Bath and Environs Itinerary

A recommended itinerary from the Andrew Harper Travel Office.

Day 1 Explore the elegant city of Bath with your guide, visiting the fascinating ancient Roman baths, the Bath Abbey (noted for its impressive fan vaulting) and the grandly Georgian Assembly Rooms. At the end of the famous Royal Crescent, tour the townhouse at No. 1, decorated in authentic late 18th-century style. After your sightseeing, relax with a well-earned private bathing session at Cross Bath, Britain's only natural thermal bath. Day 2  Make an excursion out of Bath to mysterious Avebury, a prehistoric stone circle composed of more than 100 stones. Meandering through Avebury is particularly memorable because tour buses rarely visit and it's possible to walk among the stones themselves, some of which weigh more than 50 tons. On the way back to Bath, stop in the well-preserved village of Lacock, boasting many homes dating from the 16th century. Take some time on your own in Bath before enjoying a romantic canal cruise aboard The Royal Crescent Hotel's vintage boat, complete with cocktails and canapés.

Day 3  Head to the charming market town of Salisbury, and marvel at the towering 13th-century cathedral, an incredible architectural and engineering achievement. The octagonal chapterhouse shelters one of four known original copies of the Magna Carta. After lunch in a lively pub, tour Wilton House, home to a world-class art collection. In the gorgeous 17th-century staterooms designed by Inigo Jones, Eisenhower planned the D-Day landings. Nearby Stonehenge can be mobbed with tourists, but an exclusive visit after normal opening hours ensures that you can experience the power of this 4,500- year-old wonder in relative peace.

Elegant Day Trips from London  Orient-Express operates supremely relaxing and well-priced day trips out of London on its British Pullman and Northern Belle trains, beautifully restored to their 1920s and '30s glory. Enjoy a gracious high tea as you glide to Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Or head farther afield to York, indulging in a Champagne brunch and sumptuous five-course dinner on the round-trip journey. Orient-Express offers excursions to numerous great houses and gardens, as well as special-event departures with activities such as clay pigeon-shooting and murder mystery lunches.