Sojourn in Southern England
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Highlights:
- Visit Brighton, the delightful regency resort. Explore the New Forest and visit Queen Victoria’s island house.
- Enjoy leisurely time in the beautiful cities of Bath and Royal Tunbridge Wells. Start your luxury travel experience with private walking tours to visit some of the less known areas of London.
- Stay in an up and coming area of London, surrounded by great pubs and restaurants. Visit the homes of Ann Boleyn and Winston Churchill.
SKU:
Explore: Southern England
Customizable Itinerary - 12 Days (from $6,213 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
You begin your sojourn with an overnight flight to London to begin your Custom England Vacation.
Day 2: Arrival in London
Upon arrival in London you will be met by our driver and taken to your hotel. Relax after the trip with a swim in the indoor pool or sign up for a massage to take out the kinks of traveling.
Day 3: London Highlights and Marylebone
After breakfast you will meet your guide for a morning walking tour in the city. We will show you the hidden parts of Westminster plus the Churchill War Rooms. You will be visiting Churchill’s home at the end of the trip. In the afternoon you can explore Marylebone on your own including Marylebone High Street with its chic boutiques and cafes. You could also visit Marylebone Railway Station, London’s newest (1899) and smallest. If you are a Beatles fan, the station was featured in the opening segments of “A Hard Day’s Night."
Breakfast
Day 4: Covent Garden and the National Gallery
Long before Professor Higgins met Eliza Doolittle, Covent Garden was the flower market serving London. Located in the west end and close to the Royal Opera House and the London theatres, Covent Garden is now a mix of chic boutiques and restaurants. Your guide will open up the history of this area during your morning walk. You will finish up at Trafalgar Square which will give you the chance to spend part or all of the afternoon at the National Gallery.
Breakfast
Day 5: Brighton and Arundel Castle
Today you will either pick up your rental car or meet your personal driver/guide who will travel with you for the rest of the trip. You will head south to visit the town of Brighton on the Sussex Coast famous for the Royal Pavilion built by the Prince Regent and inspired by Indian architecture. You will then visit Arundel Castle that has been the home of the Dukes of Norfolk for the last 1,000 years. Drive into the countryside to spend the night at a hotel that was once the home of the English poet Shelley. Enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: Portsmouth, Osborne House and the Isle of Wight
Drive down the coast to Portsmouth the home of HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s Flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. You will board a car ferry that will take you across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Here you will visit Osborne House which was a favorite refuge for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After a scenic drive around the island you take a ferry back to Portsmouth and make your way to the New Forest where dinner awaits.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: A Day in the New Forest
Despite the name “New”, the forest was actually a hunting preserve for the early Saxon kings before the arrival of William the Conqueror. Today wild ponies, cattle, pigs and deer roam freely amongst the 93,000 acres. The forest makes a great location for a picnic.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: Winchester, Salisbury and Stonehenge
After breakfast you depart the New Forest and head west to the picturesque cities of Winchester and Salisbury (no matter their population a town can only be called a city in England if it has a cathedral). Take a side trip from Salisbury to view Stonehenge which is located on Salisbury Plain and dates back to times prior to the Pyramids. You finish your day in the Royal city of Bath with strong ties to Roman Times and the Novels of Jane Austen. Your hotel is in the heart of the regency terraces and close to many fine restaurants including its own.
Breakfast
Day 9: Exploring Roman and Regency Bath
Today you will have a privately guided walking tour of Bath starting with the Roman Baths which made the town a center of Roman life at that time. Based on natural springs, the baths are still in working order today. You will walk through the Regency portions of Bath and admire the crescent shaped terraces. You will also see sights associated with Jane Austen who lived in the city and based several of her novels here.
Breakfast
Day 10: From Royal Bath to Royal Tunbridge Wells
Leave Bath for another town noted for its baths and patronized by Royalty. Located in Kent, Royal Tunbridge Wells is a charming English town. Upon arrival check in to your hotel (which also has a spa) and take time to explore the town especially The Pantiles, a colonnaded shopping area dating back to the Regency period. We will provide a list of recommended restaurants for your review
Breakfast
Day 11: Hever Castle and Churchill’s Chartwell
Your first visit today will be Hever Castle which was the birthplace of Ann Boleyn. In the early 20th Century it was bought by William Waldorf Astor and restored to its past glory. Even more historic is Chartwell, the longtime home of Sir Winston Churchill. Here he created a fish pond, built a walled garden by laying the bricks himself and did much of his painting here.
