Dover Full Day Tour to London/Heathrow Hotel

Dover Full Day Tour to London/Heathrow Hotel Get ready for a fully guided day trip from Dover to London, with visits to Canterbury and Leeds Castle and ending with drop offs at Central London and Heathrow hotels or the Heathrow airport. Once everyone is on board, you will set out through the Garden of England, passing through the orchards, hop fields, and vineyards of the county of Kent. Your day includes a visit to historic Canterbury and beautiful Leeds Castle. Before departing Dover, drive up and above the famous white cliffs that have been welcoming sailors home for hundreds of years. Driving on to Canterbury, your guide will discuss the history of this area from Celtic settlers, through Roman invaders to the Saxon migration and the Norman conquest. All of these visitors have left footprints on this land, through Iron Age hill forts, Roman towns, Saxon churches, and Norman castles. Upon arrival, you can see some influence from its time as a Roman town during the Roman occupation of the 1st to 4th centuries. In 597 AD, while it was the Saxon capital of the Kingdom of Kent, Pope Gregory's representative and envoy St Augustine baptized King Ethelbert, beginning the historic heart of England's Christian heritage. Your guide will lead you on a guided walk through the narrow historic streets. For those guests who are interested, an optional visit will be made to the cathedral on your own. The Cathedral is very much a part of the local community and is used regularly for services and events. The cathedral, largely rebuilt in the 11th century contains the tombs of Thomas Becket, King Henry IV, Edward the Black Prince and others. You will hear of the 1170 AD death of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. His 'murder in the cathedral' is known around the world and the involvement of Henry II is still open to debate today. Free time will be taken so you can grab a quick lunch on your own. After the break, make your way to Leeds Castle, often called 'the loveliest castle in the world'. Enjoy admission to the castle, which dates back to 880 AD and sits on two islands. It has been the home to six of England's medieval Queens as well as a palace for Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. You will have time to explore the historic interior and beautiful landscaped grounds. The gardens are a main feature of the grounds, as is the stunning lake and the famous maze. Departing from Leeds Castle, it is approximately 70 minutes driving to Central London, where hotel drop offs will begin. The coach will continue on to the west side of London, where drop offs at all the major Heathrow hotels will begin. Guests departing from Gatwick, Stansted or Luton Airports can choose to be dropped at Victoria Rail or Victoria Coach Station, where there are frequent trains and airport buses to each airport. Please Note: Entrance to Dover Castle (approximately 13 GBP) is not included and is optional at the guest's discretion. For guests staying at Heathrow hotels, please specify your hotel and the terminal if necessary when booking (e.g. Holiday Inn Express Terminal 5). You can also be dropped off at Terminals 1 to 5. Each guest is entitled to a maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (50 pounds or 23 kilograms each) and 2 items of carry on luggage (22 pounds or 10 kilograms each). This tour can accommodate a collapsible wheelchair with advanced notice at the time of booking. The wheelchair will be counted as 1 piece of hold luggage. Oversized items like bicycles, surfboards, etc. cannot be accommodated.