Art & History Through England

Welcome to London, where your 14-night itinerary of England begins! Your driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall to swiftly transfer you to the city center. After checking in to your hotel, it’s time to get your walking shoes on so you can start to explore this amazing city.

Highlights (included): Hop-on/hop-off bus ticket, Westminster Abbey
Highlights (optional): London Eye, Harry Potter-themed Wizards London Walk

Overnight in London
Tenon Recommendations: Melia White House Hotel

Learn about the characters of London today – there are so many! On the gruesome side, step back in time and act like a Victorian CSI hunting for Jack the Ripper. On the quizzical side, get your hat and a magnifying glass to sleuth around Sherlock Holmes’ London with a trip to Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Highlights (included): Madame Tussauds
Highlights (optional): Sherlock Holmes Museum, The View from The Shard

Overnight in London
Tenon Recommends: Melia White House Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Discover the U.S. connections to Cambridge. Thousands of U.S. servicemen arrived here 75 years ago to take part in the raids on Nazi-occupied Europe. The American Cemetery in Cambridge is a peaceful resting place for the more than 3,000 men who lost their lives during these missions. Toast to their memory in the Eagle Pub, where you will see memorabilia from the era and messages from the airmen.

Highlights (included): Duxford American Air Museum, punting on the River Cam
Highlights (optional): American Cemetery Cambridge

Overnight in Cambridge
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Du Vin
(Breakfast included)

Enjoy a gargoyle’s view of York today with an enthusiastic 275-step hike to the top of the Central Tower at York Minster, one of the largest cathedrals of its kind in Europe. Catch your breath and take in the gargoyle’s-eye view of Yorkshire spread out below, just as breathless visitors have done for the last 600 years.

Highlights (included): 2-hour private walking tour of the city with admission to York Minster
Highlights (optional): Afternoon tea at Bettys Tea Room

Overnight in York
Tenon Recommends: Grand Hotel York
(Breakfast included)

Stroll down to the area known as “The Shambles” and see one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in all of Europe. The area is so old that it is featured in the Doomsday Book. Overhanging timber-framed houses still survive today; some still retain the exterior wooden shelves, where cuts of meat were served from open windows. Today, there are beautiful buildings with cafes and boutiques, and the smells are altogether more pleasing with scents of chocolate, fudge and soaps.

Highlights (optional): Castle Howard, JORVIK Viking Centre

Overnight in York
Tenon Recommends: Grand Hotel York
(Breakfast included)

Get on a different beat today as you move from ancient history to a city with more modern and musical history. Wander in the footsteps of the four likely Liverpudlians who became arguably the biggest band in the world, The Beatles. See where they played their early gigs as they embarked on their road to stardom. Stroll down to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Royal Albert Dock and see some of the city’s maritime history.

Highlights (included): The Beatles Story, British Music Experience, Royal Liver Building 360 experience
Highlights (optional): Mersey Cruise

Overnight in Liverpool
Tenon Recommends: Malmaison Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Marvel at the myriad of beautiful little chocolate box villages, with some of the most unspoiled towns in all of England. The honey-colored stone buildings are something that you will not find anywhere else in the world. It’s no wonder that Downton Abbey chose this area to film parts of the iconic series. With towns and villages of the series like Bampton, Cogges, Shilton, and Swinbrook to be discovered, your two days here will leave you wanting to come back again and again!

Highlights (included): Chedworth Roman Villa, Blenheim Palace
Highlights (optional): Three Choirs Vineyard Tour, Cogges Manor Farm

Overnight in Cotswolds
Tenon Recommends: Swan Hotel Cirencester
(Breakfast included)

Next on the agenda is taking a guided tour with a local guide who will take you to see some of the lesser-known hidden villages. The villages chosen by the locals hosting the tour are carefully curated and will show perfectly what life was like in the 16th century. During the tour, you will have the opportunity to enjoy Cotswolds cream tea in a traditional thatched cottage. a truly unique experience!

Highlights (included): Cotswolds Villages guided tour

Overnight in Cotswolds
Tenon Recommends: Swan Hotel Cirencester
(Breakfast included)

Appreciate the genius of the Romans who, in the first few decades of Roman Britain, constructed a temple on the site of the Thermae, in the city of Bath. Bath became a famous destination for public bathing in the hot springs until the end of Roman rule, and the baths became a ruin just a century later. The baths were later redeveloped in the Early Middle Ages. You can see the water today but not bathe in them. But fear not – there is a modern Thermae Bath Spa in town that you can enjoy!

Highlights (included): Roman Baths, Thermae Bath Spa

Overnight in Bath
Tenon Recommends: Queensberry Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Immerse yourself in a bygone era and wander back to the time of Jane Austen, Bath’s most famous resident. At the Jane Austen Centre, you can sample what it would have been like to live in Bath during the Regency period. Learn how the city inspired her much-loved books, such as Persuasion. Take a food tour and experience some of Bath’s great food. Enjoy the battle of the buns – the Bath buns, that is. Bath buns are a sweet delicacy particular to the city, and the Bath Bun and the Sally Lunn Bun have been a bone of contention for decades as to which is best. You decide!

Highlights (included): Bath artisanal food and drink tour
Highlights (optional): The Jane Austen Centre

Overnight in Bath
Tenon Recommends: Queensberry Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Make a stop in Bristol before moving further south today. Bristol is a fantastic foodie city with some paintings by the famous artist Banksy. Don’t miss Brunel’s SS Great Britain, a fascinating visit. Then it’s on to bask in the beauty of East Devon, designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty today. A must-do when in Devon is the famous cream tea, consisting usually of scones, local clotted cream and jam. There is much controversy on which should go first, the cream or the jam! In Devon, typically the cream is first.

Highlights (included): Exeter Underground Passages
Highlights (optional): Pebblebed Vineyard tour and tasting, Exeter Cathedral, Brunel’s SS Great Britain

Overnight in Exeter
Tenon Recommends: Jurys Inn Exeter
(Breakfast included)

Wander Britain’s Ocean City, which served as the departure and arrival point for thousands of people for more than a thousand years. One of the most famous departures from this area was the Mayflower, which carried pilgrims fleeing England for the New World and religious freedom in 1620. Following a grueling 10-week journey, they made landfall near Cape Cod in November of that year. Island House is where many of the pilgrims entertained before their departure, and it has a plaque with the names of those who departed on the Mayflower.

Highlights (included): Plymouth Harbour boat tour, Plymouth Gin Distillery
Highlights (optional): Buckland Abbey

Overnight in Plymouth
Tenon Recommends: Jurys Inn Plymouth
(Breakfast included)

Be inspired by the myths and legends of Tintagel Castle today. High on Cornwall’s rugged North Atlantic Coast, this region is inextricably linked with the legend of King Arthur. Enjoy a day of discovery, history and scenic views.

Highlights (included): Tintagel Castle
Highlights (optional): Historic Mayflower walking tour

Overnight in Plymouth
Tenon Recommends: Jurys Inn Plymouth
(Breakfast included)

Marvel at the prehistoric story of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, one of the best-known prehistoric monuments in Europe. Discover how the builders worked at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Continuing on to Windsor for your last night in England, you will see the imposing Windsor Castle, which is still an occasional royal residence. Check if the flag is up – this is how you know whether the King is in residence!

Highlights (included): Windsor Castle, Stonehenge

Overnight in Windsor
Tenon Recommends: MGallery Castle Hotel
(Breakfast included)

Say goodbye to England and start your journey home with memories that will last a lifetime.
(Breakfast included)