This trip was amazing. I saw so much more than I would have if I travelled alone. Plus I didn't have to plan a thing. Topdeck takes care of all the planning. Just sit back and take in the scenery.
Loved this trip!! Our leader Jenna was so knowledgeable and fun (and patient, oh boy). We couldn’t have made it through without her. I also think having a smaller group made this trip all the better - if we had many more it might’ve been a nightmare. I wish we had more time in the Highlands or adding a stay in Derry, or an extra day in Galway or Dublin - those were our collective favourites. So glad I did this!
Trip leader was amazing
Our tour guide Jake was fantastic and very knowledgeable. He was always happy to help and we had a great time exploring each city and meeting new friends.
We went on this trip in May. I think it unnecessary spending the first night of the trip in London. Most people are already then and have been sight seeing already. Oxford and York were great. I think leaving York a bit earlier in the day would of been better so we got to Alnwick Castle so we could do more of the tours. we could only do one by the time we got there. I think the Newcastle stop in unnecessary unless the day you are there is a weekend. I would of preferred to go to Liverpool or Manchester. I didn't like the Scottish highlands 2 night stop. It would of been better as one night as we didnt stay in Inverness and then our day trip to Lochness and Glenfinnan has us finishing closer to Glasgow then the Scottish highlands so lots of unnecessary time on the bus. Belfast would benefit from having the optional extra of a Black cabs tour. The included breakfasts were great. Australians be aware that hashbrowns over there have onion in them. Included dinners were very hit and miss all editable but i think choice of menu was controversial. Eg having haggis ontray followed by and Salmon as the main dish. Please be aware that some of the accommodation is out of town which is frustrating as you aren't told of that in advance. There is also like no where to do washing. None of our hotels had washing facilities which was very frustrating.
Our Trip Leader Jimmy was lovely and always up for a chat and a beer. However most places we went he would start with there is not much to do here which was annoying to me. We didn't get recommendations of places to go and eat unless it was a pub. Even if it was some nice to eat or feedback from previous trips. We made sure to give Jimmy feedback on places we went to eat and what was good and what wasn't.
Our coach drivers change a bit due to the driving laws over there. I did feel unsafe a few times while he was driving however he was fantastic in the tricky spots.
Good tour and group. Great sights.
Our trip leader Lana was knowledgeable and had great stories of past experiences. Fantastic tour bus service - driver was friendly and relaxed. Bus was modern and clean.
Most of the dinners provided were fish and chips though, which was too much - please change. Sometimes Lana was wrong about city activities (e.g. Derry had enough attractions for a day trip), however that could have just been personal preference.
A fantastic trip if you want to see the best parts of the UK and Ireland. Edinburgh and Galway were the highlights, for the shopping, sites and nightlife. Our tour group was only small (6 people!) but it meant we got to make the most of all of the places we went. We had a great night out on the Edinburgh pub crawl and saw some live Irish music in Galway.
The locations throughout the trip was very good with alot of history and information given to us about the monuments, Alex the trip leader was very organised and went above and beyond for the passengers even if it ment he didn't get free time, the hotels were very basic but most were comfortable, Scottish Highlands hotel in tyndrum was an utter disaster with the food at dinner being inedible and us sensing it back to the kitchen, only negative about the trip i feel was the organised dinners which we could not choose what we wanted and some of the dinners were not part of such menu, should be a monetary amount per person and be able to choose what to eat
Incredible trip. Incredible leader. Seeing the highlights of 3 countries, getting the local experience and making amazing friends along the way!
Well organised and great tour leader
Our guide, Nicole, was friendly and more than happy to give recommendations for great places to eat and see. We were a smaller group which turned out for the best as we all hot on and could all go and do things together more easily. We saw lots of neat places that I’d been wanting to see for awhile and some others that turned out to be the highlight of the day. As much as I loved seeing and exploring these places, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if it weren’t for the company. We were all strangers on day one, but that quickly changed and we had a blast.
