With Parsifal, Il barbiere di Siviglia & Saul at the Glyndebourne Festival; Faust and Onegin (ballet) at Covent Garden; The Elixir of Love and The Queen of Spades at Garsington; Tours of the Churchill War Rooms, The British Museum, Westminster Abbey, Oxford and more. Grand Hotel Brighton; Firmdale Covent Garden Hotel London; Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (Oxford-Garsington).
Our annual trek to the UK is one of our most popular tours—almost always sold out, and always eliciting superlative feedback. It is one of our most expensive tours, yes, but it is also one of our most luxurious--with black tie "garden operas," posh dining and perhaps the best hotel in the UK in Le Manoir. Yet somehow it is also a relaxed, fun and unpretentious experience. This truly special tour is always a highlight of our year.
Tickets for the Glyndebourne Festival are notoriously difficult to get, and it is easy to understand why: the productions, singing and playing are truly world-class, the venue—a lovely dedicated opera house on the Christie Estate in the East Sussex countryside—is unique and welcoming, and the overall experience is one of the finest to be had at any festival, anywhere. It is posh without being pretentious, and the sublime music, superb cuisine (especially the formal picnic with butler service!) and even the friendly and extremely helpful Festival volunteers make for an unforgettable opera experience. We hear three performances at the Festival in 2025. Our accommodation will be the luxurious, “Old World” Grand Hotel Brighton, where we enjoy Ocean View rooms.
London is one of our favourite cities, with so much history and majesty in every direction. We will attend two performances at the Royal Ballet & Opera: Gounod's Faust, conducted by Maurizio Benini with a superb cast, and Onegin, performed by one of the world's most revered ballet companies. We also include Stephen Sondheim's final musical, Here We Are, featuring a star-studded cast. Our hotel is the Firmdale Covent Garden, a true gem, just a short walk from ROH. Touring will include Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, The British Museum, the Churchill War Rooms and Westminster Abbey.
The Garsington Festival is held each summer on the grounds of Wormsley Estate, a 2500-acre park which includes an 18th century country house once owned by Sir Paul Getty. Getty purchased the property in 1986 and spent several years restoring the house and estate back to its former glory. Our performances and meals here are always a highlight of the tour, and this year we see two operas . Our hotel is the stately Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, one of the finest hotels in England, and whilst there, we dine in its Michelin 2-starred restaurant.
Space is limited to 12 members. Click here to register now.
ITINERARY
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4
Independent overnight flights to London.
THURSDAY, JUNE 5
Upon arrival, you are met and transferred to the Grand Hotel Brighton.
18.30 Gather in the lobby for introductions; walk to The Ivy in The Lanes for a Welcome Dinner.
FRIDAY, JUNE 6
10.00 After breakfast, included daily, gather in lobby and walk to the Royal Pavilion for a guided tour.
16.00 Depart for Glyndebourne for a performance of Parsifal. Robin Ticciati conducts and incredible cast that includes Daniel Johansson, John Relyea, Kristina Stanek, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Ryan Speedo Green and John Tomlinson. An elegant picnic is included during the interval.
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
09.30 Depart for a tour of Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Back by 14.00.
16.45 Depart for Glyndebourne for a performance Il barbiere di Siviglia. Rory Macdonald conducts a cast that includes Cecilia Molinari, Germán Olvera, Jonah Hoskins and Fabio Capitanucci. Dinner is included at Mildmay during the long interval.
SUNDAY, JUNE 8
Enjoy the morning at leisure in Brighton.
14.30 Depart early for Glyndebourne to explore the gardens before the premiere of Handel's Saul. Jonathan Cohen conducts; cast includes Christopher Purves, Iestyn Davies, Sarah Brady, Soraya Mafi and Linard Vrielink. Dinner is included at Middle & Over Wallop during the long interval.
