Historical Trips 2019 Brochure

Explore the History that Shaped Us

2019

“The past is a

foreign country; they do things differently there.”

– LP Hartley, ‘The Go-Between’

2019 PRICES – BEST EVER VALUE

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Our brand new programme is extra special because we have reworked a few things to ensure that we provide optimum value. We promise that when we launch our new trips, our lowest possible prices are made available to you, at the very best value for money. It pays to book early, as prices can increase as the departure date approaches.

WELCOME TO 2019 Welcome to the most exciting Historical Trips brochure yet.

We are introducing a feast of new tours for 2019, as well as retaining perennial favourites.

Windsor Castle in the summer

The view over the Eiffel Tower in Paris

History has a dark side. Our twin tours, ‘Face of Evil’ and ‘Duce!’, chart the rise and fall of Hitler and Mussolini, and reflect the growing trend for dark tourism; and our ‘Hero or Villain?’ tour traces the life of Richard III, England’s most controversial king.

We also have a Sicilian tour with a twist: exploring the island’s ties to the Mafia and its crimes.

Our ‘war tours’ include the 100 Years War, the trenches and tunnels of WW1, a comparison of the two great sieges of Malta and two new tours appealing to Napoleonic buffs: the glory and human cost of Waterloo, and Napoleon’s earliest and most brilliant campaign in Italy. We are also reprising Clare Mulley’s groundbreaking tribute tour to the heroic women who sacrificed everything as SOE agents in Nazi-occupied France. But history is about life and love, as well as death, and our new ‘Love and Death on the Loire’ tour examines both facets, and is led by best-selling novelist Lisa Hilton.

‘Darts of Love’ introduces us to the wives of Henry VIII, and ‘First Impressions’ - with Andrew Graham-Dixon - invites opportunities to sketch the scenes immortalised by France’s Impressionist artists.

‘Royal Escape’ scrambles in the footsteps of Charles II, as the young ‘merry monarch’ goes on the run through some of England’s loveliest landscapes. And we journey through more beautiful scenery in the mountains of southern Germany on a preview of the legendary Oberammergau passion play (due to take place in 2020), an exciting tour that visits the amazing castles and palaces built by Bavaria’s ‘dream king’, Ludwig II. Whether your passion for history lies in war and conquest, faith and romance, art and architecture or murder and intrigue, there is something here for you.

Please do join us on tour!

Remembering the fallen heroes

Jackie Willis CEO, Historical Trips

Medieval History

20th Century

Early Modern

Information

Conquering Sicily. ............................ 16 Languedoc. ........................................ 18 Andalus .............................................. 20 We Happy Few................................. 22 Richard III.. ........................................ 24 Castles of the Rhineland................ 26 Medieval England ............................. 28 View from Fort St. Elmo in Malta

Fort Rinella’s underground tunnels

Love & Death on the Loire ..................32 The Royal Escape ...................................34 Passion, Plays & Palaces .........................36 First Impressions ....................................38 Enter Napoleon ......................................40 Napoleon’s Last Stand ...........................42 Darts of Love ..........................................44

The Great War .......................................48 Duce! ........................................................50 Face of Evil ...............................................52 Poland at War..........................................54 Malta..........................................................56 ‘Cosa Nostra’ ..........................................58 The Women of SOE ..............................60 Experience History ...................................4 New For 2019............................................6 Joining Us Next Year...............................10 Meet Nigel Jones ....................................12 Study Days ...............................................62 2018 Availability ......................................64 Specialist Journeys ..................................66 Booking Conditions ...............................67

Call our friendly team to book: 01722 569776

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Experience History At Historical Trips, history is something that never gets old. We are always seeking out new ways to tell iconic stories through immersive site visits, fascinating lectures given by leading experts and the chance to walk in the footsteps of important figures throughout time - no matter how revered or infamous. Join us on tour and watch as we bring the past to life in unique ways that will stay with you.

What’s included in my tour?

