DAY    1            DEPARTURE FROM NORTH AMERICA
Enjoy full meal service on your scheduled wide-bodied flight to London.

DAY    2            ARRIVE LONDON (6 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Tour manager/guide, where we will board our own private bus and transfer to London, Britain's historic capital city. Today we will take a City Tour, which will reveal many of London's most famous landmarks. After dinner, we can take a leisurely Walking Tour of Westminster and Whitehall, including: Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Horseguards Parade, Parliament Square, Downing Street, St. James's Park and Buckingham Palace.

DAY    3            LONDON (THE BIRTH OF BRITISH THEATER)
This morning we will take a fascinating Walking Tour of the Historic Theater District, followed by a Backstage Tour of the Royal Drury Lane Theater. British theater was born here over 300 years ago, and since its construction in 1663, the Theater Royal has triumphed over tragedy, fire, bankruptcy, and even murder! Few who stand in the theater today can fail to be moved by the history surrounding them. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to the Theater Museum, where we will view a Make-up Demonstration. This evening we will dine in the lively Covent Garden area and watch the street entertainers perform, before attending our first West End Theater Performance.

DAY    4            LONDON (THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND)
We begin with a visit to Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. We will take a Blue-Badge guided tour, which will include the Royal Chapels, holding the tombs of the monarchs, as well as Poets' Corner, featuring memorials to famous British literary figures. Our morning continues as we walk past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, before taking a Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of London's most magnificent sights. This afternoon we will visit the Tower of London, one of Britain's most fascinating and important historical structures, with macabre associations with the legendary figures imprisoned and/or executed here. Our visit will include the armories, a display of instruments of torture and execution and the Crown Jewels Exhibit. This evening we will spend time around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, two of London's most vibrant and lively areas.

DAY    5            LONDON (SHAKESPEARE & DICKENS LONDON)
Today's sightseeing will be dedicated to William Shakespeare, the world's greatest playwright, and Charles Dickens, one of the finest novelists of the 19th century. We begin with a visit to the Shakespeare Globe Theater Museum, dedicated to the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance. The museum explores the costumes, the special effects, the music, and the printing and publishing process during the Shakespearean era. We will also have the opportunity to experience a Workshop with a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Our day continues with a specialist-guided Walking Tour through the London of Shakespeare and Dickens, followed by a visit to the simple abode in which Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist and finished The Pickwick Papers, which now houses the Dickens Museum. This evening we will attend a Performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

DAY    6            LONDON (ARTIFACTS & ARCHITECTURE IN LONDON)
Our morning begins with a visit to the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include: the Rosetta Stone, whose discovery led to the deciphering of hieroglyphs, the Elgin Marbles, from the Parthenon in Athens, and the Sutton Hoo Treasure. After a bit of free time to shop and explore Carnaby and Regent Streets, we continue with a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's Renaissance-style masterpiece. Our visit will include an ascent to the Whispering Gallery, an acoustic marvel in which the faintest whisper can be heard clearly on the opposite side, as well as the American Memorial Chapel, honoring the 28,000 U.S. service personnel who lost their lives while stationed in Britain during World War II. This evening, we will attend a West End Theater Performance.

DAY    7            LONDON (THEATER TODAY)
We begin the day with a visit to a London Street Market to look for some bargains and experience a real "taste" of London life. We continue with a Tour of BBC Television Center, where go behind the scenes of the most famous television center in the world. During our tour, we will visit BBC News, play in an interactive studio, and be shown around by well-informed, entertaining guides. This afternoon, we will take a Backstage Tour of the National Theater. After dinner we will attend our final Theater Performance back at the National Theater.

DAY    8            DEPARTURE FROM LONDON
Your enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as your guide accompanies you to the airport for the return flight home.