Optional Tours

You are able to reserve one or more of the below tours when you make your online registration (or after by emailing Europe@asisonline.org). Please note that if the minimum number of participants is not reached at one month before the event we might have to cancel the tour and will refund you fully.

Sunday, 15 April

The Life and Times of Sir Winston Churchill Tour - 85 EUR + VAT

09 : 30 – 16 : 30

You leave London and travel south-east through lovely Kent, the "gardens of England", with its fruit farms and oast houses, to Chartwell, near Westerham, the welcoming private home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1924 until the end of his life - the rooms, left as they were in his lifetime, strongly evoke his career and wide interests, from politics and soldiering, through writing and painting, to gardening. Set in a natural landscape overlooking three of England's loveliest counties, its garden features pools, terraces, an orchard, and vegetable areas, much of it the work of Churchill's own hands. The house is full of Churchillian memorabilia. You then drive back to Central London to the Cabinet War Rooms, which was the underground suite of 21 rooms used by Churchill and the War Cabinet to protect them against air attack from 1939 to 1945, perfectly preserved - a fascinating visit into Churchill's past, punctuated by the eerie sound of air-raid warning sirens !

Includes admission to Chartwell and Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms

City of London Tour - 55 EUR + VAT

Monday 16 April afternoon 14:00 – 17:30

From the West End, you journey into the oldest and most historic part of London, past the Law Courts and down Fleet Street – formally the heart of the country's newspaper industry. You will see and drive past St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's great masterpiece, before continuing through the City's financial district to the Tower of London, the highlights of the tour. The Tower is probably London's most famous landmark and rightly so ... it has stood for over 900 years, fulfilling various functions as a Royal Palace, Prison, Garrison, Mint and even as the home of the Royal Zoo! Time will be allowed for a visit not only to the Tower but also to see the fabulous Crown Jewels and the many more historic treasures, which nowadays are housed there.

Includes admission to the Tower of London.

Windsor & Hampton Court Tour - 90 EUR + VAT

Tuesday 17 April 09:00 – 17:00

Only a short drive from London is the historic town of Windsor with its imposing Castle, overlooking the River Thames, that is the favourite Royal Residence of Queen Elizabeth II. The original building was started in 1080 by William the Conqueror, but nothing now remains of this wooden structure, which was soon replaced by a stone-built tower which still stands at the heart of the Castle. This was added to by subsequent Kings and Queens through the centuries, to create the magnificent complex that is Windsor Castle today. You will visit the State Apartments (Court Arrangements permitting; if not, then St. George's Chapel). Then there will be time to wander the lanes of the quaint old part of Windsor town or through the adjacent hamlet of Eton, across the Thames footbridge, where Eton College, England's most pre-eminent boys' Public School (private!) is situated. Then you drive alongside the banks of the River Thames to nearby Runnymede. It was here in 1215 that King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta - the basis of British democracy ever since, and an integral part of the United States constitution. In the Park stands the John F. Kennedy Memorial, donated by the American Bar Association, and the Royal Air Force Memorial. Hampton Court Palace lies to the South West of London, on the banks of the River Thames, surrounded by parkland and beautiful gardens. It was built by Cardinal Wolsey in 1514 and later presented by him to Henry VIII in an unsuccessful attempt to carry the King's favour. It has been occupied by many members of the Royal Family since, and a substantial enlargement to the original building was added by Sir Christopher Wren. The Palace is no longer used as a Royal residence, but still remains as a superb example of Tudor and Wren architecture, with extensive grounds that include a famous maze and ancient vine. Henry VIII's Tennis court, still in use to this day, may be visited and within the Palace you will have a chance to tour the State Apartments. These have recently re-opened after restoration following a dreadful fire, and have been reinstated just as they were in the Georgian period, with fine collections of tapestries, clocks, and paintings. The original Kitchens & Chapel may also be visited.

Includes admission to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace

For further information, please contact:

ASIS International EMEA Bureau
Tel: +32 2 645 26 74
Fax: +32 2 645 26 71
europe@asisonline.org
www.asisonline.org
www.asisonline.eu