Great
Cathedrals of
England
Sample Itinerary
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Day 1 Depart US
Board your flight to
London.
Day 2
Canterbury
Early arrival in
London. You will be met by
your professional tour guide who will accompany you throughout your trip. Board
your luxury motorcoach for a ride to
Canterbury.
Upon arrival we will check into our hotel near the city center. Relax at the
hotel or you may opt to spend the afternoon sightseeing. Savor a welcome dinner
at or near hotel. (B, D)
Day 3
Canterbury
Breakfast
at hotel. Free time to relax and enjoy the museums, cafes and shopping in
Canterbury.
Afternoon rehearsal for evening concert. This evening perform a concert
at a local church. Dinner at or near hotel. (B, D)
Day 4 Canterbury
/ Stratford
After breakfast we visit to
Canterbury Cathedral, which is the ecclesiastical center of the Church of
England. Your guided tour of the interior will include a visit to the Shrine of
St. Thomas á Becket who was martyred and buried in Canterbury Cathedral.
Following the tour, you will present a short
midday a capella performance at
Canterbury Cathedral(pending confirmation).
After the concert, we will board our coach to Stratford-upon-Avon. Settle into
your Stratford
city center hotel for the next four nights. Join the group for dinner and
afterwards search out a pub with live music. (B, D)
Day
5 Stratford
Leisurely
breakfast and time to settle into your wonderful hotel located in the center of
Stratford. Enjoy the close proximity to the museums, cafes and shopping. You
may choose to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace or to see Anne Hathaway’s cottage
in Shottery. This evening perhaps you will want to enjoy of the the “Great
Bard’s” thatrical masterpieces.
Dinner at
or near the hotel. (B, D)
Day
6 Gloucester
After breakfast, we board our bus for a short ride to the
picturesque and idyllic Cotswolds. They are named after a man – Codwald – that
owned this high forest land in the 12th century. We can expect to
see quaint villages tucked in rolling hills dotted with grazing sheep. The
thatched roof houses and cobblestoned streets of the near lying villages bring
us back into a time long gone. Continue on to
Gloucester. Our local guide
will give us a brief walking orientation tour of the city in the morning and
then enjoy the afternoon free to sightsee and shop. Gloucester has plenty to
see including its magnificent Norman cathedral -featured in Harry Potter, the
National Waterways Museum, a house depicted in a Beatrix Potter story – “The
Tailor of Gloucester”, and the historic Gloucester docks - a collection of 15
restored warehouses now house specialty shops, restaurants, a military museum,
an antiques center & cafe bars. You may choose to explore some of the canals
with the available boat trips. Afternoon informal performance at
Gloucester
Cathedra (pending confirmation)l. Dinner at or near hotel. (B, D)
Day 7 Warwick /
Stratford
Optional visit to
Warwick
Castle, the best preserved castle in England. Restored to its original
magnificence, we may experience a jousting tournament or other medieval
celebration. Late afternoon we will rehearse for our
evening concert in a
quintessential village. (B, D)
Day 8 Chester
Breakfast at the hotel and then travel northwards to
Chester where we check into our
city center hotel for the next two nights.
The rest of the day is yours
to explore. We will join a local guide for a glimpse of the town and arrive at
the town center, known as the Cross, at
noon
to be entertained by the belting town crier.
With over 2000 years of history
– beginning with the Romans –
Chester’s
walls envelop a vibrant array of architecture and culture. The walls
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provide a
pleasant walk encompassing the city center. Breakfast at your leisure.
The most distinctive medieval feature of the city is The
Rows. These are double-level walkways with a continuous line of balconies and
with shops at street and first-floor levels. The Rows are unique and were
certainly in existence in the 14th century.
Chester
also boasts the largest zoo in the country. Other sites are a Roman
amphitheater and Roman gardens. Perhaps you would like to explore more of
the city or take a cruise on a canal.
Be sure to join the group for a traditional pub dinner. (B,
D)
Day 9
Chester
Leisurely
breakfast. Perform an informal concert in
Chester Cathedral (pending
confirmation).
We will experience a traditional English Lunch in an historic pub or
guesthouse. The rest of the day is yours to explore Chester or to relax and
enjoy the bustle of its medieval streets. Our hotel is centrally located in the
city center so you may use this opportunity to find a nice restaurant for dinner
on your own. Overnight in
Chester.
(B, L)
Day 10
York
Early breakfast and then travel through the industrial part
of England
past Manchester to Fountains Abbey. One of the most enchanting Abbey ruins in
Europe, you will enjoy the serenity of the grounds. There is also a stately
home built and also a mill that has been in working condition for over 800
years. After lunch, continue on to York.
York is a wonderful walled city to explore with its Viking, Roman
and medieval remains. There are many half timbered houses looming over the
cobblestoned streets. Some buildings even date back to the first or second
century BC. We will enjoy a walking tour of this historic city including York
Minster, the largest Gothic church north of the
Alps with its
famous stained glass windows. Complete the tour with a traditional English tea
with freshly baked scones and crumpets served with cream and country preserves,
tea sandwiches, assorted pastries, traditional English trifle and tea or
coffee. The rest of the evening is on your own to explore the city. Maybe you
would like to find a pub with live entertainment for a real taste of England.
(B, afternoon tea)
Day 11
York
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast. This is a free day, easily
filled exploring York’s
many outstanding sights or shops. You may choose to visit the Jorvik Viking
museum, the York Castle museum, the National Railway Museum or the costume
museum. Or maybe you prefer to see the city by horse carriage. Dinner at or
near the hotel. (B, D)
Day 12
Ely
Breakfast at hotel. Leave early and savor the ride to Ely
where flint cottages and Saxon churches pepper the landscape. The Cathedral
City of Ely, officially founded in 673 when Princess Etheldreda, daughter of the
Anglo-Saxon King Anna, adopted Christianity & founded a convent near there.
Free time to enjoy the town before enjoying an afternoon organ concert in
Ely. Continue on to
London where we will settle
into our hotel for the next two nights. (B, D)
Day 13 London
Breakfast at hotel. Embark on a half-day bus tour of the
major sites of London
including the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey,
Trafalgar Square,
Buckingham Palace and the Mall, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London.
Enjoy a farewell traditional English tea. The afternoon and evening are free to
shop and explore. Perhaps you will take the opportunity to see a musical at
West End. Overnight
London. (B, farewell English
tea)
Day
14 Return to US
Enjoy your last breakfast at the hotel before boarding your international flight
where you will land on the same day.
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