- Board your flight Board your overnight Flight to England (London)
Literature in England
On this culturally enriching tour, students of literature, poetry, history, art and culture have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of literary greats William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Beatrix Potter, Thomas Hardy and the Bronte sisters through visits to their idiosyncratic hometowns and dedicated museums. Experience rousing live performances at iconic theatres – including Shakespeare’s Globe – and…
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https://worldstrides.com.au/itineraries/literature-in-england
Literature in England
On this culturally enriching tour, students of literature, poetry, history, art and culture have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of literary greats William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Beatrix Potter, Thomas Hardy and the Bronte sisters through visits to their idiosyncratic hometowns and dedicated museums. Experience rousing live performances at iconic theatres – including Shakespeare’s Globe – and…
Request Info Request Quote14-15 Days
Highlights
West End Theatre DistrictHarry Potter Studio TourAusten House MuseumShakespeare TourStonehenge
Your Adventure
- Arrive in London Meet your tour director and check into hotel
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London city walk
Thames River, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery visit, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Soho
Step outside your hotel for a stroll through the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, royal parks to street art. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques.
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London guided sightseeing tour
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, St. Paul's Cathedral
Join a licensed local guide for an in-depth look at London, from the royal haunt of Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of King Charles III) to the slightly more democratic Speakers’ Corner of Hyde Park, where anyone can pull up a soapbox and orate to his heart’s content. You’ll see the changing of the guard (season permitting), the clock tower of Big Ben with its 14-ton bell, and Westminster Abbey, where almost every English king and queen since William the Conqueror has been crowned. After a stop at the Houses of Parliament, continue on to the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of London architect Christopher Wren. - British Museum visit Explore the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, and the Sutton Hoo Treasure.
- Charles Dickens Museum visit The Charles Dickens Museum in London holds the world's most important Dickens collection with over 100,000 items including manuscripts, rare editions, personal items, paintings and other visual sources. Based in 48 Doughty Street, the author’s only surviving London house, the museum offers you the chance to experience what Dickens’s home would have been like and learn more about the great novelist and social commentator.
- Classic fish and chips dinner Nothing's more British than fish and chips-there are eight fish and chips shops ("chippies") for every McDonald's in the county. Head to an authentic pub with your Tour Director for a taste of this national food, generally served with malt vinegar.
- Tower of London visit Get up close and personal with the Tower of London. Towers, rather. Twenty stone towers, as well as tunnels, winding staircases and narrow passageways comprise this huge fortress covering 18 acres on the banks of the Thames. A royal residence from the 11th - 16th centuries, the Tower also served as a jewel safe and a prison. The headless skeletons of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (Henry VIII's former wives who were executed here) are believed to be buried here. The Crown Jewels are housed here, including the largest cut diamond in the world (530-carats). Beefeaters (guards) lead tours through the Tower.
- Shakespeare's Globe Theatre interactive workshop Vendors hocking sandwiches. Spectators sitting in the open air, exposed to the hot sun or cold rain. People cheering and heckling the players. Sounds more like a typical day at the ballpark than a performance of a Shakespearean play. In Elizabethan England the Globe Theatre was a lively place, and this 1990s reconstruction strives to be as authentic as possible. Learn how modern-day actors deal with the rowdy groundlings (working in simulated daylight means actors can see—and react to—each and every audience member), how the costumers hand-sew antique fabrics to create the clothing, how designers cope with the very minimalist Elizabethan standards for scenery and props, and how directors take advantage of the unique conditions to break down the idea that “Shakespeare equals stuffy.” Please note that the workshop is restricted to students and a limited number of accompanying adults. Adults who are not able to participate will be offered a guided tour of The Shakespeare Globe as a substitute activity.
- Curry dinner The history of Indian food in Britain is now almost four hundred years old and today the country is home to some of the best Indian food in the world. Today, traditional meals like Fish & Chips are matched in popularity by curry dishes. Sit down to a delicious authentic Indian meal for dinner tonight. Taste different dishes with fragrant spices to understand why Indian food is one of the nation's favourites.
- West End theatre performance Enjoy a show in the West End, the British version of Broadway, with London's 40-or-so professional theaters, as well as restaurants, shops and cafés. Please ask your Program Consultant for a list of shows to submit a request.
- Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio tour Today we will visit the Warner Brothers Studio Tour London to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films. This unique tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.
