Day 1

We board our private executive coach and depart from our designated pick up points. Enroute to Caernarfon, we visit the National Trust’s Tredegar House near Newport. Set in a beautiful 90 acre park, this is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II mansion in Britain, the earliest surviving part of which dates back to the early 1500’s. We continue to the 3* Celtic Royal Hotel

at Caernarfon for a four night stay on a half board basis.

Day 2

Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. This morning we enjoy an included one way scenic excursion on the Welsh Highland Narrow Gauge Railway from Caernarfon Station to Beddgelert. During our journey on the UK’s longest heritage railway, we pass the foot of Snowdon, enroute to the picture postcard village of Beddgelert. After spending some time at leisure for lunch in Beddgelert, we visit Plas Brondanw Gardens this afternoon. Surrounded by mountain peaks, Plas Brondanw is one of the best kept secrets in North Wales. Although less well known than his village and gardens at Portmeirion, the Grade I listed gardens of Plas Brondanw are nevertheless considered by many to be Clough Williams-Ellis’ most important creation. Sir Clough created a unique and distinctive garden landscape that provides a series of superb views and romantic prospects set within Snowdonia National Park.

Day 3

With our Blue Badge guide, we visit Caernarfon Castle this morning. Begun in 1283 as the definitive chapter in Edward I’s conquest of Wales, Caernarfon was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace. During our included 45 minute cruise from Caernarfon on board the ‘Queen of the Sea’, we are awarded spectacular views of the Castle, the Snowdonia mountain range, Llanddwyn Island, and the Isle of Anglesey. We continue to the National Trust’s Penrhyn Castle. A dramatic neo Norman fantasy castle, the Victorian kitchen and other servants’ rooms have been restored to reveal the preparations for the banquet honouring the Prince of Wales’s visit in 1894.

Day 4

On arrival in Bodelwyddan with our Blue Badge guide this morning, we visit St. Margaret’s church, the ‘Marble Church’, with rich marble interior and stained glass by O’Connor, T.F. Curtis and Burne-Jones. When it was first built the church was often referred to as the ‘pearl of the vale’ due to the different types of marble used during construction of the church, but it is now commonly known as the ‘Marble church’. This afternoon we visit the National Trust’s Plas Newydd Country House and Gardens. Associated with the 1st Marquess of Anglesey, who commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo, Plas Newydd is a beautiful 18th century country house with spectacular views across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia.

Day 5

After checking out of our hotel, and enroute home we visit the National Trust’s Erddig property, one of the most fascinating houses in Britain with an evocative range of outbuildings and state rooms displaying most of their original 18th and 19th century furnishings. Taking carefully selected comfort stops enroute, we return back to our original pick up points.

This tour is now fully booked.

Day 1

We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to Bristol Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Madrid. On arrival in Madrid, we are met by our tour manager who will accompany us throughout our tour. We transfer in our private coach to the 4* AC Carlton Hotel in Madrid for a three night stay.

Day 2

Our full day in Madrid begins with a brief orientation tour of the city with our tour manager taking in sights such as Plaza Mayor, Puerto del Sol, Estadio Bernabeu and Cuatro Torres. In the afternoon, we visit the Museo del Prado for a guided tour, housing the world’s greatest assembly of Spanish paintings especially works by Goya and Velazquez as well as works by Italian and Flemish masters. A set three course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel this evening.

Day 3

Today we travel to Toledo, known as the ‘city of the three cultures’, because Christians, Arabs and Jews lived together here for centuries. Behind its walls Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques and synagogues. A guided tour on arrival introduces us to sights such as the Fresco of the Burial of Senor Orgaz, and the magnificent 13th century cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in modern Christianity. On arrival back in Madrid this afternoon, you may choose to accompany our tour manager on a visit to the Museo Sorolla (the visit is subject to availability, as the museum is currently closed for renovation and is not expected to reopen until early 2026. The entrance fee is not included in the cost of the tour, and should the museum have reopened, we will travel to and from the venue with our tour manager by Metro). The former studio mansion of Valencian Impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla is now a museum housing his paintings. The property has been left virtually as it was when he died in 1923.

