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United Kingdom
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England
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Greater London
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5-Day Best of Britain Tour: Edinburgh, Stonehenge, York, Bath, and Cardiff from London
4 days
About this activity
DAY 1 FROM LONDON TO STRATFORD-UPON-AVON & MEDIEVAL YORK.
At 07:30, meet your Travel Director at the The Grosvenor Hotel in London and depart for Stratford-upon-Avon. Visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare and admire the architecture of this pretty town nestled beside the River Avon. Head north to historic York and walk inside the city walls see to the topsy-turvy Shambles, a picturesque street with warped overhanging timber-framed houses. Admire the glorious York Minster, which is the largest medieval church in northern Europe. In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner and the chance to get to know your fellow travellers.
DAY 2 OVER THE BORDER TO EDINBURGH.
Pass the ruined Jedburgh Abbey, en route to Edinburgh. Your Local Expert will show you Edinburgh Castle, home to the Honours of Scotland. At the end of the Royal Mile see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of Her Majesty, the Queen. Cross over to Princes Street, passing the Sir Walter Scott Monument, to explore the elegant 18th century New Town with its classical Adam facades. In the evening, select departures will attend the spectacular Military Tattoo - a colourful mix of pipes and drums, dance and display, set against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
DAY 3 TO THE LAKE DISTRICT AND ON TO LIVERPOOL.
Journey via Gretna Green, where many eloping English couples have married, to the beautiful English Lake District where there is time at leisure to explore on your own. Why not choose the Optional Excursion of a cruise on Windermere and steam train ride? There really is no better way to admire the incredible scenery of rugged mountain and secluded bays. Continue to lively Liverpool, home of The Beatles, and see the famous Liver Building.
1. DAY 4 TRAVEL TO ROMAN CHESTER AND ON TO CARDIFF.
Visit the former Roman fortress town of Chester. Walk along part of the city walls, see the Eastgate Clock, cathedral, remains of the Roman Amphitheatre and the unique black and white shopping arcades known as the ‘Rows.’ After time to explore, cross into Wales and head for the capital of Cardiff for an orientation of the port city, on the River Taff.
2. DAY 5 GEORGIAN BATH, STONEHENGE AND LONDON.
Cross the Severn Bridge back into England and travel to the City of Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built above Britain's only thermal, mineral springs. The key highlight is of course a visit to the Roman Baths. See incredibly well-preserved remains of one of the greatest spas of the ancient world, still flowing with the natural hot water from the springs. Travel across Salisbury Plain to visit the pre-historic and mysterious Stonehenge, where the strange and awe-inspiring monoliths are reputed to be up to 5,000 years old. Your journey concludes upon arrival at The Grosvenor Hotel in London.
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At 07:30, meet your Travel Director at the The Grosvenor Hotel in London and depart for Stratford-upon-Avon. Visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare and admire the architecture of this pretty town nestled beside the River Avon. Head north to historic York and walk inside the city walls see to the topsy-turvy Shambles, a picturesque street with warped overhanging timber-framed houses. Admire the glorious York Minster, which is the largest medieval church in northern Europe. In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner and the chance to get to know your fellow travellers.
DAY 2 OVER THE BORDER TO EDINBURGH.
Pass the ruined Jedburgh Abbey, en route to Edinburgh. Your Local Expert will show you Edinburgh Castle, home to the Honours of Scotland. At the end of the Royal Mile see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of Her Majesty, the Queen. Cross over to Princes Street, passing the Sir Walter Scott Monument, to explore the elegant 18th century New Town with its classical Adam facades. In the evening, select departures will attend the spectacular Military Tattoo - a colourful mix of pipes and drums, dance and display, set against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
DAY 3 TO THE LAKE DISTRICT AND ON TO LIVERPOOL.
Journey via Gretna Green, where many eloping English couples have married, to the beautiful English Lake District where there is time at leisure to explore on your own. Why not choose the Optional Excursion of a cruise on Windermere and steam train ride? There really is no better way to admire the incredible scenery of rugged mountain and secluded bays. Continue to lively Liverpool, home of The Beatles, and see the famous Liver Building.
1. DAY 4 TRAVEL TO ROMAN CHESTER AND ON TO CARDIFF.
Visit the former Roman fortress town of Chester. Walk along part of the city walls, see the Eastgate Clock, cathedral, remains of the Roman Amphitheatre and the unique black and white shopping arcades known as the ‘Rows.’ After time to explore, cross into Wales and head for the capital of Cardiff for an orientation of the port city, on the River Taff.