- Travel to Oxford
- Blenheim Palace visit
- Oxford literary guided tour
- Travel to Bath Bath is a unique and beautiful city. The Romans turned it into England’s first spa resort and brilliant architects created the Neo-Classical facades that fill the city and recall its Georgian and Victorian golden age. Jane Austen lived here and the peaceful beauty of the city inspired several of her works.
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Bath guided sightseeing tour
Pulteney Bridge, Roman Baths visit, Abbey
England's most fashionable spa town in the 18th century, beautiful, Georgian-style Bath was where the society set headed to "take the waters" and attend the theatres. But the spa scene began bubbling long before then. The Romans built baths here between the 1st and 5th centuries to capitalise on the area's natural hot springs. A professional, local tour guide will lead you to the Roman ruins, some of the best in Europe. But keep your clothes on! Your tour continues to the remains of the Medieval abbey church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (built on the site of a nunnery from the 670s). Look up at the fan-vaulted ceiling. Step back outside to see the ornate west front featuring relief sculptures of Jacob's ladder. Continue to Pulteney Bridge, built in the 18th century after the style of Florence's Ponte Vecchio. As in Florence, shops line the span. - Jane Austen Centre visit Discover the Jane Austen Centre, a permanent exhibition located in a Georgian townhouse dedicated to the life of Bath’s most famous and beloved resident. Austen made the city her home and her love for it is reflected in two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which are largely set in Bath.
- Max Gate visit
- Salisbury Cathedral visit Visit Salisbury Cathedral, one of the finest medieval cathedrals in Britain. It is well-known for having the tallest spire in the country, which we may climb if we wish. Our visit will be highlighted by the cathedral’s 13th century octagonal Chapter House, which displays the finest of four surviving original texts of the Magna Carta.
- Travel to Stratford-upon-Avon via Stonehenge
- Stonehenge visit
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Stratford tour director-led sightseeing
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage visit, Hall's Croft, Mary Arden's Farm Visit, Shakespeare's Birthplace visit
See William Shakespeare's childhood home, furnished in a style typical to the Elizabethan period. Then tour the thatched cottage where his wife, Anne Hathaway, lived before her marriage. The adjoining Shakespeare Tree Garden is planted with trees and flowers mentioned in Shakespeare's plays.
- Travel to Chester via Daresbury Enjoy a full day excursion to the Cheshire Village of Daresbury, the birthplace of Lewis Carroll. One of his most famous characters, the Cheshire Cat, pays obvious homage to the county of his childhood
- Visit the birthplace of Lewis Carroll Enjoy a visit in Daresbury to the Cheshire Village of Daresbury, the birthplace of Lewis Carroll. One of his most famous characters, the Cheshire Cat, pays obvious homage to the county of his childhood.
- Travel to Lake District via Rydal Mount, home of Romantic poet William Wordsworth Journey to Britain’s largest national park of meandering rivers, and what some describe as the country’s most beautiful region. Along the scenic ride, encounter countless lakes glittering between rugged hills. Jagged mountain peaks hovering above a whirlwind of hikers, bikers and sheep. And rippled waters flowing to and from every direction. Venturing on, enter the picturesque village of Grasmere, home to William Wordsworth since 1799. Stop for an intimate tour of Rydal Mount, the house where the master wordsmith spent the last 37 years of his life (1813-1850). Wander through the garden terrace (designed by Wordsworth himself) to a small cabin-like abode, for a peek at his favourite spot for penning poetic prose. Along the riverbanks, discover the inspiration of literary genius, and leave with a little of your own.
- Bronte Parsonage Museum visit Visit the former Bronte family home, nowadays a library and museum showcasing a collection of Bronte manuscripts, letters, early editions of the novels and poetry.
- Beatrix Potter Gallery visit Enjoy a visit to Beatrix Potter’s House and the Beatrix Potter Gallery, dedicated to the author renowned for her works including the Tale of Peter Rabbit. The Beatrix Potter House magically recreates the lovely countryside which so impressed the young Beatrix and inspired the creation of Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter, and their many adventures.
- Dove Cottage visit An essential stop for fans of classic literature, Dove Cottage offers a rare glimpse inside the life of famed English poet, William Wordsworth. It was here, between 1799 and 1808, that Wordsworth wrote much of the poetry for which he is remembered today. The cottage remains mostly untouched from that time, with many of the Wordsworth’s household items still displayed. The adjacent Wordsworth Museum, The Jerwood Centre and the “half-wild” garden provide an even more detailed look at one of England’s true romanticists.
- Travel to Manchester Board the coach to transfer to Manchester Airport for the return flight home
