London was picked as the top destination for visitors to Europe in a global survey despite travelers viewing it as the most expensive city.In a poll of over 1,000 frequent travelers, 41% considered the UK’s capital to leave the biggest hole in your pocket, far ahead of Paris and Rome on the list.

The Tower of London is Britain’s leading historic visitor attraction.

Standing guard on the north bank of the river Thames, the fort is steeped in almost a thousand years of history, where visitors can see into Britain’s dark and intriguing past.

The Tower of London houses the famous Crown Jewels, a priceless collection of gems used during Kings’ and Queens’ coronation ceremonies for centuries.

Historically, the castle is most remembered for the bloody executions, imprisonment and torture of the prisoners who were incarcerated in the Tower of London.

The Tower’s walls have seen mysterious deaths, like those of the two little Princes in the Tower, the tragic story of the execution of the young Queen, Lady Jane Grey, and the beheadings of two more Queens of England - Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn.

Famous prisoners in the Tower include Guy Fawkes, who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament, Sir Walter Raleigh and the notorious East London gangsters the Kray Twins.

Beefeaters

Popularly known as Beefeaters, the Yeoman Warders are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London.

They are traditionally responsible for looking after prisoners within the tower and safeguarding the crown jewels.

Yeoman Warders began guarding the Tower in 1485 and today there are 35 Yeomen Warders and one Chief Warder. All beefeaters are retired from the British Armed Forces.

Ravens

The Tower of London is also home to eight black ravens.

The large black birds have been at the tower for as long as anyone can remember and should they leave, legend has it that the Tower of London, the Monarchy and the entire Kingdom will crumble.

The Ravens are fed on raw meat or beef which is bought at Smithfield Meat Market personally by the Yeoman Warder known as the Ravenmaster.

Creatures long been considered to bring ill omen and associations with death,  it is perhaps fitting that they watch over a building with such a dark history.

Closest underground station: Tower Hill (Circle, District, DLR lines) 

If you’re taking a vacation in London, why not get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and spend a day exploring some of England’s most beautiful historic sites outside the capital.

The tour will take you from Victoria Station (or picks up from selected hotels) in London to one of Britain’s most unspoilt historical cities, Bath, via the 5,000 year old monolith Stonehenge and the mighty, 11th century, Winchester Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral

The tour will take you out of London across the chalk downs to the historic city of Winchester – dominated by its enormous age-old cathedral.

Originally built in 1079 during the reign of the Norman King William the Conqueror, Winchester Cathedral is the second longest building in Europe.

It contains much fine architecture spanning the 11th to the 16th century and is the burial place of numerous Bishops of Winchester, Anglo-Saxon monarchs and world famous novelist Jane Austen.

Winchester was once a major fortification against the Vikings, and King Alfred the Great is commemorated in a magnificent statue in the city centre that has become a landmark in itself.

Stonehenge

Although Windsor Castle is old, it is entirely modern compared to the next stop on the tour – Stonehenge, which far pre-dates historical records.

Experience the rolling green Wiltshire landscape as you approach Britain’s most mysterious landmark.

Archaeologists believe the standing stones were erected around 2200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

It has been estimated that the three phases of the construction required more than thirty million hours of labour.

Stonehenge stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it.
Although no one knows the exact reason it was built, speculation ranges from human sacrifice to astronomy.

Bath

Although Bath is a small city it is steeped in an enormous amount of history from its amazingly preserved Roman Baths to the picturesque Georgian crescents.

During the tour you will visit the Roman Baths that made the city famous - the best preserved Roman spa from the ancient world stunningly restored during the Victorian era.

See the “lantern of the West” Bath Abbey and the often-photographed Pulteney Bridge, modelled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence and take time to shop in the pedestrianised city centre.

Now a world heritage site, Bath was was founded around the only naturally occurring hot springs in Britain.

It was first documented as a Roman spa when the waters from its spring were believed to be a cure for disease.

From Elizabethan to Georgian times it was a resort city for the wealthy. As a result of its popularity during the latter period, the city contains many fine examples of Georgian architecture, including the famous Royal Crescent.

