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19 Days The Britannia Tour Package
Duration: 19 Days / 18 Nights
Priced From: $2,925 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: Apr - Sep
The Grand Poobah of British vacations! Spend 19 days visiting cities, panoramic landscapes and coastal villages and towns. Scenic drives through the Cotswold Hills, Scottish Borderlands, Lochs Ness and Lomond are what will take your breath away.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1 - Depart USA
Overnight flight to London.
Day 2 - Arrive London (2 nights)
After checking into your hotel the rest of your day is at leisure.
Hotel: Hilton Olympia
Day 3 - London sightseeing & at leisure
This morning we enjoy a sightseeing tour that includes many major sights then the remainder of the day is at leisure. (Buffet breakfast)
Day 4 - London – Oxford – Stratford – Shakespeare Country
Greetings from our Tour Director as we travel to Oxford, where we enjoy a walking tour of one of the colleges (or the Sheldonian Theater when the colleges are closed). On to Bladon to view Winston Churchill’s grave in the little churchyard. Then through the rolling Cotswolds to Stratford-upon-Avon where we visit Shakespeare’s birthplace and we see Anne Hathaway’s cottage. Later we continue to Warwick where we enjoy a Welcome Drink before dinner with our Tour Director and fellow travelers. (Continental breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Hilton Warwick
Day 5 - Shakespeare Country – York
We travel to Staffordshire which is known as the Potteries, because fine china has been produced here for several centuries. Then we head north to Viking York. Here we will enjoy a walking tour with our Tour Director including the Shambles, the city walls, the Minster and a Hidden Treasure will be revealed to us! (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Holiday Inn
Day 6 - York – Durham – Edinburgh (2 nights)
We travel to Durham city where we view the castle and have time to visit the finest Norman cathedral in Britain. Then on to a section of Hadrian’s Wall built by the Roman Emperor to keep out the Picts and the Scots. We cross the Northumberland National Park to the Scottish Border and view the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey before arriving in Edinburgh. (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Marriott
Day 7 - Edinburgh sightseeing & at leisure
Our sightseeing tour with a local guide includes Princes Street, the Royal Mile, views of the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood House and Arthur’s Seat as well as a guided interior visit of Edinburgh Castle. Then there is time at leisure and later there’s the chance to see Highland dancers and sample whisky and haggis! During the Edinburgh Festival, we include tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo in the castle grounds. (Full breakfast)
Day 8 - Edinburgh – St. Andrew’s – Scottish Highlands
Today we travel over the Forth Bridge to the Fife coast and to St. Andrews where we stop to see the famous 18th hole of the golf course and see its ancient university. Then over the River Tay via Perth to Pitlochry renowned as a center for salmon fishing. Maybe visit Blair Atholl Castle before arriving in our hotel in the Scottish Highlands for dinner and overnight. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Macdonald Highland Resort
Day 9 - Scottish Highlands – Loch Ness – Isle of Skye
Through rugged scenery with a stop at Culloden Moor where Bonnie Prince Charlie was defeated by Butcher Cumberland so ending the hopes of a Stuart monarchy. We drive along the shores of Loch Ness where we stop along the shores for pictures and to see if we can spot ‘Nessie’! Then through Glen Shiel past Eilean Donan Castle to the Kyle of Lochalsh and ‘over the sea to Skye’. We enjoy a short drive towards the high and beautiful Cuillin Mountains before we go to our hotel. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Kings Arms
Day 10 - Isle of Skye – Glasgow
First to Fort William to stop at the Commando Memorial for breathtaking views of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. We continue to Glencoe where we will be able to take pictures of the site of the famous 1692 massacre. Then along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond on our way to Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, for the night. Tonight we enjoy a Highlight Dinner of Scottish cuisine in a characteristic restaurant. (Full breakfast / Highlight dinner)
Hotel: Jurys Inn
Day 11 - Glasgow – Lake District – Liverpool (2 nights)
This morning we will enjoy an orientation tour of the city taking in the cathedral, George Square and the River Clyde – heart of the former shipbuilding industry. Then we head into the Southern Uplands to Moffat where we visit Moffat Woollens. Afterwards we cross into England and the scenic Lake District where we visit Grasmere, home of the poet Wordsworth. Through landscapes reminiscent of his poetry, we drive towards Liverpool.
