8 Day Heart Of Wales Tour & England Tour

Tour Highlights

• Stunning Welsh Scenery
  
• Cardiff Castle’s Welsh Banquet
  
• Tower of London & Crown Jewels
  
• Jane Austen’s City of Bath
  
• Caernarfon Castle
  
• Shakespeare’s Birthplace
  
• Windsor Castle

Your Hotels

• Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel, London (2 nights)
• Maldron Hotel, Cardiff (1 night)
• Celtic Royal Hotel, Caernarfon (2 nights)
• Shakespeare Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon (1 night)
• Harte & Garter Hotel, Windsor (1 night)

Hotel Classifications: Deluxe (D), Superior First Class (SF), First Class (F)

Tour Includes

• Group transfers at start and end of tour
  
• Sightseeing by luxury coach
  
• Professional tour director
  
• 7 nights in hotels listed above
  
• Full breakfast daily except on day 1 (B)
  
• 6 dinners (D) including:
  
• Welcome dinner in London
  
• Cardiff Castle Banquet
  
• 4 table d’hote dinners
  
• Welcome get-together drink
  
• Tours of London, Cardiff and Stratford-upon-Avon
  
• Walking tours of Bath and Oxford
  
• London open-top bus tour
  
• Visits and admissions to Tower of London, Roman Baths & Pump Room, Cardiff Castle, Portmeirion Village, National Slate Museum, Caernarfon Castle, Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Windsor Castle
  
• Deluxe flight bag, ticket wallet, luggage tags & strap
  
• All local taxes, hotel service charges & porterage for one suitcase per person

Itinerary

Day 1: London & Welcome Dinner

Your trip starts at Heathrow Airport with a pre-booked independent transfer to your hotel. A transfer from Gatwick Airport can be arranged at an additional cost. At 2:30 pm take an orientation tour around central London to see famous landmarks including Piccadilly Circus, Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. In the evening meet your tour director over a welcome drink to discuss your itinerary before dining in the hotel. (D)

Day 2: Tower of London & City Sights

Today you may schedule your London sightseeing as you wish to see places of most interest to you. Take an open-top bus tour around the many famous landmarks and you may get on and off as you wish. There are a number of different bus routes as well as a walking tour and a cruise on the River Thames. Visit the Tower of London to view the magnificent Crown Jewels, guarded by Beefeaters in distinctive Tudor uniforms. See the White Tower, completed in 1097, and many other fortresses. You are free to choose a restaurant to dine independently. (B)

Day 3: Jane Austen’s Bath & Cardiff Castle Banquet

Drive west to the town of Bath, popular for its natural hot springs with the Romans 2,000 years ago and again in the Regency period. Bath was home to Jane Austen from 1801 to 1806 when the city was a popular spa resort and provided the setting for two of her novels, “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion.” Take a walking tour to view Regency houses, the Pulteney Bridge and Bath Abbey. Visit the Roman Baths and Pump Room to see many sections still preserved after two millennia. View the elegant Royal Crescent and other fine streets before heading into Wales for a look at the regenerated Cardiff Bay and Wales’ proud capital. Head to Cardiff Castle, developed in Roman times and transformed into an elaborate Gothic-style castle in the 19th century. A tour of the castle is followed by a fun Welsh banquet in the undercroft. (B, D)

Day 4: Brecon Beacons & Portmeirion Village

Drive past the coal producing region of South Wales and through the lovely expanses of Brecon Beacons National Park, a region of gentle hills. Stop in the market town of Brecon for a look around and then drive north to visit the Italianate village of Portmeirion. This elaborate resort with winding streets, towers and woodland gardens was founded in the 1920′s to show how a naturally beautiful place could be developed without spoiling it. A short drive will take you to Caernarfon, best known for its great stone castle, built in 1283 by Edward I, where Charles, the Prince of Wales, was invested in 1969. The town grew up around the Castle and you may like to browse around the market square, quaint buildings and narrow lanes on your own. (B, D)

Day 5: Castles of North Wales & Snowdonia

Today tour scenic North Wales starting at Llandudno’s seafront, which is lined with elegant Victorian buildings. Stop in nearby Conwy, a walled town with a huge castle, centuries-old buildings and the smallest house in Britain. As you drive through the countryside view Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. Visit the National Slate Museum which relates the hardships of this region’s slate industry, developed in Victorian times. Back in Caernarfon, tour Caernarfon Castle, once a vast military stronghold and a royal palace. Explore walkways around the massive walls and battlements that dominate the town. After dinner you may like to check out some of the old pubs around the town. (B, D)

Day 6: Llangollen & Stratford-upon-Avon

Drive through the gentle scenery of North Wales and take a break in the charming village of Llangollen before heading across the English border into Shropshire. Explore the picturesque town of Bridgnorth to see fine gabled and half-timbered houses. Drive to Stratford-upon-Avon for a panoramic tour around the lovely old town with distinctive black-and-white houses and shops. Visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace to see an exhibition about his life and work. Then enter the house where he was born to see rooms are furnished as they would have been in his day. Check in to your nearby Tudor-style hotel and enjoy free time before dinner. (B, D)

Day 7: Cotswolds & Windsor Castle

Drive through part of the Cotswolds and stop in the village of Broadway to look at quaint old houses built of honey-hued stone. Drive south to Oxford for a walking tour through the historic city to learn about the most famous colleges, including Christ Church College, founded in 1524, and the many prominent graduates. After free time head to Windsor to visit Windsor Castle, one of The Queen’s official residences and the largest occupied castle in the world. See the lavishly decorated State Apartments and St. George’s Chapel. Check in to your hotel, close to the Castle, for a farewell dinner with your travel group. (B, D)

Day 8: Tour Ends Heathrow Airport

Travel by group coach transfer to arrive at Heathrow Airport at either 7:00 am or 10:00 am to allow plenty of time for check in formalities. (B)

Dates and Prices for 2012

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Accommodation rating Represents the standard of hotel used most frequently throughout this tour

Extras Represents the individual operators suggested budget to pay for additional activities on tour (dinners,entertainment,excursions etc) NOT included in base tour price

Hotel legend:
D deluxe | SF superior first | F first | MF moderate first | ST superior tourist | T Tourist