettable viewpoints. Midday brings us to Dunvegan Castle, hereditary seat of the Clan MacLeod, where we enjoy lunch and a tour of this storied stronghold. Our return route leads through Colbost to the famed Talisker Distillery, where a wee dram provides a fitting toast to the island’s rugged spirit. Dinner this evening in house.
Day 11 - Wednesday, October 07: Glencoe and on to Glasgow (D)
An early departure from Skye by ferry to mainland Mallaig where our route, aptly named The Road to the Isles, takes us to Glenfinnan and the ‘45 Memorial to the Stuart’s second attempt to acquire the Hanoverian Crown. Passing Fort William and skirting Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest peak, we approach Glencoe and visit the infamous 17th-century massacre site of Clan MacDonald members. Time permitting, a stop at the Georgian village of Helenburgh with its villas once home to wealthy Glaswegian merchants and visit Hill House- designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (CRM). Late afternoon Glasgow hotel registration. Dinner... fish & chips in a "wee poke" is the easy and only recommendation...with perhaps an evening stroll on Sauchiehall Street with a quick pub visit to end our day.
Day 12 - Thursday, October 08: Glasgow
*Today you will receive your two day Hop On/Off pass which will allow individual travel and visits to the more significant sites in Glasgow.
Morning panoramic coach city orientation tour introduces the city's highlights: St. Mungo’s Cathedral, Mercat Cross, Kelvingrove Museum and Sauchiehall Street. Later we visit the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery...a superb example of a personal collection transitioned to public pleasure and education that truly underscores the Scottish appreciation for culture, education and achievement. Also nearby, the reconstructed principal rooms of Mackintosh House. And a perfect ending to the touring day might be late afternoon tea in the delightfully restored Mackintosh interior of The Willows Tearoom. Evening at leisure.
Day 13 - Friday, October 09: Glasgow on your own
Full day for personal choices... several suggestions below. But this evening we gather for our Auld Lang Syne dinner.
Suggestions:
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum...stunning 20thC building that offers the Old Masters to the “Glasgow Boys”.:
• Gallery of Modern Art
• People's Palace
• The Tenement House
• St.Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art
Day 14 - Saturday, October 10: To Edinburg and flight home
Final Scottish breakfast before our transfer to Edinburgh Airport and direct return flight to Toronto. Lunch will be served on board before landing at Toronto's Pearson Airport in the late afternoon.