In addition to the trip leader having a negative affect on the trip. Regarding the trip overall the ratio between time on the bus and time exploring wasn’t balanced and I felt like most of the 2 weeks was spent on the bus. The timing of the the days of the week should have been planned better ti maximise the experience in each dedicated pace. For example, as we stayed in a small Highlands town with not much to see and do for 2 nights over Friday and Saturday then we get to Glasgow on a Monday which is the day many thing like museums etc are closed and only stay there 1 night and onto the next place without feeling like we saw much there. I do understand there is a lot of driving involved in order to over the UK it’s just that the time spent in the designations are supposed to offset this and I feel it didn’t. Overall I am still glad I traveled the UK I just wish I had a fuller experience.
Everything was great, locations were the best. Edinburgh was amazing.
I learned a lot about the tour
I feel as though this was the perfect length of time to see the UK and Ireland. I do wish we had made it up to Inverness, but I had such a great time on this trip that I'm already planning on going back to see the places we didn't get to. I always feel as though there could be more inclusions with Topdeck trips, but the ones we got on this tour were a lot of fun and worthwhile. There were some places we only got a night in (Liverpool, York, Glasgow, Cardiff, etc.) that I would have liked more time in, but based on the length of the tour I feel as though the allocation of time was appropriate.
Really need to organise some accommodation with laundry facilities.
Our trip leader Sicily was amazing! Her insight, knowledge and just all around personality and engagement with our group added great value to the trip. Only downside of the trip was the accommodation in a couple of the last places were not as good as previous places and did not feel as safe, but overall was a great trip! Thank you TopDeck and thank you so much Sicily!! 😊
UK trip over Dec was great!
We were able to make the most of our time in every city thanks to our tour leader, they were so knowledgable and always willing to give great recommendations. Our trip could have been improved if we had a dedicated Topdeck bus driver throughout the trip.
The trip was great. It was a good way to experience the countries and also be shown places that you wouldn’t really consider when travelling on your own.
I have always wanted to travel the world and starting in Britain and Ireland was perfect. Every place we stopped either over night or on the side of the road was incredible.
Good price for the trip planned
Excellent way to see all the main places in the UK and Ireland as some more off the beaten track. Would have loved a little more time in Ireland but maybe I'll just have to go back one day! Great way to meet new people and make new friends from around the world too!
Things have been slightly expensive after the pandemic, else 5 stars!
All the stops were AMAZING. I just wish we had more time in some.
Fantastic trip. Places visited were excellent. Lots of history and beautiful places to see.
Our trip leader Diarmaid was brilliant - good on the history, good on the local recommendations, and a beautifully dry sense of Irish humour. A great group of people didn't hurt either. The tour itself was well organised, punctual, and fit in a lot without feeling rushed. Only recommendation is to have more 2 night stays rather than overnight ones - it doesn't leave much time to explore a new town/city if you arrive at 5pm in the afternoon and then need to leave at 9am the following morning.
Wonderful trip with amazing cities and activities.
Happy with the stops. Just wish Hadrian's wall could have been fit it.
Fantastic, just what I had hoped for!
Good locations chosen n enjoyable extras
Awesome value for money and ease of travel was great
Please consider only using hotels with lifts.
Best experience every
Always wanted to go overseas
I’ve wanted to see Britain and Ireland for as long as I can remember. Our tour conveniently called ‘Britain & Ireland’ was everything I wanted. Fell in love with Edinburgh and Galway. Would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to see England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales.
I loved this trip! Was so cool to be there during winter - literally! The trip leader and driver made the trip so much fun and we just all had an incredible time.
Beautiful countries filled with amazing people ❤️
The trip was an amazing experience ! Got to travel with some awesome people from around the world. There was so much to see ! Only negative I can say on the trip is not having enough time in certain spots and grabbing a bite to eat.
I went on the Britain and Ireland tour and had the best time ever!! One of the best experiences I have ever done. The trip managers and team took care of us so well and the group I had was amazing! We are all still in contact and will continue to be! Would 100% recommend :)
It was about right I thought
Absolutely no time to enjoy any of the destinations. Average time spent at each location was 45 minutes to an 1 hour, which is very heart breaking because many of the places are gorgeous and ripe with history.
The walking tours sucked and almost held no point as we were shown very little. It became a running joke in the group to place a bet on whether it was worth it to actually join the walking tour vs going to wander on our own. There were several travel agents on my tour that had to keep reassuring everyone that not all topdeck tours are as bad as this one, so I can only assume it's right to place the blame on the tour leader.
