Day 1 : Fly to London

Relax during an overnight flight to Great Britain.

Day 2 : Hampton Court Palace

In London we are warmly welcomed by our British Blue Badge Guide, the most experienced guides in the UK whose enthusiastic passion for British history and traditions enhance our introduction to London. We then depart for Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s favorite palace. Located on the River Thames, Hampton Court Palace was one of England’s most modern, sophisticated, and magnificent homes of its time. Explore Henry’s opulent State Apartments, tour the vast Tudor Kitchens, and feel the eerie chill of the Haunted Gallery before strolling the glorious gardens. In the evening we settle into our accommodations in central London and get to know our fellow travelers during a Holiday Vacations Welcome Dinner.

Day 3 : London City Tour

After an included English Breakfast, we arrive at the Tower of London and learn about its legendary past, see Britain’s Crown Jewels, the armory and much more. View the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the Prime Minister’s Office on Downing Street, plus Piccadilly Circus and Buckingham Palace. Look forward to views of the city from the River Thames on a cruise. Our tour ends with a full afternoon tea complete with finger sandwiches, expertly brewed tea, freshly baked pastries, and scones with jam, at Harrods, a department store with more than 160 years of history.

Day 4 : Shakespeare’s Globe or Buckingham Palace

For departures in the spring, we travel to the South Bank of the River Thames to visit Shakespeare’s Globe, a faithful reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse best known for hosting William Shakespeare’s influential plays. Explore the theater grounds, its exhibitions, and an Elizabethan costume demonstration. For our September departure, we tour glorious Buckingham Palace, the headquarters to the United Kingdom’s monarchy. Tour the opulent staterooms used by the royal family for public events and ceremonies, the throne room, and the garden where the Queen holds her annual garden party. Next, savor a fish and chips lunch at the Anchor Bankside Pub. The remainder of the day is ours to discover everything London has to offer.

Day 5 : Bletchley Park & Oxford

We travel northwest of London to tour Bletchley Park, where Alan Turing and many others worked in secret to unlock the German Enigma Machine during World War II. Explore the Visitor Center and the Codebreaking Huts. After, we travel to Oxford, known as the City of Dreaming Spires. We go on a walking tour of Oxford’s city center with our Blue Badge Guide, visiting local markets, Christchurch Cathedral and more. Some of these places, including our accommodations this evening at the MacDonald Randolph Hotel, are filming locations for several popular television series.

Day 6 : Highclere Castle

This morning we travel to Bampton in the tranquil English countryside. Bampton is a village in the southern border of the Cotswolds where many outdoor scenes of a historic costume drama are set. Spend the morning exploring the quaint village, one of the oldest in all of England. Travel south and prepare to be dazzled as we tour Highclere Castle, familiar to Public Television viewers as the setting to a critically acclaimed period drama. We’ll tour the rooms made famous by the series and explore the precious treasures in the basement that recreate the discovery of Tutankamun’s tomb. Later, we journey to the Georgian city of Bath and check-in to our comfortable accommodations.

Day 7 : Bath & Greenway House

Today we tour the UNESCO World Heritage Roman Baths, built over hot springs by the Romans and rediscovered in Georgian times. Next, we journey down to Devon and take a ferry to visit Greenway, the vacation home of mystery author Agatha Christie, located on a hill overlooking the River Dart. Our accommodations for the next two nights are in Plymouth.

Day 8 : Port Isaac & Cornwall

Our destination today is Cornwall, and our local guide is also an extra in a famous television series. We embark on a walking tour of the picturesque village of Port Isaac, the setting for a popular British medical drama-comedy. In the afternoon you may spend time at leisure in the village of Tintagel or visit the remains of Tintagel Castle, steeped in the legend of King Arthur with magnificent views of the Cornish Coast. Next we visit Jamaica Inn, once a haven for smugglers and shipwreck looters, and the setting to the famous Daphne du Maurier mystery novel, Jamaica Inn.

Day 9 : Stonehenge

After breakfast at your leisure we travel to the Salisbury Plain for a tour of its fascinating landmark. One of the most recognized prehistoric monuments in the world, few places have generated more speculation than the mysterious circle of standing stones known as Stonehenge. We have the afternoon to learn about the site, then travel east to the historic town of Windsor.

Day 10 : Windsor Castle

Today we visit Windsor Castle, the final resting place of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the oldest and largest continuously-occupied castle in the world. Prominently situated on 26 acres high above the River Thames, the castle features magnificent state apartments, St. George’s Chapel, and Queen Mary’s Doll House, a masterpiece in miniature. Have the rest of the afternoon on your own in Windsor. Tonight we feast with fellow travelers at a Holiday Vacations Farewell Dinner, celebrating our final evening on the Sceptered Isle.

Day 11 : Fly Home