Downton Abbey & Thames River Cruise With Afternoon Tea

Itinerary

Day 1

Join your coach at your convenient local pick-up point, and head for Windsor. After some free some to explore we will then board the boat at Windsor Promenade and cruise upstream past the famous Royal Windsor Racecourse and Eton College before heading downstream to enjoy our afternoon cream tea of a selection of finger sandwiches on white, brown and tomato bread, fruit scone with jam and clotted cream, fruit tartlet, mini afternoon tea cake and shortbread biscuit, whilst taking in the spectacular views of Windsor Castle.

We will then travel for our comfortable overnight stay at the Ibis Reading Centre, which is ideally located in the town centre. Either simply relax at the hotel or your central location allows you to stay out as late as you like making the most of all the town has to offer including great food and drink.

Day 2

After a tasty breakfast, we leave the hotel and head for the highlight of our trip to wonderful Highclere Castle, the real-life Downton Abbey. You will have ample time to explore and see where Downton's stars acted out the fortunes of the fictional Crawley family. Your visit will include entry to the castle, grounds and gardens. The gardens, first developed in the 13th century, are a sight to behold, along with the 1,000 acres of stunning parkland surrounding the Castle. Inside the Castle itself, there are between 250 and 300 rooms in the Castle Saloon and during your tour you will explore the main state rooms and bedrooms recognisable from Downton Abbey. Your tour will be self-guided with Highclere Guides on hand to answer questions. There’s time to discover the grounds, browse the gift shop where there are some non-fictional works written by the Countess herself, and perhaps stop for tea and cake in the Tea Rooms.

Later in the afternoon, rejoin your coach with time to relax during your journey home.

Thames river cruise from Windsor with Afternoon Tea

INCLUDED Visitor Destination

Enjoy a river trip on Britain’s royal river - the beautiful and scenic River Thames - on a two hour river cruise from Windsor. To make your cruise even more special, an afternoon tea is included with a selection of cakes and finger sandwiches.

Cruise upstream past the famous royal Windsor Racecourse and Eton college before heading downstream to see the most famous view of Windsor Castle from the river and on through Romney lock. You can enjoy the views from the upper deck before moving to the comfortable saloon, complete with a fully licensed bar where you can dine in style and enjoy your sumptuous afternoon tea served on a three tiered cake stand accompanied with tea or coffee.

Before the cruise, you may have a little free time in Windsor itself.

Highclere Castle - "Downton Abbey"

INCLUDED Visitor Destination

Highclere Castle – or Downton Abbey as so many of us know it - has a rich, multifaceted heritage dating back to 749AD and the construction of a beautiful medieval palace and gardens on the park. Since then the palace has been rebuilt as Highclere Place House (1679) and then Highclere Castle in 1842 after ‘Capability’ Brown had re-designed the grounds, water and symmetrical Georgian house at Highclere for the 1st Earl of Carnarvon. Highclere also has a rich history of modern flight with Sir Geoffrey De Havilland making his first flight on the Highclere Estate in 1910 and, of course, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon was made famous by his discovery of Tutankhamen’s Tomb with trusted colleague and friend Howard Carter. The Castle has also been a wartime hospital and home for evacuees as well as the modern-day setting for one of TV’s most-loved series and film, Downton Abbey.

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Tour includes

• 1 night's central hotel with breakfast
• Free time in Windsor
• Thames river afternoon tea cruise with sandwiches, cakes and tea/coffee
• Admission to Highclere Castle & Gardens (exhibition not included)
• Direct Coach Travel
• Net Zero Carbon Offset Certificate

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Accommodation

Ibis Reading Centre Reading

The Ibis Reading Centre Hotel is located in the bustling centre of Reading close to the shops and amenities. The bedrooms are compact but are bright, modern and quiet and have all you need for your stay including a comfortable bed and en-suite shower room with walk-in shower. All rooms come equipped with individual air cooling system, LCD TV, tea/coffee facilities and hairdryer. Breakfast is buffet style hot and cold breakfast choices to set you up for the day. The stylish on-site bar is the perfect place to kick back and relax and offers a variety of light meals & snacks. Alternatively The Gourmet Bar and Restaurant at the connected Novotel Hotel serves tempting food and drinks from an internationally-inspired menu or there are a number of restaurants, cafes and bars nearby.

For more information, click here for the hotel website (opens in a new window)

Hotel Location

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