Llangollen in particular was shocking that it's even considered a destination as our guide kept saying that there is absolutely nothing to do except take a train ride, of which we ended up missing the last train anyways. The other people in the group made it fun as we all drank and hung out together.
Long story short, I enjoyed the people, not the tour. Definitely feel cheated out of my money.
Fantastic trip. Saw alot and made plenty of memories
It was very affordable for the quality of the hotels and dinners. Alot better fo money then some other tours I have been on.
Loved my trip. Great stops, flexible schedule, optional activities were great to have
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip and everything it included
Well organised trip with a fabulous crew. I had a wonderful time and I would recommend it to friends.
I had the trip of a lifetime! What an amazing region and I got to experience it with such a great group of people. Our bus driver, Ronnie, was an absolute legend who knew the roads well and was very entertaining! Our tour guide, Emily, was so lovely and knew so much history about the area.The accomodation and food surpassed my expectations, always really good! The inclusions and optional activities were always really fun and added to the whole experience. It allowed us to feel like locals! As a group we all got on really well and always had fun together, a lot of laughs! I'm so glad I got to see the things I saw and meet the people I did, I know I've made lifelong friends. The culture, the scenery, the history, the food, the people. Would highly recommend this trip! THANK YOU TOPDECK :)
Fantástica viagem, pude conhecer o melhor da Grã Bretanha e Irlanda, graças aos guias qualificados que mostraram o melhor de cada lugar. Gostaria de ter conhecido mais das Highlands na Escócia apenas!
El precio del tour es equiparable con la calidad del mismo
Buying my trip package was easy and secure. I received an immediate confirmation of purchase and my trip info came in shortly after. I'd do another Topdeck trip going forward:)
Everything we saw was incredible, I would have loved more time in Belfast, everywhere we went was excellent though. My favourite was Belfast, with Edinburgh in a close second. My least favourite was Glasgow, but saying it’s my least favourite doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, it had its charm and the people were amazing.
So happy I did this trip! The cities and towns that we went to were very cool and filled with history. I loved having the second night in Cardiff too!
The accommodation was amazing!
This topdeck tour was fantastic. Our driver Greg and our tour leader Mel were amazing. A wealth of knowledge and always happy to help us in a new city.
My only comment would be to expand the tour to include one night up north of Scotland closer to the Loch Ness so for those that didn’t want to waste a whole day on a bus could explore a bit more.
The highlands were amazing so it would have been nice to spend a night up there after Glasgow or Edinburgh.
I wouldn't recommend going on a tour with this particular guide.
I am gluten free and was served a guiness and lamb meal. I was told it was gluten free and actually it wasn't which meant I became very ill. If you are going to offer dietary requirements ensure they are met
Knowledgeable and approachable trip leader. Great inclusions
The UK is just beautiful.
During the two weeks we travelled around the UK and Ireland, I got a very good taste of what there is to see in those two countries. In short, I had a great time and would highly recommend it.
It was exactly as advertised and it delivered an amazing experience
The sights wete fantastic and the guides kept a good balance of showing us things and some free time
Great itinerary. Sadly it was not well communicated that a number of bucket list inclusions were not included. I feel this should have been removed off the trip notes to avoid confusion but Also, they are bucket list inclusions... if you can't offer then because of the time of year then don't sell it like that.
Good value for money. Hotels were great, bus driver and tour driver very good in their roles. Would have been good being dropped off and picked up from from some of the planned activities, as there was a lot of walking required, over above our general walking during the day and our walking tours.
Loved every minute of it. Some of the hotels were average while others were beyond amazing.
Only one extra was not worth it which was the day trip to invernesss.
Every experience add on that I bought on top of the trip price was well worth it! You're travelling for the experience, if you're going to do it you have to do it right!
Amazing tour with both amazing driver and tour manager both Ronnie and Fran were the best! Very organised and amazing bunch of people. I have done a contiki as well and this was 100% better then the contiki I did earlier in the year from the accomodation standard and location to the people on the tours being more mixture and not 18 year old school leavers and everything in between!
Was an amazing tour loved every minute of it. Only down side was the Edinburgh ghost tour was a bit of a let down felt like it was a waste of money
The places we visted were just out of this world, I could have never imagine to get to know them.
A stellar trip all round - a great trip stopping at great places, good choice of optionals with plenty extra to do outside of that. Despite Bing very organised, the trip was also flexible and very varied, with a mix of history, nature, nightlife, and exploring.