MONDAY, JUNE 9
09.00 Baggage collection. Please have yours ready outside your door. Keep items needed during the journey with you.
09.45 Depart for London, stopping on the way to tour Chartwell House, Winston Churchill’s country estate.
15.00 Arrive in London and check in at the Covent Garden Hotel.
19.00 Meet in the lobby and walk to dinner at nearby J. Sheekey.
TUESDAY, JUNE 10
10.00 This morning we meet guide Rick Jones for a highlights tour of the area near Trafalgar Square, with an inside visit at Westminster Abbey.
17.15 Meet in lobby and walk to the Royal Ballet & Opera for pre-curtain dinner in the lovely Balconies dining hall.
19.30 Curtain for Gounod's Faust. Conducted by Maurizio Benini, the cast includes Stefan Pop, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, Carolina López Moreno, Boris Pinkhasovich and Jingwen Cai.
23.00 Walk back to the hotel.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11
10.00 Depart for a guided tour of the British Museum. Back by 13.00.
17.15 Walk to the Royal Ballet & Opera for early dinner in the Crush Room before a performance of Onegin. Pushkin’s classic love story becomes a sumptuous ballet with John Cranko’s choreography set to Tchaikovsky’s soaring music.
22.00 Walk back to the hotel.
THURSDAY, JUNE 12
10.00 Depart by coach for a tour of the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms.
13.00 Lunch and the afternoon are at leisure. 18.30 Depart for the London premiere staging of Stephen Sondheim's final musical, Here We Are, at the National Theatre. The all-star cast includes Tracie Bennett, Denis O’Hare, Rory Kinnear, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Krakowski and Martha Plimpton. 19.30 curtain.
FRIDAY, JUNE 13
09.15 Baggage collection. Please have yours ready outside your door. Keep items needed during the journey with you.
10.00 Depart for Oxford, stopping first to tour Hampton Court (90 mins; there will be time to grab a bite at the palace).
15.00 Check in at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
18.00 Meet for a cocktail in the hotel bar before dinner in the Michelin 2- starred restaurant at Le Manoir.
SATURDAY, JUNE 14
10.00 Depart for a guided tour of Oxford. Back by 15.00.
17.00 Depart for Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love at Garsington Opera (18.05 curtain). Dinner is included in The Boundary Room during the long interval.
22.15 Return to the hotel.
SUNDAY, JUNE 15
Enjoy the full day at leisure to stroll the grounds of Le Manoir.
17.15 Depart for The Queen of Spades at Garsington Opera (18.20 curtain). Farewell Dinner is included in The Boundary Room during the long interval.
MONDAY, JUNE 16
Transfers (airport/rail/London) are included. Details will be imparted a few days prior.
TOUR INCLUDES
Top Category seats for 6 operas, one ballet and one additional performance
11 nights Deluxe accommodations (4 at the Grand Hotel Brighton, 4 at the Covent Garden Hotel London, 3 at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons Oxford)
Full breakfast daily, 1 lunch and 9 dinners
Private tours as listed
Airport-hotel transfers
On-site Tour Direction
Comprehensive Tour Guidebook
FLIGHTS
Flights are not included in tour pricing. Return flights should be booked to London for arrival on June 5, return on June 16.
TRANSFERS
We provide airport/rail station—hotel transfers to Brighton for arrivals and on departure, within 3 days of the start/end of our tour from the cities listed above. We also provide transfers for group meals and performances that are beyond a 10 minute walk.
MOBILITY
There is minimal walking with some stairs and cobblestones during the guided tours. As for all of our tours, we are happy to accommodate you regardless of your mobility level. Please make clear your mobility concerns at the time of registration. We provide transfers for group meals and performances that are beyond a 10 minute walk.
INSURANCE
We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. For more information about our travel insurance, click here.
Your Tour Director
Peter Camara
Peter is a professional guide with 35 + years experience who has provided engaging cultural, historical, and educational tours on all seven continents. Calling Santa Fe home since 1998, Peter was drawn here by the deep richness of people, cultures, traditions, history, art, architecture, and cuisine. It is through this passion that Peter shares and showcases Santa Fe – weaving a true understanding of Santa Fe today from the past we have journeyed.