• Hand-picked accommodation • Expert guide lecturers • Travel throughout the tour

Windsor Castle, UK

Travel alongside an expert

Privileged access to sites

Our tours are all accompanied by guide lecturers who are acknowledged experts in their fields. From historians and renowned broadcasters, to professors and authors - our guides perfect your Historical Trips experience.

Many historical sites tend to get overrun by tourists in large numbers. We make every effort to avoid this by securing special private access to sites for guests for example, lunch in the Eagle’s Nest SS Guardroom on our ‘Face of Evil’ tour.

Saint Croix Cathedral, Orleans, France

Small, convivial groups One of our founding principles is to only take small groups on trips. Parties of 20 or less tend to ‘gel’ more easily, and are more comfortable for single guests.

They’re also better for couples and friends, greatly aiding conviviality.

Bay in the town of Céfalu, Sicily

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Guests at Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, UK

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“Just finished a riveting educational tour on how Hitler and the Nazi party rose and fell in 15 years. Thank you Nigel Jones and Roger Moorhouse for a great itinerary, clear explanations, insightful lectures, and choice of sites.”

– Beverly Dunne, guest in 2018

FAQ

Reichstag. Berlin, Germany

Some of your most common touring questions answered...

1. Are cultural elements included in your tours?

Yes, absolutely! We believe that the right cultural elements can turn great tours into amazing ones. Our 2019 tours include a wealth of cultural experiences, from a traditional meal in a famed German beer hall to the chance to sample local produce at wineries in areas known for their wine production.

2. What level of knowledge will I need? Does it matter if I’m not an expert?

It doesn’t matter if you’re an amateur historian, well on your way to your PhD, or just a little bit curious – there’s a place for everyone on a Historical Trips tour.

3. Can I make my own way to our destination?

All of our tours also have ‘without flights’ prices, so you can join us however or wherever you wish. Just let us know well in advance if you’re electing to do so.

4. What sort of hotels will we be staying in?

We mostly stay in 4* hotels, with some superb 3* and 5* hotels mixed in, too.

If possible, we also spend the night in historic sites. How does an evening in the luxurious Hever Castle, where Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed, sound?

For any other questions, call our friendly team today: 01722 569776

www.historicaltrips.com info@historicaltrips.com 5

New for 2019 United Kingdom, France, Italy, Malta, Germany & Spain...

Learn the gritty stories of the Mafia in Sicily, explore the life of England’s most controversial king on our Richard III tour or let Malta’s bravery astound you as we discover the captivating tale of its two sieges.

Westminster Abbey, London, UK

Richard III Join the great debate about Richard III’s character on this unique eight-day tour, which takes in sites of historic significance around England, from York and Tewkesbury, to central London and St. Albans. Step inside the iconic Tower of London, stand before castle ruins and pay visits to battlefields, where crowns were lost and won. Travel in the company of expert Medieval historian Dr. Michael Jones, who has written over ten books and worked as an advisor for The History Channel.

His extensive knowledge of the stories and secrets of Richard III’s life and legacy will make this tour experience unforgettable.

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• Discover the great Middleham Castle • Tour the evocative Tower of London • Visit the new tomb of Richard III • Stand on bloody battlefields Find out more on page 24

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Scenic view over the lake of EUR, Rome, Italy

The Royal Escape

First Impressions

Love & Death on the Loire

Trace the footsteps of a man on the run - the fugitive king, Charles II. Starting in Worcester, we travel to Shoreham via Stratford, the Cotswolds, Bristol, Salisbury, and Arundel. We stop at the burial place of Shakespeare, Hidcote Manor’s garden and Wells Cathedral.

Step into the shoes of the revolutionary painters, the French Impressionists. TV art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon will introduce a tour that takes us from Monet’s gardens at Giverny to the bohemian streets of Montmartre, as we explore a wealth of creative sites.

Experience the opulence of this region’s magnificent châteaux as we uncover their often dark stories of passion, religious violence and royal history.Visits to these stunning properties will be perfectly complemented by sumptuous and regional wine-tastings.

