United Kingdom – Palaces & Castle Tour:10 Nights – 11 Days

United Kingdom – Palaces & Castle Tour:10 Nights – 11 Days

Day 1: London.

Arrive at London’s Heathrow airport. Here they will be met by their Tour Leader who will escort you to the private luxury coach & transfer to your hotel. Later, travel into central London for a river Thames Cruise and a ride on the London eye.
Overnight at Windsor.

Day 2: London – Stratford On Avon – Warwick – York.

Today the group will head off early to Shakespeare’s Stratford Upon Avon. There will be time here for a look around Anne Hathaways Cottage, Shakespeare’s birthplace and all Stratford’s top sight. After lunch here we will head to nearby Warwick for a look around the fantastic Warwick Castle. After Warwick castle the group will head back in their coach up to the delightful city of York. After checking into their hotel, the group will head into the centre of this ancient Viking city for dinner and a walk down The Shambles, Britain’s most picturesque street.
Overnight at York.
Day 3: York – Edinburgh – Stirling.

Today is an extremely busy day. We will start with a tour of the incredible York Minster Cathedral before heading back into the coach and north to the world famous city of Edinburgh. This afternoon and evening we will explore Edinburgh’s most famous sights – Edinburgh Castle and the Queen’s Scottish residence the Palace of Holyrood House. After dinner in Edinburgh we will head across to the historic city of Stirling to check into our accommodation.
Overnight at Stirling.

Day 4: Stirling – Glasgow – Lake District.

We will begin the day in Stirling with a tour of Scotland’s most historic and famous castle, Stirling Castle. It’s here that we will also see the monument to Scottish legend William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace.
There’s no time to lose here as we head down to the city of Glasgow for a quick city tour before heading further south and back into England to the incredible Lake District. It’s here that we will spend the night.
Overnight at Lake District.

Day 5: Lake District – Chester – Snowdonia.

This morning we will make the most of the beautiful English Lake country where we can visit Author Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top farm. There may be time for a quick cup of tea here before we head further south and stop in at the ancient city of Chester. Parts of this famous city date back to the Roman times and here we will take a tour of the wonderful and unusual cathedral.
After Chester we will head into Wales right through the mountain region of Snowdonia. It’s in this area that we will spend the night on the north coast of Wales.
Overnight at Snowdonia.

Day 6: Snowdonia – Caernarfon – Pembrokeshire – Cardiff.

This morning we will start the day by exploring the wonderful Caernarfon castle. You may even go past mount Snowdon herself! After this we will head south down the coastal route past mountains, sea, castles and maybe even a dolphin or 2! We will eventually end up in the centre of Wales’ capital city Cardiff. Staying in the centre it will be an easy walk to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
Overnight at Cardiff.

Day 7: Cardiff – Bath.

This morning we will have a quick tour around Cardiff and visit Cardiff Castle. From here we will head back into England to England’s most beautiful small city Bath. In this ancient Roman city, we will take a tour of the fantastically well preserved Roman Baths. Bath is one of the most romantic cities you will find and here we will spend the night right in the heart.
Overnight at Bath.

Day 8: Bath – Salisbury – Oxford.

This morning we will leave Bath and travel to the city of Salisbury where we will visit the cathedral and take a group tour of this remarkable structure which boasts the country’s highest steeple.
Salisbury Cathedral is also the cathedral on which the recent book and TV drama ‘Pillars of the Earth’ was based. From Salisbury we will go over to what may well be the highlight of the trip, the mysterious pre-historic monument of Stonehenge. After studying these incredible stone pillars, we will continue our journey to Oxford where we will stay the night and have dinner.
If we arrive in time, we will take a tour of Blenheim Palace, one of England’s grandest stately homes.
Overnight at Oxford.

Day 9: Oxford – Windsor.

This morning we may go a little slower as we take in some of Oxford’s magnificent museums and colleges. After lunch here we will head back towards London and visit Windsor. Our hotel here is directly opposite Europe’s largest inhabited palace and home to Queen Elizabeth II herself, Windsor Castle. We will take a full tour of the castle and head to nearby Eton for a look around the amazing old educational buildings and church there. In the evening we will return to Windsor for our first of a 2 night’s stay in a wonderful hotel.
Overnight at Windsor.

Day 10: London.

Today is our London sightseeing day. We will be joined by a professional blue badge guide who will take us all over London today. We will see St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London Museum to see the Koh-i-noor Diamond, Tower Bridge, ‘Changing the Guards’ ceremony at Buckingham Palace (subject to operation), Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, River Thames, Prime Minister’s Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park.
Overnight at Windsor.

Day 11: London.

Today is a free day. The coach will collect the group in the morning with their baggage and look after it while the group is dropped in London city centre. Today can be used for shopping or visiting sights that have not been covered such as the British Museum or the Victoria and Albert Museum or even Buckingham Palace itself. The group will be collected at a suitable time or place to be taken to the airport in time for the return flight home.

TOUR COST INCLUDES :

1) 10 Nights accommodation in 3 star hotel.
2) Daily Breakfast.
3) Driver with private transport throughout.
4) Entry into the following:
5) Shakespeare’s birthplace,
6) Anne Hathaways House,
7) Warwick Castle,
8) York Minster Cathedral,
9) Palace of Holyrood House,
10) Edinburgh Castle,
11) Stirling Castle,
12) Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top farm,
13) Chester Cathedral,
14) Caernarfon Castle,
15) Cardiff Castle,
16) Roman Baths and Pump Room,
17) Stonehenge,
18) Blenheim Palace, Park & Gardens,
19) Windsor Castle,
20) Salisbury Cathedral,
21) Tower of London,
22) London Eye,
23) Thames River Cruise.

TOUR COST EXCLUDES:

1) 3 Euro tip per person per day.
2) Cost of Basic Travel Quota (BTQ) equivalent to USD 10,000.
3) No Porterage included.
4) Any increase in the rate of exchange leading to an increase in surface transportation and land arrangements, which may come into effect prior to departure. The tour price is subject to increase without notice if this rate changes substantially prior to the departure of your tour.
5) Any expenses of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, food and drink not in the regular menu provided by us pay TV, mini-bar, telephone calls, etc.
6) All Meals.
7) Cost of excursions, city sightseeing, entrance fees and local guides other than that mentioned in “Tour Cost Includes”.
8) Airfare & airport tax.
9) Visa Fees.
10) Travel insurance.

NOTE:

• Passengers joining this tour must travel to / from the hub city at their own expense.
• Due to major international events and trade fairs throughout Europe such as air-show, world athletic meet, ice skating championships, motor show, Tour de France, etc. the hotels may be blocked out more than 2 years in advance. In view of this you may have to stay in hotels further away from the cities/ different city and the itinerary may have to be altered /amended.
• We also reserve the right to substitute a hotel of similar class if it is deemed advisable or necessary.
• For the convenience of our passengers we will sometimes amend/alter the itinerary. However all the services will remain the same.