Valentine’s Day is named after a priest who lost his head over love. Literally. A Roman Emperor had trouble getting soldiers—they wanted to stay home with their sweethearts. “I know! We’ll ban marriage and engagements, that’s the ticket,” he said to a hapless aid.
Valentine thought that was just ridiculous, and he performed marriages in secret. Someone snitched, Valentine was arrested, and he was punished on February 14th. Having paid the ultimate price for love, he was declared a saint. And so we celebrate him.
All travel plans are a love letter. We suggest a trip to Ireland and Scotland, two countries that are in love with love.
Plan the perfect romantic getaway.
Castles Itineraries
7-Night Cityscape to Country Castle
From$1,498
Your week in the Emerald Isle will start with a private chauffeur pick up on arrival at Dublin Airport, and transfer to your boutique Dublin hotel,...
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10-Night Ultimate Southern Ireland
From$1,987
On arrival in Ireland, you’ll be greeted by private transfer and escorted to your boutique hotel in central Dublin, a stone’s throw from...
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8-Night Culinary & Castles of Ireland
From$2,678
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8-Night Castles and Manors of Ireland
From$2,798
This stunning 8 night Ireland vacation will start and end in Shannon, allowing for maximum opportunities to explore the stunning west and southwest of...
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7-Night Royal Scotland: Mary Queen of Scots Tour
From$1,538
Walk in the fated footsteps of Mary Queen of Scots on this 7-night Scotland tour. Visit the historical sites that played a role in Mary’s life...
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7-Night 5-Star Scottish Retreat
From$3,598
Scotland vacations don't get much better than this luxurious seven-night 5-Star Scottish Retreat from travel experts Authentic Vacations.
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Whiskey, Pubs & Music Itineraries
7-Night Authentic Pubs and Music of Ireland
From$1,248
Come prepared to party on one of our liveliest vacation offerings! Upon arrival, you’ll be whisked away via private transfer to your boutique...
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7-Night Grand Irish Whiskey Experience
From$1,298
Writer Mark Twain said, “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” You’ll have ample opportunity to...
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14-Night Ring of Ireland
From$2,448
This two week Ireland vacation will bring you all around the island, allowing you to visit the most famous as well as many lesser-known treasures in...
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Romantic Fact
Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent on Valentine’s Day, thus making it easier to reach out, reach out and touch someone. YouTube was launched by a bunch of college kids on Valentine’s Day so they could, perhaps, post clips of themselves getting engaged, or eating chocolate while binge-watching episodes of ‘Friends.’
It is all about the Joy
“Amazing Ireland”
- SHERRY
My husband and I traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland for 12 days for our 15 year anniversary. Our accommodations were each amazing and appreciated everything Authentic Vacations arranged for us. We felt safe, confident and never lacked for a missed opportunity. We enjoyed every single minute of it and felt we really did get to see the ins and outs of Ireland.
“Ireland Was Out Of This World!!”
- AMANDA
The ease of scheduling our honeymoon and working with Authentic Vacations was wonderful. My newlywed husband and I had a blast in Ireland and tried to fit as much in as possible. It was so beautiful! The locals we ran into were super friendly and the food was delicious. This was definitely a trip of a lifetime!
“Anniversary Extraordinaire!”
- BRIAN
Authentic Vacations was a great company to work with to plan our 25th anniversary. They offered excellent ideas for the trip and were very flexible to take care of any requests or questions we had. The accommodations they booked for us were amazing and much nicer than we expected.