Day 4

After checking out of our hotel we enjoy a guided tour at the Museo Reina Sofia, Spain’s national museum of 20th century art, with works by Miró, Dali and Picasso, including ‘Guernica’. En route to Salamanca, we visit Avila, a beautiful city surrounded by the finest preserved medieval walls in Europe with 88 turrets and nine gateways protecting its beautiful palaces and churches. On arrival in Salamanca we check in at the centrally located 4* Abba Fonseca Hotel for a two night stay. A set three course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel this evening.

Day 5

We explore the World Heritage Site of Salamanca’s historic city centre. Our guided morning walking tour takes in such sights as the 12th century old cathedral and the 16th century ‘new’ cathedral, the university and the Plaza Mayor, regarded as one of the finestin Europe. The rest of the day is at leisure in Salamanca. A set three course farewell dinner without drinks is included in our hotel this evening.

Day 6

After checking out of our hotel, we spend some time at leisure in Segovia. With its narrow streets and beautiful mansions, Segovia is best known for its Roman churches, aqueduct, cathedral and plaza. On the north west extreme of its medieval walls is the famous Alcazar castle where Queen Isabel promised Columbus the financial backing he needed to discover America. On the south east extreme is the world renowned Roman Aqueduct, the largest and best preserved of its kind. We then continue to Madrid Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Bristol, and onwards by private coach back to our original pick up points.

Click here for the brochure and booking form. (Scroll down for the booking form.)

Wren’s London Churches 3 Nov - 5 Nov 2025

We meet our tour manager and depart by private executive coach from our designated pick up points. En route to our hotel, we visit the National Trust’s Basildon Park property near Reading. This beautiful Palladian mansion is filled with fine pictures and furniture and is noted for its original delicate plasterwork, elegant staircase and unusual Octagon Room. We continue to the 3* Clarendon Hotel at Blackheath for a two night stay. A welcome dinner is included in our hotel this evening.

Day 2

We are met by our guide Ian Swankie at our hotel this morning. Our morning guided walking tour of London focuses on Wren’s churches. From 1660, until the early 18th century Sir Christopher Wren dominated London’s architecture in a way unthinkable today. In an age when there were no professional architects, his name is synonymous with English Renaissance architecture, in particular the city’s buildings’ of faith. He was multi-talented, a professor of astronomy, a geometrician fascinated by the visual world, inventive and he loved problem solving. Nothing was impossible! During our tour we see St Mary Abchurch. First mentioned in the 12th century, but like many of the City churches, almost certainly of much earlier origin, the church was one of 107 that existed in the square mile before the Great Fire of 1666. The church was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in the 1680s. His mason was Christopher Kempster, one of Wren’s key masons in the construction of St Paul’s Cathedral. The main feature of the church is the magnificent array of wood carvings, the finest in any City church. They include carvings of fruit and flowers and a gilded pelican in piety, all by the great Grinling Gibbons, on the reredos behind the altar. We continue to St Lawrence Jewry Church, located next to the Guildhall in London. The building like so many, was destroyed during the Great Fire and restored by Sir Christopher Wren. It is one of Wren’s most expensive projects, and this can be seen in the rich interior of white and gold. Wren’s 17th century interior is perfectly augmented with a huge modern organ made by Johannes Klais Orgelbau. This is thought to be one of the greatest organs in the world today. A superb stain-glass windows depicts Sir Christopher Wren and Grinling Gibbons, his master carver, along with Edward Strong, his master mason. We then visit St Stephen’s Walbrook Church. Walbrook is named after the source of water which brought life to the area, The Walbrook, a stream on which the Roman soldiers built a series of baths and a temple to Mithras. Rebuilt after the Great Fire, some see this church as Christopher Wren’s major city church, after St Paul’s Cathedral.

