Beautiful Sorrento and Historic Rome together in an unforgetable tour

Sorrento and Rome Extravaganza Tour

Special Departure: September 13-22, 2011

Join Celtic Tours for this special departure featuring

• Roundtrip Airfare from JFK to Italy
• Transfer from Naples Airport to Sorrento
• Breakfast daily, except morning of arrival.
• 5-nights in beautiful Sorrento - at the 4-star Hotel Flora
• Full day tour of the Amalfi Coast
• Tour of traditional Lemon Farm
• Full day on the Isle of Capri
• Full day including Pompeii + Campania Wine Tour to La Cantine del Vesuvio
• Transfer from Sorrento to Rome
• 3-nights in Rome at the 4-star Grand Hotel Palatino
• Afternoon guided tour of Imperial Rome
• Morning guide tour: The Vatican + Afternoon guided tour: The Eternal Rome
• Papal Audience*
• Transfer from Rome hotel to Airport
  

Join Celtic Tours for an unforgettable tour of Italy on this special departure.

Dinner, a Show and Away You Go

Dinner, a Show & Away You Go! 

Self-Drive Super Sale!!

6-nights Independent Vacation

Featuring 2-nights Dublin with Dinner and A Show

plus 4-nights open B&B voucher and Car Rental!

Take advantage of Super Sale pricing - on this extra value self-drive vacation.

• Transfer from Dublin Airport to your Dublin Hotel
• 2-Nights Dublin - Arlington Hotel; with 1 Night B&B - and 1 Night Dinner + Entertainment at the famous Celtic Rhythm "Irish Dancing Night" right at your hotel
• Four nights open B&B accommodations - choose from over 1000 B&B's throughout Ireland or choose to upgrade to open hotel vouchers on one or all nights.
• 4-Days car rental with touring map provided with rental
• Irish Hotel Taxes
• FREE 5-minute phone card

Celtic Tours offers low airfares from your home city that can be combined with this fantasic deal!

It's Freedom, Flexibility - and Endless Possibilities! Learn more about this great Celtic Tours Vacation Package!

Brigadoon

“The mornin' dew is blinkin' yonder. There's lazy music in the rill,

And all I want to do is wander through the heather on the hill.”

The famous Lerner and Loewe whimsical musical fantasy is about two American tourists, Tommy and Jeff, who wander upon a mysterious Scottish village that materializes from the Highland mists once every hundred years, only to disappear the next day. To the villagers, the passing of each century seems no longer than one night. They feel that the enchantment is more of a blessing than a curse, as it saved the village from destruction. According to their covenant, no one from Brigadoon may ever leave, or the enchantment will be broken and the site and all its inhabitants will disappear into the mist forever.

Tommy inevitably falls in love with one of the villagers, Fiona, presenting the main conflict of the musical. The problem is that if Tommy stays in the town for more than a day, he can never return home to New York. Not trusting him emotions, Tommy returns home to his fiancée , Jane Ashton, whom he really does not want to marry. In the end, at the last minute, Tommy cancels his wedding and returns to Scotland. In another miracle, because Tommy's love for Fiona is so great, Brigadoon returns for another brief moment to allow Tommy to enter and never return to the outside world.

Allegedly, the name Brigadoon was inspired by a late medieval bridge called Brig o’ Doon, located near Alloway in South Ayreshire, crossing the River Doon. The famous bridge is also the settings for the final verse of Robert Burn’s poem Tamo’Shanter.

Discover the magic and mystery of the Scottish Highlands, and maybe sneak a peek at the famed village of Brigadoon, on your next Celtic Tours Scotland Vacation.

Explore Scenic Scotland

This new and unique program brings you some of the most scenic places in Scotland. Your accommodations are pre-booked for you. A Scenic Tour Road book, with a full itinerary and additional Scotland sightseeing information, is provided with your documents.

Your Scenic Scotland Tour Includes:

* 7 Nights Accommodations
* Breakfast daily, except day of arrival
* Car Rental: Group C Standard Shift Car*
* Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Armadale to Mallaig
* Carbon offsetting contribution donated to the National Trust for Scotland

Join Celtic Tours for this amazing self drive tour of Scenic Scotland

10 Things to do in Lisbon with your Kids

The family-oriented Portuguese welcome children everywhere and there are plenty of opportunities in and around Lisbon, Portugal to keeps kids entertained. Here are 10 of our favorite family friendly activities.

1. The Oceanarium: Lisbon's Oceanarium is one of the world's largest aquariums. It is a deep-sea diving experience without any of the risks, with about 25,000 fish, seabirds, and mammals in an enormous central tank that is the size of four Olympic-sized swimming pools. Visitors can look into it from different levels for close-ups of the various creatures, including different species of sharks.

2. Tropical Garden: Lisbon's beautiful tropical garden is a charming, yet often overlooked spot that has maintained all the ponds, towering palm trees, and over 4000 species of tropical plants that it had when it was created in 1906.

3. Coaches Museum: One of Lisbon's most visited sights, the Coaches Museum has the largest and most valuable collection of fairytale coaches in the world.

4. Interactive Science Museum: The Interactive Science Museum has highly educational exhibits with cutting-edge technology and multimedia. There are fun interactive displays and simulations, explaining the use of technology in everyday life. Many of the world's major scientific institutes contribute to thematic exhibitions, making this a rewarding experience for both adults and children.

