An English Christmas -
Christmas Tour
11 Days
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year." ~ Charles Dickens
 ravel
to the United Kingdom is certainly not restricted to spring and
summertime! In fact, we’ve found that England can be at her most
beautiful when illuminated by holiday lights and covered in a delicate
blanket of snow. Return to decades and even centuries past and embrace
the magic of the holiday with this tour designed to take the “Bah
humbug!” out of any Scrooge.
Day 1 - Departure
Depart from your home destination.
(Airport transfer and/or airfare additional*)
Day 2 – Oh, Christmas Tree
Your chauffeur awaits you at the airport to take you in style via
Mercedes S Class (or similar luxury car) to your luxury hotel. Don’t
hesitate to embrace the holiday spirit. Tonight, dine in Covent Garden,
then it's on to Trafalgar Square to see the infamous tree, given every
year by the people of Norway. The tree stands in Trafalgar Square and
is the focal point for evening carol singing. It is lit in
Norwegian-style white lights, and carols are sung around the tree from
about 5pm to 9pm.
Day 3 – Jingle Bells
This morning, it’s off to the Tower with you! The Tower of London, that
is. Steep yourself in a bit of British history with an escorted tour of
the Tower given by one of the famous  Yeoman
Warders. This afternoon, it’s ice skating at Somerset House! Somerset
House ice rink has become an icon for winter London. Whether you're an
able skater or an absolute beginner Somerset House Ice Rink is London's
essential winter experience. You’ll need a warm up after your fun on
the ice, so we’re sending you to enjoy a Traditional English Afternoon
Tea at one of London’s finest hotels, a time-honoured tradition.
Tonight, head over to Regent and Oxford Streets to view the amazing
Christmas lights and shop windows - you won't want to miss it!.
Day 4 – Oh, Christmas Tree!
Today you travel via first class train to Kew’s country garden,
Wakehurst Place, in West Sussex. Wakehurst Place offers 180 acres of
country estate, an Elizabethan Mansion with Gallery and Learning Zone,
ornamental gardens with water features, and special Christmas
festivities. Upon your return to London, may we suggest a bit of
Christmas shopping? You can’t go wrong with a few hours spent at the
famous Harrod’s Department Store. (We understand even Santa shops here,
on occasion.)
Day 5 – Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Time for a trip back in time. You’ll visit the Charles Dickens Museum
in London – after all, what London Christmas would be complete without
paying respect to the man who gave us Ebenezer Scrooge? This afternoon,
you’ll get a view of London like no other, as you have a bird’s eye
look at the city in all it’s glory from the British Airways London Eye!
As well as being one of the most visually striking structures in the
world - the British Airways London Eye offers you a new perspective on
a great city. Tonight, you attend the classic Christmas ballet, ‘The
Nutcracker’**. After the Sugar Plum Fairies have danced circles around
you, it’s off to one of London’s most famous restaurants which dates
back to 1828, offering only the finest quality British ingredients
cooked to perfection in classic British style. You’ll want to dress up
a bit for this meal, as it will be a night to remember.
Day 6 – Away in a Manger
Well, not so much a manger, as a "henge". Stonehenge, actually. You
travel via first class train to Salisbury Plain, the home of the
infamous site in the beautiful county of Wiltshire. The great and
ancient stone circle of Stonehenge is one of the wonders of the world.
What visitors see today are the substantial remnants of the last in a
sequence of such monuments erected between circa 3000BC and 1600BC.
There has always been intense debate over quite what purpose Stonehenge
served. Certainly, it was the focal point in a landscape filled with
prehistoric ceremonial structures, now a World Heritage Site. A trip to
the UK wouldn’t be complete without seeing this incredible phenomenon.
Tonight, is yours to do exactly as you please.
Day 7 – Winter Wonderland
You’re off to the Cotswolds today! The Cotswolds is a designated Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), recognised as a unique
environment, with some of England’s finest countryside. It is protected
as a special landscape of national importance. There are charming
villages, historic towns, impressive churches, rolling countryside and
glorious gardens. Tonight, you’ll stay in one of the finest hotels in
Gloucestershire where you’ll be treated like a Duke or Duchess.
Day 8 – Let It Snow!
While we can’t promise that it will snow, you won’t mind either way, as
you drive your rental car through some of the most spectacular and
beautiful countryside you’ve seen. You’ll drive the “Romantic Road” and
visit lovely gardens, antique shops, and tea rooms on the way. This,
you will dine in a quaint country inn and be treated to superior fare.
Day 9 – Good King Wenceslas
We’re not sure if Good King Wenceslas ever made it to Hampton Court
Palace, but today, you will. For almost 200 years, Hampton Court Palace
was at the centre of court life, politics and national history and was
once home to King Henry VIII. Get ready to put your skates on again, as
Hampton Court offers ice skating during the Christmas Season, in
addition to the educational tour that should not be missed. Try the
maze, but don’t get lost - you’ve got big plans tonight – a Dinner
Cruise on the Thames River where you’ll enjoy a 5-course a la carte
dinner and see the beautiful sites of London from a different
perspective… on the water.
 Day 10 – We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Your last full day in London, this is the perfect time to finish that
Christmas shopping. Make sure you stop into Hamley's, the U.K.'s
largest toy store, which will delight you no matter what age you are!
This afternoon, you’ll have an experience like no other as you attend a
cooking class with some of London’s hottest chefs! Tonight, it’s one
last musical in the West End, Monty Python’s Spamalot**! Directed by
Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and an entirely new score
created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, this vibrant musical tells the
legendary tale of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, and
features a bevy of beautiful show girls (not to mention cows, killer
rabbits and French people.) Monty Python's Spamalot has been hailed as
"a no-holds-barred smash" (The New Yorker).
Day 11 - Return to Airport and Flight Home*
Your chauffeur awaits you at your hotel to return youin style via
Mercedes S Class (or similar luxury car) London's Heathrow or Gatwick
Airport.
(Airport transfer and/or airfare additional*)
* Additional fees apply. ** Performances subject to change.
(Days 1 and 11 - airfare not included in tour price)
The above tour is subject to change without notice.
E&OA
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