Quintessential Southern England

On your tour you will drive past the most famous attractions of London, such as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and many others. Your first stop will be The Tower of London. Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror it used to be a fortress, palace and lastly a prison. A Beefeater will meet you here and will guide you in the Tower. He will start his tour with telling you the history of The Tower of London and its different buildings and you'll be the first group to see the Crown Jewels. After the Tower of London you will head over to view the outside of Buckingham Palace where you will see the Changing of the Guards (depending on the day). The London tour will further take you to the River Thames. Here you will get off the bus and continue your journey by water. Enjoy the view of St.Paul's Cathedral and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Enjoy lunch in a cosy British pub (lunch not included). Continue with a visit to St Paul's Cathedral, which is a truly stunning piece of architecture. You will have a chance to visit the Whispering Gallery (not usually visited by tourist groups) and listen to a 300 year old organ. Entries included for St Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London, Thames River Cruise.

There are some great restaurants in the West End of London.Here are a few suggestions: J Sheekey, an incredibly smart seafood restaurant, Mildred's, London's best veggie restaurant, Sketch, the trendiest place in London, specializing in some of the best french food you'll ever taste, or for those looking for something simple and cheerful, enjoy a nice meal out at Zipangu. Or try the amazingly stylish Corrigan’s Mayfair http://www.corrigansmayfair.co.uk

A visit to the magnificent medieval Warwick Castle, most of whose amazing towers and ramparts are still intact. Warwick Castle will take you back through its 1,000 year history as you enter over the footbridge to a bygone world of banquets, battles and ceremony. Visit the Tussaud"s waxwork, or if you"re feeling brave visit the spine-chilling dungeons where prisoners were tortured. You might wish to stroll through the Castle"s delightful and lovingly tended gardens set in the peaceful surroundings of England"s finest medieval Castle. During the summer months, archery, falconry and jousting take place.

Steeped in history and heritage the area of England known as The Cotswolds is a charming blend of cottages with honey-coloured walls and thatched roofs, market towns with crooked half-timbered houses lining the High Street, and ancient stone crosses, all set in the gently rolling hills ("wolds") that are so typically English in character.

We then travel through the rolling Warwickshire hills to Stratford-upon-Avon, a market town at the edge of the Forest of Arden made famous for being the birthplace of the world-famous playwright William Shakespeare. We"ll visit the Tudor-style birthplace of William Shakespeare, gaining a fascinating insight into his childhood with its typical parlour, bedrooms, kitchen, buttery and of course the glove-maker"s workshop used by John, Shakespeare"s father.

The colleges in Oxford date back to the 13th century and among its famous students were Bill Clinton, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein and Lewis Carroll. We take you on a fascinating walking tour through the cobbled streets of Oxford to see the Bodleian Library and the picture-perfect college courtyards, for which Oxford is justifiably famous.

Admission to Warwick Castle, Christ Church college and Shakespeare's Birthplace is included in the tour price.

Enjoy a relaxing train ride from London Paddington Station to Bath.

Enjoy a private walking tour of Bath - visit the Royal Crescent, the Circus and the Georgian streets of Bath. Stroll along the river, visit the Abbey and learn the history of the Roman Baths.  The Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent and was built starting 1767 and completed 1774.  With its half Colosseum shape, it has been compared to the beautiful Versailles just outside of Paris.  The Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. Divided into three segments of equal length, the Circus is a circular space surrounded by large townhouses. Each of the curved segments faces one of the three entrances, ensuring that whichever way a visitor enters there is a classical facade straight ahead.

Meet your mini coach at the Glass House Shop at 8:30am, 1 minute walk from the Abbey. We drive through the beautiful countryside to Stonehenge. This monument has aroused awe and curiousity since the Norman Conquest We stop at the Stonehenge for one hour so you can explore this ancient monument. We travel further along to the Avebury Stone Circles which is a lesser known megalithic monument, and nearly 1000 years older. This monument is a bit more untouched by other tourists, and you are free to take in the magical charm of these stones as you wish. We continue on through Silbury Hill (the largest manmade object in prehistoric Europe); the Cherhill White Horse (nearly 300 years old and among the landscape in this area outside of Bath); Waggon and Horses (traditional thatched inn, frequently visited by Charles Dickens); and finishing up at the Lacock National Trust Village. This wonderful village consists of properties which date from the 13th and 18th centuries. It was once a prosperous woolen town, but now seems like a village trapped in time. We usually make a stop here as there is a wonderful country pub offering good home cooked food and real ale! Harry Potter and Pride and Predjiduce have filmed scenes here. We return back to Central Bath by 430PM.

Just a short walk away from your Central Bath Hotel, the Roman Baths Museum awaits. Enjoy a self guided tour of the ancient Roman Baths from the period when Rome controlled much of England. They are below the modern street level and have four main features, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman bath house and finds from Roman Bath; the Georgian Pump Room is on the ground level.

Entrance is approximately 12GBP per adult and 7.50GBP per child (6-16yrs). Children 5 years and under are free of charge.

Open daily, the museum is one of England's most popular popular attractions. Spend an hour here to fully appreciate the museum.

Back outside, at the end of Bath Street, stands the Cross Bath where Mary of Modena, wife of James II, erected a cross in gratitude for her pregnancy in 1688. Opposite is the hot bath, the third bath built over Bath's Hot Springs. These two historic sites have been restored, and together with the Hetling Pump room, are now part of the Thermae Bath Spa, a privately run and superbly designed complex where you can relax in the thermal waters of the roof-top spa pool (17GBP pp).

Enjoy a relaxing train ride from Bath to London Paddington Station (approximately 2 hours).

Meet your driver at your hotel and be taken to Heathrow Airport by a private transfer.