Zion Lutheran Church Choir Tour of England 2025

The itinerary is the starting point to your tour, but it’s not set in stone. Your group leader may make changes leading up to departure.

Day 1, Saturday July 26: Overnight Flight

Departure from the DFW airport on your direct nonstop American Airlines flights to London. AA 0020 departs DFW July 19 17:40 arrives 9:00am July 20.

Day 2, Sunday July 27: London

Arrive in The London Heathrow airport this morning and meet your Encore Tour Manager in the arrivals hall. Your Tour Manager will escort you to your luxury motor coach for your transfer into the city. Nothing really prepares you for your first taste of London. This great world city is far more than just the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. London is bustling, vibrant, multicultural and cosmopolitan, both old and new, a place where traditional pubs rub shoulders with the newest cocktail bars and ancient castles are right next door to the newest skyscrapers. London's energy, as 8.6 million people go about their everyday lives, is tangible in every journey on the Underground and every walk along the banks of the River Thames. After a panoramic tour, enjoy a walking tour of the elegant and exclusive Pal Mall and visit the iconic Buckingham Palace from outside. Also included are entrances to the Tower of London for a lookk at the exquisite Crown Jewels. Check into the capital!Hotel: Riu Plaza London Victoria Hotel and have a bit of free time before your welcome dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 3, Monday July 28: London

In the morning after breakfast at your hotel, meet your local London blue badge guide for a guided tour taking in all the beauty, the pageantry and the wonder of London. You will see all the iconic sites, including Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, the Household Cavalry, Whitehall, the Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore London on your own. In the evening see a smashing West End musical,,.tickets included! Dinner is under own arrangement this evening. (B)

Day 4, Tuesday July 29: London

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel again today. Next, you will visit Oxford, the home of the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Enjoy a walking tour with a local guide, which will include the top highlights at Oxford University, from the world-famous architectural jewels of the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera and the Bridge of Sighs to the often-missed wonders, hidden down small alleyways. Visit Christ Church College, one of the largest and most beautiful colleges within the University of Oxford, established by Henry VIII in 1546, and prepare to perform a concert in this most prestigious venue. After some free time to explore Oxford on your own, you will return to London, where you will enjoy an evening at leisure and dinner under own arrangement. (B)

Day 5, Wednesday July 30: London

After breakfast at your hotel, the lovely Cotswolds await you today, an area of beautiful countryside, dotted with quintessentially English villages, vibrant market towns and some of the country’s greatest palaces, castles and country houses. Enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful Chavenage House, a beautiful Elizabethan Manor dating back to 1420, which has been home for only two families since the reign of Elizabeth I. Explore the many interesting rooms and marvel at the unique 17th-century tapestries. Afterwards enjoy a traditional Afternoon Tea at the Manor House near Castlecombe and take a walk with your tour manager along the beautiful streets of this very quintessential English village, sided by beautiful cottages of honey-coloured stone. Return to London for an evening at leisure before your dinner cruise on the River Thames. (B,T,D)

Day 6, Thursday July 31: Salisbury

Morning at leisure in London. Approximately at 1:00 p.m. departure to Salisbury, a Cathedral city of ageless beauty and captivating history. After checking in at the Holiday Inn Salisbury-Stonehenge & the Stones Hotel, your coach will take you to the centre of Salisbury, a modern medieval city, full of buildings crafted with the care of another age, with the cathedral at it’s very centre. Enjoy the serenity and splendour of this most ancient building during your guided tour, and gaze up at Britain’s tallest spire, explore the Cathedral Close and Cloisters, see the world’s oldest mechanical clock and the best-preserved original 1215 Magna Carta. After the visit enjoy the unique opportunity of singing the Choral Evensong in the stunning Salisbury Cathedral. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner in a local restaurant in Salisbury. (B,D)

Day 7, Friday August 1: Departure

After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to the airport for return flight to the United States. (B) AA 0079 Departs London Heathrow 12:00 arrives DFW 16:05.