British Highlights

Day 1 : ARRIVE IN LONDON, ENGLAND.

ARRIVE IN LONDON, ENGLAND. Check into your hotel. In the afternoon, there’s time to rest or to explore the lively British capital. Uniformed hosts are available to help you make the most of your day. Tonight, we recommend our optional Taste of London excursion with dinner, followed by a guided illumination cruise on the Thames River.

Day 2 : LONDON–STONEHENGE–BATH–CARD...

LONDON–STONEHENGE–BATH–CARDIFF, WALES. Meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and depart at 8 am for a memorable day of sightseeing. First, try to unravel the mystery of prehistoric STONEHENGE; explore the visitor center with its imaginative exhibitions, then take the shuttle to the stone circle and admire the magnificence of the monument up close. Across Salisbury Plain, head for the elegant Georgian city of Bath, famous for its Roman relics. Your overnight destination is the Welsh capital of Cardiff and later, consider an optional Welsh evening with dinner and entertainment. Today’s Distance: 171 mi/ 315 km (B)

Day 3 : CARDIFF–STRATFORD-UPON-AVON...

CARDIFF–STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, ENGLAND–LLANGOLLEN, WALES–CHESTER, ENGLAND. Today, travel through the lovely Cotswold Hills with its honey-colored limestone villages to Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, where you will have time to explore the town at your own pace. The afternoon is dedicated to North Wales. Take a stroll in picturesque Llangollen, home of an annual international contest for poets and musicians. Spend the night in Chester, the historic county town on the Dee River. Today’s Distance: 234 mi/ 377 km (B,D)

Day 4 : CHESTER–LAKE DISTRICT–GRETN...

CHESTER–LAKE DISTRICT–GRETNA GREEN, SCOTLAND–EDINBURGH. Drive into the tranquil Lake District, often considered to be the finest of England’s national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, visit Gretna Green, where the blacksmith used to wed runaway couples before making your way through the history-steeped Lowland Hills to Edinburgh. A suggestion for this evening: enjoy a traditional Scottish night out with Highland dancers, bagpipers, and, of course, the Ceremony of the Haggis. Today’s Distance: 275 mi/ 442 km (B)

Day 5 : EDINBURGH.

EDINBURGH. A full day to enjoy the Scottish capital. Morning sightseeing with a Local Guide introduces you to the 200-year-old “New Town", home to famous scientists, inventors, and novelists. In the “Old Town", visit EDINBURGH CASTLE to admire Scotland’s Crown Jewels. Afternoon at leisure. Later, a unique optional experience: board the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Tour five decks and see how the Royal Family and crew of 240 lived and worked on board. Dinner rounds out this optional evening. For departure numbers August 3 through August 24, tickets are included for tonight’s performance of the world-renowned MILITARY TATTOO, a vast spectacle of massed Scottish pipe bands that takes place in an arena on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. (B)

Day 6 : EDINBURGH.

EDINBURGH. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)