• Visit Stonehenge and Heale House

• Great lectures by our fantastic guides

• Tour Orleans and its historic centre

• Walk the Monarch’s Way

• Visit the charming port of Honfleur

• Enjoy wines at renowned vineyards

• Climb Worcester Cathedral’s tower

• Admire the beauty of Monet’s gardens

• Learn Catherine de Medici’s dark tales

• Tour Hidcote Manor’s glorious garden

• Fall in love with vibrant Montmartre

• Visit the royal Château de Chambord

Find out more on page 34

Find out more on page 38

Find out more on page 32

ERLEAF

V MORE O

Cotswold town of Chipping Campden, UK

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History simply never gets old...

Enter Napoleon Explore a range of fascinating sites in the company of Napoleonic expert John Peaty, who will encourage us to follow the armies of Napoleon as he recounts the brilliant first campaign of this military genius. Spend a week in Italy, taking in beautiful surroundings and enjoying delicious regional cuisine, while visiting significant locations associated with the Corsican conqueror. From the battlefield of Arcola and Verona’s amphitheatre, to charming towns and the stories that can be found within their walls, experience Napoleon’s life and legacy first-hand on this tour.

• Discover exhibits at the battlefield museum of Marengo • Enjoy leisure time in the wonderful cities of Milan and Verona • Step onto poignant battlefields, from Rivoli to Montenotte • Let the expertise of our guide enlighten Napoleon’s history Find out more on page 40

Statue of Napoleon on the island of Elba, Italy

‘Cosa Nostra’ This is a controversial and unique tour that will take in locations around Sicily, where this organised crime collective originated.

Offering more than just sun-kissed Sicilian streets, this seven-day exploration showcases the Mafia’s hotspots - from the apartment where Salvatore Riina lived underground for 25 years to a hotel that provided the backdrop to a partnership deal between the Sicilian and New York Mafia.

• Try delicious Sicilian dishes, of significance to our tour • Pay a visit to the unique Mafia Museum in Corleone • Admire Sicily’s wild, mountainous and surprising landscapes • Stand before a striking 5th century BC Greek temple Find out more on page 58

Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily

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Co-cathedral from Fort St. Elmo in Valletta, Malta

The Two Sieges

Napoleon’s Last Stand

We Happy Few

Accompany military historian Col. Paul Beaver on this tour as he recounts the heroic story of both sieges of this brave island. Spend time in the 2018 European Capital of Culture,Valletta, and visit sites that include Fort St. Elmo, RAF Hal Far and Lascaris War Rooms.

A short yet enthralling tour, this trip explores the battles that destroyed Napoleon. The battlefield of Ligny, the Lion monument that overlooks the battlefield of Waterloo and Wellington’s headquarters await us as we discover the tales of Bonaparte’s final downfall.

Travel through some of France’s most beautiful countryside, discovering the major events and main battlefields of the 100 Years War. During this captivating tour, we also meet the characters whose exploits during this period have become legendary.

• Explore vibrant Valletta at leisure

• Wander the famous Ligny battlefield

• Discover the battlefield of Agincourt

• Dine at the Meridiana Vineyard

• Explore the Waterloo Visitors’ Centre

• See sites associated with Joan of Arc

• Discover collections at Malta Museum

• Pay your respects to the fallen

• Explore historic Poitiers and its sights

• Visit RAF Hal Far and Fort Rinella

• Visit Wellington’s headquarters

• Spend time enjoying Bordeaux’s charm

Find out more on page 56

Find out more on page 42

Find out more on page 23

If you have questions about our tours or would like more information about our current range of trips, please don’t hesitate to contact us:

01722 569776

www.historicaltrips.com / info@historicaltrips.com 9

Joining Us Next Year The experts that accompany our range of Historical Trips are some of the best in the world. Their knowledge and passion illuminates every site visited, their enthusiasm for history reanimates tales of the past, and they truly shape our tours as Guide Lecturers.

