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Overview

An engaging journey through the Georgian era

Both lifelong fans as well as those newer to Jane Austen’s works will marvel at the charming homes and picturesque gardens of the cities and villages where she lived and wrote. This trip includes multiple privately guided tours through castles, Regency-era mansions, and stately grounds.

During our time in England, we’ll be immersed in the architecture and interiors described so vividly in Austen’s writing. For example, we’ll spend a day in Bath exploring the No. 1 Royal Crescent and the Assembly Rooms (an important setting in both Persuasion and Northanger Abbey) followed by afternoon tea with live music at the historic Pump Room, a beautiful Georgian setting once frequented by Austen.

Dates

June 18–26, 2024

Duration

9 days

Price

From $8,695 per person

Trip size

18 participants

Minimum age

18 years
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Faculty leader

A different kind of classroom

With renowned Stanford faculty and scholars leading the way, every Travel/Study trip is a one-of-a-kind educational experience.

Linda Paulson

English

A specialist in comparative literature, Linda Paulson regularly retraces the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters in her trips to the U.K.

“Linda was the bright light of our trip. She was engaging, interesting, and altogether delightful!”

—Katherine Schwarzenbach

Itinerary

Follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen

With Bath as our home base, embark on an exploration of South England with its imposing castles, medieval towns with spired cathedrals, and charming country houses surrounded by walled gardens. Visit the places where Jane Austen lived and which featured prominently in her writing and the film adaptations of her novels.

  • London, England / Windsor

    Upon arrival, transfer from Heathrow airport to the MacDonald Windsor Hotel, overlooking Windsor Castle. Gather for a welcome reception in the hotel to meet fellow travelers, then enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Windsor Hotel

  • Chawton

    This morning, travel to Chawton House, an Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen’s brother and now serves as a library focused on women’s writing from 1600 to 1830. Then visit Jane Austen’s House, where she spent the last eight years of her life. Continue to Bath and check in to our hotel, an historic country house hotel surrounded by lush, landscaped gardens and within walking distance of Bath’s city. 

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • Painswick and Berkeley

    Spend the morning at Painswick Rococo Garden, designed in the 1740s as a fanciful pleasure garden for the owner of Painswick House and his guests. After lunch in the gardens, continue to the 11th-century Berkeley Castle, where Edward II was murdered in 1327, and which is still home to the Berkeley family today.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
  • Salisbury

    Today we explore the 13th-century cathedral city of Salisbury. Begin with a tour of the medieval cathedral, which holds the best preserved of the four original Magna Carta documents. Then head to Mompesson House, a town house in the Queen Anne style that was featured in the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Marvel at the magnificent plaster work, elegant carved oak staircase, fine period furniture, and charming walled garden with traditionally planted herbaceous borders. Continue to Wilton House, an excellent example of Palladian architecture set on 21 acres of landscaped parkland, and the setting for another Jane Austen adaptation, Pride and Prejudice.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
  • Bath

    Spend today in Bath, where Jane Austen once lived, and visit No.1 Royal Crescent for a glimpse at what life looked like for the nobility and their servants in a Georgian town house. Then embark on a walking tour of the city that features so prominently in Austen’s writing. This afternoon, take a tour of the Assembly Rooms, the hub of the Georgian social calendar and the setting for Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Next, enjoy afternoon tea accompanied by live classical music at the historic Pump Room overlooking the Roman Baths.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
  • Castle Combe and Lacock

    Begin today with a private, before-opening tour of Bowood House, the family home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne that houses a unique collection of historical artifacts and family heirlooms amassed over 250 years, from Queen Victoria’s wedding chair to Napoleon’s death mask. Afterward, venture to picturesque Castle Combe for an independent lunch with time to wander the medieval, cobblestoned streets. Then continue to the village of Lacock to see the golden stone cloisters and Great Hall of Lacock Abbey, once a medieval nunnery and later the family home of William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the first photographic negative.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
  • Montacute and Wells

    Today, we visit a splendid Elizabethan mansion where several scenes of the 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility were filmed. Fashioned with oak-paneled rooms, Montacute House boasts the longest gallery in England, hung with Tudor and Elizabethan portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery. Sample local specialties during lunch at a traditional British pub before heading to Wells, located at the foot of the rolling green Mendip Hills and home to a magnificent 12th-century cathedral, a moated Bishop’s Palace, and narrow cobblestone streets. Return to Bath for another evening at leisure.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
  • Winchester

    Following a leisurely morning, travel to the medieval city and former royal capital of Winchester. Inside the awe-inspiring cathedral is the tomb of Jane Austen and the Winchester Bible, one of the finest surviving 12th-century bibles. Enjoy free time and lunch in town before continuing to the Vyne, a red-brick Tudor mansion set among 13 acres of gardens. Tour the grounds and learn the history of the estate, which was built for King Henry VIII’s Lord Chamberlain before becoming the Chute family home for over 300 years. Back in Windsor, check in to our hotel and gather to toast our journey at a farewell dinner.

    Accommodations:

    Macdonald Windsor Hotel

    Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
  • Windsor / London / Home

    Following breakfast, depart by motorcoach for the group transfer to Heathrow International Airport for return flights home.

    Included meal: Breakfast

Trip details

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Pricing

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The price of your trip covers a comprehensive educational program in addition to meals, accommodations, tours and excursions. Continue reading for a full list of what’s included.

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