8 NIGHT/9 DAYS
HIGHLIGHTS OF GREAT BRITAIN
Sightseeing: Visits to Stamford, Hadrian’s Wall, Jedburgh, Melrose, Edinburgh Castle, tickets for Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Gretna Green, Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, Broadway, Bath, Stonehenge; orientation drive in Cardiff; walking tours in York and Chester. Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description including admission charges where applicable.
Guides: Local Guide for city sightseeing in Edinburgh; host service in London; professional Tour Director while touring
Scenic Highlights: Northumberland National Park, Scottish Lowlands, Lake District National Park, Cotswold Hills, Salisbury Plain.
The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen or visited on this vacation:
- City of Bath
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire
- Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
- Stonehenge
Transportation: Private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach
MEALS: Full English breakfast daily; 2 three-course dinners with choice of menus
ITINERARY
Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges where applicable.
Day 01: Arrive in London, England.
Check into your hotel. In the afternoon, there’s time to rest or start exploring the lively British capital; uniformed hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.
Day 02: London
What’s your pleasure? Today is devoted to exploring on your own or enjoying our exciting program of optional activities. You may choose to join a Local Guide for an optional morning sightseeing tour of the city’s famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. A highlight is the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard (if held). Later on, maybe visit Windsor Castle or the Tower of Londonwith its spectacular Crown Jewels. Tonight, a leisurely cruise on the Thames River would be fun!.
Included: Brakfast.
Day 03: London–Stamford–York–Leeds
Included: transport bus (15 pax), night at the Hotel 2 *, full day Excursion, Breakfast, launch, Dinner
Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart at 8 am for a day of northbound travel. Take a break in the market town of Stamford, and in York, England’s most complete medieval city, stand in awe in front of the great structure of York Minster. Then, follow your Tour Director through a maze of quaint streets, including the narrow Shambles. Stop for the night in Leeds.
Included: Brakfast & Dinner.
Day 04: Leeds–Jedburgh, Scotland–Melrose–Edinburgh
See a section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman coast-to-coast defense against marauding northern tribes, then motor through wild Northumberland National Park to the Scottish border. Stop for photos at Jedburgh, and then Melrose with its 12th-century abbey ruins and connections with Robert the Bruce. Afternoon arrival in Edinburgh. Tonight, why not join an optional Scottish evening with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and, of course, the Ceremony of the Haggis?
Included: Brakfast.
Day 05: Edinburgh
A full day to enjoy the Scottish capital. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town,” home to famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the “Old Town,” drive up the narrow Royal Mile to EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland’s Crown Jewels. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, which was once the perfect royal residence for glittering state visits and family holidays. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds out this optional evening. For departure numbers August 5, 12, 19, tickets are included for tonight’s performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO, a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands that takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.
Included: Brakfast.
Day 06: Edinburgh–Gretna Green–Lake District, England–Chester–Wrexham, Wales
South through the history-steeped Lowland Hills and a visit to Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Drive through beautiful scenery in the Lake District, considered to be the finest of England’s national parks, and take your photographs of picturesque Lake Windermere. In Chester, the historic county town on the Dee River, your walking tour includes the Roman remains, black and white half-timbered buildings, and the two-tiered arcades called the “Rows.” Overnight in Wrexham.
Included: Brakfast & Dinner.
Day 7: Wrexham–Stratford-upon-Avon, England–Broadway–Cardiff, Wales
Back in England, tour fascinating Stratford-upon-Avon, a living monument to William Shakespeare, before driving through the scenic Cotswold Hills with a stop for photos in picture-book Broadway. Overnight in Cardiff, where an orientation drive introduces you to the capital’s major attractions: Cardiff Castle, Cathays Park, Millennium Stadium, and the stately civic buildings. Tonight, why not join an evening of Welsh entertainment and dinner?
Included: Brakfast.
Day 8: Cardiff–Bath, England–Stonehenge–London
A day of memorable highlights, with a stop first in the elegant Georgian city of Bath, famous for its Roman relics, before visiting STONEHENGE, still an intriguing mystery. Explore the visitor center with its imaginative exhibitions, then admire the magnificence of the monument from up close. After returning to London around 3:30 pm, how about celebrating the success of your tour with a night out on the town?
Included: Brakfast.
Day 9: London
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. After Breakfast check out from hotel and catch your flight to home.
Included: Brakfast.