London and Wales
Starting at PER PERSON for all of the below, based on 2 participants: $3,245.00
Day 1: London for 3 nights
Meet & greet private transfer from Heathrow airport to hotel
1 twin room with view, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel H10 London Waterloo****
In a stylish new building, H10 London Waterloo features an innovative restaurant and luxury bedrooms. Just 15 minutes’ walk from Parliament Square and Big Ben, the hotel has free Wi-Fi.
With floor-to-ceiling windows and views across Lambeth, the rooms at H10 Hotel have air conditioning and LCD TVs. All rooms are elegantly decorated, and have laptop safes and mini bars.
Three O Two Restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine, and the glamorous Circus Bar offers fine wines and light snacks. A breakfast buffet is available daily, featuring cooked and continental items.
H10 Waterloo has a modern fitness centre in the basement, a sauna and Hydromassage shower. The Despacio Beauty Centre is situated on the 8th floor, boasting city views and offering a range of spa treatments.
Just 5 minutes’ walk from Waterloo Underground Station, H10 London Waterloo is a 15-minute walk from the London Eye. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre can be reached in 20 minutes’ walk.
Day 2:
Morning London City Tour
Duration of tour: 3 hours
The tour begins with a panoramic drive around Parliament Square to see the magnificent Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married. To Kensington Palace, former home of Diana, Princess of Wales. We’ll see the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial. We head to St James’ Park and Buckingham Palace to see the colourful ceremony of the Changing of the Guard. Accompanied by a military band, a detachment of the Queen’s Foot Guard march to Buckingham Palace to change with the old guard. Your guide will be happy to give you suggestions for lunch and transportation back to your hotel.
Includes: First class luxury motor coach and the services of a professional Tour Guide, Panoramic tour of London, including Parliament Square, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey. Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Exclusive to Evan Evans Tours: Vox Radioguide system and FREE WiFi
Day 3:
Warner Bros Studio Tour The Making of Harry Potter
Duration of tour: 6 hours 30 mins
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is a behind-the-scenes walking tour which immerses guests into the world of film-making. The Studio Tour features authentic sets, costumes and props that showcase the British artistry, technology and talent that goes into producing world famous and successful movies. The Studio Tour will initially focus on the Harry Potter film series, located at the Studios where they were filmed. From the 19th March 2015, a new 20,000ft2 expansion will unveil, including the original Hogwarts Express steam engine and a recreation of Platform 9 3/4. The new, permanent section will offer a glimpse into how some of the films’ most iconic scenes were created as well as give visitors the chance to climb aboard the train’s carriage and to pose with a luggage trolley as it disappears through the platform wall.
Includes: Return transportation to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London and entrance ticket to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
Day 4: Cardiff for 3 nights
1st class train from London to Cardiff
Departure at 10:15 am, arrival at 12:21 pm
1 twin room, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Park Inn by Radisson****
Well-placed with its city centre location directly opposite the Motorpoint Arena (formerly the Cardiff International Arena), this Park Inn is adjacent to the St. David’s Shopping Complex and just 5 minutes walk from The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Castle, the Central Train Station and one of the main business districts Callaghans Square.
The stylish, colourful bedrooms at Park Inn Cardiff have a flat-screen TV and free Wi-Fi access. All rooms have a private bathroom with a power shower and free toiletries, and tea/coffee facilities are provided.
The RBG Bar and Grill within the hotel offers a wide range of gourmet burgers, succulent steaks and a variety of fresh salads. A choice of fine wines and specialty cocktails are served in a modern stylish bar.
http://www.parkinn.co.uk/hotel-cardiff
Day 5:
A tour to the spectacular Wales coastline of Gower Peninsular.
Our full day tour of the stunning Gower Peninsular with its golden sandy beaches, rugged coastline and prehistoric wonders.
Your tour begins with a short visit to the newly refurbished Dylan Thomas Centre at Swansea to glimpse at the life of one of Wales’ most celebrated poets.
Then, we visit Gower for the rest of the day. It’s Britain’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and by the end of the day you’ll see why. (Visit Wales on ‘Gower‘)
With fantastic views of the beaches from cliff tops and hills, coastal path walks, beach walks, ancient stone-age discoveries and plenty of fresh air, this day will surprise and delight all newcomers to Wales.
The main highlights are walking the coastal path and a visit to Rhossili where you’ll have the chance to explore the ‘serpent in the sea’ and soak in the spectacular view of Rhossili Bay.
We complete your discovery of Gower with a visit to the northern shore to visit Weobley Farm for superb views of the salt marsh and where there just happens to be a ruins of an ancient castle.
There’s plenty of walking to do on this tour if you wish but plenty of views to admire at your leisure if long walks are not your thing.
There’s even that chance of a quick swim at Caswell Bay. Many people do it!
Tour itinerary:
Swansea city: The Dylan Thomas Centre (30mins)
Gower Peninsular: Swansea Bay, Langland Bay (coastal walk optional) to Caswell Bay (beach time), 1hr, Parc le Breos – 6000 yr old Neolithic burial chamber (30mins) , Rhossili (lunch & walks, 1.5hrs), Weobley Farm and ruins (30mins).
Day 6:
Tickets for Dr Who Experience
Be part of an all new adventure and join The Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi) in your very own mini episode of Doctor Who as you embark on a journey to help the Doctor destroy a terrifying new foe.
Beginning in the Gallifrey Museum and journeying to the heart of the TARDIS, you’ll come face to face with a brand new monster – created especially for the Doctor Who Experience – which threatens to destroy the TARDIS and the universe. Humanity’s only hope is you!