Breakfast
Day 12: Return to USA
If you are driving yourself you will drive to the airport and drop off your car. If you have a driver/guide you will be delivered to the departure area for your return trip.
Breakfast
You begin your sojourn with an overnight flight to London to begin your Custom England Vacation.
Day 2: Arrival in London
Upon arrival in London you will be met by our driver and taken to your hotel. Relax after the trip with a swim in the indoor pool or sign up for a massage to take out the kinks of traveling.
Day 3: London Highlights and Marylebone
After breakfast you will meet your guide for a morning walking tour in the city. We will show you the hidden parts of Westminster plus the Churchill War Rooms. You will be visiting Churchill’s home at the end of the trip. In the afternoon you can explore Marylebone on your own including Marylebone High Street with its chic boutiques and cafes. You could also visit Marylebone Railway Station, London’s newest (1899) and smallest. If you are a Beatles fan, the station was featured in the opening segments of “A Hard Day’s Night."
Breakfast
Day 4: Covent Garden and the National Gallery
Long before Professor Higgins met Eliza Doolittle, Covent Garden was the flower market serving London. Located in the west end and close to the Royal Opera House and the London theatres, Covent Garden is now a mix of chic boutiques and restaurants. Your guide will open up the history of this area during your morning walk. You will finish up at Trafalgar Square which will give you the chance to spend part or all of the afternoon at the National Gallery.
Breakfast
Day 5: Brighton and Arundel Castle
Today you will either pick up your rental car or meet your personal driver/guide who will travel with you for the rest of the trip. You will head south to visit the town of Brighton on the Sussex Coast famous for the Royal Pavilion built by the Prince Regent and inspired by Indian architecture. You will then visit Arundel Castle that has been the home of the Dukes of Norfolk for the last 1,000 years. Drive into the countryside to spend the night at a hotel that was once the home of the English poet Shelley. Enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: Portsmouth, Osborne House and the Isle of Wight
Drive down the coast to Portsmouth the home of HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s Flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. You will board a car ferry that will take you across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Here you will visit Osborne House which was a favorite refuge for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After a scenic drive around the island you take a ferry back to Portsmouth and make your way to the New Forest where dinner awaits.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: A Day in the New Forest
Despite the name “New”, the forest was actually a hunting preserve for the early Saxon kings before the arrival of William the Conqueror. Today wild ponies, cattle, pigs and deer roam freely amongst the 93,000 acres. The forest makes a great location for a picnic.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: Winchester, Salisbury and Stonehenge
After breakfast you depart the New Forest and head west to the picturesque cities of Winchester and Salisbury (no matter their population a town can only be called a city in England if it has a cathedral). Take a side trip from Salisbury to view Stonehenge which is located on Salisbury Plain and dates back to times prior to the Pyramids. You finish your day in the Royal city of Bath with strong ties to Roman Times and the Novels of Jane Austen. Your hotel is in the heart of the regency terraces and close to many fine restaurants including its own.
Breakfast
Day 9: Exploring Roman and Regency Bath
Today you will have a privately guided walking tour of Bath starting with the Roman Baths which made the town a center of Roman life at that time. Based on natural springs, the baths are still in working order today. You will walk through the Regency portions of Bath and admire the crescent shaped terraces. You will also see sights associated with Jane Austen who lived in the city and based several of her novels here.
Breakfast
Day 10: From Royal Bath to Royal Tunbridge Wells
Leave Bath for another town noted for its baths and patronized by Royalty. Located in Kent, Royal Tunbridge Wells is a charming English town. Upon arrival check in to your hotel (which also has a spa) and take time to explore the town especially The Pantiles, a colonnaded shopping area dating back to the Regency period. We will provide a list of recommended restaurants for your review
Breakfast
Day 11: Hever Castle and Churchill’s Chartwell
Your first visit today will be Hever Castle which was the birthplace of Ann Boleyn. In the early 20th Century it was bought by William Waldorf Astor and restored to its past glory. Even more historic is Chartwell, the longtime home of Sir Winston Churchill. Here he created a fish pond, built a walled garden by laying the bricks himself and did much of his painting here.
Breakfast
Day 12: Return to USA
If you are driving yourself you will drive to the airport and drop off your car. If you have a driver/guide you will be delivered to the departure area for your return trip.
Breakfast
