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

DAY    2            ARRIVE LONDON - OXFORD AREA (2 NIGHTS)
We will be met at the airport by our Tour manager/guide, where we will board our own private bus and transfer into the beautiful English countryside. We will stop to explore Oxford, England's oldest University City, which is associated with many notable literary alumni including such diverse characters as Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, C.S. Lewis and Evelyn Waugh. We will take a Walking Tour to view many of the colleges that make up Oxford, as well as the Sheldonian Theater and the Bodleian Library. We will also visit Christ Church College, Oxford's biggest and grandest Renaissance College, which was founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey. The college's Christ Church Cathedral is the smallest in England.

DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
This morning we will journey to Stratford-upon-Avon, a city forever associated with the playwright William Shakespeare. We will visit Shakespeare's Birthplace, where the he was born on April 23, 1564, and died on the same date 52 years later, as well as the modern Shakespeare Centre, built next door to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's birth. We continue with a brief visit to Holy Trinity Church, the parish church where Shakespeare is buried, located in an attractive setting near the River Avon. Our afternoon concludes with a visit to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, located just outside the city center. The cottage provides a rare insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean times, and many of the original furnishings are preserved inside the house.

DAY    4            OXFORD AREA - HATFIELD - EPPING FOREST - COUNTY
                           KENT (2 NIGHTS)
Our morning begins with a visit to Hatfield House and Gardens, a celebrated Jacobean House, which stands in its own great park and was built between 1607 and 1611. Our tour will include: the State Rooms, rich in world-famous paintings (including the Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I), fine furniture, rare tapestries and historic armor. We will also explore the delightful gardens, where Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood and held her first Council of State in November 1558. Our day continues to Epping Forest, a former hunting grounds for the Kings of England, where we will visit Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge (subject to dates and opening times), built by Henry VIII in 1543. The three-story timbered house has been fully restored, and houses an exhibition on the history of the lodge. We will continue to our hotel in County Kent.

DAY    5            DAY TRIP TO CANTERBURY & LEEDS CASTLE
This morning we journey to Canterbury, a city immortalized by Geoffrey Chaucer's famous novel, The Canterbury Tales. We will explore the walled city of Canterbury, beginning with a visit to Canterbury Cathedral, one of the most important churches in Europe. During our visit to the cathedral, we will view the Martyrdom, the chilling memorial on the spot where Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, was brutally murdered in 1170. There will be time to explore the medieval streets, before continuing with a visit to Leeds Castle and Gardens. Completely surrounded by a lake, with stone turrets, Leeds Castle is often considered the most beautiful castle in England. Our tour of the castle and grounds will include the introductory movie, the aviary, the Dog Collar Museum, and the Maze, featuring a secret underground grotto.

DAY    6            MAIDSTONE AREA - HEVER CASTLE - HAMPTON COURT -
                          LONDON (3 NIGHTS)
This morning we will visit Hever Castle and Gardens, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII wooed Anne at Hever Castle, and he later gave the castle to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Highlights of our tour will include: the Anne Boleyn Prayer Books, the Six Wives of Henry VIII, and the Model Houses exhibit. This afternoon we will visit the grandiose Hampton Court Palace, a stately residence once rented by Cardinal Wolsey and given to Henry VIII. Our tour will include: the Queen's Apartments, the Tudor Chapel Royal and the Great Hall. Our visit will also include a stroll through the amazing fountain Gardens, the pond gardens and Baroque Maze. We continue to London, Britain's historic capital city. Upon our arrival, 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    7            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    8            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 Shakespearian 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, we will then visit 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    9            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.