Recently, I went on a trip with my family to Scotland and Ireland and it was absolutely amazing. Let me preface this by saying that I have always wanted to go to these places, so I may be a bit biased when talking about these things. Nevertheless, here are 10 places and things you should visit, or do, when going on a trip to either of these places! I’ve broken it down to five places in each location, so I hope you enjoy!

Scotland

1. You should definitely make it your mission to visit St. Andrews!

It is a beautiful town surrounding an outstanding college! The people in this town are extremely friendly, and the views of the water and the ruins are definitely something worth seeing! When I stayed in St. Andrews my family, and I actually went to The Northpoint Café every day, which is where Will and Kate met for coffee! There scones differ every day, and are just so good!

2. If you are heading towards St. Andrews, or generally any location in Scotland, make sure you choose a coastal road.

The Coastal Road allows for more sights that are absolutely breathtaking and it is definitely something that helps you for those long drives! The animals that are located throughout the land are beautiful, and something you don’t get to see every

3. Another place to visit is Glen Coe and Glen Etive, located near the Highlands!

Glen Coe and Glen Etive have great scenery and when I visited it was a beautiful day and we were able to see everything very clearly. Located in Glen Coe and Glen Etive, for all you James Bond fans, is the location in Skyfall where James Bond and M stand looking out into the distance at mountains and rivers! As you drive down the roads, you can actually stand in the same spot and take pictures!

4. The next place in Scotland that is a must see is Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is a railway that is located in Glenfinnan!

The railway has two trains that travel from Fort William to Mallaig, which comes at different times throughout the day! This train is also the train that is featured throughout four Harry Potter films! When we visited, it was absolutely mind-blowing being able to see where one of my favorite series was filmed, and we also got to see two of the trains go by! If you look in the opposite direction of Glenfinnan Viaduct you can actually see where they place Hogwarts Castle! Although the castle is not actually there, it is pretty cool to imagine where they digitally imposed it!

5. The last place that is a must see in Scotland is Edinburgh!

I definitely advise that you spend at least a whole day in Edinburgh because there are a lot of places to see in the city. There are churches located throughout the city, and even if you are not religious, the architecture and designs are still beautiful and worth the time to see it! The city has a lot of little side walkways that are located every few buildings! The walkways eventually lead to someplace, but just walking down them is something unreal! The Edinburgh Castle is also beautiful! Although we weren’t able to go inside it at the time, the views of the outside of the castle were amazing, and I definitely believe that if you go there you should check out the inside!

IRELAND

(When I visited Ireland, we actually split the trip up into two different locations, one was a major city, and the other was more of a rural location!

6. Definitely visit Trinity College located in the city of Dublin!

Trinity College is a breathtaking college which is Ireland’s oldest University! When we visited it was not too crowded and we were able to go into their Original Old Library, which was astonishingly breathtaking. Located within this library is The Book of Kells, which contains the four gospels of The New Testament. The amount of history that you are able to witness in Trinity College is great, as well as the beautiful campus and kind people throughout!

7. The Guinness Storehouse and The Jameson Whiskey Distillery are the next two attractions you should visit!

Both places give you tours which allow you to see how everything is made. The Guinness Storehouse self-guided tour explains the process of making Guinness beer, and you even get a free beer when you go all the way up to the Gravity bar! The Whiskey Distillery also has guided tours where they walk you through the process of making their Jameson Whiskey, and at the end of the tour, you get to try 2 different whiskey’s, comparing it to Jameson Whiskey, and you get another free drink at the end of the tour!

8. The last place in Dublin that I advise you to visit is Temple Bar Street.

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Located throughout the street are many bars and restaurants that have plenty of music for a night out in town! If you visit Temple Bar Pub you will be in for some great live music and really cool people! The Nightlife in Dublin is really fun, and going to different Pubs and Restaurants is a great way to see the nightlife, and eat great food.

9. In Rural Ireland I recommend that you go through the Dingle Peninsula, located in Dingle Ireland!

Slea Head drive throughout the Dingle Peninsula is breathtaking as well as a bit nerve-racking. Definitely include Connor Pass when driving through, and climb up the rocks to see a beautiful hidden lake! The beaches and the farmlands are beautiful, and the sights are definitely worth the drive. There are a bunch of stops located throughout the drive where you can stop for pictures!

10. Lastly when going to Ireland I advise you to go on the Boat to Skellig Islands.

If you are only looking to stay on the boat and get a tour of the islands from the outside, the journey is probably three hours in total. Firstly, the boat ride to the islands is amazing! The water is really clear, and you are able to see a lot of the mountains that are on the way to the island! When we arrived at the first island we were taken aback by the amount of Gannet birds that occupied the smaller Skellig Island. As we rode to the back part of the island we were hit with the overwhelming smell of bird poop that took over the entire back part!

The smaller Skellig Island nevertheless was still beautiful! Then we arrived at Skellig Michael which is where the final scene, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" where Luke Skywalker stands, is. Skellig Michael is where monks came to live to be away from people and be closer to God. There are other boat tours that allow you to get off and climb up the 600 plus steps on Skellig Island, but I definitely wouldn’t advise young children to climb as it is not very safe and sturdy. If you ever make a trip to Skellig Michael be sure to take a ton of pictures to show all the "Star Wars" fans where Luke Skywalker stood!

Overall, my trip to Scotland and Ireland is definitely one of my top three most beautiful places that I have been to! The views are out of this world, and it is definitely somewhere to go for those adventure seeking people! While these are my favorite places to visit in the countries, there are many different places that are as beautiful as these! I cannot wait to go back and visit more places in both countries!