Some of the hotels could have been a bit better.
Fine hotell og mange gode opplevelser.
Got to see a lot of bucket list places in a two week period. It was great for someone looking to fill their time with as much experience as possible if the can only take off for a few weeks.
The cost for the whole tour package was reasonable, I would say just within my budget limits.
I absolutely loved this tour! The quality of the hotels was good and the optional activities were worthwhile for the most part. I liked that we got to spend a couple of days in the larger cities so we could explore a bit more on our own. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in seeing Britain and Ireland!
You got to see and experience all the different cuturals that Greater Britain and Ireland have to offer!! Was amazing even though it rains it was pure bliss.
This is a fantastic tour! Covering the highlights of Britain and Ireland. Winter (Especially over the 'holidays') is such a great time to go! The cities are still magical at night with all their fairy lights and the nightlife is totally buzzing you'll defiantly stumble across the best night markets with plenty of mulled wine, warm cider and baileys spiked hot chocolate to warm your freezing fingers. If you can get on the Hogmanay festival tour - do it! It is a once in a lifetime to bring in the new year with the fireworks off Edinburgh castle.
The black cab tours in Belfast are a must do!
Galway is an incredible city you'll defiantly find some amazing pubs to listen and dance to some trad music (you may need to cross into the 'bad' side of town - but it is definitely worth it to get amongst the locals, they'll even teach you how to dance the 'right' way). There's too many amazing things to put down into one review, but this trip has been one of my favourites so far. Cannot recommend this tour or Topdeck highly enough.
Resnable price & had time to pay off
Good tour. Too expensive for only 2 week trip.
I am glad that I chose this trip to do. The only down side was some places didn't have lifts and wasn't easy to get a heavy bag upstairs. Also I get motion sickness so was interesting going on the ferries
Great trip to get an overview of the uk
I wish that there was more excursions included in the price.
Because Jacob van der leur was a great guide
The tour itself was fantastic.
Amazing weather which helped but also fantastic, well-informed and fun Trip Leader and Coach driver!
Fantastic tour with lots to see and do, made lifelong friends something to cherish and remember for a long time to come
Good tour, great locations. Could probably scrap Cardiff and have an extra night somewhere else a bit more vibrant
Well worth the money spent, a shame it went so Fast and we bussed some bucket list moments however
Considering all your transportation is included, all your accommodations (hotel, not hostel) are included, as are a lot of your meals, I thought it was a very reasonable price. The only negative is that the price does not include entry fees to some places that are part of the tour, but the trip itinerary makes it seem as though it is included. For example, we went to Hadrian's Wall, as it says in the itinerary, but if you wanted to go in, you had to pay for it yourself. I don't mind that at all, but it would be helpful if that were made explicitly clear prior to the trip.It would help with budgeting, as well as would change how much cash people need to bring.
I have made lifelong friends and have memories I will keep forever. Absolutely no regrets with my purchase.
Good value for money. I did choose to do all the optional activities which did add on to the cost but they were all worth it.
Everywhere we went was amazing. The price of the trip was extremely affordable. I would have been pretty happy with this trip if we had been given more information about the sites when we were seeing them.
Great trip! The trip guide and driver were really helpful and great to hang with.
The trip included some amazing places and experiences.
For the amount of activities and sights that we saw, and the cool places we stayed, the trip was really well priced.
Great experience. Tonnes of fun. Awesome Trip leader and Bus Driver. Would do it again for sure.
I enjoyed seeing Britain, was a little disappointed in tour guide (Shantel),not very welcoming of me as a new person midtour
Well worth the money. Had a great time.
The electives were great and the group makes handled really well. Comedy nights in Glasgow and a few pubs here and there not mentioned in the brochure were great additions
All top deck tours are bang for your buck, this tour with the exchange rate proved to be the dearest part of my European adventure but I wouldn't change it, except adding Ireland into the mix as the full tour.
My partner and I had so much fun and created friendships and memories that will last forever. We have to thank our trip leader Kieran for being such a down to earth and approachable guy. We are very thankful to have had Kieran as out trip leader.
Like minded people travelling through beautiful countries in the season with less tourist... who could say 'no' to that?!
