6 night ministay sample tour (3 nights London, 3 nights Salisbury) inspired by the events of the Harry Potter novels.
All accommodation in Host Families (not in the cupboard under the stairs) Full Board unless otherwise stated.

Arrival in the UK and transfer to your host family where you have the evening free to relax after your long journey.

London General day - A Tour of exciting London, including Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and a trip on Millennium Wheel to see London from the air just like Harry Potter does from his broomstick.

London Harry Potter day - A visit to the Borough Market where the Leaky Cauldron was filmed, and a trip to London Zoo where Harry Potter discovered he could communicate with the snakes. The day would not be complete without a trip to King's Cross to find the magical platform 9¾.

Gather in the morning to travel to Salisbury, passing by “4 Privet Drive” (actually Martins Herron in Bracknell). On the way we will also visit Stonehenge, one of the most mystical places in the world.

A trip to Oxford to see Bodleigh Library and Christs Church, both used as film locations for Hogwarts school, as well as a guided tour of the rest of the town, famous for having one of the best universities in the world (though they do not teach the same subjects as Hogwarts…)

A trip to Gloucester to see the cathedral, used extensively as locations in the Harry Potter film, and then to Lacock Abbey, also used as interior shots for Hogwarts and the village which was used as location scenery.

Departure back to London airport or to Dover for groups travelling by ferry with their own coach.

Optional addons:

• Extra two days to include travel to Goathland station, the station used for Hogwarts, then on to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland to see the castle used as the exterior shots for Hogwarts.
• Hogwarts English – English for Witches and Wizards at our School of English in Salisbury instead of Stonehenge day.

Note: Accommodation for this tour is available in host families, youth hostels or hotel.

Roman Britain – 4 nights London, 4 nights Bath
The Romans arrived in AD54 and ruled for 400 years, and even today there is still much physical evidence of their occupation to discover. Many modern English city names give away their Roman origins; for example the suffix 'chester' is a corruption of the Latin 'caestra' meaning fort

Arrival transfer to London accommodation

A full day to explore the more modern sights of London, or “Londinium” as the Romans named it. Morning guided tour to include Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park. In the afternoon visit the Museum of London, which houses many Roman artefacts. The Museum is located in the city of London where we can also see fragments of the old defensive wall built by the Romans to defend “Londinium”.

A free day for independent sightseeing in London.

Full day excursion to St Alban’s, a town situated just to the north of London, which was the third largest Romano-British city in the country. “Verulamium” (the Roman name for St Albans) was ransacked, along with London and Colchester, in the Queen Boudica's uprisng of 60/61 AD. However, the town was rebuilt and in 275 AD the town was encircled by gated walls. We will visit the Verulamium Museum, which stands on the site of the original Roman town of the same name, the museum is set in 100 acres of parkland and depicts everyday life in Roman Britain.

Depart London for Chichester to visit Fishbourne Roman Villa. The Roman villa at Fishbourne was discovered and excavated in the early 1960's. The dig revealed a palatial residence with ornate gardens, a large bath suite, many mosaic floors and many other suites of buildings. It is believed that building work on the villa was started in the early AD70's and the palace eventually covered about 4 hectares (10 acres), making Fishbourne one of the largest villas in Britain. We then transfer to Bath, our base for the next 4 nights.

Morning visit to Old Sarum, this great earthwork, with its huge banks and ditches, lies near Salisbury on the edge of the Wiltshire chalk plains. Originally created by Iron Age people in about 500BC, it was later occupied by Romans. We will then visit nearby Stonehenge, one of the most famous monuments in Great Britain it was built thousands of years before the Romans invaded Britian.

A full day to discover the delights of Bath or “Aquae Sulis” as the Romans called it. We will visit the Roman Baths, which give the city their name, but we will also enjoy the beautiful Georgian architecture which Bath is famous for.

Today we will visit a different country – as we journey into Wales. The Roman invasion spread as far as Wales and we will visit Caerleon and Caerwent, the town and fortress became the biggest in Wales with a joint population of around 3,000. In Caerleon we can visit several superb sites, arguably amongst the best in Britain. There is an amphitheatre, the remains of a great circus and the fantastic Roman Legionary Museum.

