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Included
Features |
Meals:
• 6 full English breakfasts
• welcome drink reception and dinner with
wine and coffee
Superior
Hotels :
• The Royal Horseguards, a superior first
class Thistle-owned hotel overlooking the River
Thames, with 280 rooms.
Vacation Highlights:
• LONDON: Guided sightseeing, visit St. Paul’s
Cathedral and see the Changing of the Guard, if
held
• STRATFORD: Picture stop
at Anne Hathaway's Cottage, visit Shakespeare's
birthplace
• OXFORD: A university college tour with a
Local Guide
• CANTERBURY: Visit the cathedral
• LEEDS CASTLE: Visit the mighty, moated castle
and gardens
Inside
visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE
in the tour description, including admission charges
when applicable
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This
eight-day vacation gives you a week to explore London with delightful
excursions to the enchanting countryside and you’ll be staying six
nights at the perfectly located superior first-class Royal Horseguards
Hotel. Guided sightseeing in London includes the Changing of the
Guard at Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral and many other
famous sights. Your first full-day excursion is to Shakespeare Country
to see Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s birthplace, and
then on to the university town of Oxford. Another full-day excursion
leads you to famous Canterbury and lovely Leeds Castle. You’ll also
have two full days at leisure to explore London and its many attractions,
take an optional full-day excursion to Bath and Stonehenge, or treat
yourself to a special dinner followed by a West End show.
Itinerary:
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day
2 Arrival in London, England
Check into your hotel where your Tour Director will be waiting
to welcome you. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or
start exploring the lively British capital. At 6 p.m. meet your
traveling companions for a welcome drink and dinner at the hotel.
(D)
Day
3 London
Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide includes all the famous
landmarks: Knightsbridge with Harrods, the Houses of Parliament
and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham
Palace. The morning’s highlights are a visit to ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL,
and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if
held. The afternoon is free for you to sightsee on your own or
join an optional excursion to the Tower of London with its fabulous
Crown Jewels. Tonight maybe a cruise on the River Thames? (FB)
Day
4 At Leisure in London
A free day for independent activities. Your Tour Director will
help you plan your day. A full-day optional excursion to Bath
and Stonehenge or an optional afternoon excursion to Windsor Castle
might be the best way to make the most of your time. (FB)
Day
5 Full-day Excursion to Shakespeare Country
Join your Tour Director and head into the country for a lovely
day’s sightseeing. In Stratford-upon-Avon take your pictures of
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE, with
time afterwards to explore this pretty Elizabethan town at your
own pace. Take a drive into the Cotswold Hills to enjoy the picturesque
villages and idyllic rolling English landscapes. At Oxford, city
of the dreaming spires, a local expert conducts you on a private
visit to an internationally famous COLLEGE. Return to London around
6 p.m., with the rest of the evening free. (FB)
Day
6 Full-day Excursion to Canterbury and Leeds Castle
Depart this morning for a drive southeast into Kent, the "Garden
of England," for a visit to CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, England’s
Mother Church, where you hear about Thomas à Becket and the Black
Prince. Then, at nearby mighty, moated LEEDS CASTLE, which Lord
Conway described as "the loveliest castle in the world,"
there’s plenty of time to admire the lavish state apartments,
which have hosted international summit meetings, and to take a
leisurely stroll in the magnificent gardens. Return to London
around 5 p.m. (FB)
Day
7 At Leisure in London
Another day with time for independent leisure activities. For
that last-minute shopping a visit to Harrods is an absolute must!
A unique finale to a great week in London might be an optional
special dinner followed by a West End show. Your Tour Director
will make the arrangements. (FB)
Day
8
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
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London
& Country