Note: Additional nights can be requested for London. Tickets for a London show or Shakespeare performance in Stratford-Upon-Avon can also be arranged at an additional charge. For those who want to extend their trip, AAA Sojourns European City Stay packages can be requested for other major cities in Europe such as Paris. Inquire at time of booking.

Day 1 - Depart for London
Fly overnight to London.

Day 2 - Arrive London / Welcome Reception
Arrive in London mid-morning. You are met at Heathrow Airport and transferred by private motorcoach to your 3-star centrally-located London hotel off Oxford Street. Upon arrival and check-in, you will be given a 1-week zoned Underground & Bus Travel Pass to visit the attractions, museums, theatres and shops of London at your own pace. The afternoon is free for independent activities. A Welcome Reception will be hosted at the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner and the remainder of the evening is at leisure.
Accommodation: St. Giles Hotel - 7 nights

Day 3 - London Sightseeing & Kensington Palace
Following breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full-day of sightseeing (including lunch) by private motorcoach accompanied by a local licensed Blue Badge Guide. See the essential highlights of the city: the West End and Theatre district, Covent Gardens, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, The Mall, St James Park, and Buckingham Palace. Enjoy lunch at Knightsbridge at the renowned Fifth Floor Restaurant, located within the Harvey Nichols department store.

Following lunch, visit Kensington Palace, the last home of Diana, Princess of Wales and also the home of Queen Victoria, the only other monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee. During the visit to Kensington Palace you will see a new exhibition that has been created to help celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Victoria: Love, Duty and Loss which will tell the story of Queen Victoria, starting from the day that she became Queen in the rooms in which she lived her childhood. Late afternoon return to the hotel; dinner and the remainder of the evening are at your leisure.

Day 4 - Attend the Chelsea Flower Show
After breakfast, transfer by private motorcoach to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, home to the world’s most famous Flower Show. Run by the Royal Horticultural Society for 5 days each May, it is officially called the ‘Great Spring Show’ and is attended people from all walks of life, making it a very special part of London’s social season. The most popular parts of the Chelsea Flower Show include the show gardens designed by leading names and the centre piece of the floral marquee. Today you will have the whole day to take in the sights, gather information and perhaps make a few purchases too at this, the world’s most exciting flower Show.

You might also like to wander down to Sloane Square and see their “Sloane in Bloom” - Chelsea’s alternative floral art show organized in support of the main show. Grab a bite to eat or have afternoon tea - one of the best in town! - at the delightful Botanist Restaurant located right on the square. You may depart the Chelsea Flower Show when ready in the afternoon, or stay as long as you like, as tickets are valid until 8:00 p.m. You can shop or dine in the Sloane Square area and then use the Travel Pass to return to the Hotel.

Day 5 - Castle Gardens in Kent
Following breakfast, travel by private motorcoach out of London to visit the glorious castle gardens of Scotney and Sissinghurst, both in Kent and a region often called the “Garden of England.” Mid-morning arrival at Sissinghurst Castle & Gardens, home to one of world’s most celebrated gardens. Sissinghurst enjoys an intimate setting in the grounds of an Elizabethan mansion. The garden was lovingly created by Vita Sackville-West, poet, novelist and gardener & Harold Nicholson, the writer and diplomat, in the 1930s but it has been owned and maintained by the National Trust since 1967. Guests will have time to wander through the many different themed gardens while observing the unusual variety of plants and flowers that are growing in this glorious setting. You will also visit many of the castle’s rooms including enchanting libraries and the study where Vita worked on her famous books.

Lunch is included as a local restaurant followed by the short drive to Scotney Castle Garden & Estate, one of Britain’s top ten gardens. Scotney is not one but two houses. At the top of the hill is the new house, designed by Anthony Salvin in Elizabethan-style and built in 1837 for Edward Hussey III, who took the “Picturesque” style as his inspiration. At the bottom of the valley are the romantic ruins of a medieval castle and moat. This is the focal point of the celebrated gardens featuring the particularly spectacular displays of rhododendrons, azaleas and kalmia in May and June each year and with trees and shrubs that provide autumnal color later in the season. Late afternoon return to the London Hotel. Dinner and the remainder of the evening are at your leisure.

Day 6 - Greenwich
After breakfast, depart by private motorcoach to Greenwich, soon to be the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Recognition of the town’s long and illustrious heritage as well as its royal associations – a palace was built here as long a go as the 15th century! – is, many believe, long overdue and the granting of royal status will be a highlight of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. This acknowledgement of Greenwich will also highlight its global status as a World Heritage Site and add kudos to the Royal Borough when it hosts (to be confirmed March 2012) the 2012 Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich Park later in the year.

The excursion to Greenwich will focus on its maritime and royal history and you will see the St Alfege Church, the Cutty Sark, the Royal Naval College and famous Greenwich Market, as well as included visits the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory. Accompanied by your local Blue Badge Guide guests will have time to visit the Royal Observatory & the Maritime Museum. Return to the hotel at approximately 1:00 p.m. where the remainder of the day is at leisure for independent activities.

Day 7 - Tower of London & Crown Jewels
After a morning at leisure depart in the early afternoon by private motorcoach to visit the Tower of London and see the priceless collection of Crown Jewels, some of which will be used during the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II. You will visit the White Tower, begun in the reign of William the Conqueror (1066-87); today it houses displays from the Royal Armories' collection, which includes the armor of Henry VIII and the historic instruments of torture. You will see Traitors Gate, located beneath St. Thomas's Tower and which provides access to the Tower from the River Thames.

A highlight of a visit to the Tower of London is to see The Crown Jewels. The Tower of London has been home to the Crown Jewels since the 14th century, and today you will marvel at the greatest working collection of Crown Jewels in the world, which are priceless symbols of British monarchy. You will also see some of the world's largest and most historic diamonds: the enormous Cullinan I and the notorious Koh-i-Noor are part of this vast collection which numbers 23,578 pieces in total, many of which go to form the regalia used to crown the sovereigns of England and which will be used during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations next month. A late afternoon return to the hotel with dinner and the remainder of the evening free for independent activities.

Day 8 - Free Day in London / Farewell Dinner
After breakfast, enjoy a free day for independent activities, further sightseeing and/or some last minute shopping. At 6:00 p.m., you will meet the tour host in the lobby of the hotel to depart by private motorcoach to a local restaurant for a delightful Farewell Dinner with wine.

Day 9 - Depart London for home
Breakfast is included in the hotel or, depending on the time of your departure, packed breakfast boxes. Group motorcoach transfers to the airport for your flight home are included.