Traditionally English (15 days)

Upon arrival at one of London’s international airports you will be welcomed to England by your local Guardian Angel, and privately transferred to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

An expert local guide and your chauffeur are waiting to meet you for a full day sightseeing tour (8 hours) of the City of London and Westminster. Visit the Tower of London, where the Beefeaters guard the dazzling Crown Jewels, and gain excellent views of Tower Bridge from the Medieval Palace. Proceed afterwards to St. Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. This afternoon tour Westminster and enjoy a flight on the London Eye, gaining spectacular views of the city from the top. Continue on to Trafalgar Square, where the National Gallery of Art is overshadowed by Nelson’s Column. Head down Whitehall and past Downing Street to the Houses of Parliament. Visit Westminster Abbey, the National Church of England that has been the scene of many state occasions including the Coronation. Finally, return to your hotel past Buckingham Palace, the King's residence in London.

Today, an expert local guide and your chauffeur are waiting to meet you for a half day sightseeing tour (4 hours) to the Bloomsbury area of London. Visit the British Museum that houses a world-renowned collection of historic artefacts, including the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles and the Sutton Hoo treasures. Also see the excellent collection of Egyptian antiquities.

Time permitting, travel to the British Library building, where many priceless documents including a Gutenberg Bible and the First Folio edition of Shakespeare are on display. Enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure to explore London’s many attractions, museums, sights and shops.

Travel with your driver-guide out of London following the River Thames into the countryside. Stop en-route briefly at Windsor Castle then continue along to the graceful riverside towns of Marlow and Henley. Marlow offers a wealth of Georgian architecture whilst Henley is home to the famous Royal Rowing Regatta, which takes place in June every year.

Also today, pay a visit to one of the UK’s greatest stately homes, Blenheim Palace. The vast stone palace was built in the early 1700’s and impresses visitors with its huge parklands, English baroque façade and palatial interiors. The palace was also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Continue on to your countryside accommodations in Gloucestershire.

Spend the day with your driver-guide visiting the World Heritage city of Bath. The Romans first settled here in the 1st century with the construction of a temple and a network of baths to take full benefit of the natural springs. The city came back to favour in the 18th century when the gentry came to Bath with renewed interest in the healing properties in the waters. The legacy today is a city of fine honey coloured Georgian buildings epitomized by The Circus and the imposing Royal Crescent. Also of interest are the excavations of the Roman baths and the 15th century Abbey.

Returning to your hotel you may also stop in the village of Castle Combe, a picture-postcard English village, many times voted the most beautiful in Britain and setting for many film locations.

Spend the day with your driver-guide touring the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty known as the Cotswolds. The area is known for its quaint honey-coloured villages and rolling countryside. Undoubtedly one of the finest villages is Chipping Campden with quaint flower covered houses and the impressive St. James Church. Also tour Bourton-on-the-Water and villages with evocative names such as Upper and Lower Slaughter or Upper and Lower Swell.

Spend the day touring the Heart of England with your driver-guide. Travel first to Stratford-upon-Avon, a delightful riverside town of half-timbered houses. Stratford’s most famous son was William Shakespeare and here you can visit his birthplace and also the family home of his wife, Ann Hathaway.

Continue to Ludlow on the Welsh border, a quintessentially English town of black and white houses, churches and a red sandstone castle, which dates from 1058. Ludlow is also one of the gastronomic capitals of the United Kingdom; you may wish to take a late lunch (payable locally) in one of the three Michelin-starred restaurants in the town. At the end of the day, continue to your accommodations in historic Chester.

Spend the morning with a tour of the delightful city of Chester. Chester was originally a Roman naval base and the original boundary walls of the city today are still marked-out by the complete circle of city walls which date from the tenth century. The greatest expansion in the city happened in the 12th and 14th century, evidence of this can be seen in the rows of shopping arcades that date from this period and are still used for this purpose today.

This afternoon, travel across the border into Wales to Llangollen in the Dee Valley. Visit Plas Newydd, former home to a scandalous and eccentric group of ladies who collected curios and wood carvings to create one of the country’s first tourist attractions. Return to your hotel in Chester where the evening is at your leisure.

Depart Chester today and head northwards to the region known as The Lake District, a National Park because of its outstanding natural beauty. En-route stop at Cartmel, a beautiful village with flower-filled corners, delightful streamside walks, humpbacked bridges, cobbled pavements and traditional inns. Having celebrated its 800th anniversary, the Priory Church of St Mary and St. Michael still serves as the centre of the community. Also visit Levens Hall, a fine Elizabethan Mansion with fantastic topiary gardens.

Spend the day with your driver-guide discovering the unique scenery of the Lake District. The geography of mountains, valleys and lakes was formed during the Ice Age. Enjoy a relaxing public lake cruise followed by a ride on the steam railway through the Leven Valley. Alternatively, the more active may wish to spend some time walking the many pathways and admiring the views. Afterwards return to your lakeside accommodation.

Travel today up to the border with Scotland and the wall that was ordered by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, to keep out Scottish invaders. All along the wall there used to be a full infrastructure of garrisons, forts and temples. The best preserved is The House steads, a fort where you can clearly see the foundations of the commandant, granaries, hospital and HQ building. Travel on up to the medieval university city of Durham. Durham Castle commands a strategic position above the River Wear and, for 750 years, served as the home to Prince-Bishops from where Northern England was ruled and the Scots kept at bay.

Durham’s other impressive site is its Norman Cathedral, situated on the Palace Green whose origins go back to the 10th Century. Spend the evening in the village of Seaham, overlooking the North Sea.

Venture down the coast today to the picturesque and traditional British resort town of Whitby. The ruins of Whitby Abbey are set high on the East Cliff, founded by St. Hilda in AD 657. Whitby also played a role in the inspiration of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Your driver-guide will take you to the North Yorkshire Moors, a dramatic National Park of heather-coloured moorlands and quaint villages. Your journey ends today at your hotel in York.

Begin your day with a walking tour through the beautiful, historic and ancient city of York. York’s history dates from Roman times but it has also played a pivotal role in English history through the times of the Vikings and the Norman’s. Dominating the city is the Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.

Exploring the narrow, cobbled streets of the city you will come to Clifford’s Tower, which now stands on the mound where York Castle once stood. Finally in York, visit the Jorvik Viking Centre. Standing on an authentic Viking site, archaeologists have re-created a Viking street with extreme attention to detail. Spend the afternoon at leisure, catching up on some last minute gifts or enjoy the facilities of your hotel.

Today, your driver-guide will lead you on a full day journey (8 hours) back to London. A choice of route today provides you with to sightseeing options: Visit Cambridge, the city that is home to England's second oldest university. Many of the college buildings here are very grand; chief among these is King's College Chapel, whose fan-vaulted roof is one of the architectural wonders of the world. Alternatively visit Belvoir Castle, home of the Duke of Rutland that sits atop a hill overlooking the surrounding agricultural region. With sumptuous interiors, the castle has a celebrated collection of paintings. Continue to your hotel in London.

Today you will be privately transferred to one of London’s airports for your onward flight.