We Make the Magic. You Make the Memories.
Private Custom Tour in England
Unikorn Tours offers custom tours in England. Below is an example of a 10 day tour of the Best of England. Any aspect of the trip can be modified - the number of days, the destinations, the pace of travel, the activities, levels of luxury, food preferences, and more.
The Best of England
Day 1 - London
You will be met at the airport and taken to your hotel in central London. Once you check in, please join us for a welcome drink!
After you and your party have a chance to settle in, we will take an orientation walk in the heart of this magnificent city. Our walk will start in Covent Gardens, through Soho to Leicester Square, and on to Trafalgar Square. We’ll wander past royal St. James park on our way to Buckingham Palace. We will stroll past Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Big Ben. Here, we’ll take a break in a great Pub for dinner. Afterwards, we will cross over the River Thames to get a great picture of Parliament and Big Ben as the sun sets.
Airport Transfer/London Walking Tour/Dinner Together/Overnight London
Day 2 - London
This morning we will continue exploring this wonderful city. We’ll hop on a double decker bus to get a bird's eye view of the city before safely jumping off to meet our guide for the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Depending on the weather, we will have a picnic in the park or eat lunch in a nearby Pub.
After lunch, we will have a quick lesson in how to use the London Underground for ease in exploring the different London Boroughs. We’ll have the afternoon to explore this vibrant city. Perhaps you want to do some shopping, explore nearby Churchill War Rooms, checkout one of London’s amazing museums, go up in the London Eye, or see the public garden in a skyscraper - Sky Garden. We will have these and many other options available to you based on your pre-trip selections.
You’ll have dinner on your own with recommendations from us.
Day 3 - London
This morning we will make our way to UNESCO World Heritage Site Westminster Abbey for our locally guided tour. This magnificent Abbey is where English kings and queens have been crowned, married, and buried since the 11th century and more than 3000 famous people are buried.
After our tour, we’ll make our way along the Southbank to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for a tour. This is a reconstruction of an Elizabethan playhouse on the same spot where it originally stood.
We’ll have lunch together and you’ll have an opportunity to go to the nearby Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, or take a river cruise to UNESCO World Heritage Site Greenwich, UNESCO World Heritage Site Kew Gardens, or King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace.
We can make arrangements for any of these activities and more based on our pre-trip discussions.
Tonight we’ll have dinner together and you will have your pick of West End Theatre shows based on availability at the time of booking.
UNESCO World Heritage Site Westminster Abbey/Tour of Shakespear’s Globe Theatre/Lunch Together/Dinner Together/West End Show/Overnight London
Day 4 - London
This morning, we will see the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tower of London. Here, the famous beefeaters will show us around this fortress. The first building built in this royal complex was the White Tower built by William the Conqueror in 1066. We will explore this complex where many historical figures have lost their heads and see the crown jewels.
Then, we will walk across Tower Bridge to Borough Market - one of the largest and oldest food markets in London. There has been a market here since the 12th century. We will have a foodie tour of the market and the surrounding area. (Borough Market is open Wednesday - Saturday. If we are not in London on one of those days, we will have lunch along the Thames).
After our foodie tour, you will have an opportunity to explore the British Museum, British Library, or Museum of London. Or, perhaps you would like to do some shopping or something else you weren't able to get in on a previous day. We'll be on hand to facilitate any of your pre-trip selections.
This is another great night to go to the theatre.
Borough Market/UNESCO World Heritage Site Tower of London/Tower Bridge/Overnight London
Day 5 - Windsor/Stonehendge/Bath
Today we leave the cosmopolitan English capital behind and travel back in time to ancient England. First, though, we’ll explore a royal castle - Windsor Castle. We’ll see the church where Harry and Megan were married - St. George’s Chapel, as well as the Royal State Apartments, and Queen Mary's Dolls' House. We’ll see the changing of the Guard and have lunch in Windsor.
