UK Connection

Day One: London

On arrival at your London Airport, you will be met by your UK Connection Representative and transferred to your London accommodation. Depending upon arrival times there may be time for a self-guided, walking orientation tour of the area around your accommodation (see Accommodation Choices) followed by dinner at a choice of centrally located restaurants.

Day Two: London Sightseeing

A full day Guided Sightseeing Tour by Coach.

Your tour of England's capital city will take you past many of London's most famous monuments - the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square with the statue of Lord Nelson, Pall Mall and much more. Extended stops are made at: the magnificent Gothic Westminster Abbey which has been the site of every coronation since 1066; Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guard to witness the Queen's Foot Guard in their red tunics and bearskins marching to the accompaniment of a military band; you will enjoy a walk around bustling Covent Garden the former fruit market now a piazza lined with shops, street entertainers; City of London to earn about the Great Fire of 1666 the Bank of England and the home of the Lord Mayor, The Mansion House and on to Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral.

Dinner this evening in a central London restaurant or at your accommodation.

Day Three: The Imperial War Museum

To support your studies about the World War One Battlefields, this morning we visit the Imperial War Museum. The Imperial War Museum is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day. It seeks to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'war-time experience'. It founded in 1917 to record the story of the Great War and the contributions made to it by the peoples of the Empire but now covers all aspects of international conflict up to the present day.

This afternoon we visit the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. In 1984 the Cabinet War Rooms were opened to the public as a branch of the War Museum. The War Rooms are an underground complex that had been used as a command centre by the British government throughout the Second World War. Located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster, the facilities were constructed before the war in anticipation of extremely destructive aerial bombing of London. They became operational in 1939 and were in constant operation for the duration of the war. All visitors are provided with a free personal Acoustiguide sound guide, available in English (adult, family and visually impaired versions), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Dutch and Mandarin.

Tonight, after dinner, you have a seat for one of London's top a West End plays such as The Lion King, Oliver, or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat.

NB You have total flexibility on the excursions and entrances you include in your London stay. See London Tours for further suggestions and ideas. We will be pleased to quote for any 'tailor-made' tour.

Day Four: London to Normandy

Leave London this morning for a short 2 hours drive to Folkestone to catch the Eurotunnel train to Calais. Onward drive to Normandy.

Start your studies in the most apposite way with a visit to the wonderfully evocative Caen Memorial Museum or Museum of Peace in Caen. The museum takes you on an imaginative and historical journey through 20th Century European history from 1918 until the present day, concentrating in particular on the events in 1940 started by the Allied landings of D Day.

Dinner and overnight in or around Bayeux.

Day Five:

This morning we visit the seaside village of Arromanches in the heart of the D Day landing beaches. First we enjoy a unique visit to Arromanches 360, a 360° film show using archive film interspersed by shots from the present day to take you into the heart of the D Day action. From here it is a short walk to the Arromanches Landing Museum which presents the technology and engineering which provided the artificial 'Mulberry Harbour', the remains of which can still be seen outside.

This afternoon we visit the American landing beache Omaha, where we visit the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum with its collection of uniforms, arms, vehicles and personal effects. On to the Longues Sur Mer Gun Battery and Pointe du Hoc, the clifftop location and focus of the American's attack.

Dinner and overnight in or around Bayeux.

Day Six:

One of the major breakthroughs on D Day and indeed the first building liberated by the Allies on 6th June 1944 was the café alongside the Pegasus Bridge. The story is imaginatively told at the Pegasus Memorial Museum. On to the Merville Gun battery Museum which tells the unfolding story of D Day as experienced by the British 6th Airborne Division.

This afternoon we visit Bayeux where the story of D day and the subsequent battle for Normandy is told at the Memorial Battle of Normandy Museum. And no visit to this part of France is complete with a viewing of the magnificent Bayeux tapestry, actually not a tapestry at all but a detailed embroidered frieze telling the story of a much earlier invasion with William of Normandy conquered the English army of King Harold in Sussex.

Dinner and overnight in or around Bayeux.

Day Seven: Bayeux and home

For those returning to London, time for some last minute shopping and perhaps time to visit one of France's famous Hypermarkets, before returning across the Channel and back to London.

For those returning from France, a short transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport and your return flight home.

Highlights:

• Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guards
• St James Park and Whitehall
• London Sightseeing Tour
• Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament
• Hampton Court Palace
• Windsor Castle
• A West End Show
• London Shopping
• Arromanches 360o Theatre
• Arromanches Museum
• Caen memorial Museum
• Omaha Beach Memorial Museum
• Longue sur Mer and Merville Gun batteries
• Pegasus Memorial Museum
• Bayeux Battle for Normandy Museum
• Bayeux Tapestry

Your Programme Includes:

• 7 days Travel by Executive Coach
• 6 nights Full Board accommodation (see Accommodation Choices) with continental breakfast, packed lunch and evening meal.
• Students in multi-bedded rooms. Adults in twins.
• Excursions and entrances as set out in the Itinerary.

And what is extra?

• Single rooms. Prices vary with accommodation and will be quoted on request.
• Drinks with meals other than breakfast. NB a drink is provided in packed lunches and tap water will be provided with evening meals.
• Any excursions or entrances not included in the itinerary.
• Tips to Drivers and Guide/Couriers.
• Personal spending money.

Accommodation choices

HOSTELS AND STUDENT RESIDENCES
The cheapest option, our hostels are chosen for their safety and cleanliness and to offer simple, no-frills accommodation. They vary in design and style but basically offer multi-bedded, single gender dormitories for students almost invariably in bunk beds for between 4 and 12 students. Adults are usually accommodated in separate twins and triple rooms. Single rooms are limited and strictly subject to availability. Some hostels offer rooms with en-suite WC's and/or showers but not all. In others there are always sufficient shared single-gender communal facilities. Meals are served, usually self-service or buffet style in their own dining rooms. Packed lunches are provided every day. Most hostels have space in the evening suitable for study purposes.

HOTELS
We work with a range of Tourist Class 2 and 3 Star standard hotels. They invariably offer simple, clean rooms for 2-4 students, all rooms with private bathrooms and TV. Adults are accommodated in Twin Rooms with limited singles available at a supplement. All Hotels provide a continental breakfast but many do not provide evening meals, which are therefore booked in private restaurants. Packed lunches, provided by the hotel or a professional service, are collected from the hotel every morning. Study space is often limited and may only be available at a charge, quoted on request.

OUR OWN NORMANDY CHATEAU
Many groups visiting Normandy will be accommodated in our own traditional Normandy Chateau located in a peaceful, village location between Caen and Bayeux. The Chateau du Baffy offers clean and comfortable accommodation in 2-4 bedded rooms for students and twins and singles for adults. This lovely chateau is located in its own extensive grounds and has 2 dining rooms, a private teachers retreat, and a study room. Early booking is essential.