England – Beyond the Channel

ITINERARY

• DAY 1

  Welcome to London

  Arrive at London airport, meet the guide and proceed for panoramic tour of the city. Afternoon hotel check in.
  
  Welcome to the London! Upon arrival, meet with your guide and proceed for panoramic tour of the city. Afternoon hotel check in and spend the day at leisure to relax and rest after your overseas flight.

  What's included?

  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 2

  Folkestone - Explore one of the prettiest regions of England, Kent

  Today you will explore one of the prettiest regions of England: Kent. Leeds Castle rises in the middle of 500 acres of garden, surrounded by a moat which makes it one of the most beautiful castles in the world. Founded in 1086, this was the favorite residence of King Edward I, and home to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife.
  
  Proceed to Canterbury, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages. The ancient walls, first built by the Romans, surround the old medieval city with cobbled lanes and timbered houses. The beautiful Cathedral is the headquarters of the Anglican Church, and you can find gothic and Romanic elements in the bas-reliefs and the stained glass.
  
  Dover Castle overlooks the narrowest part of the Channel. Known as the ‘key to England’, it has been fortified and continuously garrisoned since 1066 up until 1958. During WWII it was the headquarters of high military defense and played a crucial part in planning the evacuation of Dunkirk.
  
  Overnight in the Folkestone area.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 3

  Brighton - Explore most beautiful in the world, Sissinghurst gardens

  Today you’ll explore Sissinghurst gardens, considered to be among the most beautiful in the world. Vita Sackville-West, the poetess, and writer started working on the transformation of the garden with the help of her husband in 1930 and from this cooperation, the ‘rooms’ of the garden were born, rich in poetry, color, and variety.
  
  Rye, one of the best-kept secrets, is a village located on one of the hills facing the Channel, which retains its medieval structure with cobbled streets and wooden houses. (It is not possible to get to the village by coach, the medieval town can only be reached with a short uphill path).
  
  Overnight stay in Brighton.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 4

  Brighton - City tour

  Today you’ll visit Brighton, a posh city on the Channel and a typical English holiday destination. The town became popular when chosen by the royal family as a holiday resort and for this reason, made smarter with the addition of several Regency buildings, a smart pier, and an imaginative Pavilion.
  
  Overnight stay in Brighton.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 5

  Portsmouth - Embark on the Bluebell Railway and visit Petworth House to discover its amazing collection

  As in a trip back in time we embark on the Bluebell Railway, one of the first restored railway lines in England and recently voted England’s best steam train. This train appeared in many movie productions such as Downton Abbey. Afterward, visit Petworth House and discover its amazing collection dating back 900 years. Explore its park, designed by Capability Brown, populated by deer-s. We continue to Portsmouth, an important naval base in the south of England, famous for its historic harbor where you can see today among others the Victory, where Nelson lost his life during the battle of Trafalgar and the Mary Rose, which dates back to Tudor times.
  
  Overnight stay in Portsmouth.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 6

  Portsmouth - Embark on the ferry to Isle of Wight

  Drive to the harbor to embark on the ferry which will take us to the Isle of Wight, famous for its beaches and its scenic seafronts.
  
  Visit Osborne House, the holiday residence of Queen Victoria. Visit the private quarters of the Royal family, the private beach, and the cottage dedicated to the children to get a vivid picture of this family's private life. The island offers many beautiful views up to the furthest western point where the famous Needles stand, 3 big limestone spikes protected by a lighthouse which has been standing here since the 19th century.
  
  Back to Portsmouth for an overnight stay.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 7

  Salisbury - City tour in Winchester and visit a masterpiece of engineering Stonehenge

  Depart Portsmouth to Winchester. A short stroll in the historic city center and visit the Cathedral and the Great Hall where the mythical Round Table is kept. Afterward, visit Stonehenge, a masterpiece of engineering and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. You will continue with a tour of Salisbury and its vibrant Cathedral with Britain's tallest spire and best preserved Magna Carta.
  