Details 

Departure Dates:
Daily

Unavailable Dates:
January 01 (New Years Day)
December 24 - 26 (Christmas)

Departure Point:
Tour departs from Victoria Coach Station, opposite Gate 1

Departure Time:
8:45am

Return details:
Tour returns to Victoria Train Station at approximately 7:30pm

Hotel Pickup:
Hotel pick up is available from selected central London hotels (click on “View Map” for list of included hotels). Please include the details of your hotel at the time of booking. If no hotel name is advised at time of booking, you must make your own way to the departure point.

If you’re taking a vacation in London, why not get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and spend a day exploring some of England’s most beautiful historic sites outside the capital.

The tour will take you from Victoria Station (or picks up from selected hotels) in London to one of Britain’s most unspoilt historical cities, Bath, via the 5,000 year old monolith Stonehenge and Windsor Castle, home of the Royal Family.

Windsor Castle

The first stop on your tour is Windsor Castle – the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world.

Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British Monarch.

Its huge structure dominates the small and picturesque town of Windsor that has grown around the castle over the years.

You will see the lavishly decorated State Apartments containing priceless furniture and St George’s Chapel, home to the 14th Century Order of the Royal Garter, Britain’s senior chivalric order.

You will also see the Windsor Changing of the Guard in all its colourful pageantry and splendour.

Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who have occupied it.

When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the additions of large and grand apartments; when the country has been at war, the castle has been more heavily fortified. This pattern has continued to the present day.

Dating back to the time of William the Conqueror in the 11th Century, it is the oldest castle in continuous occupation.

Stonehenge

Although Windsor Castle is old, it is entirely modern compared to the next stop on the tour – Stonehenge, which far pre-dates historical records.

Experience the rolling green Wiltshire landscape as you approach Britain’s most mysterious landmark.

Archaeologists believe the standing stones were erected around 2200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC.

It has been estimated that the three phases of the construction required more than thirty million hours of labour.

Stonehenge stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it.

Although no one knows the exact reason it was built, speculation ranges from human sacrifice to astronomy.

Bath

Although Bath is a small city it is steeped in an enormous amount of history from its amazingly preserved Roman Baths to the picturesque Georgian crescents.

During the tour you will visit the Roman Baths that made the city famous - the best preserved Roman spa from the ancient world stunningly restored during the Victorian era.

See the “lantern of the West” Bath Abbey and the often-photographed Pulteney Bridge, modelled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence and take time to shop in the pedestrianised city centre.

Now a world heritage site, Bath was was founded around the only naturally occurring hot springs in Britain.

It was first documented as a Roman spa when the waters from its spring were believed to be a cure for disease.

From Elizabethan to Georgian times it was a resort city for the wealthy. As a result of its popularity during the latter period, the city contains many fine examples of Georgian architecture, including the famous Royal Crescent.

Details

Departure Dates:
Daily

Unavailable Dates: January 01 (New Years Day)
December 24 - 26 (Christmas)

Departure Point:
Tour departs from Victoria Coach Station, opposite Gate 1

Departure Time:
8:45am

Return details:
Tour returns to Victoria Train Station at approximately 7:30pm

Hotel Pickup:
Hotel pick up is available from selected central London hotels. Please include the details of your hotel at the time of booking. If no hotel name is advised at time of booking, you must make your own way to the departure point.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, called the V&A for short, is the world’s largest and finest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.

The four million objects held at the Museum span some 3,500 years of human creativity.

The V&A has a programme of changing exhibitions running throughout the year. This programme complements the Museum’s permanent collection and covers a broad range of subjects from design and fashion to photography and architecture.

The permanent exhibitions include Arhitecture, Asia, British Galleries, Ceramics, Childhood, Contemporary, Fashion, Jewellery & Accessories, Furniture, Glass, Histroy, Periods and Styles, Metalwork, Paintings & Drawings, Photography, Prints & Books, Sculpture and Textiles.

There is a new exhibition based on the Sixties soul group The Supremes while the 2007 spring show Kylie: The Exhibition, included the Austrialian popstar’s outfits from her Showgirl tour and dungarees from Neighbours.

Alongside other neighbouring institutions, including the Natural History Museum and Science Museum, the V&A is located in what is termed London’s ‘Albertopolis’ an area of immense cultural, scientific and educational importance in South Kensington.

