Welcome to London! Your Walking Tree Program Leader will pick you up at the airport. We will start your London walking tour once you are settled and explore The Strand, Trafalgar Square, the Benjamin Franklin House, the Houses of Parliament, and the River Thames. In the afternoon, we'll visit the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. Opened in 1856, the Portrait Gallery was the first in the world. Of its 195,000 portraits, most famous is the Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare.

Today we will start with a hearty English Breakfast in the hotel to get ready for the day. We'll take a walking tour outside Westminster Abbey, Whitehall's mounted horse guards, the Prime Minister's house at 10 Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. In mid-morning, we will experience the Changing of the Guard. We'll have lunch with the locals at Borough Market, one of the oldest markets in the world - in 2014, it celebrated its 1,000th birthday! This afternoon, we will take acting classes at the Globe Theatre in Southwark, the home of Shakespeare. In the evening, we will enjoy a river cruise on the Thames.

Today we will visit the Tower of London, entering through thick defensive walls and looking behind the imposing stony facade. Henry Vill banished two of his wives to this former prison, where Guy Fawkes also spent his final days. But the Tower's most famous occupants--the Crown Jewels--still reside here today. On the tour, we will behold this jaw-dropping collection of ornate rings, scepters, swords, and royal vestments. We will venture outside for a walk through the courtyard, where we can admire the four distinctive turrets rising out of the White Tower. Keep an eye out for the Tower's famous ravens: legend states that the kingdom will fall if any of the six resident ravens ever leaves the Tower Grounds. In the afternoon, we will explore Tate Modern, one of the largest art museums in the world and home to the British national collection from 1900 to the present. From there, we will cross Millennium Bridge, admire St. Paul's Cathedral, and the London School of Economies. For dinner, we'll enjoy an authentic meal of Fish and chips.

Today we are off on a literary adventure for the ages. Among the many places we'll explore are the homes of Evelyn Waugh, William Blake, lan Fleming, George Orwell, PL. Travers, Robert Louis Stevenson, M. G. Wells, Sigmund Freud, T. S. Eliot, and more! This afternoon, we will explore the British Museum. An experience unlike any other, we will have the opportunity :o see thousands of the more than 8 million objects in the collection. Most notable are the Rosetta Stone, casting stones from the original Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Parthenon marbles from the Acropolis in Athens. Time permitting, we'll also head to Charing Cross Road, where you can visit Foyles, the world's first purpose-built bookshop, which opened more than 100 years ago.

Today we depart London for the English countryside. We'll take a bus out to beautiful Oxford, where we'll have time to walk through the oldest university in the English-speaking world. We continue North as we travel through the picturesque Cotswold Villages, where we'll see the quintessential English countryside. Arriving in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small market town on the River Avon, and home :o Shakespeare! We'll visit his birthplace, walk through the home he grew up in, and explore town. Our journey continues north to Manchester where we overnight and have dinner at night.

Our first destination is the Brontë Parsonage Museum, nestled in the heart of Haworth. Immerse yourself in the literary world of the Brontë sisters, exploring the charming surroundings that inspired timeless classics. Next, we'll continue our voyage to the stunning Windermere Lake. Brace yourself for breathtaking landscapes as we take to the waters on a boat journey north. From the north tip of the lake our driver will pick us up to travel onwards to the historic city of Edinburgh, our final destination where dinner awaits.

Together with our Tour manager, we'll explore the Royal Mile, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in the afternoon, we'll head to the National Monument of Scotland, where you'll have time to explore thousands of artifacts spanning millennia. Enjoy an early lunch at Elephant House! J.K. Rowling ,had her first book published while she was writing in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle, making The Elephant House the “birthplace” of the series of Harry Potter novels. Next destination: Edinburgh Castle where our local expert guide will greet us. the Castle, sitting atop a huge rock in the center of the city, Edinburgh Castle sits on land occupied since at least the Iron Age. Today, the castle and surrounding buildings date from the 12th century, and overlook the entire city to the sea. We'll see the Scottish Crown Jewels, dungeons that held American POW's from the Revolutionary War, and much more.

Today, we are off to the Scottish countryside. We'll take a national rail train through lush green fields to the town of Stirling. Stirling is renowned for its unique geographical position - it sits on the River Forth at its lowest bridging point, connecting north and south. As such, it is often noted that "he who holds Stirling, holds Scotland" As such, the Scottish royal family chose Stirling to build Stirling Castle in the late 12th century. Since then, the castle has served as a palace for the royal family, prior to unification with England, and as a military Outpost as well. The Battle of Stirling Bridge took place at the river here, famously depicted in the movie Braveheart. After exploring this ancient castle, we return to Edinburgh for our final evening in the United Kingdom.

This morning we enjoy our final Scottish breakfast, head to the airport, and depart for home.