  Overnight stay in Salisbury.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 8

  Plymouth - Explore Dorchester and drive along the scenic Jurassic Coast

  Leave Salisbury to reach Dorchester, a historic market town, on the banks of the River Frome. Follow the drive along the scenic Jurassic coast, crossing Lyme Regis, Seaton, Sidmouth, and arrive in Exeter: explore a city with a 2,000-year history and visit its beautiful medieval Cathedral, a fine example of Gothic decorated style.
  
  After the visit, proceed to Plymouth and overnight stay in Plymouth.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 9

  Plymouth - Visit a picturesque medieval harbor town, Fowey

  This morning visit Plymouth before entering Cornwall. Visit Polperro, sheltered from the ravages of time and tide in its cliff ravine, it's an enchanting jumble of cottages, each one unmistakably the work of a Cornish fisherman. You will then proceed to Fowey, a picturesque medieval harbor town on the western entrance to River Fowey. As you walk the ever-narrowing streets of the old town where medieval and Georgian buildings cast shadows over each other, a vibrant maritime history comes to life. You will then reach the Lost Gardens of Heligan, one of the most mysterious estates in England. The award-winning garden restoration is already internationally acclaimed and tells a story of “ordinary” people who had made these gardens great, before departing for the Great War and then more recently restored them to their current beauty.
  
  Overnight stay in Plymouth.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
• DAY 10

  Plymouth - Visit St. Michael's Mount and St. Ives

  This morning head for the Bay of Penzance to visit St Michael's Mount: this iconic rocky island is crowned by a medieval church and castle, and is home to a living community. Look down on the subtropical terraced garden and enjoy the breathtaking views of spectacular Mount Bay. You will then proceed to St Ives, a town that is visited by many artists attracted by its seemingly subtropical oasis where the beaches are golden, the vegetation is lush and the light piercingly bright.
  
  Overnight stay in Plymouth.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 11

  Somerset - Enjoy dramatic sea views from the castle ruins in Tintagel

  Leave Plymouth to cross the Bodmin Moor and reach Tintagel, where you will enjoy dramatic sea views from the castle ruins on the headland and island. With a history stretching as far back as the Romans, it is steeped in myths and mystery. It is a spectacular place that has inspired artists and writers throughout history who have associated it with the legend of King Arthur. In the afternoon you will make your way to North Devon to visit the small town of Clovelly where the steep, cobbled street tumbles down past gleaming white cottages to the tiny, deep blue harbor. It is also famous for its donkeys and views over the Bristol Channel.
  
  Overnight stay in Somerset.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 12

  Bath - Visit Wells Cathedral

  Head to Wells and visit its Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, a fine example of Early Gothic architecture set in a medieval city and described as “the most poetic of the English Cathedrals”. Unique features that separate it from other English cathedrals are the beautiful inverted arches, more commonly called ‘scissor arches’. It also boasts one of the largest collections of historic stained glass in the country. You will stop at Vicar's Close, which is claimed to be the oldest purely residential street with its original buildings all surviving intact in Europe and dating back to the mid-14th century. You will then proceed to Bath where you will visit the Roman Baths and the Royal Crescent, a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent and built between 1767 and 1774.
  
  Overnight stay in Bath.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer
• DAY 13

  Bath & Lacock then depart to London Heathrow fly back home

  This morning enjoy time free of leisure in the beautiful town of Bath:
  
  You can have a pleasant time in the city just wandering the streets, admiring the peerless Georgian architecture, and reliving history through the words of Austen. Pick from the dozen or so museums or enjoy a session at the Thermae Bath Spa’s New Royal Bath and you’ll have access to the 33 degrees Celsius waters of an open-air rooftop pool and the larger indoor Minerva Bath.
  
  Time to leave Bath and on your way to Heathrow you’ll also have a chance to visit the medieval wool village of Lacock. Whilst modern inside, the buildings from the outside look pretty much the same as centuries ago at the heyday of Lacock. Its Abbey is one of the few abbeys in England left intact, most being destroyed during the reign of Henry VIII.
  
  Your tour ends at London Heathrow airport.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Transfer