Ultimate Britain

15 days, 14 nights

 

Experience the best that Scotland, England and Wales has to offer on this 14-night tour. With two-night stays in most locations, take your time to pack in as much as you would like on this itinerary.

 

Highlights

• See four of Britain’s major cities.
• Explore Britain’s origins by visiting sites dating from prehistoric times to the Celts and the Romans.
• Marvel at stunning countryside locations with lots of wide-open spaces ready to roam.
• Visit a very small town with a very long name!

 

Overnight Stops

14 nights total

London (2) – Bath (2) – Cardiff (1) – Llandudno (2) – Lake District (2) – Glasgow (1) – Glencoe (1) – Inverness (1) – Edinburgh (2)

Why not spend a night or two in Dublin at the beginning or end of your trip?

 

Pricing

From $3,657 per person based on double occupancy*

 

Itinerary

 

Day 1: Arrive in England – London

Welcome to London! After collecting your luggage, proceed to the arrivals hall where your private driver will be waiting to transport you to your city center hotel and the start of your exciting 14 nights in Britain! A city sightseeing tour is a great way to start your trip.

Highlights (included): 48-hour hop-on/hop-off bus ticket, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, afternoon tea at the Goring Cocktail Bar

Overnight in London
Tenon Recommends: Melia White House Hotel

 

Day 2: London

Reimagine British food today on a Food Lover’s Market Walk to discover the street food of the city. Taste delicious examples of street food at one of London’s most famous and oldest food markets. Nestled under the railway arches, this market has seen many changes over its 1,000-year existence.

Highlights (included): Food Lover’s Market Walk, The View from The Shard
Highlights (optional): City & Secrets bike tour, London gin tour

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

 

Day 3: London to Bath

Marvel at the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Stand back and wonder: how did they get them into position back in those times? Wiltshire has more prehistoric sites and monuments than anywhere else in England. Salisbury Cathedral and Avebury, another henge monument, are also closeby.

Highlights (included): Stonehenge, Sunset Spa at Thermae Bath Spa
Highlights (optional): Salisbury Cathedral

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

 

Day 4: Bath

Take a private tour with a local guide and step back in time. Discover the city as it was in the18th century when it was the most fashionable city in the world! Admire the architectural beauty of the city and learn some of the local gossip! Learn more about the people who flocked to the area for the hot waters. See the highlights of Bath, including the Abbey, Sally Lunns and The Royal Crescent.

Highlights (included): Private local guided tour, Roman baths, Bath Abbey tower
Highlights (optional): Hop-on/hop-off bus tour, Jane Austen Centre

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

 

Day 5: Bath to Cardiff

Continue west today into Wales, one of Britain’s Celtic nations with a distinctive culture and its own language. A place where epic landscapes are abundant, Wales is famous for its hills and mountains and was recently voted the 10th most beautiful country in the world. Tonight your stay is in its capital city, Cardiff. Known as the City of Arcades, Cardiff has the most indoor shopping arcades in the UK, with many dating from Edwardian and Victorian times. Should time allow, another option for you today is to stop in the city of Bristol, which has great food and art!

Highlights (included): Cardiff Castle
Highlights (optional): Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Welsh Banquet at Cardiff Castle

Overnight in Cardiff
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Indigo Cardiff
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 6: Cardiff to Llandudno

Appreciate more of the Welsh coast today as you travel to North Wales. Today the advice is to get on the road early as it’s just over 4 hours to Llandudno. Make a stop in the stunning Portmeirion Italianate village situated on a private peninsula. This is where the Italian Riviera meets Wales! Continue on to Llandudno, Wales’ Victorian seaside resort, your base for the night.

Highlights (included): Portmeirion Village
Highlights (optional): Great Orme Tramway

Overnight in Llandudno
Tenon Recommends: St George’s Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 7: Llandudno

Take a short drive today to the village in Wales with the longest name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, or Llanfair PG, as it’s known. This village does not even have the longest name in the world; there are others! You will then head on to Caernarfon Castle, another one of Wales’ perfect castles. This is where Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969. If you can manage another castle today, stop in Conwy on your way back into Llandudno. This fortress is exceptionally well-preserved and worth a visit. Walk down to the quay and see the smallest house in Great Britain.