2. DAY 5 GEORGIAN BATH, STONEHENGE AND LONDON.
Cross the Severn Bridge back into England and travel to the City of Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built above Britain's only thermal, mineral springs. The key highlight is of course a visit to the Roman Baths. See incredibly well-preserved remains of one of the greatest spas of the ancient world, still flowing with the natural hot water from the springs. Travel across Salisbury Plain to visit the pre-historic and mysterious Stonehenge, where the strange and awe-inspiring monoliths are reputed to be up to 5,000 years old. Your journey concludes upon arrival at The Grosvenor Hotel in London.
Included
- Hotels Day 1 Hilton York / Day 2 Apex Waterloo Place Hotel, Edinburgh / Day 3 Pullman Liverpool Hotel / Day 4 Clayton Hotel Cardiff
- Meals : Dinner on Day 1 / Buffet Breakfast x 4
- Transport by coach
- Professional guide
- Entry/Admission - The Roman Baths
- Entry/Admission - Stonehenge
- Entry/Admission - Shakespeare's Birthplace
Not included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off on Day 1 and Day 5
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Accommodation is allocated on a twin/double basis
- Minimum age is 5 years
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
70%
Aquatic
30%
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Fabulous tour with Scott Hunter and Andrew Jackson driver. They were extremely professional and helpful. Everything went to plan except the weather in Stonehenge - where it was cold, wet but mystical just like the Stonehenge. Highly recommend this short but varied and interesting tour of the UK. Thank you
While I have given this tour the 5 star highly-recommended rating, I would also point out that Viator doesn't get the credit, Insight Vacations the actual tour provider receives the accolades. Our booking confirmation from Viator stated a 7:15 am pickup in London on day one, with no mention of Insights involvement in the process. In fact Viator had stated if we had any issues we should contact their provider Evan Evans tours. No sign of a bus by 7:45...I call Evan Evans and they inform me they haven't worked with Viator in years. No contact info for Viator provided other than an email address. Thinking at this point our tour is a bust, a bus pulls up just after 8:00 am from Insight and I'm relieved to find our names on their list. Poor and incorrect information from Viator will have me dealing directly with Insight in future. As for the tour, great work by our Insight director Brad Dick and driver Michael Elliot. Two top-notch professionals who kept us on track and made this quick tour one of the most interesting we've been on. A great sampler for those hoping to come back to Britain for a lengthier stay at one or more of these locations.
This tour is really great if you get the same tour director we had. It is an Insight tour with a lot of space on the bus. We saw almost all of Great Britain but don't plan to spend much time anywhere. This gave us a good overview and if we came back we would have ideas of where to spend time.
This tour was all I expected and more. Our tour guide Caroline Huyshe was excellent. She provided many interesting bits of information at our different stops and along the way in the coach. The stops along the route were well planned and the hotels provided a restful evening and night. Ian our driver was very proficient and drove the coach with skill. Although Ian was very quiet he was very helpful with the luggage and getting our bags to the rooms. I believe Caroline made the trip very enjoyable on all fronts. She was patient with us and answered all our questions. I enjoyed this trip from start to finish and the extras- The Scottish Show in Edinburgh and the Welsh Evening at the The Blue Anchor Inn were very welcome additions. Thank-you for a well planned and informative trip. Phyllis Umpherville,Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
The tour was excellent! Tour guide and driver were great too.. except for the last night in Liverpool which i think is not worth the time. We should either spend one more night in Edinburgh or Lake district. There is nothing much in Liverpool unlike Edinburgh and Lake District. On the final day back to London, there should also be a stop for photos at Cotswold.. One comment on Thistle Marble Arch Hotel in which we stayed for 2 nights. One night before and after the tour respectively. We chose to stay there as the pick up is convenient. We told the hotel staff we will be coming back to stay in the hotel after our tour, however they refuse to keep some of our luggage. As such 2 of us took our 4 pieces of luggage with us all the way up north UK and back! As we have done much shopping in London before our land tour, we have more than 1 luggage each. If only the hotel can be more considerate given that we will still be their customer when we returned. Unfortunately they insisted on a charge of 30 pounds per day per luggage if we were to leave our bags with them. I find this not acceptable as we will be returning to stay with them. Appreciate Viator or Insights can speak to them to avoid disappointment of future tour customers. If its not because of Viator or Insight tour, Thistle Marble Arch will not necessary be chosen..