London Theater

Step outside your hotel for a stroll through the heart of the English-speaking world. In this city of nearly seven million, you'll see everything from 12th-century fortifications to modern skyscrapers, royal parks to street art. Your Tour Director will lead you to some of the most famous sites. Walk along the Thames River. Cross Trafalgar Square. See bustling Piccadilly Circus. Pass trendy shops and cafés in Bohemian Soho on your way to Covent Garden, a 13th-century fruit and vegetable garden transformed into a maze of narrow streets and pedestrian walkways burgeoning with street performers, open-air markets and boutiques.

See Trafalgar Square, often used for community gatherings and political demonstrations.

Visit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto and Botticelli; but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Cézanne.

Visit Piccadilly Circus, a shopping and entertainment area brightly lit with video displays and neon signs.

Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden". The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Leicester Square is perfectly situated in the heart of London's West End, with Trafalgar Square to the south, Piccadilly Circus to the west, Covent Garden to the east, and China Town to the north.

Join a licensed local guide for an in-depth look at London, from the royal haunt of Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of King Charles III) to the slightly more democratic Speakers’ Corner of Hyde Park, where anyone can pull up a soapbox and orate to his heart’s content. You’ll see the changing of the guard (season permitting), the clock tower of Big Ben with its 14-ton bell, and Westminster Abbey, where almost every English king and queen since William the Conqueror has been crowned. After a stop at the Houses of Parliament, continue on to the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, the masterpiece of London architect Christopher Wren. See how the King relaxes on this guided tour of the royal weekend estate, originally built as a fortress in the 11th century under William the Conqueror. Tiptoe through the flowers in the East Terrace Gardens, marvel at the Gothic St. George's Chapel, or peek into the rooms of Queen Mary's doll house with its gallery of pint-size perfect furniture. Get decorating tips for your own country estate (or dorm room, as it may be).

Visit Windsor Castle, the world's largest inhabited castle, and one of the official residencies of the British monarch. Our visit will include the richly decorated State Apartments and St. George's Chapel, a pantheon of English Monarchs.

Take interactive learning to another level with a Tour Director-led scavenger hunt of Covent Garden, London's oldest and most entertaining area. Enjoy an after-dinner adventure, complete exciting activities and solve fun clues. Each clue and every activity is built to maximize on-tour experiential learning.

Take a walk back through time and experience the major historical events of the 20th century through the great artwork of Picasso, Warhol, Pollack and more at the Tate Modern in London.

What to do in a city with a reputation for theatre? Watch everything you can in the West End, but why not also see the world from your own stage. Play a dramatic part or put on a musical production. Learn about lighting, make up and all of the hard work that’s acted out before the curtain goes up.

Please note that shows from November to March take place at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

The old favorite, Camden Market, is back in fashion: grunge alongside modern, amusing trends in design: clothing, jewellery and Doc Martens. Enjoy mixing with London's punks and Goths - you can relax over a coffee or smoothie with a view of the canal. Camden lock was a busy place for the shipping business till it died out. This meant there were lots of big storage warehouses that were left empty when the boats left. It was into this space that in the 1970s the original Camden Market was born, as an arts and craft market. Since then it has blossomed and grown and now attracts crowds from all over the world and so has become a tourist attraction as well as a market.

Afternoon tea started in England in the 1840s when The Duchess of Bedford wanted a small bite between lunch and dinner. What started out as just tea and a small snack quickly grew in popularity when she invited friends, until it became a social gathering for the wealthy social class. You’ll get to sit down to this very British experience and enjoy a selection of savouries, scones with clotted cream and jam, an assortment of cakes, and of course tea!

Situated on the South Bank, the theater was at the heart of a 200 year national debate before finally opening its doors in 1976. Everything from classical plays to modern scripts can be seen in each of its three theaters: the Olivier, the Lyttleton and the Cottesloe.

Explore the British Museum, one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. Highlights of our visit will include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, and the Sutton Hoo Treasure.

Vendors hocking sandwiches. Spectators sitting in the open air, exposed to the hot sun or cold rain. People cheering and heckling the players. Sounds more like a typical day at the ballpark than a performance of a Shakespearean play. In Elizabethan England the Globe Theatre was a lively place, and this 1990s reconstruction strives to be as authentic as possible. Learn how modern-day actors deal with the rowdy groundlings (working in simulated daylight means actors can see—and react to—each and every audience member), how the costumers hand-sew antique fabrics to create the clothing, how designers cope with the very minimalist Elizabethan standards for scenery and props, and how directors take advantage of the unique conditions to break down the idea that “Shakespeare equals stuffy.” Please note that the workshop is restricted to students and a limited number of accompanying adults. Adults who are not able to participate will be offered a guided tour of The Shakespeare Globe as a substitute activity.

Explore the oldest English-speaking university in the world. Founded in 1096, Oxford got a big attendance boost in 1167, when a tiff between the English and French kings caused all English students to be expelled from the University of Paris. Many came back to Oxford, and since then the university has been home to many of England’s most illustrious thinkers and writers, including Sir Walter Raleigh, Roger Bacon -- and Dr. Seuss. With a local guide tour one of the 39 colleges that make up the university (colleges you may visit include Brasenose, Christ Church, or New College).

The cottage provides a rare insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean times, and many of the original furnishings are preserved inside the house.

Visit Shakespeare’s birthplace, a half-timbered house preserved to reflect family life in the 16th century that also contains a museum dedicated to his life. The modern Shakespeare Centre was built next door to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's birth. Next, you’ll visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage. The cottage provides insight into the life of a family in Shakespearean times and many of the original furnishings are preserved inside.

Nothing’s more British than fish and chips—there are eight fish and chip shops (“chippies”) for every McDonald’s in the country. Head to an authentic pub with your Tour Director for a taste of this national food, generally served with malt vinegar.

Explore the magic of the Harry Potter films. This unique tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.