Hotel: Jurys Inn (2 nights)
Day 12 - North Wales excursion
Our excursion takes us first along the North Wales Coast to the Island of Anglesey where we make a stop at the tiny railway station which has the longest name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch. Back across the Menai Straits to historic Caernarvon where we visit the mighty castle in which the Prince of Wales was invested. Later we have the chance to travel on one of the oldest mountain steam railways in the world, and then more glorious scenery of the Snowdonia Mountains regales us as we drive back to the hotel. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Day 13 - Liverpool– Chester – Llandrindod Wells
First to Chester where our walking tour with our Tour Director shows us not only the ‘Rows’, the city walls and the cathedral but also another Hidden Treasure! Then we drive over the Horseshoe Pass to Llangollen, home of the International Eisteddfod Music Festival and a charming Welsh town on the River Dee. From here we make our way into the county of Shropshire – where we stop in Ludlow en route to our hotel in Llandrindod Wells. (Full breakfast / Dinner)
Hotel: Metropole
Day 14 - Llandrindod Wells – Cardiff – Bristol
This morning we drive to the Welsh capital, Cardiff, where we see the Millennium Stadium and visit the castle before descending into the lush Wye Valley. Here we stop to view 12th century Tintern Abbey and continue across the Severn Bridge to Georgian Bath. We visit the Roman Baths and enjoy an orientation tour before continuing to Bristol. (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Radisson Blu
Day 15 - Bristol – Plymouth (2 nights)
We drive to Cheddar Gorge and then to Wells to admire the stunning cathedral. Then on to Glastonbury in Somerset to see the legendary burial site of King Arthur and visit the abbey ruins before continuing south to Dartmoor. We drive to the charming village of Widecombe-in-the-Moor, famous for the folk song, ‘Widecombe Fair’. Finally past charming villages we reach the city of Plymouth where we visit the Mayflower steps, point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers, and view the
citadel overlooking Plymouth Sound. Later why not enjoy a cruise around the harbour? (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Jurys Inn
Day 16 - Cornish excursion
Our excursion takes us to the Cornish peninsula to the famous artists’ colony of St. Ives, filled with galleries and charming houses. There’s also the chance to photograph St. Michael’s Mount near Penzance. Later, we stop for a delicious cream tea, consisting of fresh scones with jam and cream and, of course, a cup of English tea, before returning to the hotel. (Full breakfast)
Day 17 - Plymouth – Stonehenge – Isle of Wight – Portsmouth
We head inland and visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stonehenge and its ancient stone circle. We continue past the ponies and wildlife of the New Forest to Lymington – a yachting marina where we take the ferry to Yarmouth and to the Isle of Wight. We visit the apartments of Osborne House, home of Queen Victoria and her consort, before cruising back to Portsmouth where we enjoy a Farewell Dinner together tonight. (Full breakfast / Farewell Dinner)
Hotel: Marriott
Day 18 - Portsmouth – Winchester – London
First to Winchester, famous for its ancient school and immense cathedral, burial place of Jane Austen. Then to Windsor Castle. On via Runnymede, where King John sealed the Magna Carta, to travel to London and time to bid farewell to our Tour Director at the end of this comprehensive tour of Britain. (Full breakfast)
Hotel: Hilton Olympia
Day 19 - London - USA
Time to bid farewell to London and our new found friends as our memorable tour comes to an end. (Buffet breakfast)
Highlights:
London
Oxford
Bladon
Stratford-upon-Avon
York
Durham
Hadrian's Wall
Jedburgh
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Moffat
Grasmere
Caernarvon
Chester
Ludlow
Cardiff
Tintern
Bath
Cheddar
Glastonbury
St. Andrews
Cornish Excursion
Plymouth
Stonehenge
Pitlochry
Isle of Wight
Winchester
Save time, money and stress!
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Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
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