Highlights (included): Conwy Castle, Caernarfon Castle, Bodnant Gardens, afternoon tea at Bodnant Welsh Food Centre
Highlights (optional): Great Orme Tramway

Overnight in Llandudno
Tenon Recommends: St George’s Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 8: Llandudno to Lake District

Continue on to the Lake District today. This beautiful area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017, joining some of the greatest places in the world, including the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. A very popular destination for both domestic and international tourists, the Lake District area is known for its glacial ribbon lakes, rugged mountains and literary associations with William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. It’s a place to sit back and relax or to take part in more adventurous activities, such as mountain biking, hiking and watersports.

Highlights (included): Lake District cruise from Ambleside
Highlights (optional): Grasmere gingerbread, Rydal Mount

Overnight in Lake District
Tenon Recommends: Cragwood Country House Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 9: Lake District

Climb 2,000-feet high above a piece of slate mining history. This is the longest high wire bridge of its type in Britain and is an unforgettable experience. After the thrill of the climb, see the slate mine, the last working mine in England. For fans of Beatrix Potter, there is a chance to step into her world and learn about the woman that brought characters such as Jemima Puddle-Duck and Mrs. Tiggy Winkle into our lives!

Highlights (included): Honister Infinity Bridge and Mine, The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction
Highlights (optional): National Trust Wray Castle

Overnight in Lake District
Tenon Recommends: Cragwood Country House Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 10: Lake District to Glasgow

Head north today to Scotland and into Glasgow, the country’s largest city. The style in Glasgow is 19th century Victorian and early 20th century Glasgow style, which derives from the style developed by Glaswegian Charles Rennie Mackintosh. See his work at the Mackintosh at The Willow tearooms, which date back to 1903. Take a tour of the building and enjoy afternoon tea while you are there. See the city’s newest distillery at Clydeside, the first in nearly 100 years.

Highlights (included): Clydeside Distillery
Highlights (optional): Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, The Riverside Museum

Overnight in Glasgow
Tenon Recommends: Jurys Inn Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 11: Glasgow to Glencoe

Journey to the highlands today and to one of the most beautiful parts of it, Glencoe, which is known for its waterfalls and trails. Visit the museum in the village, a thatched cottage showing displays on local history and heritage including the Glencoe Massacre of 1692. Enjoy the wide-open spaces and open roads of the area, including some which you may have seen in movies such as the James Bond movie Skyfall.

Highlights (included): Stirling Castle, Glencoe Mountain Resort chairlift ride
Highlights (optional): Walk some of the West Highland Way

Overnight in Glencoe
Tenon Recommends: Kingshouse Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 12: Glencoe to Inverness

Searching for a legendary creature? That’s what is on the agenda today! Take the cruise on Loch Ness and enjoy the wondrous views. Disembark at Urquhart Castle and take the next cruise back before continuing on to Inverness, the gateway to the highlands.

Highlights (included): Inverness Castle Viewpoint, Loch Ness cruise, Urquhart Castle
Highlights (optional): Glenfinnan viaduct, Glenfinnan monument

Overnight in Inverness
Tenon Recommends: Kingsmills Hotel
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 13: Inverness to Edinburgh

Travel through some of the Cairngorms today on the way to Edinburgh. For the whisky connoisseur, there are opportunities today to see more distilleries in the Perthshire area. A stop in Pitlochry is recommended – it’s a pretty town with great viewpoints and shopping. Then it’s on to Edinburgh!

Highlights (included): Edinburgh Castle, Scotch whisky experience
Highlights (optional): The Highland Chocolatier, Dewar’s Aberfeldy, Scone Palace

Overnight in Edinburgh
Tenon Recommends: Intercontinental Hotel The George
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 14: Edinburgh

Discover the treasures of the Old Town on a guided tour and see a different side to the city off the beaten path. Follow in the footsteps of the rebellious Jacobites who tread the cobbled streets led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Visit the official residence of the monarchy in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Stroll through Princes Street Gardens as you return to the New Town.

Highlights (included): Old Town Treasures Tour, Palace at Holyroodhouse, Holyrood distillery
Highlights (optional): Spirit of Scotland dinner and show, meet a Kiltmaker and Bagpiper

Overnight in Edinburgh
Tenon Recommends: Intercontinental Hotel The George
(Breakfast included)

 

Day 15: Departure

Say goodbye to Britain today. Fly home with memories that will last a lifetime and a desire to return and see more of what the British Isles have to offer.
(Breakfast included)

 

This trip can be booked as a self-drive tour or chauffeur tour.

*Price shown is the starting price for self-drive vacations.

Prices and Itinerary subject to change without notice.

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