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Samson and Goliath are much-loved landmarks soaring above Belfast’s skyline. The two great, yellow-painted, gantry cranes are a reminder of the shipbuilding industry that put Northern Ireland’s capital firmly on the map. Housed in an iconic, state-of-the-art, 6-storey building, Titanic Belfast relives the city’s golden era and traces the story of the ill-fated liner built in the shipyards of Harland & Wolff. At the heart of today’s cosmopolitan city is Belfast’s elegant City Hall, which stands in Donegal Square. The extraordinary Giant’s Causeway is a popular excursion from this city with omnipresent Irish charm.

Britain’s only island archipelago, the magical Isles of Scilly lie just 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall. St Mary’s, the largest of the five inhabited islands, is a delight with white sand beaches, tranquil waters and stunning seascapes. The attractive village of Hugh Town, considered the ‘capital’, is the hub of the islands’ activity. The second largest and the only privately-owned island is Tresco, where, in the glorious Abbey Gardens, some 20,000 exotic species thrive in the sub-tropical climate. Optional excursions explore both St. Mary’s and Tresco, two of the beautiful cluster of islands that are worlds apart from everyday life.

Lying some 75 miles from the Seine estuary, Rouen is the historic capital of Normandy. Victor Hugo called Rouen ‘the city of a hundred spires’. Its Old Town is a delightful maze of narrow, cobblestone streets lined with fine half-timbered houses and wonderful gothic churches including the magnificent Cathedrale Notre Dame and the Eglise St. Maclou. Rouen’s Place du Vieux-Marche is famous as the site where Joan of arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Further upriver is the village of Giverny and the home of Claude Monet, who captured the beauty of Rouen in many of his paintings.

Samson and Goliath are much-loved landmarks soaring above Belfast’s skyline. The two great, yellow-painted, gantry cranes are a reminder of the shipbuilding industry that put Northern Ireland’s capital firmly on the map. Housed in an iconic, state-of-the-art, 6-storey building, Titanic Belfast relives the city’s golden era and traces the story of the ill-fated liner built in the shipyards of Harland & Wolff. At the heart of today’s cosmopolitan city is Belfast’s elegant City Hall, which stands in Donegal Square. The extraordinary Giant’s Causeway is a popular excursion from this city with omnipresent Irish charm.