Day 1: Private Royal London Walking Tour
Your driver-guide collects you from your London accommodation for an introduction to the capital’s royal and political landmarks.
Begin at Kensington Palace, with tickets included. Here, you’ll explore the public State Rooms and learn about the palace’s long connection with the Royal Family, from its 17th-century origins to its modern role as an official royal residence.
Continue with an external visit to Buckingham Palace, where your guide will explain the palace’s role as the working headquarters of the monarch and the ceremonial heart of royal London.
From there, continue to Westminster for an external visit to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Your guide will explain the significance of the Palace of Westminster, the role of the House of Commons and House of Lords, and the history of Westminster Hall, one of the oldest surviving parts of the complex.
End the day with included tickets for the London Eye, where your 30-minute trip offers panoramic views across the Thames, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and the wider London skyline.
Your driver-guide will return you to your accommodation in the evening.
Overnight: London
Day 2: Hampton Court Palace & Windsor Castle
Today is dedicated to two of England’s most important royal residences, each offering a different perspective on monarchy, power, and court life.
Your driver-guide collects you from your London accommodation before traveling to Hampton Court Palace, closely associated with King Henry VIII and the Tudor court.
With tickets included, you’ll explore the palace interiors and key highlights such as:
- The Tudor Kitchens
- The Great Hall
- Chapel Royal
- 16th-century astronomical clock
- Apartments connected to later royal residents
Your guide will explain the stories of Henry VIII, his wives, and the political world of the Tudor court, while also allowing time to enjoy the gardens, maze, and family-friendly spaces if desired.
Continue to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. With included tickets, visit the State Apartments, where royal interiors, historic furnishings, and works of art reveal the scale and ceremony of royal life.
A key highlight is St George’s Chapel, one of England’s most important royal chapels. Here, you’ll see the resting place of monarchs, including Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, Charles I, Prince Philip, and Queen Elizabeth II, while also learning about its role in royal weddings and national ceremonies.
After exploring Windsor, your driver-guide will return you to your London accommodation.
Overnight: London
Day 3: Villages & Markets of The Cotswolds
Your driver-guide collects you from your London accommodation for a full-day private journey into the Cotswolds, one of England’s most picturesque countryside regions.
- Begin in Burford, often described as the southern gateway to the Cotswolds. Here, you’ll explore its sloping High Street, medieval bridge, historic buildings, and the 15th-century Church of St John the Baptist.
- Continue to Bibury, famous for Arlington Row, a line of historic weavers’ cottages dating back to the 14th century.
- Bourton-on-the-Water, known for its low stone bridges, gentle river setting, cafés, shops, and relaxed village atmosphere.
- Continue through Upper and Lower Slaughter, two peaceful villages known for their traditional cottages, manor houses, church architecture, and watermill heritage.
- Your final stop is Stow-on-the-Wold, the highest of the Cotswold towns. Explore its historic market square, independent shops, old inns, and St Edward’s Church, known for its distinctive north door framed by ancient yew trees.
At the end of the day, your driver-guide returns you to your London accommodation.
Day 4: Dover Castle, White Cliffs & Canterbury
Journey to the southeast coast of England with your driver-guide on day 4.
Begin at Dover Castle, with tickets included. Known as the “Key to England,” this is one of the country’s most important defensive sites. During your visit, you’ll explore the castle grounds, medieval fortifications, and historic interiors, while learning how the site was used from the Roman and Saxon periods through to the Napoleonic Wars and both World Wars.
Continue to the White Cliffs of Dover, where you’ll have time to walk along the clifftop paths and take in views across the English Channel. Your guide will explain the cliffs’ symbolic importance as a first and last sight of England for generations of travelers, sailors, and soldiers.
In the afternoon, travel to Canterbury, one of England’s most historic cathedral cities. With your guide, walk through the old town’s cobbled streets, timber-framed buildings, shops, cafés, and medieval lanes.
The main highlight is Canterbury Cathedral. Inside, you’ll explore the nave, chapels, stained glass, and the site associated with Thomas Becket, while learning why the cathedral remains one of the most important religious buildings in England and the mother church of the Anglican Communion.
After your visit, your driver-guide returns you to your London accommodation.
Overnight: London
Day 5: Eurostar to Paris & Private City Orientation
Your driver will collect you from your London accommodation and transfer you to St Pancras International for your Eurostar journey to Paris.
Traveling from city to city in just over 2 hours, this high-speed rail journey offers a smooth and efficient transition into France.
Private Paris Walking Tour
On arrival in Paris, your chauffeur will meet you and begin a private panoramic driving tour of the city, designed as a clear and practical introduction to its layout and major landmarks.
During the tour, you will cover key areas and monuments, including:
- Montmartre & Sacré-Cœur, with time to take in views across the city
- Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, understanding their role in Parisian life and national celebrations
- The Eiffel Tower, viewed from key vantage points
- Place de la Concorde, linking royal and revolutionary history
- The Louvre, Opéra Garnier, and surrounding districts
- The exterior of Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Seine riverbanks
Where possible, short stops are made for photographs and orientation, allowing you to understand how the city connects before exploring more deeply in the days ahead.
After the tour, you’ll be dropped off at your hotel to check in and settle in for your stay.
Overnight: Paris
Day 6: Louvre Masterpieces & Île de la Cité
Your chauffeur will collect you from your hotel and transfer you to the Louvre for a privately guided visit.
The Louvre – Private Guided Highlights Tour
With skip-the-line access, your guide will lead you through the most important works in the museum, focusing on key masterpieces rather than attempting to cover the entire collection.
During your tour, amongst other world-renowned masterpieces, you will see:
- The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
- The Venus de Milo
- The Winged Victory of Samothrace
- Selected Renaissance and classical works across key galleries
Your guide will also explain the building’s evolution from a medieval fortress to a royal palace and finally one of the world’s most important museums.
