Itinerary

Day 1:
(Sun.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in London, England. (Mon.) Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Day 3:
London. (Tue.) After a hearty English breakfast, 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, Whitehall''s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister''s Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Highlights are a visit to ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. Free time in the afternoon for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to Windsor Castle or the Tower of London with its fabulous Crown Jewels. (FB)

Day 4:
London–Stratford-upon-Avon. (Wed.) Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart at 8:30 a.m. for a lovely day of sightseeing. Admire the ORNAMENTAL GARDENS of Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace; drive through Runnymede, site of the sealing of the Magna Carta; take a stroll in Oxford to see the colleges where Britain’s elite receives its outstanding education; pay tribute to one of the giants of recent history at Sir Winston Churchill’s burial place in Bladon. Arrive in Stratford-upon-Avon in good time to take your pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and visit SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE. Before dinner join your Tour Director for a toast to happy touring with a congenial group. (FB,D)

Day 5:
Stratford-upon-Avon–Bath. (Thu.) A particularly scenic day. Enjoy vistas of the Cotswold Hills as you motor to the Elizabethan village of Broadway. On past Cheltenham and Gloucester to Wales for a drive through the beautiful Wye Valley and pictures of the romantic ruins of 12th-century Tintern Abbey. Cross the 3,240-foot Severn Road Bridge, and in elegant Georgian Bath, see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS with time to explore further on your own. (FB,D)

Day 6:
Bath–Brighton. (Fri.) This morning try to unravel the mystery of prehistoric STONEHENGE on the drive across Salisbury Plain. Stroll through the picturesque city of Salisbury with its magnificent cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic. See the town of Arundel, dominated by its huge castle, home of the Duke of Norfolk, before arriving in the Regency seaside resort of Brighton. A unique highlight: a tour of the exotic ROYAL PAVILION, the lavish oriental palace built for the Prince Regent in the early 1800s. (FB,D)

Day 7:
Brighton–London. (Sat.) Start the day with time for a walk along the seafront promenade. Enjoy a visit to Tunbridge Wells, a lovely English town, on your way to magnificent moated LEEDS CASTLE, which Lord Conway called "the loveliest castle in the world." Take a leisurely stroll in the landscaped gardens, and admire the lavish state apartments where international summit meetings have been hosted. Return to London around 4 p.m. How about asking your Tour Director to reserve seats at a West End show tonight? (FB)

Day 8:
(Sun.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
 

Dates & Prices

LONDON
Guided sightseeing, visit St. Paul’s Cathedral and see the Changing of the Guard, if held

HAMPTON COURT
Visit the palace’s ornamental gardens

OXFORD
Visit the university city

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Picture stop at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage
Visit Shakespeare’s birthplace

BATH
Visit the Roman relics

STONEHENGE
Visit the prehistoric monument

BRIGHTON
Royal Pavilion tour

LEEDS CASTLE
Visit the mighty, moated castle and gardens
 

Itinerary

Day 1:
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in Dublin, Ireland. Check into your hotel. At 3 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for an afternoon orientation drive through statue-lined O’Connell Street, elegant Georgian squares, and past St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Visit Oscar Wilde’s TRINITY COLLEGE, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells and the magnificent Old Library. Before dinner join your Tour Director for a toast to happy touring with a congenial group. (D)

Day 3:
Dublin–Ennis. Horse-racing country this morning. Drive across the Curragh to visit the IRISH NATIONAL STUD at Kildare, whose fine thoroughbreds command respect on the racecourses of the world. Lots to see on the way to Newmarket: the Rock of Cashel where St. Patrick preached; Tipperary, made famous in a wartime marching song; finally Limerick, where an orientation drive acquaints you with St. Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle, and the Stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691. Tonight’s suggestion for a very special night out: attend an optional medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. (FB)

Day 4:
Ennis. West Coast Excursion. Your day excursion along Ireland’s spectacular Atlantic coastline begins with a drive to the 668-foot Clifs of Moher, where you savor the breathtaking panorama of the Clare coast. A scenic route across the limestone plateau of The Burren takes you to Galway, a vibrant city with a great seafaring tradition where you hear about the infamous Lynch Stone, commemorating the day Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephen hanged his son for murder. Drive into the unspoiled region of Connemara and at Moycullen visit a MARBLE FACTORY. This afternoon a special treat: at RATHBAUN FARM watch the farmer shear a sheep and maneuver a flock with the help of a sheep dog. Then enjoy a traditional tea in the 150-yearold thatched farmhouse. (FB)

Day 5:
Ennis–Ring of Kerry–Killarney. After a short drive via Clonderlaw Bay to Killimer, cross the Shannon estuary by ferry. Continue on to Killorglin on Dingle Bay, the setting for Ryan’s Daughter, to join the spectacular "Ring of Kerry" for a 100-mile panoramic drive around the island’s southwestern tip. Take your photos of the Lakes of Killarney from Ladies View, then spend the night in the popular resort of Killarney. (FB,D)

