England, the Cotswolds & Bath: A Cultural Journey

Today you explore cultured London. You spend time in the world-famous British Museum, whose vast collection spans human history from the Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian mummies to the sculptures of ancient Greece, with your guide bringing its greatest treasures to life. You take in the political and royal heart of the city at Westminster, where Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament rise beside the Thames, and admire the soaring Gothic splendour of Westminster Abbey, where monarchs have been crowned for a thousand years. You enjoy a walk along the River Thames, past its famous bridges and landmarks, and can browse the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, steeped in history and art. This evening, perhaps enjoy a classic London restaurant. Rest well, ready to travel to Oxford's dreaming spires tomorrow.

Today you leave London and travel to Oxford, city of dreaming spires. You explore this beautiful university city, a golden-stone maze of ancient colleges, quadrangles and chapels, admiring the magnificent Bodleian Library, the domed Radcliffe Camera and grand Christ Church, whose hall inspired Hogwarts. There is the chance to glide along the river in a traditional punt. In the afternoon you visit magnificent Blenheim Palace nearby, a monumental baroque masterpiece and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, exploring its sumptuous state rooms and vast landscaped park. As the day ends, you settle into your Oxford accommodation, steeped in learning and grandeur. This evening, perhaps dine in a historic Oxford inn once frequented by scholars and writers. Rest well, ready to wander the honey-stone villages of the Cotswolds tomorrow, deep in the beautiful English countryside.

Today you journey into the storybook Cotswolds, the quintessential English countryside. As you travel, the landscape rolls into hills, drystone walls, sheep pastures and honey-coloured villages that seem to belong to a gentler age. You wander some of the prettiest villages in England, perhaps handsome Burford with its sloping high street, Bibury with its famous row of ancient weavers' cottages beside a clear stream, and Bourton-on-the-Water, laced with little bridges over the River Windrush, browsing shops and galleries and pausing in a cosy pub for lunch. You can visit a beautiful garden or an ancient wool-trade church. As the day ends, you settle into your Cotswolds accommodation amid the peaceful countryside. This evening, savour a fine dinner in a country inn. Rest well, ready to explore more villages and Shakespeare's Stratford tomorrow.

Today you explore more of the Cotswolds and visit Shakespeare's Stratford. In the morning you wander further honey-stone gems, perhaps elegant Chipping Campden with its fine wool-trade church and almshouses, or Stow-on-the-Wold and the Slaughters, soaking up the timeless prettiness of the countryside. You then journey to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, where you visit the half-timbered house on Henley Street in which the great playwright was born and raised, walk the streets he knew, and soak up the charm of this handsome market town, home to the world-famous Royal Shakespeare Company. As the day ends, you return to your Cotswolds base, steeped in literary and rural heritage. This evening, enjoy another wonderful country dinner. Rest well, ready to journey to beautiful Georgian Bath and the ancient stones of Stonehenge tomorrow.

Today you journey south through the beautiful Cotswolds to elegant Bath. Along the way you can pause in a final pretty village, perhaps chocolate-box Castle Combe, or visit a beautiful garden or manor house, savouring the last of the rolling honey-stone countryside. You arrive in beautiful Bath, one of Britain's most elegant cities, built of warm golden stone amid green hills, in time to begin exploring. You admire the sweeping Royal Crescent and perfect Circus, the finest Georgian architecture in Britain, and stroll its handsome streets and along the river. As the day ends, you settle into your Bath hotel, enchanted by the city's elegance. This evening, enjoy dinner in a historic Bath restaurant, perhaps in a Georgian dining room. Rest well, ready to explore the Roman baths, abbey and ancient Stonehenge tomorrow.

Today you explore beautiful Bath and the ancient mystery of Stonehenge. In the morning you visit the remarkable Roman Baths, where steaming mineral water still fills the great pillared pool fed by the sacred hot spring, and take in the fan-vaulted glory of Bath Abbey, following the footsteps of Jane Austen, who lived and set novels here. You then journey out across the wide chalk downs of Salisbury Plain to Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric monument in Europe, standing in solitary grandeur against the sky, and can visit the perfectly preserved medieval village of Lacock nearby. As the day ends, you return to Bath, having spanned two thousand years of history in a day. This evening, enjoy a final English dinner, reflecting on your cultured journey. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying warm memories of England.

After a final morning in beautiful Bath, perhaps a last stroll along the Royal Crescent or some souvenir shopping in the elegant streets, you are transferred to the airport, typically London Heathrow or Bristol, for your onward departure. You leave having experienced the cultured heart of England, from the museums and landmarks of London and the dreaming spires of Oxford to magnificent Blenheim Palace, the honey-stone villages of the Cotswolds, Shakespeare's Stratford, beautiful Georgian Bath and the ancient stones of Stonehenge. The images stay vivid long after you land, the treasures of the British Museum, the colleges of Oxford, the pretty villages of the Cotswolds, the golden crescents of Bath and the timeless circle of Stonehenge. England offers history, literature, architecture and beautiful countryside in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this cultured and beautiful land.