MONARCHS, MYSTERIES & MURDER
Southern England / Heart of England
11 Days - $3,695/pp*

country that dates back over 1,000 years since its inception is bound to be abundant with history. Monarchs, mysteries and murder are an interesting and exciting part of England’s vast history – from the mysteries of Pagan times to the fictional (and real) “whodunits” of the 19th and 20th centuries. Tour Southern England for a taste of the thrills and chills that abound.

Day 1 – Departure †
Depart from your home destination.
(Airport transfer and airfare can be arranged*)

Day 2 – Murder and Mystery
The excitement begins when you are driven via authentic London taxicab to your four-star, centrally located London hotel – ideally situated for accessing all the best London has to offer. “Holmes and Watson had their capers through these very streets,” you think to yourself. After a brief rest in your hotel, you’ll have a bird's eye view of London in the late afternoon on a flight on the British Airways London Eye. You may want a “stiffener” in a local pub next, as you head off to the famous Richard Jones’ Jack the Ripper Walking Tour, where you’ll hear and see the gruesome and shocking details of how this fiend shocked London, and the world, in 1888. Who was Jack the Ripper… do you know?

Day 3 – ... and a Monarch or Two

After a hearty breakfast at your hotel (full English breakfast included, daily, on this tour), you’re off to the Tower. The Tower of London has played home to numerous monarchs… and murders. An official Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) will guide you as you make your way through this royal fortress which dates back over 900 years. The Tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" (meaning "imprisoned"). Fast forward a few hundred centuries… and have a look at the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will be particularly enthralled to see a recreation of Holmes’ domicile. After a quick change, you’re off to have Afternoon Tea at The Savoy (this is a meal in itself!) Afternoon Tea has been served at The Savoy throughout its entire history. Served in the famous Thames Foyer and accompanied by the sounds of the resident pianist, Afternoon Tea consists of a mouth-watering array of sandwiches with a variety of fresh fillings, delicate pastries, teacakes and scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve. The evening is yours to enjoy as you wish: visit a local pub, one of London’s 6,000 restaurants, or take in a show in London’s West End.

Days 4 & 5 & 6 – Murder Mystery
“I choose to be only associated with those crimes which present some difficulty in their solution,” once said the Great Detective, Holmes. You will, indeed, be presented with a difficult case as you travel by train out of London to your Murder Mystery Weekend in the country. This evening, you can begin your sleuthing by meeting your fellow guests for the weekend with a Welcome Cocktail Reception. Your weekend also includes 2 nights at a four-star hotel, 2 nights dinner, 2 mornings breakfast, lunch on Saturday, and the full Murder Mystery program with competitions, games, and actors at a Saturday night party.

Day 6 – Shakespeare's Stratford
Today, you will travel via train to the home of William Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon. This afternoon, you’ll visit the Five Shakespearean Homes which include Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Mary Arden’s House, Nash’s House & New Place, and Hall’s Croft. This evening, a Shakespearean production performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company++ is the ideal end to the day. Tonight, you’ll stay at a lovely four-star hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon. Rest, relax, and enjoy the sites and scenes from 500 years ago.

Day 7 – Return to the Scene of the Crime - London
Today, you will travel via train to where your mysterious plot began. Upon returning to London, you will visit Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral, a Cathedral dedicated to St. Paul which has overlooked the City of London since 604AD and serves as a constant reminder to this great commercial centre of the importance of the spiritual side of life. The remainder of the day is a wonderful opportunity to explore London – perhaps take in a bit of shopping, or enjoy a cruise down the River Thames.

Day 8 – The Mysteries of Southern England
After breakfast, you have a very full day today with a guided tour to one of the world’s most enigmatic mysteries, Stonehenge. You will travel by luxury coach with fellow passengers to experience this mystical and magical phenomenon that has baffled historians, theologians and the like for millennia. Additionally, you will visit Salisbury Cathedral and see the famous Magna Carta, have lunch at a traditional English pub, then visit the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms in the Georgian city of Bath.

Day 9 – A Monarch and Mysterious Maze
Hampton Court Palace awaits you today. Don’t miss The Maze – one of the most famous mazes in the world. You’ll also see Henry VIII’s Great Hall - England’s last and greatest medieval hall. The room is spanned by a large and sumptuously decorated hammer-beam roof and its walls are hung with Henry VIII’s most splendid tapestries. Then visit The Privy Garden which has been restored to its 1702 glory using incredibly detailed accounts so that the garden has been restored to how it would have looked for William III. Late afternoon, you will travel by train to your next and final destination on this tour, the beautiful Royal Borough of Windsor.

Day 10 – Windsor
After a good night’s rest in your four-star hotel, and a hearty breakfast, you’re off to see Windsor Castle, an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A Royal home and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today. You’ll be able to walk around the State Apartments, an extensive suite of rooms at the heart of the working palace. For part of the year visitors are also allowed to see the Semi State rooms, which are some of the most splendid interiors in the castle. They are furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection including paintings by Holbein, Rubens, Van Dyck and Lawrence, fine tapestries and porcelain, sculpture and armor. Within the Castle complex there are many additional attractions, including the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary's dolls' house, and the fourteenth-century St. George's Chapel, the burial place of ten sovereigns and setting for many Royal weddings, including the most recent royal event, the blessing of the marriage of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles. The evening is yours to do as you please, your last night in England.

Day 11 – Return Home
Your taxicab will pick you up from your hotel in Windsor to take you to the airport.
(Airport transfers and airfare can be arranged*.)

† Requires Tuesday departure, or restructure of tour days
* Additional fees apply.
** Based on flight times
++ Performance subject to change and based on availability. Performances unavailable in Stratford can be credited to performance in London.

SUMMARY (What's included in your tour price):
Day 2 - Famous London authentic taxicab transport to hotel, four-star hotel in London, Fast-Pass for British Airways London Eye, and Jack the Ripper Walking Tour, Oyster card for London Underground travel
Day 3 - Full English breakfast, four-star London hotel, tickets for Tower of London, and Afternoon Tea at The Savoy Hotel
Day 4 & 5 - Full English breakfast, train tickets to Murder Mystery Weekend locale, four-star hotel, 2 nights dinner, breakfast, Welcome Cocktail Reception and Murder Mystery program
Day 6 - Full English breakfast, four-star hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, train travel to Stratford-upon-Avon, admission tickets for five Shakespearean houses, Royal Shakespeare Company theatrical production??
Day 7 - Full English breakfast, four-star London hotel, admission to the Globe Theatre, admission to St. Paul’s Cathedral Tour
Day 8 – Full English breakfast, four-star hotel London, full day escorted tour to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and Bath including admission for all locales and traditional English pub lunch.
Day 9 – Full English breakfast, four-star hotel in Windsor, admission to Hampton Court Palace, train travel to Windsor
Day 10 – Full English breakfast, four-star Windsor hotel, admission to Windsor Castle
Day 11 – Full English breakfast, taxicab transport to airport

(Days 1 and 11 airfare not included in tour price)

The above tour is subject to change without notice.

E&OA