Please note that we won’t know for certain which churches we can access until nearer the tour departure date. If we can’t visit any of the above mentioned 3 churches, we will visit alternative City churches associated with Sir Christopher Wren.

This afternoon we visit Tate Britain, the home of British Art, where we will be guided by Ian Swankie around highlights of the collection from the 1500s to the present day. We will see many famous works, and several surprisingly interesting lesser-known ones. This evening we take our Category A seats at the Vaudeville Theatre to see Six The Musical. Created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, prepare to lose your head and experience the Tudor Wives’ lives as they turn back the clock and take to the stage to reclaim their crowns and retell their stories of love, loss and the infamous ex they all have in common! Join Aragon, Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves, Howard and Parr, backed by their fiercely all-female band, the Ladies in Waiting, and Get Down to a royal retelling of the sassiest story in British Her-story!

Day 3

After checking out of our hotel, we visit St Paul’s Cathedral. Completed in 1710, this Grade I listed building was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren as part of a major rebuilding programme initiated in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London. Located on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London, this iconic Anglican cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. During our visit we walk in the footsteps of royalty and political leaders on the Cathedral Floor, and explore the Crypt where our nation's heroes are buried. Whilst at the Cathedral, we enjoy a guided ‘Cathedral Floor and Crypt’ tour. In addition to the cathedral floor and the crypt, we also see the Geometric Staircase and the Quire which aren’t usually open to the public. We then spend some time at leisure for lunch in London. Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route, we return back to our original pick up points.

NB:- Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this holiday may not be suitable for those with mobility problems.

The cost of the tour is £629.00pp with a £99.00 single room supplement. Please note that a deposit of £100.00pp is required to secure a place. This allows the Travel Company to secure the accommodation and the theatre tickets.

In order to secure the tour, we need 30 takers before the deadline. If more than 30 apply, those deposits will be refunded and a waiting list started. Without 30 takers, the tour will not happen.

Applications for places are required by 30 November at the latest. Again, this is because the Travel Company needs to confirm its provisional bookings by then. Otherwise the accommodation and theatre tickets will be subject to availability.

Full details of how to pay are in the brochure and its booking form.

Click here for link to the brochure, which can be downloaded and includes the booking once downloaded. (Please note that the initial booking form has now been withdrawn; booking must be done through theTravel Company’s brochure.)

If you have already submitted an initial booking form, The Tours Secretary will give you the appropriate priority. However, you will still need to make a booking using Tailored Travel’s brochure and booking form. Please use the link above to do so.

If you have paid by cheque to EXEDFAS, you need to write a further cheque as required by the brochure.. The Tours Secretay will return or destroy your original cheque subject to you wishes.

The History & Heritage of Cork, Killarney and the Ring of Kerry.

6 days from £1589.

30 September - 5 October 2025

Day 1

We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to Bristol Airport for our direct scheduled Aer Lingus flight to Cork. On arrival, we are met by our guide and coach, and transfer to the 4* Metropole Hotel in Cork for a two night stay on a half board basis.

Day 2

This morning we spend some time at leisure in Kinsale, a historic port and fishing town. We continue to The Queenstown Story at Cobh, to discover one of the most important maritime naval bases in 19th century Europe, which also served as the main Irish emigration centres to North America and Australia.

Day 3

We spend some time at leisure in Glengariff this morning, one of Ireland's most beautiful scenic villages. We then enjoy an included scenic boat trip to Garnish Island, where we will explore the scenic gardens. Located in the sheltered harbour of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay, Garnish is a small island known to horticulturists and lovers of trees and shrubs all around the world as an island garden of rare beauty. The gardens of Garnish owe their existence to the creative partnership, some eighty years ago, of Annan and Violet Bryce, then owners of the island, and Harold Peto, acclaimed architect and garden designer. The island is renowned for its richness of plant form and colour, which change continuously with the seasons. This afternoon, we circle the Beara Peninsula, where we witness some of Ireland’s most staggering mountain, lake and coastal scenery. The tour passes numerous prehistoric stones and tombs, and the highly scenic village of Eyeries, which produces its own award winning ‘Millens’ cheese. On arrival in Killarney we check in at the 4* Dromhall Hotel for a three night stay on a half board basis.