V&A Museum Opening Hours

10.00 to 17.45 daily

10.00 to 22.00 Fridays (selected galleries remain open after 18.00. ).

Closed 24, 25 & 26 December

London Museum Link Tour

For transport to and from the South Kensington museums, take the London Museum Link Tour, which stops in the West End takes you up to the British Museum with a guided tour of sights along the way.

The Science Museum in South Kensington represents thousands of years’ worth of scientific discovery.

As well as housing priceless historic inventions like the earliest steam engine and jet engine, it also contains hundreds of hands-on interactive exhibits and an IMAX 3D Cinema.

Galleries

The Science Museum is made up of a number of galleries, some of which are permanent, and some of which are temporary.

Power: The East Hall

At the entrance to the building, the East Hall stretches up through three floors and filled with iconic steam engines telling the story if the British industrial revolution.

Space

Space is a historical gallery, filled with rockets and exhibits that tell the story of human space exploration and the benefits that space exploration has brought us.

Making of the Modern World

This gallery houses the great symbol of the industrial revolution, Stephenson’s Rocket, and an Apollo space capsule. The exhibits are displayed along a timeline chronicling man’s technological achievements.

Flight

Flight is another longstanding gallery containing a huge number of full sized aeroplanes and helicopters, including information about Britain’s iconic WWII Spitfire fighter plane, as well as numerous engines and a cross-section of a Boeing 747.

The museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 to 18:00 except 24-26 December.

Entry is free.

London Museum Link Tour

For transport to and from the South Kensington museums, take the London Museum Link Tour, which stops in the West End takes you up to the British Museum with a guided tour of sights along the way.

The magnificent Natural History Museum in Kensington documents life on earth from its beginnings to modern day, housing over 70 million items.

The great dinosaur skeletons are the biggest attraction, with visitors greeted by the large Diplodocus which dominates the museum’s entrance.

Another iconic display is the parallel skeleton and model of a blue whale – the skeleton weighs 10 tons and is some 25m long.  

The museum is a world-renowned centre of research, specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation. It houses five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology.

Entry to the museum is free.  Open Monday – Sunday: 10:00 to 17:50.

London Museum Link Tour

For transport to and from the South Kensington museums, take the London Museum Link Tour, which stops in the West End takes you up to the British Museum with a guided tour of sights along the way.

The British Museum is one of the world’s greatest museums of human history and culture.

Its vast collection of art and artefacts is amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world, originating from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.

Among the highlights are the collection of artefacts from ancient Egypt – the largest outside Egypt – Greece and Rome.

The magnificent redeveloped Great Court lies at the centre of the museum. Its uniquely shaped glass and steel roof is made up of 1,656 pairs of glass windowpanes.

It is generally regarded as being one of the world’s top ten museums - along with London’s Tate art galleries.

The museum is free to enter, though some temporary special exhibitions have a small admission fee.

Audio tours of the museum’s highlights are available at ₤8 for adults, ₤5 for under-12s.

London Museum Link Tour

For transport to and from the British Museum, take the London Museum Link Tour.

The audio guided tour stops in the West End and takes you to South Kensington (Natural History Museum V&A Museum, Science Museum) while you take in sights along the way.

The sightseeing cruise is a great way to get an alternative view of the city, travelling in comfort down London’s main artery, the river Thames.

Major landmarks on the river include Big Ben and Parliament, the London Eye, Somerset House, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tate modern art gallery, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Canary Wharf and the historic clipper ship Cutty Sark.

The cruises depart frequently from Westminster Pier, Waterloo Pier (next to London Eye), Tower Pier (Tower of London) and Greenwich Pier. 

The shortest trips between piers last about 20-30 minutes while the full round trip takes about two-and-a-half hours. 

Each of the 500-seat RiverLiners provides a running commentary between Westminster and Greenwich, using GPS technology, in your choice of six languages – English, French, German, Mandarin, Japanese and Spanish.

So not only can you see London’s famous sights but you can hear all about them as well as you relax and take in the views.

Hyde Park 

Regent’s Park

St James’s Park 

Green Park

Kensington Gardens 

Hampstead Heath

Richmond Park 

Greenwich Park

Bushy Park