Alexander Larman is a writer and historian, and an expert on the Restoration period. He has written two books to date about it, ‘Blazing Star’ and ‘Restoration’. He also writes for The Telegraph and The Observer.

Join Alexander on The Royal Escape, p.34 Dr. Alex Metcalfe is a Senior Lecturer in the department of History at Lancaster University, where his research spans the wider Mediterranean basin and the Middle East, with a particular focus on Sicily and south Italy.

Join Alex on Conquering Sicily, p.16 Dr. Ailsa Mainman is an archaeologist specialising in the Early

Medieval period. She was previously Assistant Director at the York Archaeological Trust and has lived and worked in York for thirty years.

Join Ailsa on Medieval England, p.28

Andrew Graham-Dixon is a graduate of Oxford University and the Courtauld Institute of Art. Former art critic of The Independent and the Sunday Telegraph, he is best known for presenting art programmes on TV. Join Andrew on First Impressions, p.38

Brian Ayers is an expert in Medieval archaeology and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at UAE. He is interested in the origins and development on towns on both sides of the North Sea during the early Medieval period.

Join Brian on Castles of the Rhineland, p.26 Clare Mulley is the award-winning author of ‘The Spy Who Loved: The

Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville’. An expert on female agents of the SOE, she recently published ‘The Women Who Flew For Hitler’.

Join Clare on Women of SOE, p.60

Elizabeth Norton has 13 books to her name and is known for her

expertise on the Tudor queens of England. She is a frequent contributor to historical programmes and publications, such as BBC History magazine.

Join Elizabeth on Darts of Love, p.44

Major Gordon Corrigan, MBE is one our leading battlefield guides. A former officer with the Royal Gurkha Rifles and graduate of Sandhurst Military Academy, his books include ‘Waterloo: A New History’.

Join Gordon on Napoleon’s Last Stand, p.42 Dr. Jennifer Mundy has worked at the Tate as a curator for most of her career, curating exhibitions that include ‘Surrealism: Desire Unbound & Duchamp’. She recently published ‘Man Ray: Writings on Art’.

Join Jennifer on First Impressions, p.38 10

Cathedral Mosque, Mezquita de Córdoba, Andalusia

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John Peaty holds a PhD and MA in War Studies from King’s College

London, and he is the International Secretary and committee member of the British Commission for Military History.

Join John on Enter Napoleon, p.40

Lys Hall has a degree in Art History and a love of Mediterranean history.

She is a lecturer on the wines of Europe and is an expert in those of both Italy and Spain. Lys has worked as a wine guide for over a decade.

Join Lys on Love & Death on the Loire, p.32 Lisa Hilton is a prolific historian and best-selling historical novelist.

Her books include ‘The Real Queen of France’, ‘Queens Consort’ and the historical novels trilogy, ‘Maestra’, ‘Domina’ and ‘Ultima’.

Join Lisa on Love & Death on the Loire, p.32 Dr. Michael Jones has interests in battle psychology and French history. His first book, ‘The King’s Mother’, was shortlisted for the prestigious Whitfield Prize and he has since published over 10 books.

Join Michael on We Happy Few, p.22 or on Richard III, p.24 Nicholas Farrell is a British journalist, historian and biographer. A

former correspondent with the Sunday Times, Nick now writes on Italian affairs for The Spectator. He is the author of ‘Mussolini: A New Life’.

Join Nicholas on Duce!, p.50 or on ‘Cosa Nostra’, p.58

Nigel Jones is a specialist in 20th century history and was an editor on History Today and BBC History magazine. He has published eight nonfiction books to date and is the co-founder of Historical Trips.

Join Nigel on Passion, Plays & Palaces, p.36; on The Great War, p.48; on Duce!, p.50; on Face of Evil, p.52

Colonel Paul Beaver worked as a journalist and broadcaster for Sky News during the Gulf War, and spent time as an independent defence and aerospace consultant. He is a leading military and political historian.

