DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IN WASHINGTON DC You arrive at the airport for your scheduled flight to Washington DC. After our early afternoon arrival, we transfer to the four-star Cambria Suites Hotel or the Holiday Inn DC Central, close to the White House for three nights. The afternoon is at leisure.
DAY 2 - WASHINGTON DC Washington DC - nestling serenely on the Potomac River, we have all seen this amazing city’s array of monuments in political thrillers like ‘All the President’s Men’! But when you imagine the worldwide importance of the decisions taken here, the reality of Washington can be overwhelming. On our morning guided tour we’ll have the benefit
of an expert to show us the world-famous museums, buildings and memorials of the Capitol, the White House, the Vietnam War, World War II and Lincoln Memorials and so much more. The afternoon is at leisure.
DAY 3 - MOUNT VERNON This morning we drive through beautiful countryside to nearby Mount Vernon, George Washington’s stunning home and estate. There is so much to see here: the impressive, yet intimate, formal ground floor rooms display a wealth of original furniture. The original gardens, where the ‘greats’ of 18th century America once strolled, still supply plentiful vegetables and fruit. You will visit Washington’s tomb, the slave quarters and the pioneer farm with its unusual 16-sided threshing barn, designed by Washington himself. After returning to the city you are free to explore
the excellent Smithsonian Museums, the world- famous Air and Space Museum or the many other attractions in this amazing city.
DAY 4 - NEW YORK This morning, a poignant visit to Arlington, America’s renowned military cemetery. Huge at 624 acres and final resting place of John and Robert Kennedy, with memorials to the two space shuttle disasters plus the Lockerbie bombing and many others. After free time for lunch we board the impressive Amtrak train for its 3.5hr journey to New York, then transfer to the centrally-located four-star Courtyard by Marriott at Times Square South for two nights.
DAY 5 - NEW YORK This morning we enjoy a city tour of New York’s world-class sights, including bustling Times Square, the iconic Rockefeller Centre, laidback Central Park and the Empire State Building to name but a few! The afternoon is free to explore the many fascinating museums, shops and neighbourhoods. You could take a cruise around Manhattan, see the Statue of Liberty, a wander round the superbly restored Meatpacking District or perhaps a helicopter flight over this most photogenic of cities. One of the simplest pleasures is a stroll through Central Park, used in countless films’ sets and undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous urban spaces - the perfect place to watch New Yorkers taking it easy. ‘The Met’, with its extraordinary collections of Native American art, Impressionists and ancient Egyptian treasures is a New York landmark and a world-class institution. A wander through Chinatown or Little Italy helps you appreciate the ethnic melting pot that New York is. The latest landmark is of course the ‘ground zero’ visitor centre where the World Trade Centre once stood.
This evening, explore ‘the city that never sleeps’,
with a vast choice of restaurants and entertainment from classic Broadway musicals to jazz clubs or Greenwich Village’s intimate little bars. Absorb the ‘buzz’ - this is truly one of the world’s greatest cities!
DAY 6 - AMTRAK TO NIAGARA FALLS Early this morning from the wonderful classic Penn Station, we board the Amtrak Empire Service to Niagara Falls. This iconic American journey takes us through up-state New York’s wonderful bucolic scenery, following the Hudson River valley, bisected by finger lakes, forest-covered hillsides and studded with the neat settlements so typical of small-town America. Arriving in Niagara this afternoon, we cross into Canada for the most spectacular views and our hotel for two nights, the four-star Marriott Gateway on the Falls (Falls view rooms available from £26pp supplement).
DAY 7 - NIAGARA FALLS Niagara Falls has long been a magnet for daredevils, sightseers and honeymooners but there are few superlatives which can describe the sheer spectacle as the equivalent of over one million bath-fulls of water cascade every single minute over a 200ft-high cliff, crashing in a deafening roar below. We have included a thrilling boat cruise on the famous ‘Hornblower’, North America’s oldest tourist attraction, so you are as close as possible to the thundering waters at the base of the falls (subject to weather in Apr & Nov). For a real close-up experience, you’ll also explore the tunnels behind the very falls themselves, for an astonishing view of the massive wall of water - but from the inside! Then we’ll take a lift, walking along the bottom of the Niagara Gorge for a truly spectacular ‘close-up’ view of some amazing white-water rapids. Next, it’s a fascinating visit to the Daredevil Museum learning about all the ‘brave’, or perhaps just foolhardy, and see many of the homemade barrels constructed to survive this incredible feat – sometimes!
DAY 8 - TORONTO & RETURN FLIGHT This morning we say goodbye to Niagara Falls, exploring nearby Toronto, Canada’s most cosmopolitan city. Its soaring glass and concrete skyscrapers contrast with the parks, gardens and lakefront boardwalks of a host of communities. Our tour highlights include Chinatown, the St. Lawrence Market and the Harbour front, dominated by the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre, home of the famous Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. The CN Tower – at 1,815ft, is the western hemisphere’s tallest freestanding structure and we take the exhilarating ride to its observation deck in exterior glass lifts. Once there, are you brave enough to walk on the glass floor? This afternoon we transfer to the airport for our return overnight direct flight.
DAY 9
We arrive back in the UK after a truly memorable tour, the memories of which will last a lifetime.
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