Day 4

Today we tour the famous Ring of Kerry with our local guide. Our tour of this spectacularly beautiful coastline starts in the village of Kenmare and continues to Molls Gap for the most fantastic view.

Day 5

The morning we enjoy an included excursion on Killarney’s famous horse- drawn Jaunting Cars. We visit Muckross House this afternoon, built for Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife, the water colourist Mary Balfour Herbert. This was actually the fourth house that successive generations of the Herbert family had occupied at Muckross over a period of almost two hundred years.

Day 6

After checking out of our hotel, we admire the Harry Clarke stained glass windows at Dingle Chapel. Harry Clarke, famous for his stunning stained glass windows scattered all over Ireland, crafted a series of windows depicting the life of Christ that now hang in this obscure chapel in Dingle. On arrival at Cork Airport we take our direct scheduled Aer Lingus flight to Bristol, and continue by private coach back to our original pick up points.

Click here for a brochure and booking form.  (Scroll down for the booking form.)

Puglia: The Beautiful Heel of Italy

7 days from £1,699.

26 April - 2 May 2025

Day 1

We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to Gatwick Airport for our direct scheduled British Airways flight to Bari. On arrival we are met by our professional tour manager and transfer in our private executive coach to the 4* Grand Hotel la Chiusa di Chietri on the outskirts of Alberobello for a six night stay. Dinner is served in our hotel on the first five evenings, and we also enjoy a farewell dinner at a Masseria farmhouse on our last night.

Day 2

In the morning we enjoy a guided tour of Alberobello where we see its white washed conical shaped trulli houses for which the Puglia region is famous. The town was founded in the 15th century but did not experience its real growth until after 1635 when it was ruled by Count Giangirolamo II who was known locally as the ‘Squint- Eyed of Apulia’. This afternoon we visit Locorotondo, which is perched on a hill overlooking Valle d’Itria, a fertile and densely populated region dotted with trulli houses, where we visit the beautiful church of Santa Maria della Greco.

Day 3

Our first destination is Trani to see the magnificent Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino. Occupying a prominent position next to the clear waters of the Adriatic, the cathedral is home to one of the largest crypts in the world. We continue to the World Heritage site of Castel del Monte, with its unusual octagonal layout and eight equally octagonal towers. Built in the 13th century for Emperor Frederick II, there is no moat or defence of any kind since the castle was built as the Emperor’s monument rather than a secure structure.

Day 4

After an early start, we admire the wealth of Baroque architecture in Lecce. On arrival there is an included guided tour of this charming Southern Italian town known as the ‘pink city’. There is then time to wander at your leisure through the piazzas, winding streets and churches. We enjoy an included light buffet lunch in Lecce in an historic palazzo.

Day 5

Our included guided tour of Ostuni introduces us to this delightful white washed town, with tiny narrow streets set below its imposing cathedral, topped by domes of green, yellow and white tiles. The town stretches over three hilltops providing extraordinary views with its white washed houses standing out against the pink tinged brown of its principal buildings. In the afternoon, we continue to Martina Franca, where the town's jewel is its picturesque historic centre with a memorable maze of winding alleys, and where whitewashed simplicity sits side by side with Baroque extravagance.

Day 6

A guided tour of Matera this morning introduces us to a gem of a city in Italy's Basilicata region that is famous for its Sassi dwellings carved out of stone. Windows, doors, terraces and churches look out from holes in the stone and the area is believed to be the best example of cave dwelling in the Mediterranean. The rest of the day is at leisure in Matera. We then return to the hotel before heading out for an included farewell dinner of typical Puglian cuisine at the Masseria Torricella farmhouse, or the Masseria Papaperta farmhouse.

