Here at Avalon

We believe strongly in taking our time - especially as one year melts into the next. Making time to reflect, celebrate, and rejuvenate.

Edinburgh is easily one of the coolest, most beautiful, most romantic cities in the universe. It’s small enough that you feel right at home in a day or two, and bold enough to host Hogmanay, the world’s greatest New Year’s celebration and one of the top 100 things to see before you die. Torchlight parades, ceilidh dances, and midnight fireworks turn the city into a winter fairy tale.

Bundle up for a snowy stroll down Victoria Street (the inspiration for Diagon Alley) or warm your hands on some cocoa at the Christmas Market. Edinburgh’s Winter Fest will be on full display. The streets will be alive with bagpipes, laughter, and the magic of new beginnings.

We’ve woven in plenty of festive delights - with just enough space to wander, wonder, and breathe in the quiet moments too.

This is the balance we find best accommodates introverts who want to see the world.

Join us for a celebration as timeless as Edinburgh’s castles - and a trip that will spark joy long after the last firework fades.

Come See :: Come Be

Scheduled Itinerary**

DAY 1
Settle in and Relax

• Your private driver will be waiting for you at the airport

• Your AWT Tour Leader will be waiting to greet you at the hotel

• If you arrive before check-in you may stow your luggage at the hotel and go explore!

• This is considered a free day for early arrivals

• Welcome dinner together

• Evening walk with new friends

  • There is nothing quite like an evening walk in a new place. Things look so different at night, more magical, more ethereal somehow, especially in Edinburgh. Winter Fest runs from November to January, with the giant ferris wheel, music everywhere, night markets with hot chocolate and street food. Edinburgh is the most charming and festive place to be this time of year.
    

meals: dinner

DAY 2
Get To Know The City

• Women’s History Private Tour

• Lunch Together at Holyrood Palace (all food is sourced within 100 miles of the cafe!)

• Tour of Holyrood Palace

• Evening Free
  
  

meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 3
Into The Scottish Countryside!

• Early breakfast

• Full Day Private guided tour into the Scottish countryside to see the castles
  For those of you that love Outlander, there will be many of those sites on this excursion. For others, Scottish Castles and Countryside! And maybe some cute fuzzy cows if we get lucky

• Lunch together

• Home in time to see the famous Torch Procession that kicks off the 4 day NYE celebrations in Edinburgh

• Rest of the evening free

meals: breakfast, lunch

DAY 4
Day of Leisure

• Late Breakfast for the sleepy heads

• Visit to One Spa to enjoy the rooftop hydropool and salt rooms, hammam steam room, and tepidarium, bio sauna, laconium, oh my!

• Rest

• Afternoon Tea

• Evening Free

• meals: breakfast, afternoon tea

DAY 5
New Year’s Eve!

• Late breakfast (rest up for the big night!)

• Optional stroll through Dean’s Village (weather dependent)

• Afternoon free

• NYE Dinner together

• Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party!

  • Your tickets are provided, feel free to stay with the group or wander on your own

  • Enjoy entertainment throughout the city centre, including live music, DJ’s, Giant Screens, International Street Theatre, Pipers, Drummers, funfair attractions, and street food

  • Fireworks over Edinburgh Castle!

meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 6

• Free Day

  • Late breakfast

  • Just enjoy the day to yourself OR

  • Keep celebrating the New Year with live music throughout the city

  • Maybe do some vintage shopping? We are a huge fan

  • Perhaps some Galleries or Museums?

  • Whatever you want we are here to help you find it

• Farewell Dinner
  

meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 7

• Tour ends at Checkout

  • But don’t worry, your Avalon Tour Leader will be on hand to see you safely on your way, and maybe enjoy one last cuppa together before you go

• Shared airport transfers provided

• Fond Farewells ;(
  

Scotland will miss you, and so will we
Until we meet again!

Introducing our AWT Tour Leader for this Journey

Jocelyn!
New Hampshire native, artist, politically repulsed, yet eternally optimistic, speaks French badly but enthusiastically, loves alley ways and thrift stores and started a travel company as an elaborate ploy to pet cats internationally

She’s obsessed with Edinburgh and will definitely try to convince you to move there

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

Fitness Level: 2 - most can participate
Recommended ability to walk 3 consecutive hours at a steady pace (not very slow :: not very fast)
City walking up occasional hills and stairs
Nature walking with slight inclines and occasionally uneven ground

What is Included?

• An experienced solo-female AWT Tour Leader ready to show you the adventure of a lifetime

• Private airport transfers

• Local guides for all city and day tours

• All Accommodations

• All transportation to itinerary locations

• Half Board ~ 2 Meals per day

  • Breakfast Daily

  • Lunch/Dinner/Afternoon Tea where specified

• Tips & Gratuities for all local guides and included meals

• Private Women’s History Tour of Edinburgh

• Holyrood Palace

• Full-day tour of the Scottish Highlands (and COWS)

• Fancy Afternoon Tea

• New Year’s Eve Dinner and Celebration!

• Hogmanay Tickets

• Dean’s Village

• Group chat for life!

• Photos! We have a pretty sweet app that will let you all share your best pics with each other

• Memories to last a lifetime and some amazing new friends!

What is not included?

• Flights

• Travelers Insurance - Here is a handy dandy insurance search tool

• Alcoholic beverages at meals

• Meals not listed on our itinerary

• Hotel room service, mini-bar or hotel add-ons beyond the night’s accommodation

• Tips & gratuities for AWT tour leaders, housekeeping, cabs - at your discretion

• Any required visas

• Anything else not listed on the IS INCLUDED list

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

All reservation deposits made at least 90 days before the departure date
come with a
7-day grace period
within which you are entitled to a full refund of your $500 booking deposit

AVALON WOMEN’S TRAVEL

is pleased to partner with

ONE TREE PLANTED

We take our environmental impact seriously.

To us “sustainability” is not just a trending keyword.
AWT pledges a full 5% of our profits to reforestation efforts all over the globe. The largest profit percentage in the travel industry.
Read more about our partnership with One Tree Planted here

And read about our travel philosophy here