Thursday, September 1

Begin your journey as you board your overnight flight to London. (Meals Aloft)

Friday, September 2

Arrive in London’s Heathrow Airport where you will be met by your driver and escorted to your hotel, Double Tree by Hilton, Islington.

(Double Tree by Hilton London Angel Kings Cross, well-located in London’s City Centre neighborhood, an area with great shopping, and only a two-minute walk from Angel tube station. The contemporary hotel offers a warm and friendly atmosphere along with all the modern amenities including in-room Wi-Fi access, flat screen TV, and tea and coffee maker. A fitness center, steak-house and 24-hour Costa Coffee round out the facilities.

Overnight at the DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON LONDON ANGEL KINGS CROSS, or similar. (Meals Aloft, D) https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/lonlidi-doubletree-london-angel-kings-cross/)

Begin your exploration and discovery of London proper on your morning panoramic tour featuring major London sites such as Knightsbridge and perhaps the most famous retail therapy haven of them all, Harrods. See also Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, River Thames, and the Tower of London.

Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant to get better acquainted with your fellow travelers.

Saturday, September 3

Today’s drive takes you 13 miles outside London to Hampton Court Palace, most popularly known as the palace of King Henry VIII and his six wives. This is his best surviving royal residence and is one of only two of King Henry’s palaces to remain in anything like its original form to the present day.

Enjoy free time for lunch (on your own) at Borough Market. Spend your time here exploring, shopping and sampling the delicious foods at the various restaurants. Borough Market has existed in one form or another for around 1,000 years. Its precise start date is impossible to pin down: there was no official opening, no ribbon-cutting ceremony, not even a brief mention in a chronicle. The best date available, and the one used as the basis for the Market’s millennium celebration, is 1014.

This afternoon or evening, attend a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. You will also have a pre- or post-theatre dinner at a local pub/restaurant, depending on the time of the show.

Note: Show to be chosen nearer the time of arrival. Overnight at the DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON LONDON ANGEL KINGS CROSS, or similar. (B,D)

Sunday, September 4

Today utilize your Oyster Card to explore London.

Start your day with one of London’s most loved landmarks, St Paul’s Cathedral, which has looked over the city for more than three centuries. St Paul’s Cathedral sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in London, and is the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London.

Next stop is at Dr. Johnson’s House and Museum, one of the few residential houses of its age still surviving in the City of London. The house it was built in 1700 and was the home of Dr. Samuel Johnson, famous for compiling not the first, but what many considered to be the definitive English dictionary. This Georgian relic and small museum, is located to the north of Fleet Street, a reminder of historic London.

Enjoy lunch at Somerset House (or similar) and afterwards walk to Covent Garden with a stop at Jubilee Market. With a wide range of units, you can find arts and crafts covering everything from candles and hand painted items through to jewelry, paintings, calligraphy, clocks and even fossils.

Close to Covent Garden and London’s Theatreland is a hidden gem, Gordon’s Wine Bar, the oldest wine bar in London, established in 1890. Enjoy a pre-theatre dinner (on your own) and afterwards it’s time for a show at the National Theatre.

Note: Show to be chosen nearer the time of arrival.

Overnight at the DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON LONDON ANGEL KINGS CROSS, or similar. (B,L)

Monday, September 5

Today utilize your Oyster Card for further exploration of London.

This morning, visit the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum. Founded in 1852, the V&A is the largest museum of decorative arts and design and holds over 3,000 years’ worth of artifacts from many of the world’s richest cultures, including the most comprehensive collection of British design and art from 1500 to 1900. Your guide will give you a brief introduction to the museum’s collections and then let you explore at your own pace.

Enjoy lunch at the V&A and then visit the LondonOratory, also known as the Brompton Oratory, founded by blessed John Henry Newman, which serves as the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Your theatre performance today will be at the Royal Court Theater or Almeida. Afterwards, a motor coach will bring you back to your hotel.

Enjoy dinner with your group and soak in a beautiful London evening.

Note: Theater performances and schedules are subject to change.
Overnight at the DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON LONDON ANGEL KINGS CROSS, or similar. (B,L)

Tuesday, September 6

Explore London with your Oyster Card.

Continue on your discovery of what London has to offer to art lovers and visit The Wallace Collection and its Great Gallery described as “the greatest picture gallery in Europe” which has been recently refurbished at a cost of £5m.

Walk to Wigmore Hall for a lunchtime concert. Wigmore Hall is a beautiful art nouveau concert hall offering wonderful chamber music concerts.

Spend free time for shopping around Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Bond Street, Jermyn Street and Burlington Arcade.

Your evening is at leisure.

Optional Tours:

This evening, attend a play at a West End Theater, such as Wyndham’s Duke of New York, Drury Lane or Noel Coward. Replete with history, each theater in London’s current theatre district – the West End – has a special story to tell. Known as “Theatreland,” because of the presence of over 40 theatres, this performing arts hub is also an up market and elite area where some of the most famous actors and businessmen rub shoulders. Today, London Theatres are more than just a venue of a show penned by a famous playwright or performed by a famous name. Today, these theatres are wonderful lessons in history, changing times, and testament to the need of the audience to escape daily trials and tribulations.

*Supplement for tickets will depend on the show and standard of tickets. An evening return transfer may be required at an additional cost.

Enjoy a local sporting event at Wembley, a local soccer club or similar.
*Sporting calendar will be clearer towards the end of 2021. Supplement for tickets will depend on the event and standard of tickets chosen

Overnight at the DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON LONDON ANGEL KINGS CROSS, or similar. (B,L)

Wednesday, September 7

You are in for a peaceful morning as you head to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which was officially inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in July 2003. The garden is widely recognized as one of the leading centers for advice and action on
aspects of plant and fungal conservation, and in general for the conservation programs on a wide range of endangered and threatened plants and their habitats.

You will get a close look at the wonders of Kew on your guided walking tour. An enthusiastic, experienced guide will lead you through different areas of the gardens to see the highlights of the season, explore the exotic plants in the glasshouses and explain the history and work of Kew.

This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner on a River Thames Cruise. As the sun sets and the city lights up, step on board and get ready for a very special evening on the river. Your table awaits so sit down, relax and let the boat take you on a journey through the city. When Big Ben chimes, it will feel like time is standing still. You will soon begin to smell your delicious food being cooked in the kitchen. Step outside to feel the breeze as you pass under London’s most iconic bridges and let the sights unfold around you. As the live band begins to play, your food is brought to your table for you to enjoy with carefully selected wines.

Overnight at the DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON LONDON ANGEL KINGS CROSS, or similar. (B,D)

Thursday, September 8

You will be transferred to the airport today as you complete your exploration of London, taking with you all the wonderful memories of its interesting culture and theater history. (B)