Loch Ness, Glen Coe and Highlands Tour, Scotland

Duration: 11,5 hrs

Distance: 520 Kms

Stops and Highlights: 

• Loch Lomond
• Fort William
• Glen Coe
• Great Glen
• Loch Ness
• Inverness
• Spean Bridge
• Caimgorm National Park
• Pitlochry
• Stirling Castle

Price: 42 English Pounds

I've made a trip to Glasgow and being in Scotland i just simply could not miss the chance to visit Nessie up in Loch Ness. So i took this tour and let me tell you guys, besides the price and the huge amount of kilometers done in just one day, it was one of the coolest tours i've ever done and i strongly advise everyone that visits Scotland to do it.

The tour started in the very center of Glasgow were a bus was waiting for us and other 20 (approx) people. The bus driver/tour guide was absolutely fantastic. He was a human encyclopedia in what is related to Scotland. He started by explaining some history about Glasgow and through the way he kept giving us all the details and highlights about the places we were passing by. He also introduced us to some traditional Scottish music and some national Rock/Pop artists as well of his selection, giving a more personal touch to our journey.

In this tour you'll be able to see a lot of Scotland's country side, which is way different from the big cities such Edinburgh or Glasgow and also check some of the most well known historic places of Scotland such as the place of the Glen Coe massacre, the Stirling Castle where William Wallace once stayed, and of course the mysterious Loch Ness.

As you are passing through the Highlands and the country side, you'll most likely get the chance to see the famous Highland cows, with all their fur and a very friendly and peaceful image. It is one of the symbols of Scotland specially in the northern part.

In this parts you can see the old constructions made of stone, all the small villages in a very medieval style and people with a very warm Scottish welcome. It is wonderful as you can feel like coming back in time to a more simpler years. 

The tour is full of history as well, the tour guide will explain you all about Scotland's old legends or even the ones that actually happened such as the Glen Coe massacre where an entire family gave shelter to some soldiers that were planning their deaths, or the times when the great warrior William Wallace walked through the gates of Stirling Castle, one of the most famous in Scotland. It is very interesting and fun tour as at the same time you are passing through this places you are hearing some traditional songs that are actually talking about these historic moments and places.

And the most exciting stop of the tour is the Loch Ness. You can see hundreds of people trying to spot "Nessie" and you will too feel the great and mysterious atmosphere of this place. It is not included on the price of this tour but they give you the opportunity to make a cruise in the Loch Ness where you can hear the histories and myths about the Loch Ness monster, see all the new technologies used in the boats to search the bottom of the Loch Ness and also some nice histories about this place. In this boats you can enjoy an amazing view of the lake and also try some traditional Scottish whisky while trying to spot the monster.

It is a wonderful way to get more into the spirit of this location.

After you can get some Nessie and Loch Ness souvenirs on the several shops located in the village and bring some presents to the family. 

It is a very "heavy" tour as it takes you along 520 kilometers during 12 hours but it is definitely worth every minute and every penny of it. You will learn more than by just seeing some museum about the Highlands or Loch Ness and you'll find it very amusing and interactive. Again if you are in Scotland i STRONGLY advise you to take a day to do it, you won't be disappointed.

You can find this and several other tours in this website Scottish Tours, all the details of the journey and current prices.

I'll leave you with a couple more photos of my journey, hope you like it and try it out.

See you next time!!

Kilkenny, Ireland

Kilkenny is an Irish town located south of Dublin at about 130 km approx. from Ireland's capital. It is a lovely place to visit, with kind of a medieval spirit. The architecture, the streets, the monuments and churches spread out through the town center, it all makes you get back in time to a more medieval times. There is a very good connection between Dublin and Kilkenny, and although it takes around 2 hours to get from one place to the other, it is quite easy. There are several Bus companies that provide the service and there is also the train. I went with a group of friends and we took a bus from Dublin Airport straight to Kilkenny's city center, with the BusEirann company. It took us around two hours to get there but the buses are very comfortable and with wifi on board. Specially if you are traveling with friends, time will pass quickly and you can also enjoy the views. We paid 25 euros each for a return ticket but as i said it was an express service and there are many other options to get there.

The most visited and well known attraction in Kilkenny is the Kilkenny Castle. You can enter and visit a part of it's chambers, and see how Kings, Queens, Dukes and so on used to live back in the days. It has a marvelous display of paintings as well and allows you to go into the gardens, a huge green field with wonderful views. The castle is next to the river which makes it a great place to get some cool photos if you cross one of the bridges close to it. It is a very interesting place due to its history and renovations as it started as a medieval castle and was remodeled several times through the ages making it very cool to do a tour as you can see the several different parts of the castle with different architectures and styles. There is also a showroom where you can see a video about the history of the castle and how and when it was reconstructed. The entrance costed us 7 euros and it is self guided. 

