Celtic Voyage: The Hebrides and the Irish Sea – with Smithsonian Journeys

London, located on the River Thames, is the capital city of England and the UK, and with over 14 million international visitors per year it’s the most visited city in Europe. It is an important hub for tourists, and the city is home to an array of famous attractions. The four World Heritage Sites include the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, the historic settlement of Greenwich at zero degrees longitude, and the site containing Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster, and St Margaret’s Church. Read more about London, Great Britain

Dover, the world’s busiest ferry port, is located in the county of Kent, England, at the extreme SE corner of Britain. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, 35 km away across the Straits of Dover. Possibly best known for its lyrically famous ‘White Cliffs’, archaeological finds have revealed that the area has always been a focus for peoples entering and leaving Britain, and this continues to this day. Read more about Dover, Great Britain

Cowes is an English seaport town on the Isle of Wight. It is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floating Bridge, one of the few remaining chain ferries. Read more about Cowes (Isle of Wight), Great Britain

Tresco Island lies 45 km to the WSW of Land’s End, Cornwall, England. It is privately owned, one of five inhabited Isles of Scilly, and is a growing tourist attraction – with its narrow roads, farms, cattle, tilled land, hedgerows and cottages – drawing artists and garden-lovers. The latter visit the world famous Abbey Gardens. Read more about Tresco Island, Great Britain

Kinsale is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. It is a coastal recreational centre 26km south of Cork City, “the real capital” of Ireland. Kinsale lies near the mouth of the River Bandon, and the rocky promontory Old Head of Kinsale with its lighthouse and new golf links. Read more about Kinsale, Ireland

Holyhead is the largest town on the island of Anglesey, off the coast of Wales, and is perhaps known best for being a busy ferry port. It is also well known for offering easy access to some of the best attractions in the country. Subsequently, visitors typically spend the whole day on day trips through Wales to see, for example, the three nearby medieval castle towns, the more distant Snowdonia National Park and the Ffestiniog Steam Railway. Read more about Holyhead, Great Britain

Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, and is currently experiencing a successful tourist boom. One of the most visited cities in the UK, Belfast has plenty of attractions and is a good base from which to visit virtually anywhere else in the North. In the city centre concentrate on the glories resulting from the Industrial Revolution – grandiose architecture and magnificent Victorian pubs – and the rejuvenated area from Ann Street to Donegall Street now known as the Cathedral quarter. Read more about Belfast, Great Britain

Douglas, located at the mouth of the River Douglas and a sweeping bay, is the capital and the largest town of the Isle of Man. Douglas has a number of attractions and items of interest, such as the Tower of Refuge, a small castle-like shelter built upon Conister Rock in Douglas Bay that was a sanctuary for shipwrecked sailors. From spring to early autumn, take a trip back in time to when the way of life was much slower. Read more about Douglas, Great Britain

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the UK. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands. It is a friendly, bustling town with imposing 19th C buildings, vibrant theatre life, the most talked-about independent music scene outside the USA, and the city's buses and metro system make it easy to explore. Read more about Glasgow, Great Britain