ABOUT UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England (including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The British landscape can be divided roughly into two kinds of terrain – highland and lowland. The highland area comprises the mountainous regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales. Sandstone and limestone hills, long valleys and basins such as the Wash break up the lowland area on the east coast. Despite its small size, England is a country of much diversity. London, the capital, draws increasing numbers of visitors, not only to the well documented attractions of the West End with its theatres, cinema Parliament, Westminster Abbey,as, shopping streets, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs, but to its historic treasures such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. In addition, London has the vast green spaces of Hampstead Heath, Hyde and Richmond parks; vibrant street markets in Camden, Brick Lane or Portobello Road and many distinctive old pubs.

CLIMATE

The climate of London is temperate, with modest daily high temperatures during summer (apart from the odd heat wave) and winter lows that seldom fall below freezing. Rainfall is regular, but most often in the form of drizzle, occurring throughout the year. Snow occurs sometimes in winter but rarely settles more than a few millimetres deep.

Average Temperatures

Time Difference: 5½ hours behind IST (OCT – MAR) & 4½ hours behind IST (APR – SEP)

TOUR ITINERARY

Day 01: Arrival London:
On arrival at London Heathrow airport you will be picked up and transfer to your hotel in a private vehicle. Evening is free for you to explore the city on your own or enjoy an optional London eye experience. Overnight at your hotel in London.

Day 02: London Morning tour
After breakfast at 0845 hrs, depart from Victoria Coach station for London morning city tour. The tour begins with a panoramic drive around Parliament Square, to see Westminster Abbey, where many of our Kings, Queens, Statesmen, poets and writers are buried. See Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Enjoy a fascinating panoramic tour seeing Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, London's Theatre District and Piccadilly Circus. Then to Buckingham Palace to see the colourful ceremony of the Changing of the Guard; accompanied by a military band, a detachment of the Queen's Foot Guard march to Buckingham Palace in their bearskins and red tunics, and change with the Old Guard. The tour finishes at Trafalgar Square at around 12.30 pm. Overnight in London.

Day 03: London – Edinburgh: (04 hrs 36 mins)
Today after breakfast check out of the hotel and transfer to the station for your train to Edinburgh on your own. 0901 hrs: Board your train at London Kings Cross station 1337 hrs: Arrival at Edinburgh station On arrival at Edinburgh station, transfer to your hotel and check in. Rest of the day at leisure in this beautiful city. Overnight at your hotel in Edinburgh.

Day 04: Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands
After breakfast, depart for the Lochness, Glencoe and the highlands tour from Xchange shop and travel northwest past Linlithgow Palace and Stirling Castle. A little further on you will make a stop for Coffee at Callander, the gateway to the Trossachs. After Callander we cross the Highland boundary fault line. You will soon arrive at Glencoe. Glencoe is stunningly beautiful with its dramatic cliff faces and steep slopes. Beyond Glencoe we will enter the Great Glen and pass under Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis. Then onto Fort Augustus on the southern shore of Loch Ness. Here you have the opportunity to take a cruise on the loch (not included) and maybe even catch a glimpse of nessie! From Loch Ness we head South and make a stop to taste some Whisky before heading through Pitlochry. We will then head back to Edinburgh crossing the famous Forth Bridge. Includes: Transport by top of the range Mercedes minibus, professional Rabbie's driver guide, Rabbies discount card which entitles you to money off at selected restaurants, shopping and tourist attractions. Pls note: Due to the nature walks involved in this tour it is recommended that you bring suitable clothing and footwear as Scotland can be a wet place! Overnight at your hotel in Edinburgh.

Day 05: Edinburgh City Sightseeing
Today after breakfast at the hotel, departure from the Scott Monument for city sightseeing tour. Enjoy your time with this 24 hour ticket for one of Edinburgh's greatest sightseeing tours. Join the Edinburgh hop on hop off sightseeing tour to discover the sights, the shopping and the culture of this wonderful city. The Edinburgh sightseeing tour offers you 3 different bus types. You can choose from The City Sightseeing Tour which is guided by headphones and available in seven different languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Dutch). Alternatively, The Edinburgh tour has commentary by a live guide in English language only. Further to this, you can also choose from Mac Tours buses, which takes place on board vintage style open top buses with live guided commentary in English only. Pls note: Your ticket is valid for 24 hours. Please note that once you activate your ticket with a particular tour either The City Sightseeing Tour, The Edinburgh Tour or MacTours you can only use those buses for the rest of your 24 hours. You cannot use all bus suppliers but only the one that you first chose to use. Overnight at your hotel in Edinburgh.

Day 06: Depart Edinburgh
After breakfast check out of your hotel and transfer to the station on your own for your train to London. On arrival at the Kings cross station in London you will be picked and transferred to Heathrow airport for your flight back home.