New York, Washington DC & Niagara Falls

You’ll arrive in New York, be met by your friendly tour manager and transferred to your hotel in Hasbro Heights.

Set off on a day of exploration at your own pace or join an optional guided city tour of the ‘Big Apple’. During this excursion, you’ll discover its landmark skyscrapers, the green expanse of Central Park, the polished Fifth Avenue stores, the glittering lights of Broadway, and Times Square. You’ll be able to amble around some of the world-class museums and soak up the buzz that extends from Harlem to Wall Street’s Financial District overlooking the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Finally, there’ll be the opportunity to travel up to the top of the Rockefeller Centre for spectacular views over the Manhattan skyline.

In the morning, you’ll check out of the hotel and travel to the original US capital, historic Philadelphia. Here, the Independence Hall National Park is home to the place where the Declaration of Independence was prepared and – after the tolling of the Liberty Bell – first read to the nation in July 1776.  Learn about the colourful story of America’s birth and the characters of the men, like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, who wrought it. Later in the day, the tour will continue to Arlington, on the opposite side of the Potomac River from Washington DC. Check into your hotel in the lively downtown area and then seek out one of the nearby restaurants for dinner.

You’ll be driven into the centre of America’s compact capital of Washington DC today. You can then join an optional excursion or explore the city’s highlights at your leisure.  On the tour, you’ll view the soaring, domed Capitol building on Capitol Hill, home to the US Senate and the House of Representatives, the vast Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. You’ll then cross the manicured lawns to the Washington Monument, and take in the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veteran’ Memorial, and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House itself.  The rest of the day is then free, so perhaps head to the Smithsonian Institution, which contains ten museums, including the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Museum of Natural History. In the late afternoon, you can choose to return on the coach or stay out longer and take the Metro back to the hotel.

In the morning, you’ll be picked up in the coach and driven the short distance to the town of Gettysburg. You’ll then stop off at the Gettysburg National Military Park, which preserves the land upon which Unionist forces overcame the Confederates during one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War.  In addition to the battlefield site itself, with its monuments and memorials, including that at Gettysburg National Cemetery dedicated to Abraham Lincoln’s famous address, the site has a museum houses a collection of over 40,000 Civil War artefacts. Towards the late afternoon, you’ll continue north to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and check into your hotel, set on the Susquehanna River, for the night.

This morning, you’ll travel to Niagara Falls, a city set on the Niagara River and known for its famous waterfalls, which span the US-Canadian border.  You’ll then check into your hotel, set right by the falls, and embrace some free time to walk around the area or take advantage of the hotel’s facilities, like the spa and swimming pool.

You’ll have a free day to explore Niagara Falls – one of nature’s greatest sights. The tremendous noise and permanent misty spray can be heard and seen for miles around.  Why not enjoy lunch in a restaurant overlooking the falls, and stroll the green acres of the park that runs above the rushing waters? The evening is free to meander around the area and have dinner in one of the many restaurants.

As your adventure comes to an end, you can treat yourself to an optional helicopter flight over the falls in the morning.  You’ll then check out and board the coach for Toronto, North America’s most cosmopolitan and cultured metropolis. Upon arrival, your tour manager will introduce the major sights, from the waterfront developments and the sky-piercing CN Tower to the contrasting neighborhoods. Later, you’ll be dropped at the airport for your overnight flight home.

Your flight will land back in the UK today.