Day 6:
Killarney–Waterford. Across the Kerry Mountains and through County Cork to Blarney, renowned for its magical Stone of Eloquence. Time for lunch, to walk up to the castle, and to shop for traditional Irish handicrafts. In the afternoon proceed via Cork to Waterford, a stronghold founded by the Danish Vikings, and look forward to a visit to the world-famous WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY. Before dinner why not join an optional pub tour? (FB,D)

Day 7:
Waterford–Dublin. An exciting agenda today: Enniscorthy, site of the final battle of the Great Rebellion of 1798; Ireland’s oldest HANDWEAVING MILL at Avoca; the Wicklow Mountains; the Glendalough VISITOR CENTER with its fascinating audiovisual show Ireland of the Monasteries, and its ruins of a center of Irish Christianity founded by St. Kevin. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for your last evening back in Dublin. (FB)

Day 8:
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
 

Dates & Prices

DUBLIN
Orientation drive, visit Trinity College

KILDARE
Guided tour of the Irish National Stud

LIMERICK
Orientation drive

CLIFFS OF MOHER
Savor the spectacular views

CONNEMARA
Visit a marble factory

RATHBAUN FARM
Visit and afternoon tea

SHANNON
Cross the estuary by ferry

RING OF KERRY
Scenic peninsula drive

BLARNEY
Visit the famous woolen mills

WATERFORD
Guided tour of Waterford Crystal factory

AVOCA
Guided tour of the handweaving mill

GLENDALOUGH
Guided tour of St. Kevin''s center of Irish Christianity
 

Itinerary

Day 1:
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrival in London, England. Uniformed Globus Hosts are available to help you make the most of your stay.

Day 3:
London. After a hearty English breakfast, 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, Whitehall''s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister''s Downing Street, and Buckingham Palace. Highlights are a visit to ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL (except on Sundays) and the ceremonial pageantry of the Changing of the Guard, if held. Free time in the afternoon for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to Windsor Castle or the Tower of London with its fabulous Crown Jewels. (FB)

Day 4:
London–Bath. Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart for a memorable day of sightseeing. First admire the ORNAMENTAL GARDENS of Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace. Then westward to Salisbury with its magnificent cathedral, the ultimate in Early English Gothic. Via the intriguing prehistoric monument of STONEHENGE head for the elegant Georgian city of Bath, where you see the amazing excavations of the ROMAN BATHS. Before dinner join your Tour Director for a toast to happy touring with a congenial group. (FB,D)

Day 5:
Bath–Stratford-upon-Avon–North Wales–Chester. Savor vistas of the Cotswolds on your way via the medieval market town of Stow-on-the-Wold to Stratford-upon-Avon. Time here to see SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHPLACE and for pictures of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. The afternoon is dedicated to North Wales. Take a stroll in picturesque Llangollen, home of an annual international contest for poets and minstrels. Spend the night at Chester, the historic county town on the River Dee. (FB,D)

Day 6:
Chester–Edinburgh, Scotland. This morning’s walking tour includes the Roman remains, black and white half-timbered buildings, the cathedral, and the two-tiered shopping arcades called the "Rows." Focus now on the tranquil Lake District, considered to be the finest of England’s national parks. After a break in pretty Grasmere, head north for the Scottish border. On the way through the history-steeped Lowland Hills, stop at Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples. Evening arrival in the Scottish capital. (FB)

Day 7:
Edinburgh. Morning city sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old "New Town" and famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the "Old Town," drive up the narrow Royal Mile to EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland''s Crown Jewels, then explore HOLYROOD PALACE, the Queen''s official Scottish residence. The afternoon is free to enjoy this "Prince of Cities" at your own pace. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia, which for the Queen was once the perfect royal residence for glittering state visits and family holidays. Dinner rounds off this optional evening. (FB)

Day 8:
Edinburgh–York, England. First on today’s agenda is Sir Walter Scott’s ABBOTSFORD HOUSE for a fascinating guided tour. Melrose Abbey and the ruins at Jedburgh are pointed out on the way to the English border and Northumberland National Park. South now to 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. (FB,D

Day 9:
York–London. Leave Yorkshire and its associations with James Herriot, and drive through the richest farmland in Britain for a highlight visit to BELVOIR CASTLE. The stately home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland houses one of England’s finest private art collections. Finally, visit the picturesque market town of Stamford. Return to London around 4 p.m. (FB)

Day 10:
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (FB)
 

Dates & Prices

LONDON
Guided sightseeing, visit St. Paul’s Cathedral and see the Changing of the Guard, if held

HAMPTON COURT
Visit the palace’s ornamental gardens

STONEHENGE
Visit the prehistoric monument

BATH
Visit the Roman relics

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Picture stop at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage; Visit Shakespeare’s birthplace

CHESTER
Walking tour

EDINBURGH
Guided sightseeing, visit Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace

ABBOTSFORD
Guided tour of Sir Walter Scott’s house

YORK
Walking tour

BELVOIR
Visit the Duke and Duchess of Rutland’s Castle