Notre-Dame Cathedral: Private Guided Tour
Continue with your private guide to Île de la Cité for a focused visit to the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral.
With priority entry (subject to availability), your guide will lead you through the cathedral’s interior, explaining its Gothic design, the significance of its stained glass and chapels, and the role it has played in French history.
You’ll also gain clear insight into the 2019 fire and the extensive restoration work that has brought the cathedral back to life, allowing you to appreciate both its original craftsmanship and its renewed form today.
Your chauffeur will return you to your hotel in the afternoon.
Overnight: Paris
Day 7: Montmartre, Sacré-Cœur & The Paris Catacombs
Explore Montmartre at your own pace, one of Paris’s most distinct districts.
During your visit, you will:
Walk through its cobbled streets and village-like squares and visit Sacré-Cœur Basilica, located at the highest point in Paris, with panoramic views across the city.
Additionally, our tour planners have designed this day to allow you to spend time in Place du Tertre, where local artists work and display their paintings, and for you to see the surrounding streets known for cafés, boulangeries, and historic artist studios.
This visit gives a clear sense of Montmartre’s role as both a historic and cultural district.
The Paris Catacombs
Later, continue to the Catacombs of Paris.
During your visit, you will:
Walk through a network of underground tunnels created from former limestone quarries and explore the ossuary, where the remains of millions of Parisians were transferred in the 18th century.
After your visit, your chauffeur will return you to your hotel.
Overnight: Paris
Day 8: Paris to Rome & Introduction to the Eternal City
After check-out, your chauffeur will transfer you to the airport for your short, 2-hour flight to Rome.
On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred privately to your hotel, located centrally for easy access to the city’s main sites.
Introduction to Rome: Private Walking Tour
Later, meet your private guide for a walking tour through Rome’s historic center.
During this experience, you will visit:
- The Spanish Steps, a key meeting point in the city
- The Trevi Fountain, where you can take part in the traditional coin toss
- The Pantheon (external visit), one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome
- Piazza Navona, known for its fountains and baroque architecture
- Additional smaller streets and squares that reveal everyday Roman life
Your guide will explain how these landmarks connect, offering a practical introduction to navigating the city and understanding its layers of history.
Overnight: Rome
Day 9: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St Peter’s Basilica
Your driver and guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the Vatican.
Skip-the-Line Vatican Tour
With priority access, your guided tour includes:
- The Vatican Museums, exploring key galleries and collections
- The Sistine Chapel, where you will view Michelangelo’s ceiling and learn about its creation
- St Peter’s Basilica, including its interior and significance within the Catholic Church
Throughout the tour, your guide will explain:
The history of the Papacy, the role of art in the Vatican, and, of course, the fascinating stories behind major works and artists
After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight: Rome
Day 10: Colosseum, Forum & Palatine Hill
With skip-the-line entry, your private guide will lead you through the core sites of Ancient Rome, beginning at the Colosseum, where you’ll learn how the arena was constructed, how events were staged, and the role it played in Roman society.
Continue into the Roman Forum, once the political, commercial, and social center of the empire, where your guide will explain how this area functioned in daily life.
The tour concludes on Palatine Hill, where you’ll explore the remains of imperial residences while taking in views across the city, with clear insight into how power, politics, and daily life were interconnected in ancient Rome.
Overnight: Rome
Day 11: Rome to Florence
Your private transfer will take you to the station for your 1.5 hour high-speed train journey to Florence.
Traveling through the Italian countryside, this short journey brings you into the heart of Tuscany.
On arrival, your driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel.
The remainder of the day is at leisure, and our tour designers are on hand to offer guidance on local eateries and walking routes near your accommodation.
Overnight: Florence
Day 12: Uffizi, City Walk & Accademia
Meet your private guide at your hotel and begin a full day exploring Florence through its art, architecture, and history.
Start at the Uffizi Gallery, where your guide will lead you through one of the world’s most important collections of Renaissance art.
Rather than simply viewing the works, you’ll gain a clear understanding of how artists such as Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Caravaggio shaped this period, with explanations of technique, patronage, and the cultural context behind the masterpieces.
Continue into the historic center of Florence, walking between its most significant landmarks, including:
- Ponte Vecchio
- The Duomo and Baptistry doors
- Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio
- Piazza della Repubblica
- Orsanmichele Church
In the afternoon, visit the Accademia Gallery, where your guide will introduce Michelangelo’s David in detail, explaining its symbolism, craftsmanship, and importance within both Florence and the wider Renaissance.
Additional sculptures and works provide further insight into the artistic achievements of the period.
Overnight: Florence
Day 13: Siena, Winery Experience & San Gimignano in Tuscany
Your private driver will collect you for a full-day journey into the Tuscan countryside, combining historic towns with a guided winery experience.
Begin in Siena, where your guide will lead you through the historic center, explaining the city’s medieval structure and significance.
You’ll visit the Duomo, home to works by artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo, and walk through Piazza del Campo, the main square that has long been the center of civic life. As you move through the surrounding streets, your guide will provide context on Siena’s history, architecture, and traditions.
Continue into the countryside for a winery visit, where you’ll be guided through the vineyards and production areas to understand how regional wines are made. The experience includes a tasting of local varieties, followed by a traditional Tuscan lunch.
In the afternoon, visit San Gimignano, where you’ll have time to explore independently. You can walk through its medieval streets, see the famous tower skyline, browse local shops, or take in views across the surrounding countryside.
Return to Florence in the evening.
Overnight: Florence
Day 14: Departure
Your journey concludes today with a private transfer from your hotel to the airport, timed to suit your departure flight.