Centennial Historic Route 66

Itinerary

16-Day Itinerary

• Day 1

  Fly to Chicago, where you will be met by your Tour Director and transferred to your hotel for a two-night stay.

• Day 2 - Chicago with City Tour

  Enjoy an included morning city tour of Chicago and see some of the most spectacular modern architecture, designed by many famous architects like Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Daniel Burnham.

  Experience the opulent Magnificent Mile, filled with name-brand retail stores, as well as Navy Pier. Once used by the US Navy, it is now a point for restaurants and entertainment. There is also Grant and Lincoln parks, home to several outdoor concerts and city gatherings, and the Cloud Gate sculpture.

  The afternoon is at leisure for you to explore many other points of interest. Or, if you'd prefer, you can book an optional excursion through your Tour Director, such as a visit to the Willis Tower, an architectural river cruise, or a dinner cruise (subject to availability).

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 3 - St. Louis

  As we say farewell to Chicago, the journey of the historic Route 66 commences. The legendary old road passes through a variety of pure Americana landscapes and takes in some of the country’s biggest, oldest and most peculiar sites along the way.

  We follow the traditional east–west direction of Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis in Missouri today, travelling through cornfields and flat prairies.

  When we arrive in St. Louis, one of the largest cities along Route 66, you can follow in the footsteps of legendary explorers, including Lewis and Clark, at the Gateway Arch, the gate to the West and the nation's tallest monument within a National Park.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 4 - Meramec Caverns

  Continue through the Ozark Highlands of Southern Missouri, recognised as the birthplace of Route 66. En route to Springfield, we stop at the Meramec Caverns, a natural limestone cave whose formations and colours are as unique as they are beautiful. Adding to the pleasure of exploring the caves is learning that Jesse James used them as a hideout and took advantage of the underground river to escape through the “Back Door".

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 5 - Oklahoma City Tour

  This morning, cut through the south-eastern corner of Kansas on your way to Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma section of Route 66 contains more drivable miles than any other state. A portion of this stretch was even used by many Oklahoman families headed west in search of better opportunities during the 1930s.

  The famous blue whale statue in Catoosa remains a landmark along Route 66. Once arriving in Tulsa, the Avery Route 66 memorial bridge connects the east with the west. Constructed in 1915 but closed to both vehicles and pedestrians, it gained its place on the list of National Historic Places in 1996. A brief orientation tour will commence upon arrival in Oklahoma City, the state capital of Oklahoma.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 6 - Oklahoma Route 66 Museum & Shamrock to Amarillo

  We continue to Amarillo, located in the pancake flat plains of the Texas Panhandle. This area of Texas was once the buffalo-rich grasslands of the Great Plains, inhabited by the Kiowa and Comanche Native Americans.

  We stop at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, where you can experience six decades of Route 66 history (admission included).

  We also stop in Shamrock, Texas, known for the once beloved Conoco Tower Station and U-drop café, as well as the opened and restored 1929 Phillips 66 Station in McLean for a photo stop. Oil companies opened many gas stations as the need for petrol increased, as the number of travelers increased on Route 66.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 7 - Cadillac Ranch & Albuquerque

  Before leaving Amarillo, a visit to the world-famous Cadillac Ranch is a must. Here, you experience a unique display of art featuring a row of ten colorful painted Cadillac cars. Buried grill first in the ground since 1974, the Cadillacs range in production years between 1949 and 1963. This art display now has over 1 million visitors a year.

  Continue westbound and arrive in Albuquerque, set in the neighboring state of New Mexico. This city is not only the state’s largest, but is also known as the hub for technology, the arts, and the annual International Balloon Festival.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 8 - Gallup

  Today we leave Albuquerque and travel north to another spectacular Route 66 community, Gallup. Having barely changed since Route 66’s heydays, this city serves up a slice of Americana rarely seen nowadays, along with one of the best strips of neon signs you will see anywhere on the old route. Take the chance to shop in one of the unique gift stores of the southwest.

  When leaving Gallup, you will enter the Nation’s largest Native American Reservation, home to the Navajo Nation. Living on almost 18,000 acres of land, this reservation is found in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

  This afternoon, join us for an optional excursion and experience the wonders of Canyon de Chelly, where ancestral pueblos, pictographs of the ancient past, will introduce you to Navajo culture.

  We stay overnight in Holbrook.

• Day 9 - Monument Valley

  We leave Holbrook and continue our expedition through the Navajo Nation to Monument Valley. Experience the beauty of this region through a variety of Monuments, Mesas, and Buttes. This backdrop was used for many western movies with actor John Wayne, as well as Forrest Gump and Back to the Future. If you'd like, you can get up close to some of the monuments on an optional Monument Valley jeep tour.

  We stay overnight in Page, Arizona.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 10 - Grand Canyon National Park with Train Ride

  Before leaving Page, a optional excursion to the Antelope Canyon is available and highly recommended! The American Southwest's most visited canyon, it was created through the force of water and wind erosion, leaving slot canyons and narrow pathways. A visit here is not to be missed!

  We return to the Navajo Reservations and travel to the magnificent Grand Canyon. This region was proclaimed as a National Park in 1919 and continues to receive close to 5 million visitors annually.

  In the late afternoon, you will arrive at the Historic Route 66 community of Williams and enjoy an unforgettable train ride through the magnificent Grand Canyon National Park.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 11 - Seligman & Las Vegas

  We depart Williams and continue via Route 40 to Route 66 and visit Seligman in Arizona. It was this community that lobbied to have the name changed from Route 66 to Historic Route 66 back in 1987. Many residents who had called Seligman home still live there today and welcome visitors all year round.

  Continue via Kingman to the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, where mega resort hotels dot the Las Vegas Strip. The 24-hour-a-day casino and the large variety of shows gave this city the title of 'Entertainment Capital of the World'.

  If you'd like, you can join your fellow travellers tonight for an optional walking and driving orientation tour of the city, where you will be introduced to some of the hotels.

• Day 12 - Las Vegas

  Enjoy today at leisure to explore more of Las Vegas at your own pace or consult the Tour Director for the optional excursions planned for the day, including a visit to the Hoover Dam and the Dinner and Show programme.

• Day 13 - Mojave Desert to Calico Ghost Town & Los Angeles

  After a leisurely morning, and before we depart Las Vegas, we will stop at the iconic 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign before we continue our journey through the Mojave Desert into the state of California on our way to Barstow/Yermo.

  Once we arrive, we enjoy an included stop and visit to the Calico Ghost Town. Once a bustling community of the 19th century, during the local silver ore rush, it fell into despair in the 1930s. It was then purchased by the amusement park Knott's Berry Farm, reconstructed as it was during its peak years and then donated as a gift to San Bernardino County as an attraction. Here, you can relive the days of the Old West.

  In the afternoon, we arrive in Los Angeles, a metropolis of more than 18 million residents.

• Day 14 - Los Angeles City Tour & Santa Monica

  Enjoy a full-day city tour of this mega city and visit some of the neighborhoods it is so famous for, including downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and the Walk of Fame, Farmers Market and the Grove, passing Beverly Hills on our way to the final stop of Route 66, Santa Monica.

  Here you will have time at leisure to explore the beach and Santa Monica Pier, home to the famous 'End of the Trail' Route 66 sign.

  After an included farewell dinner, your Historic Route 66 tour comes to an end.

  Meals - Dinner

• Day 15

  Transfer via the hotel shuttle to the airport for your return flight.

• Day 16

  Arrive back in the UK.

Accommodation