Today we travel to the famous “Cotswolds” and visit to the Roman town of Gloucester , we visit the Corinium Museum, which has recently re-opened after a £5 million renovation reflecting Cirencester’s importance as the second biggest Roman town outside London. The Roman collection is now spread over two floors and includes marvellous mosaics, tombstones and sculpture as well as room and shop reconstructions and objects from everyday Roman life. There are many interactive exhibits making this a great museum for children and students.

Transfer back to London airport or to Dover for groups travelling with their own coach.

Note: Accommodation for this tour is available in host families, youth hostels or hotel.

Henry VIII and Tudor London – 7 night tour

Arrival at accommodation in London

Morning guided tour to include Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park, also including Westminster Abbey where Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth I is buried. In the afternoon visit the reconstructed Globe Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames, Shakespeare wrote many of his plays for this theatre. The original was built in 1599, but burnt down in 1613.

In the morning visit the Tower of London. Two of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were imprisoned in the Tower and later beheaded on Tower Green. Afternoon is free for independent sightseeing or shopping.

Excursion to Hampton Court Palace, which Henry used as his summer residence throughout his reign. Henry’s only son, Edward, was born at Hampton Court and his mother, Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour died at the palace a few days after his birth. You can visit the Tudor kitchen and the Great Hall which is little changed since his Henry VIII’s time.

Full day excursion to Portsmouth to view the Mary Rose. The Mary Rose was Henry VIII's pride and joy, the greatest ship built in Britain to that time, but it sank in front of the horrified gaze of the entire royal court just off Portsmouth harbour. In October 1982 the ship was excavated from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and the long refurbishment and conservation project began.

Full day to explore the county of Kent known as “The Garden of England”. In the morning we will visit the beautiful Hever Castle. This was the childhood home of Ann Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII (you will already have seen her execution place when visiting the Tower of London!). Hever is many people's idea of what a 'real' castle should look like, from its gateway and courtyard to its surrounding moat. Inside the castle you can view Ann Boleyn’s bedroom and two magnificent Books of Hours (prayer books), both signed and inscribed by Anne Boleyn. The gardens of Hever Castle are also very impressive. On the way back to London we will visit the small Kent town of Sevenoaks to visit Ightham Mote, a manor house built in 1320 which has a Tudor chapel with painted ceiling.

On our final day we visit Windsor Castle, still used by today’s Queen as an official residence, it is the burial place of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. We will also visit the nearby town of Eton, home to England’s best known and most expensive private school – Eton College. Both Prince William and Prince Harry attended this school.

Departure transfer back to airport or to Dover for groups travelling with their own coach

Note: Accommodation for this tour is available in host families, youth hostels or hotel.

2 Capitals of United Kingdom – London & Edinburgh 10 day tour (6 nights London, 3 nights Edinburgh)

Arrival at your accommodation in London

Full day guided walking tour of London including Whitehall, 10 Downing Street, Houses of Parliament & Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace (exterior visits only). In the afternoon take a cruise down the River Thames to Greenwich. Visit to National Maritime Museum & Royal Observatory: home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line, it is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world

Full day excursion by coach to Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. In Oxford visit Christchurch College, the largest of the Oxford colleges, here you can get a glimpse of student life at one of the worlds most prestigious universities. Harry Potter fans will be interested to know that the dining room at Christchurch College was used as the dining room in the Harry Potter films! Travel on to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in the nearby quaint village of Shottery

Another full day in London. Your walking tour today will be of the South Bank area. This re-generated area is now home to many of London’s top attractions including Tate Modern Gallery, HMS Belfast, London Eye and Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition. An interior tour of the re-constructed Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is included. In the afternoon walk over the infamous “wobbly” Millennium Bridge to visit St Pauls Cathedral

Full day excursion by coach to the second of Britain’s great university cities – Cambridge. A visit to Kings College is included – Kings is one of the oldest Cambridge colleges, having been founded in 1441 by Henry VI.