Day 7

We travel to Bari Airport for our direct scheduled British Airways flight to Gatwick, and onwards private coach travel back to our original pick up points

Click here for a brochure and the booking form  (Scroll down for the booking form.)

This tour is now fully booked.

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The History of Western Sicily and Palermo

7 days from £1379
29 September- 5th October 2024

Day 1

We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to the 4* Crown Plaza Hotel (or similar) at Felbridge for an overnight stay. A 3 course dinner in our hotel, without drinks, is included.

Day 2

We transfer by private coach to Gatwick Airport for our direct scheduled flight to Palermo. On arrival in Sicily we are met by our tour manager who will accompany us throughout our tour. We travel by executive coach to Mondello where we spend some time at leisure for lunch. We then continue to the centrally located 3* Superior Al Madarig Hotel at Castellammare Del Golfo for a five night stay . A 3 course set dinner, without drinks, is included at a restaurant close to our hotel.

Day 3

This morning we visit Erice. Poised on a crag overlooking the sea, this is a delightful medieval town with stunning views. Here we enjoy a guided tour at the 14th century Duomo, home to a ‘Madonna and Child’ attributed to either Francesco Laurana or Domenico Gagini. The afternoon is at leisure in Trapani . You may choose to visit the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and Chiesa del Collegio dei Gesuiti. The facades of both display magnificently the curious ebullience of West Sicilian Baroque architecture. North of the harbour, the Chiesa del Purgatorio displays wooden sculptures that are paraded around the city during the Good Friday procession.

Day 4

This morning we have a guided tour of Palermo, a beautiful city whose architecture ranges from Arabic to Norman in style. The tour takes in sights such as the 12th century La Martorano, the awe inspiring Palatine Chapel and the Church of San Cataldo. In the afternoon we visit the magnificent Cathedral at Monreale, one of the great sites of Norman Sicily, adorned with glittering Sicilian and Byzantine mosaics.

Day 5

The Valley of Temples near Agrigento is our destination this morning, one of the most impressive complexes of ancient Greek temples outside of Greece. Our local guide shows us around the Doric temples dating from the 5th century BC, straddling a low ridge with nine of the ten original temples still visible and some still beautifully preserved. Before returning to our hotel, we enjoy an included lunch at a carefully selected local restaurant.

Day 6

We visit the port of Marsala this morning, the home of a thick, strong, sweet wine that has been in production here since the 18th century. In 1798 Admiral Nelson ordered vast quantities of it following the Battle of the Nile. We have a tour and tasting at the Florio wine cellar. We take an included boat trip to the island of Mozia this afternoon, a memorable archaeological site in Western Sicily. En route we see the salt flats and windmills that characterise this part of the coastline. Mozia was an important colony of Carthage, the Phoenician founded city in North Africa. Mozia was destroyed by the Greeks of Syracuse in the 4th century BC, after which the surviving inhabitants developed a new city site on the Sicilian coast nearby. On arrival we visit the Museum of Mozia. The museum’s greatest treasure is its marble statue, ‘Giovanetto di Mozia’, also known as Charioteer.

Day 7

Subject to flight timings we enjoy a guided tour at Segesta, with its massive unfinished Doric temple on a remote hillside. We return to Palermo, for our direct scheduled flight to Gatwick Airport, and onwards private coach travel back to our original pick up points.

This tour is now fully booked.

Day 1

We meet our private executive coach at our designated pick up points.  En route to our hotel, we visit the English Heritage’s Audley End House and Gardens near Saffron Walden, to discover the sumptuous splendour enjoyed by royalty and the aristocracy in one of England’s grandest stately homes.  We continue to the 3* Ufford Park Hotel near Woodbridge for a four night stay on a half board basis.