Next, we’ll go to UNESCO World Heritage site Stonehenge. Marvel at how early humans moved these massive stones from miles away in about 2500 BC. Then, we will drive to nearby UNESCO World Heritage site Avebury Henge. While not as famous as Stonehenge, Avebury is much larger and doesn’t have the crowds. Stonehenge is the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world, while Avebury is the largest.
We will then travel to UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath. We will have dinner together and an entertaining evening tour of this Georgian town. We will stay in Bath two nights.
UNESCO World Heritage Site Stonehenge and Avebury/UNESCO World Heritage Site - City of Bath/Dinner Together/Evening Tour of Bath/ Overnight Bath
Day 6 - Bath
Bath was once a Roman city and today we will go see it’s famous Roman baths. These well-preserved baths will give you the feeling of what is was like to live as a Roman in the 1st Century AD. We will visit the baths and then have lunch in the attached Pump Room. There, you can drink the water that is supposed to cure all sorts of ailments.
After lunch, you can join a tour of the city or explore it on your own. There is lots to do in this city that became a destination for the rich in the 18th century and still feels that way today. We will have various options available to you based on our pre-trip discussions.
Dinner on your own with recommendations from us.
UNESCO World Heritage Site - City of Bath/Roman Baths/Lunch in Pump Room/Tour of Bath/Overnight Bath
Day 7 - Bath/Oxford/Cotswolds
This morning, we will take a trip to one of the most famous university towns in the world - Oxford.
If we have any Downton Abbey fans, we can also stop at Bampton - the stand in for the village of Downton in the Downton Abbey television series and movie. You can see the church where the weddings and almost weddings took place as well as the hospital during WWI.
When we arrive in Oxford, we will take a locally guided walking tour of this lovely town and college.
After the tour, you will have time to explore and lunch on your own with recommendations from us.
Then, we’ll take the short drive to UNESCO World Heritage site Blenheim Palace. Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house. It is the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. It is the ancestral home of the Duke of Marlborough and where Winston Churchil was born. Once we have explored the house and magnificent gardens, we make our way to Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds to spend the night.
We’ll have dinner together and you’ll have a chance to explore this quaint little town. We will sleep in Chipping Campden two nights.
UNESCO World Heritage Site Blenheim Palace/Walking Tour of Oxford/Bampton/Overnight Cotswolds
Day 8 - Cotswolds/Stratford-upon-Avon
Take the morning to sleep in or explore this wonderful little town or take a nice hike in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds. The choice is yours.
This afternoon, we are going to the birthplace of William Shakespeare - Stratford-upon-Avon. We will take a local walking tour of the town, see Shakespeare’s birthplace, eat dinner together and see a play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. To see Shakespeare done by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the place where Shakespeare was born in quite the experience!
If you prefer to stay in the Cotswolds for a relaxing day, that is totally fine.
Tour of Stratford-upon-Avon/Theatre tickets to the Royal Shakespeare Company/Overnight in Cotswolds
Day 9 - Cotswolds/York
Today we drive north through the English Countryside to the city of York. York is a walled city founded by the Romans. We’ll take a short walking tour of the city and see it’s wonderfully preserved Medieval quarter and have lunch on your own at the old Shambles Market. After lunch, we’ll go to the largest Gothic church in Britain - York Minster. You’ll have to opportunity to climb the 275 steps to the top of the tower.
After our York Minster visit, you will have time to explore the city.
York was captured by the Vikings in the 9th century led by Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless. You can see the excavations of the Viking Age city at the JORVIK Viking Centre or visit York Museum, the Yorkshire Museum (which has more relics and fewer people than JORVIK).
York also boasts the largest train museum in the world. We will have recommendations for you based on our pre-trip discussions.
We will meet up for dinner together at our favorite restaurant. We’ll sleep in York before heading to Scotland tomorrow.
Tour of York/York Minster/Time on your own /Overnight York
Day 10 - York
If you are only doing an England tour, the tour ends after breakfast. It is very easy to get back to London via train from York and we will facilitate your journey.