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Destination > Europe > British Isles

Grandeur of England and France

Day 1: Home - London

Depart today on your transatlantic flight bound for London.

Day 2: London (D)

Arrive in London, and after clearing customs, you will be transferred to your hotel. En route to the hotel, enjoy a panoramic tour of this city of pageantry and display, home of thinkers and speakers, birthplace of English drama, and where more than 40 theatres remain in operation year round.

Day 3: London (B, D)

Today enjoy your morning guided city walking tour. Stroll through Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Piccadilly, Parliament, Big Ben, Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and more. Your afternoon is free to continue on your own to visit Buckingham Palace and watch the changing of the guards, to pop into Harrods and do a little souvenir shopping, or visit the British Museum. This evening you may choose to attend an optional theatre performance in London’s famous west end theatre district.

Day 4: London - Stonehenge - Bath (B, D)

Today is a full day excursion to the Georgian city of Bath to visit the Roman Baths. The Romans knew the value of these waters and they called this place “Aqua Sulis” (Water of the Sun). To this day, these springs gush from the earth at a constant temperature of 46-50 C. The town is a perfect 18th century city, perhaps the best preserved in all of Britain. It is compact, easy to explore on foot with the museum and elegant shops and terraces of magnificent town houses all close to each other. After your visit to the Baths, you will have a short while to meander the streets of this delightful city.

Then it is across the Salisbury Plain to Stonehenge to visit these mysterious structures whose origins are lost in time. Stonehenge is the most famous of the great prehistoric monuments of the British Isles. From a distance, Stonehenge seems curiously small and rather dwarfed by the immensity of Salisbury Plain, but when looked at close, it assumes the full magnificence of a wonder of the world and one marvels that primitive men equipped with only hand tools could have constructed such a monument. Return to London for overnight.

Day 5: London (B)

A hop on hop off ticket is supplied and it is suggested that you use it today, getting on and off wherever you choose. You can use your supplied ticket to visit the Tower of London or the British Museum or St. Paul’s Cathedral. This evening you may wish to travel back to the autumn of 1888 when a series of brutal murders brought terror and panic to the streets of London’s East end. Your optional walking tour will follow Jack the Ripper’s trail of dark, deserted streets of Whitechapel.

Day 6: London - Paris (B, D)

Today is your last full day in London and is free for you to sightsee, stroll the streets of London, or shop for last minute souvenirs. This evening you may want to take in a theatre or possibly a guided walking tour of the theatre district.

Day 7: Paris (D)

This morning, you will be transferred to the train station for your train to Paris, the city of perfume and charm, everlastingly beautiful and unchanged. No other city has lavished such energy and attention upon its music halls and cabarets with names such as “Opera Comique”. “Follies Bergere”, and “Casino de Paris” that are famous around the world. Upon arrival, you will transfer from the train station to your hotel and enjoy en route, a panoramic city tour including Les Grand’s Boulevard, L’Opera, Place de la Concorde, Les Champs Elysees, L’Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame. After you have settled into your hotel, you may wish to survey your surroundings or walk to the Latin Quarter. The remainder of the day is free to wander the narrow and colourful streets of Paris and to do some souvenir shopping.

This evening you may wish to ascend the Eiffel Tower for a spectacular night view of the city from atop this world famous landmark.

Day 8: Paris (B, D)

This morning your guide will escort you throughout the lively streets of Paris. Meander the Champs Elysse, marvel at the Arc de Triomphe, and then visit the magnificent gilded dome church where you will see the imposing Tomb of the Emperor Napoleon. The remainder of the day is free to visit Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre Museum, shop, have lunch or a cappuccino at an outdoor cafe or just explore on your own the vibrant streets of this historic city.

Day 9: Paris - Versailles (B)

This morning after an early breakfast, you will board your coach and head off for a morning excursion to Versailles to visit this creation of the French Monarchy at the time of its greatest splendour. Consisting of the great palace, the gardens, and the Trianons, it is a wonderful harmonious composition of building and landscape, a unique expression of the vitality of French art during the 17th -18th century. Between 1682 -1789, Versailles was the seat of government and France’s political capital. Today the Chateau of Versailles seems outrageously large but in 1682 when Louis XIV took up residence it housed about 15,000 noblemen, servants and hangers–on who moved in with Louis. After your guided tour of this magnificent chateau, return to Paris. The remainder of your day is free.

Day 10: Paris - Home (B)

Au revoir Paris! Today you depart the “city of lights“for home.

Tour includes:

Return airfare
Arrival and departure transfers
9 nights accommodation
Transfer to airport for flight home
Breakfast daily
6 dinners
Panoramic tour of London en route from airport to hotel
Guided walking tour of downtown London
1 day hop on hop off ticket
Entrance to Tower of London
Coach and guide for full day visit to Stonehenge and Bath
Guided tour of Bath
Entrance to Stonehenge
Transfer from hotel to train station (London)
Transfer from train station to hotel (Paris)
Panoramic tour of Paris en route from train station to hotel
Guided walking tour of Paris
3 day metro pass
Entrance to Notre Dame Cathedral
Half day coach excursion to Versailles
Entrance to Versailles
Guide at Versailles

#17 - 15168 - 22nd Ave, Surrey, B.C. V4A 9T4 Phone: (604) 538-2853 Fax: (604) 538-2863
Toll Free: 1-866-538-2853 Email:ststours@telus.net B.C. Reg. No. 24835
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