Day 2

We visit Colchester, Britain’s first Roman city. with our Blue Badge guide.  Our guided tour incorporates a visit to Colchester Castle Museum, depicting 2000 years of some of the most important events in British history.  Once the capital of Roman Britain, Colchester has experienced devastation through its history, including from Boadicea, invasion by the Normans and siege during the English Civil War.  We continue to Constable Country, the birthplace of artist John Constable, located on the Suffolk and Essex border.  Our guided tour of East Bergholt takes in sights such as John Constable’s Studio and St Mary’s Church, built in the 15th and 16th centuries and renowned for the absence of a tower or spire to house the bells.  We continue to Dedham where our guided tour takes in sights such as Constable’s school and Dedham Parish Church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin in 1492 when the present building was begun.  Finally, we visit the National Trust’s Bridge Cottage at Flatford.  Located upstream from Flatford Mill, Bridge Cottage houses an exhibition on John Constable, several of whose paintings famously feature this property.

Day 3

Our Blue Badge guide accompanies us on our guided tour of Bury St Edmunds.  The tour includes a visit to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, a place of worship for nearly 1,000 years, and the Theatre Royal, a rare and outstanding example of a Regency playhouse.  We continue this afternoon to the National Trust’s Ickworth House, located in 70 acres of stunning gardens and 1,800 acres of idyllic ‘Capability’ Brown parkland.  Dominated by its huge central Rotunda dating from 1795, Ickworth is home to a fine collection of Old Master paintings, silver and Regency furniture.

Day 4

This morning we enjoy a guided tour at Christchurch Mansion, a fine Tudor building set in an ancient and beautiful park close to the centre of Ipswich.  With historic room settings, outstanding paintings and furniture, and the modern Wolsey Art Gallery with changing contemporary exhibitions,  it is one of the most important visitor attractions in East Anglia.  We continue with our Blue Badge guide to the picturesque 16th century fishing village of Aldeburgh where we have free time to take a stroll along the unspoilt promenade.  In the afternoon, we visit the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo, an Anglo Saxon royal burial site where the priceless Sutton Hoo treasure was discovered in a huge ship grave in 1939.

Day 5

After checking out of our hotel and en route home we enjoy a guided tour at Kentwell Hall, a very much lived in and loved family home for over five hundred years.  Representing an interesting mix of styles, The Great Hall and the Dining Room emphasise their Tudor origins while the Library and the Drawing Room are classical in style.  Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route we return back to our original pick up points.

A link to the travel company and to the booking form can be found here. Follow the instructions on the booking form.

6 days from £1,699 departing 3rd October 2023

Day 1

We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to Bristol Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Malaga. On arrival in Spain, we are met by our tour manager who will accompany us throughout our tour. We transfer in our private executive coach to the 4* Vincci Albayzin Hotel in Granada for a two night stay. A set three course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel this evening.

Day 2

Our day begins with a guided tour of the Alhambra Palace (the exact timings of this visit are subject to availability). Dating from the 14th century, the Palace is the high point of Moorish culture and is recognised as the world’s greatest Moorish monument. With gardens, fortifications and sumptuous palaces, it was the home of many of the Arabic sultans who ruled the whole province. We then visit the Gardens of the Generalife. Adjacent to The Alhambra, these UNESCO listed gardens were the summer palace of the emirs who ruled this part of Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries. The rest of the day is at leisure in Granada to explore its maze of winding streets and old Christian and Jewish quarters. On an individual basis you may choose to visit the 16th century Gothic style cathedral.

Day 3

From Granada we travel to Seville. En route we enjoy a guided tour at the Moorish capital of Cordoba, once famous for its Jewish community, and The Mezquita, the grandest mosque ever constructed by the Moors. We continue to Seville where we stay three nights at the 4* Casa Romana Boutique Hotel. A set three course dinner without drinks is included at a restaurant close to our hotel this evening.