But Kilkenny it's not just the Castle. The town has a wide number of Churches and Cathedrals spread out through the streets and most of them worth a visit. The most common one between tourists is the St. Canice's Cathedral. It is 800 years old and it's architecture is something amazing. You can get inside for a fee and look at the medieval tombs of some of the town's most important names or look at the impressive stained glass windows. The Cathedral has also a tower that you can climb, not for the faint of heart i must say, as it has 110 very steep steps to climb where there can only pass one person at the time. But the outcome of that journey is amazing as you'll get an amazing view over the town and all it's touristic points. 

Unfortunately for us we didn't had the time to do everything that we had planned as we only went to Kilkenny for one day and came back the same afternoon, and one of the things we wanted to visit was the Smithwick's factory. This is an ale factory that produces one of Irelands famous ale and inside you'll get a tour and know how of the production process of this ale and the facilities where it is made. Also at the end you'll get a taste of the Smithwik's pint so you can enjoy all the knowledge you got through the tour.

Finally my last recommendation about Kilkenny is where to eat. This was an easy choice for us as most of us where Portuguese in the group and we heard wonderful things about this Portuguese restaurant in town. It is called the Algarve Grill and whatever you hear about this place... it is even better!! That was the main reason why we didn't had the time to visit everything in Kilkenny as we spent a lot of time in this restaurant where the food was simply delicious, the staff amazingly friendly and the prices very appealing. In there you can try the typical Portuguese cuisine from starters to deserts. Definitely worth a visit.

You can also try one of the traditional pubs where you can try typical Irish food and live music. One of the best places i was recommended to is the Tynan's Bridge House Bar just close to the River Nore.

So in conclusion what you should do and visit in Kilkenny is:

What to visit:

• St. Canice's Cathedral
• Kilkenny Castle
• Jerpoint Abbey
• St. Mary's Cathedral
• Church of St. John Evangelist

Where to eat:

• Algarve Grill Portuguese Restaurant
• Tynan's Bridge House Bar

How to get there:

• BusEirann Expressway
• JJ Kavanagh and Sons Bus
• Train Services from Dublin

Kilkenny is a wonderful town, full of people and an amazing medieval spirit surrounding it. It will definitely leave you surprised and marveled. If you are spending some time in Ireland this is a place where i strongly advise to visit.

Leave you with some more photos of my trip, hope you like it.

See you next time!!

Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour London

The Making of Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour it's an amazing tourist atraction where the young wizard fans can loose themselves in a magical world, in the same sets where the scenes of the life of Harry Potter were shot.

These studios are located very close to London, just about 30km and made their opening in 2012.

If you are either a big fan or you just like the books and movies of Harry Potter, than you cannot miss this experience, magical without any doubt, where you can explore all the corners of Hogwarts and relive the adventures of the young wizzard. You will be certainly amazed with all the techniques and all the tricks used by the movie producers as well as certain "magics" that were done during production.

There are severall possibilities to access the tour, however, the most used by tourists (and also by me) is the Harry Potter bus that leaves Victoria Station direct to the Studios. It is a doble decker bus all decorated with Harry Potter theme. Trust me, if you are a big Harry Potter fan, by the time you see the bus and start thinking about tour visit to the studios, a great feeling will come to you and you«ll be nervous and anxious at the same time, waiting for the magical journey to begin. 

This is the easiest way to  get to the Studios, however, you have limited time in there as the bus tickets are booked for specific hours. When you are planing your visit, be advised that you need a minimum of 3 hours (more for the really enthusiastic fans) to do the visit just inside the studios. If you are "crazy" about Harry Potter, for sure you will need much more than 3 hours inside so the Bus is not the best way as it only gives you a 4h/4h30 window to visit the place. You can allways rent a car and drive there, as i said, it is not that far from the city, and indeed it is closer to Luton Airport just 20km away.

The prices of the tickets are around 45 euros per person, it may seem a little expensive but take in consideration the coin conversion from English Pounds to Euro and also the fact that you can spend the entire day in the Studios exploring at your own rythm.

Between the exhibitions there is also a small restaurant that serves fast food and the famous butterbeers, the ones used in the movie.

All the scenarios and props were used in the production of the movies and in severall places you can see images and videos of the shooting scenes being made.

You can also bring some interesting souvenirs such as a video of you flying a nimbus2000 or the every flavour beens which are indeed every flavour, good and bad.

The most interesting points of this tour are definetly the marvelous Diagon Alley with all the shops and the Gringots Bank, and the Hogwarts Castle. Now that is a sight to be seen. An entire room is needed for the castle, it is huge and so detailed. During Christmas time they even cover it in "snow" like in the movies. It is an empressive piece of art.

The tour is huge you can visit Snape potions room, Hagrids hut or the dorms where Harry and Ron rested after their adventures.

It is indeed an absorving and very interesting experience, great for all ages from the younglings to the elder. And if you are not a Harry Potter fan you will become one that's for sure.

Leave you a few photos.

See you next time!!!