Despite the group drama and unfortunate incidents that happened on this trip, which were handled stupendously by the Topdeck crew and really no fault of their own, I enjoyed this trip immensely and made some friends along the way. What we saw and experienced was well worth the trip and I'd do it all over again for those life-long experiences.
I got to see everything that i wanted to and even saw a few extra things along the way. The topdeck maps that where given to us where great as well as having meals included
The tour covered an incredible number of destinations throughout Britain and Ireland. I feel that I experienced a great deal more than if I organised a trip myself.
The Celtic Trail was amazing; the history, the amazing tours, and the authenticity!
Winter Britain and Ireland tour was awesome, the amount of stuff I saw on tour in a short time was brilliant.
Tour guide was not knowledgeable in the places we visited, always reading off a note sheet. I totally understand there's a lot of information to know, however she had done the tour many times and could not answer questions or provide tips for days when we had free time. Recommended we do a trip to the Aran Islands, sold it to us however on the morning we were just handed the tickets. We arrived and had no idea how to get around, what to see or do as there is no tourist office when you arrive. The main sites were over an hour's drive and as we had no idea we could only use cash, all of our Euros combined was not enough to purchase a tour from one of the many unlicensed cars that drive around offering tours. A little foresight into this would have been much appreciated. A situation with a passenger on our tour (ended up in hospital to do with pre-tour mental health problems which is of course terrible) was handled so poorly and affected everyone's journey. Room sharing was horrendously organised - the tour leader and one of the travellers were friends so depending on who the this person wanted to be roomed with one the particular night we were all shuffled around constantly, it was frustrating to say in the least. The hotels were great, the bus driver was great, the tour leader was lovely and friendly but did not have the capabilities or strength to carry out the tour properly. It was the worst I have ever been on and I will remember it for how it was handled rather than the places I saw. I would be happy to go another Top Deck again to give it another go as the technical aspects were great.
On the whole the trip was great. The only thing we did not like was Liverpool. This was the only city I would not go back to. Other than that the only other thing I would like to add is making the trip a little longer as there was so many things we were unable to see due to time
La experiencia estuvo bien, pero la que tuve con Contiki fue mejor por mucho.
A fantastic mix of old and new. A great way to discover more of Britain and Ireland that you never knew existed. The hotels were all spacious and light and the meals on offer were very good.
I particularly loved Killarney in Ireland and the horse carriage ride through the town, beautiful.
Also do the hike up to the Dinas Bran Castle in Llangollen, breathtaking!
The actual tour was great, tour guide and driver were excellent. Unfortunately I didn't gel with the group, I felt they were a lot younger than me.
Didn't get to do half of the extras we were meant to do, and when I asked about it I was told they were only for the summer tour even though it was all listed on the winter tour. Waste of my money and time.
Outstanding. Never a glitch. Tour leader knew everything about each site visited and not a question or concern went unanswered.
Both the driver Ronnie and Trip Leader Courtney were incredible, we had the most rewarding trip we could have hoped for! The trip itself was fantastic, not too frenetic a pace, with enough time to do our own thing. New Years at Edinburgh's Hogmanay was a highlight, as well as Newgrange and the final night in Cardiff. We made friends for life on this trip and will be forever grateful.
Wonderful tour, amazing guides, terrific group. Words cannot describe how much fun was had.
Loved the trip. I got to see so many beautiful places and had enough time in each city to really explore as much as I could
We had a rather small group and we all got along great exploring was so much fun there are planned activitys you can do but it's great in a spare moment to just explore a city you have never been to. The hotels where great and the food awsome.
Loved it. Had a great time with a reallly good group of people. Enjoyed all the different places we went. One of my favoirite places was York.
The trip was very organized but still leaves you lots of free time to explore on your own. Having the logistics of getting from one place to the next handled by someone else is a huge weight lifted off your shoulders so you can better enjoy your vacation.
A great trip! The only criticism I could come up with is that I wish I had stayed on it longer!
Relaxing drives, nothing too long, and always stopping in lovely places I got to see so much of England and Scotland. I loved the major cities that we stopped in, and the villages along the way as well. Edinburgh was my favourite and I'm glad we had so much time there! The optional trip up to Loch Ness was incredible!
I would recommend this trip to anyone, and it's hotel stays so its a great comfort level!
Definitely a tour that I'd recommend!