Day 4

A guided tour of Seville, the capital of Andalucia made famous by the Conquistadors, explores what was once one of the richest cities in the world and is now home to the world’s third largest cathedral. Our guided tour of the Reales Alacazares this afternoon introduces us to a stunning Moorish palace which was the Spanish kings’ royal residence for seven centuries.

Day 5

This morning we see the remains of Itálica. This ancient city just outside Seville is the birthplace of two Roman emperors, Trajan and Hadrian. The rest of the day is at leisure in Seville, and on an individual basis you may choose to visit the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville, formerly a convent and now one of Spain’s finest galleries. Tonight you may choose to join our tour manager for an optional Flamenco evening in Seville.

Day 6

Lying within an amphitheatre of limestone hills and standing above 120m cliffs, Ronda is one of the most dramatically sited towns in Spain. The Moorish part of the town is divided from the modern part by the extraordinary Tajo, a 90m gorge with the river Guadelvin flowing below. After a guided city tour and some time at leisure for lunch, we continue to Malaga Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight back to Bristol. We then continue by private coach back to our original pick up points.

This tour is now full and no more applications can be taken.

5 days from £969 Departing 17th April 2023

Day 1

We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to Bristol airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Belfast. On arrival at Belfast we are met by our private coach and transfer to the National Trust’s Mount Stewart House and Gardens. Offering magnificent views over Strangford Lough, the famous gardens at Mount Stewart were planted in the 1920s by Edith, Lady Londonderry. We then visit the National Trust’s Castle Ward. High on a hillside, with views across the tranquil waters of Strangford Lough, the distinctly different styles of Gothic and classical collide at Castle Ward. We continue to the 4* Dunadry Hotel and Country Club at Templepatrick for a four night stay on a half board basis.

Day 2

With our guide this morning we enjoy a guided tour of Belfast, taking in sights such as St Anne’s Cathedral and Stormont Castle. This afternoon we visit the Ulster Museum, located in the Botanical Gardens and home to a wonderful collection of fine and applied art. Renowned as Belfast’s best known museum, the Ulster Museum is home to a fine collection of paintings by modern Irish, and particularly Northern Irish artists.

Day 3

Our guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. We travel to the North Antrim coastline today and visit the National Trust’s Giant’s Causeway, a World Heritage Site internationally acclaimed for its outstanding natural beauty, formed from lava eruptions over 60 million years ago and with many rich traditions in explanation of its strange rock formations. This afternoon we visit The Walled Garden at Glenarm Castle, the ancestral home of the Earls of Antrim. Since opening to the public in 2005, the restoration of The Walled Garden has continued under the stewardship of Nigel Marshall, formerly Head Gardener at Mount Stewart. There are herbaceous borders, a rose border, mound and water features.

Day 4

This morning our guided tour of Derry, UK City of Culture in 2013, takes in the Bogside and the City Walls, completed in 1618 and amongst the best preserved city fortifications in the Western world. We then visit the Tower Museum, depicting the story of Derry’s history, from its geological formation millions of years ago, right up to the present day. Covering everything from the Plantation through to the Siege of Derry and the city’s troubled political past, the museum also houses the Armada Shipwreck exhibition that explores the recovery of La Trinidad Valencera, shipwrecked off the coast of Donegal in 1588. The rest of the day is at leisure in Derry.

Day 5

With our guide this morning we visit the Titanic Experience, housed in a £90m, six floor building as high as the world famous ship’s hull and located beside the historic site of its construction. This state of the art visitor experience tells the story of the Titanic, from its conception in Belfast in the early 1900s, through its construction and launch, to its famous maiden voyage and tragic end. We continue to Belfast Airport for our direct scheduled Easyjet flight to Bristol, and private coach travel back to our original pick up points.

You can access the Tailored Travel booking form here

Accomodation

We stay four nights on a half board basis at the 4* Dunadry Hotel and Country Club (www.dunadry.com) at Templepatrick. 

Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, solarium and steam room. 

All rooms are ensuite and feature hairdryer, television, telephone, and tea & coffee making facilities.