Your final day in London will be left free for you to enjoy the city at your own pace. You may like to visit one of the many art galleries in London, or Hyde Park or Regents Park. Or go shopping in Harrods, Oxford Street or Camden Market

Coach transfer from accommodation to King's Cross train station for train to Edinburgh. The journey by train takes approximately 5 hours. From your window you will be able to see the ever-changing British landscape from metropolitan London to the suburbs, on to rolling British countryside and eventually the beautiful Scottish landscape. On arrival in Edinburgh coach transfer from Waverley train station to your accommodation.

Full day guided walking tour of Edinburgh including the Royal Mile, Edinburgh New Town and Edinburgh Old Town. Edinburgh Castle sits high up on a hill and dominates the city centre of Edinburgh. Entrance to Edinburgh Castle is included in this day.

Full day excursion by coach to Highlands & Loch Ness – the famous loch or lake where legend says the Loch Ness monster lives. You will travel through spectacular scenery en-route, including the area around Stirling Castle which long ago was dominated by William Wallace and Rob Roy. On arrival at Loch Ness take a boat cruise on the Loch to see if you can find the monster!

Coach transfer from your accommodation to Waverley train station in Edinburgh. Train from Edinburgh back to London. On arrival in London at King's Cross train station a coach will be waiting for you to transfer you back to Heathrow airport for your flight back home.

Note: Accommodation for this tour is available in host families, youth hostels or hotel.

Christmas Tours to London
This tour is intended as a sample only. Twin Group Travel is happy to tailor-make your tour to your precise requirements.

Changing of the Guard - We start our tour of London with one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. With Buckingham Palace as a backdrop, experience the traditional pomp of London with the spectacular ceremonial changing of the Queen’s Household Division guards.

National History Museum Christmas Fair - From Buckingham Place, we move on to the National History Museum to take in London’s Christmas atmosphere and indulge in pre-Christmas shopping at the museum’s Christmas Fair. If time allows, we can catch one of the special exhibitions, or go skating at the museum’s own outdoor ice-rink.

Trafalgar Square + St Martins in the Fields - One of the most famous symbols of Christmas in London is a huge Christmas Tree (a present from the Norwegian nation), which is displayed throughout December in Trafalgar Square. We end our first day by joining the crowds around the Tree and singing traditional Christmas carols.

Spitalfields Market and Winter Festival - Located in the heart of London’s East End, Spitalfields is where all London’s cultures rub shoulders with genuine cockneys. The famous market and Winter festival are highlights of the season and we spend our second morning exploring all that this fascinating area has to offer.

River cruise - In the afternoon, we enjoy a wintery cruise along the River Thames, enjoying the many riverside sights, including the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge.

West End Lights - We end the day in the West End of London, viewing the spectacular Christmas Lights which illuminate Oxford Street and Regent Street. Most of the shops stay open late in December allowing you to catch up with your last minute Christmas shopping in some of Europe’s best stores.

Bankside Frost Fair, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tate Modern and the London Dungeon - We spend the whole of our final day in the area around Bankside, on the south bank of the Thames, which is transformed into a hive of Christmas festivities by the traditional Frost Fair. Enjoy a wealth of entertainments, food and drink, music and art, and, if time permits, pay a visit to the nearby Globe Theatre, Tate Modern Art Gallery or the London Dungeon.

Departure from your accommodation for journey back home or back to the airport.

Note: Accommodation for this tour is available in host families, youth hostels or hotel.

Looking for more inspiration for your Christmas tour?
The above is a sample itinerary only. If some other activity takes your fancy, just tell us what your group prefers to do, and we will provide you with a price. Other Christmas activities you may wish to consider are:

• a traditional English Christmas meal at a local pub, or even on a River Thames Cruiser
• a carol concert at one of London’s beautiful Churches
• take your children to visit Santa at a West End department store
• visit a traditional Christmas Pantomime, such as The Sleeping Beauty