Day 7: London for 7 nights
1st class train from Cardiff to London
Departure at 9:25 am, arrival at 11:32 am
1 twin room with view, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel H10 London Waterloo****
In a stylish new building, H10 London Waterloo features an innovative restaurant and luxury bedrooms. Just 15 minutes’ walk from Parliament Square and Big Ben, the hotel has free Wi-Fi.
With floor-to-ceiling windows and views across Lambeth, the rooms at H10 Hotel have air conditioning and LCD TVs. All rooms are elegantly decorated, and have laptop safes and mini bars.
Three O Two Restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine, and the glamorous Circus Bar offers fine wines and light snacks. A breakfast buffet is available daily, featuring cooked and continental items.
H10 Waterloo has a modern fitness centre in the basement, a sauna and Hydromassage shower. The Despacio Beauty Centre is situated on the 8th floor, boasting city views and offering a range of spa treatments.
Just 5 minutes’ walk from Waterloo Underground Station, H10 London Waterloo is a 15-minute walk from the London Eye. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre can be reached in 20 minutes’ walk.
Day 8:
Tower of London
The Tower of London, founded by William the Conqueror in 1066-7, is one of the world’s most famous fortresses yet despite its grim reputation as a place of torture and death, there are so many more stories to be told. The world famous collection of fabulous finery and regalia , the Crown Jewels housed in a Jewel House, fit for the 21st century, the priceless collection holds some of the most legendary and extraordinary diamonds in the world. The Crown Jewels at the Tower of London are a unique working collection of royal regalia and are still regularly used by the Queen in important national ceremonies, such as the State opening of Parliament. The iconic White Tower, a symbol of London and Britain, overlooking the River Thames. Inside you will find the world’s longest running visitor attraction, The Line of Kings. A line of wooden horses, this is the surviving remnant of one of the oldest – and oddest – collections at the Tower. Coins and kings; the Royal Mint at the Tower, an exhibit devoted to telling the history of the Mint located at the Tower for over 500 years. Learn of Elizabeth I’s restoration of the coinage following her father Henry VIII’s disastrous meddling, and Charles II’s rejection of Commonwealth money. Beefeater tours – This body of men and one woman has guarded the fortress for centuries. Join one of their tours and you’ll be amazed and possibly appalled by tales that have been passed down for generations.
Includes: Entrance to the Tower of London.
Day 9:
Day at leisure
Day 10:
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace unveils a palace of secret stories and public lives. Visitors arrive through beautiful landscaped gardens evoking a past when Kensington was countryside. From the entrance hall start your journey through the magnificent Kings and Queen’s State Apartments. Filled with stories of two royal courts; the Stuarts and the Hanoverians, learn what you would have worn, how you should behave and how to succeed in the heady atmosphere of the time. Victoria Revealed, a fascinating exhibition, set within the rooms Victoria grew up in as a child, explores her life and reign in her own words with quotations from her intimate diaries. Imagine how she felt at just 17 years old on her first day as Queen at Kensington Palace, discover her romantic side through letters and gifts exchanged with Prince Albert and take a peep at moments of family life with her children and grand-children. The glossy and glamorous exhibition, Fashion rules: gets a make-over, becoming Fashion rules: Restyled. A new collection of dress from the collections of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana Princess of Wales represents the story of the monarchy in the 20th century. Surrounded by contemporary photography, film, music and including accessories, get a real sense of the 1950’s through to the 1990s, decades in which the clothes were worn and how they reflected and inspired everyday fashions.
Includes: Entrance to Kensington Palace
English Orangery Afternoon Tea
Egg mayonnaise and cress bridge roll, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini bagel,
Coronation chicken wrap, roast ham and English mustard sandwich, cucumber and fresh mint sandwich
Orange-scented and currant scones served with Cornish clotted cream,
English strawberry jam and an assortment of tea pastries
Served with a range of loose teas, tisanes or coffee
Day 11:
Day at leisure
Day 12
Full day Windsor, Oxford and Stonehenge
Duration of tour: 10 hours
Windsor Castle perches proudly on a lush wooded hill overlooking the Thames. With its sweeping landscaped gardens and turreted Round Tower, it’s easy to see why it’s the Queen’s favourite weekend residence. Enjoy a fascinating through-the-keyhole peek at the lavish State Apartments, home to priceless artwork by Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci, and visit St. George’s Chapel, the atmospheric final resting place of former monarchs including Henry VIII. You can visit Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, a truly incredible structure complete with working lifts, running water, electricity and wine bottles, all in miniature! Next is the mysterious Stonehenge, the true meaning of this ancient, awe-inspiring creation has been lost in the mists of time. Was Stonehenge a temple for sun worship, a healing centre, a burial site or perhaps a huge calendar? How did our ancenstors manage to carry the mighty stones from so far away and then, using only the most primitive of toools, build this amazing structure?. Then follow in the footsteps of Oxford famous students, from C.S. Lewis to Bill Clinton, as you stroll the captivating college courtyards and cobbled lanes of this historic university town. Take in the famous ‘city of dreaming spires’ and see the Bodleian Library , one of the oldest libraries in Europe, on your visit. You’ll be captivated by the unspoilt narrow alleys and ancient squares of this naturally beautiful town.
Includes: Transportation by luxury air-conditioned and heated coach with free Wi-Fi, visit to Windsor Castle, visit to Stonehenge, walking tour of Oxford and English speaking guide. Free Walking Tour.
Day 13
Days at leisure
Day 14
Private transfer from hotel to airport