Features

• 4* hotel, Half board accommodation
• All excursion travel & guided tours included
• Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included
• UK airport coach transfers included
• Direct scheduled flights from Bristol to Belfast
• Professional local guide on Days 2 to 5
• Private coach in Northern

  In order to meet the tour operators guidelines for this tour to proceed, members must pay their deposit prior to 15 Jan 2023.

  Payment may be made by cheque or credit card.  Cheques can be posted to our Tours Secretary at :- 23 The Chase, Topsham Devon, EX3 0FB.  For a card payment, plese let the Toirs Secretary have the details of your card at the same address.

• The Tours Secretary is usually at our talks and mans a desk on the right as you enter the Hall.  You can leave a cheque with her at the desk.  Please make the cheque out to EXEDFAS (all in capitals, please).

  Finally, please note that a minimum number of about 24 is needed for the tour to happen.

Departing 2nd October 2022

Day 1

We depart from our designated pick up points by executive coach and travel with our tour manager to Dover for our P&O Ferries Channel crossing to Calais in Club Class. On arrival in Delft, we check in at the 4* Hampshire Hotel Delft Centre for a five night stay. A set threecourse dinner without drinks is included on our first evening, and the remaining four nights are on bed and breakfast basis

Day 2

This morning we enjoy a guided tour of Delft, one of the principal artistic centres of the Northern Netherlands and famous for the works of Fabritius, de Hooch and Vermeer, who was born in Delft in 1632. We then visit the Vermeer Centre, offering a visual voyage of discovery through the life, work and city of Johannes Vermeer. A tour of the Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles in Delft this afternoon guides us through the history of Blue Delft and Royal Delft, including seeing a master painter at work and visiting the dining room of Vermeer and the Dutch Royal family Chamber, the museum with antique Delft pieces, the historical courtyard and the factory itself.

Day 3

We visit the recently refurbished Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this morning for a guided tour of this world-renowned art collection, the most famous of which is Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’, but which also includes many Dutch Old Masters such as Jan Steen, Frans Hals and Vermeer. As well as paintings, the collection includes sculptures, clocks, Delft Blue, porcelain, and Asian and Oriental art. We spend some time at leisure in Amsterdam this afternoon and on an individual basis you may choose to visit the nearby Van Gogh Museum. The museum is home to the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world or you may wish to join an optional boat cruise viewing Amsterdam from a differing perspective

Day 4

Today is the highlight of our tour. We visit the Floriade at Almere, a World Horticultural Expo staged once every ten years in the Netherlands. Featuring a daily cultural programme of music, dance, literature, theatre and visual arts, the event is home to the world’s most exquisite and exceptional flowers, plants, trees and fruit and vegetables, across a 100 acre site. The theme for this the 7th Floriade is ‘Growing Green Cities.’

Day 5

We have a guided tour of the Panorama Mesdag in The Hague, a cylindrical painting over 14 metres high and 120 metres in circumference. Depicting the vista of the sea, the dunes and Scheveningen village, this is the largest painting in the Netherlands and was painted by Hendrik Willem Mesdag, the most famous painter at The Hague School. This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, known as the ‘Royal Gallery of Paintings’. Recently reopened after a major expansion and renovation the gallery is home to an outstanding collection with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Van Steen, Frans Hals, Ruysdael, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Vermeer, including his famous ‘Girl with a Pearl Earing.

Day 6

En route back to Calais, we visit Ghent where you have free time to relax or to visit the collection at the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, with works ranging from 19th century Realism, Romanticism, Impressionism, Symbolism and Expressionism to 20th century Surrealism. We continue on to Calais for our P&O Channel crossing to Dover Club Class and then we have onwards coach travel to our original pick-up point.

6 Days from £969

Click here for details of accommodation, brochure and booking form.

If you are interested in this tour please return the booking form to Dianne Westoby-Brooks, 23 The Chase, Topsham, EX3 0FB