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

See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.

Visit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Botticelli; but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Cézanne.

Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.

Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Leicester Square is perfectly situated in the heart of London's West End, with Trafalgar Square to the south, Piccadilly Circus to the west, Covent Garden to the east, and China Town to the north.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 favorites.

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.

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.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is not only famous for its stunning baroque architecture, but it's also the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. The palace is a popular filming location for movies, such as Harry Potter and the park includes a large collection of ancient oak trees.

Explore the city through the eyes of Oxford’s most celebrated writers, including J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Lewis Carroll. Discover the colleges, streets, and architectural details that may have inspired the worlds and imagery found in their stories.

Wolvercote Cemetery is the resting place of many notable Oxford academics, writers, and scholars, including figures connected to the University of Oxford. Among its most famous graves is that of J. R. R. Tolkien, buried alongside his wife Edith. The cemetery offers a quiet reflection on Oxford’s rich literary and intellectual history.

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.

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 theaters. But the spa scene began bubbling long before then. The Romans built baths here between the 1st and 5th centuries to capitalize 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.

Explore the extremely well-preserved Roman Baths, first associated with the Celtic King Bladud, and later established by the Romans in the 1st Century. Step into the Pump Room, a set of elegant chambers built above the old Roman baths. The core of the Pump Room is the Grand Chamber, which looks down onto the old Roman Baths.

Discover the Jane Austen Center, 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. After your visit, indulge in a traditional afternoon tea, featuring classic British treats such as freshly baked scones, delicate finger sandwiches, and an assortment of cakes, all served with a perfectly brewed cup of tea.

Max Gate is a refined townhouse located just a short walk from Dorchester’s town centre. It was the home of Dorset’s most celebrated writer, Thomas Hardy, renowned for works such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Far from the Madding Crowd, and Jude the Obscure.

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.

Step into the origins of Frankenstein at the Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, where the remarkable story of Mary Shelley and her iconic creation comes to life. Written in Bath in 1816 when Shelley was just 19, the novel’s legacy is explored through a richly immersive, multi-sensory experience spread across four atmospheric floors. Discover a fascinating collection of unusual artefacts, vintage objects, and dramatic exhibits that bring this dark literary tale vividly to life.

Visit prehistoric Stonehenge, built in 3,000 B.C. The mysterious monument of four concentric rings of hefty stones is believed to have been a sacred place of worship or some type of calendar.

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.

The cottage provides a rare insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean times, and many of the original furnishings are preserved inside the house.

Visit Hall's Croft, home of William Shakespeare's daughter, Susanna Hall and her husband Dr John Hall.

Visit the childhood home of the Bard's mother, where Tudor farming methods are still used!

Explore Shakespeare's Birthplace, a carefully restored 16th Century house where The Bard was born, April 23, 1564. After touring the property and the period-correct gardens, we will visit the Shakespeare-related exhibits in the adjoining Shakespeare Center, built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth.

Produce a prime time TV show for sixteenth century England! Compare Shakespearian times to our own and see the Bard's work in a new light.

See the renowned RSC perform in Shakespeare's hometown. Formed in 1905, the RSC has employed such great actors as John Gielgud, Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench, and Sir Ian McKellen. (If the theater is unavailable, a play in London will be substituted)

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.

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.

Take a guided stroll through the village and step back into the world of the Bronte family, uncovering what life was like in their day while revealing some of its many hidden stories and enduring secrets.

Discover Beatrix Potter’s charming farmhouse retreat, Hill Top, the beloved inspiration behind her famous little books, where the rooms and surroundings remain much as she left them.

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.