5. Marionette Museum: The former 18th century Bernardas Convent houses a lovely collection of over 1,000 puppets, including some dating from the 17th and 18th centuries -- knights, princesses, devils, among other characters.

6. The Toy Museum at Sintra: Another museum that will delight the entire family.

7. Colombo Shopping Center: A children's play area can be found uptown on the top floor of Colombo Shopping Center, including a fun fair that claims to be the largest indoor amusement park in Europe with a roller coaster and other rides, video games, bowling, and a go cart track to entertain the kids as you shop.

8. Pena Palace: This fairytale palace is the most complete and notable example of Portuguese architecture in the Romantic period. It stands on one of the rocky peaks of the Serra de Sintra, and blends in a surprisingly fortunate manner with its natural background of greenery and crags, testifying to the aesthetic potentialities of the project.

9. Jeronimos Monastery: Enjoy some medieval storytelling in the cloisters of Jeronimos Monastery.

10. Parque das Nações: Parque das Nações is the district with the most family entertainment, offering several attractions suitable for people of all ages. Mostly traffic-free and with riverside walkways, it is a good place for a day out, with cable car rides, bikes for hire, water gardens, bowling, international restaurants, and a playground known as "Parque do Gil."

Enjoy Portugal with your friends and family on Celtic Tours Experience Portugal Small Group Tour.

Shopping in Lisbon

Baixa, the city center of Lisbon, Portugal, with elegant squares, pedestrianized streets, cafes, and shops. Old tramcars, street performers, tiled Art Deco shopfronts, elaborately decorated pastry shops, and street vendors selling everything from flowers to souvenirs, all lend a special charm to the area. Watch it all from a table outside Nicola Café in Rossio Square facing the monumental National Theater and Saint George's Castle, and as you stroll down the pedestrian Rua Augusta, past the triumphal arch, into the majestic Comercio Square. Look down at the cobbled mosaic pavements as you walk down Avenida da Liberdade, past Restauradores, Rossio, and Rua Augusta. It is hardly a secret but the nondescript façade of "Casa do Alentejo" in Rua das Portas de Santo Antão may prevent you from finding its beautiful Moorish interior.

Baixa literally means “low” as it is situated in the gulf between the two main hills of the city. Owing its neat rows of stately neoclassical buildings to the devastating earthquake of 1755, it is said that it is almost impossible to get lost in downtown Lisbon.

Baixa is the central shopping and business district of Lisbon. Portuguese handcrafts often exhibit exotic influences, in part because of Portugal’s vast history as a seafaring nation. The Baixa shopping district lies between the Rossio and the river Tagus. The three main shopping streets are the Rua Aurea, or Street of Gold, the Rua da Prata, Street of Silver and the Rua Augusta.

Don’t forget to check out the famous Feira da Ladra, or “Theives Market” where you can experience haggling for bargains. Today, the traders here are perfectly legal, and they show their wares every Tuesday and Saturday. This open-air market is about a 5 minute walk from the waterfront, close to the Alfama district. Start browsing at Campo de Santa Clara, portable stalls and individual displays climb the hilly street. Nearly everything you can imagine is for sale here, but come early for the finest pickings.

From pottery and ceramics to fashion, art and handcrafts, Lisbon’s business and shopping district is not to be missed. Plan your Lisbon shopping day with your favorite group of people on Celtic Tours Experience Portugal Group Tour.

Experience Portugal

Our new Portugal Experience tour is designed for small groups of 10 or more. Great for Family and Friends.

Enjoy this great itinerary with your favorite group of people:

Day 01: U.S. to Lisbon: Depart on overnight flight to Portugal.

Day 02: Lisbon: Arrive Portugal with local transportation and English speaking assistant waiting. Airport to hotel transfer with your afternoon free at leisure. Overnight Lisbon.

Day 03: Lisbon. Enjoy a hot buffet breakfast. Today we experience a half-day sightseeing tour, which includes; entrance to Jeronimos Monastry (Belem) including views of the Tomb of Vasco Da Gama and the Cloisters and a visit to Baixa. With our afternoon at leisure to enjoy Lisbon.

Optional Excursion $99: Opt for a full-day excursion to Fatima. Enjoy Fatima, with a 3-hour guide. Visit Basilica of Our Lady and Chapel of Apparitions. With Lunch on own.

Day 04: Lisbon - Porto. After breakfast, local one-way transfer from Lisbon to Porto.Porto, Portugal Afternoon free in Porto to enjoy the city at leisure.

Day 05: Porto. After breakfast, we experience a half-day sightseeing tour which includes entrance to SE Cathedral, Palacio De Bolsa (with guide) and Mercado Do Bolhao. Afternoon at leisure in beautiful Porto.

Day 06: Porto. After breakfast, enjoy Porto at your leisure today.

Day 07: Porto - Lisbon. After a hot hotel buffet breakfast, local one-way transfer from Porto to Lisbon. Afternoon free in Lisbon to enjoy the city at leisure.

Day 08: Lisbon - U.S. After breakfast, transfer from Lisbon hotel to airport for return flight home.

For more information on Celtic Tours Experience Portugal Group Package, please visit our website.