Join Paul on Malta, p.56

Rafael Anderson is an architect, writer and historian. From Granada, he runs an architectural practice that specialises in the preservation of historic building fabric. Rafael has also lectured widely on Spanish history.

Join Rafael on Andalus, p.20 Roger Moorhouse is a co-founder of Historical Trips, and an expert on Nazi Germany and wartime Poland. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Warsaw.

Join Roger on Face of Evil, p.52 or on Poland at War, p.54 Stephen O’Shea studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and has worked for Elle and Variety magazines. He has an interest in the culture of the Cathars, and his books include ‘The Perfect Heresy’ and ‘The Friar of Carcassonne’.

Join Stephen on Languedoc | Cathars & Crusaders, p.18 11

Meet our co-founder, Nigel Jones “An engaging speaker, plenty of energy and erudite. Very much enjoyed listening to Nigel’s commentary.” – Recent guest 12

St Paul Monument, EUR district in Rome, Italy

Nigel Jones Co-founder of Historical Trips Nigel Jones is a specialist in Twentieth Century history and has written for a variety of national publications, including The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian, The Spectator and Literary Review. He was an editor on both History Today and BBC History magazines. Nigel has published eight non-fiction books, including ‘The War Walk: A Journey Along the Western Front’, inspired by the experiences of his father, a veteran of the Great War; ‘Hitler’s Heralds: The Story of the Freikorps 1918-1923’; and ‘Rupert Brooke: Life, Death and Myth’, which was serialised in The Sunday Times. He has featured in multiple documentaries for the BBC, including his own 2004 film, ‘Journey to Hell’, a biography of the poet Wilfred Owen.

1. What inspired the collection of new tours for 2019?

In devising these tours, I have taken a bit of a risk and gone for the ‘dark side’ of history. I think that people are at least as fascinated by, for example, the plots, poisons and murders in the Châteaux of the Loire, as they are by the superb architecture. It’s time to cast some dark on the light side! And our Mafia tour of Sicily certainly takes a walk down the shady side of the sun-kissed Sicilian streets!

2. Has visiting significant sites

3. What has been your most

I have a fascination - well, some would say an obsession - to go to the actual places where historical events occurred; even if they have changed or disappeared completely. To see where the brave SOE agent Violette Szabo fought her hopeless last battle with the SS, for instance, or stand on the Berlin car park beneath which lies the bunker where Hitler ended his awful life gives me such a thrill. And, talking of car parks, I am very much looking forward to seeing the one in Leicester, which sheltered Richard III’s bones for so long.

One of the most moving was on our very recent Dunkirk tour. We were accompanied by three veterans of the ‘miracle’ 1940 evacuation - aged 97 and 98 - on what will almost certainly be their last visit to the beaches where they both served and suffered. To hear these old soldiers recounting often terrifying - but sometimes funny memories of their distant youth so very vividly was the highlight of the trip for everyone who was there to hear them.

shaped your view on history?

memorable moment on tour?

Discover the startling, dark and often unsettling stories of the iconic Tower of London in Nigel Jones’ 2012 book, ‘Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London’.

Explore the Tower of London on our Richard III tour, p.24.

You can join Nigel Jones in 2019 on the following tours Passion, Plays & Palaces p.36

Linderhof Palace, Germany

The Great War p.48

WWI cemetery, France

Duce! p.50

Giardino delle Cascate, Rome

The Face of Evil p.52

Bayreuth church, Germany

“Great people who know what they are doing and they do it well.” – Recent guest

The Middle Ages 14

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Medieval Tours Romanticising the Middle Ages is easy.

The Medieval artefacts that remain, including castles, cathedrals, stained glass, effigies of lords and ladies, and shining armour, all possess an enduring power to enchant.

The tours we have created to showcase this era don’t just focus on the history as we imagine it: they also explore a grimmer reality. From the persecution of the Cathar heresy and the blood and tears of the 100 Years War, to the life and (alleged) crimes of Richard III - we cover it all.

Join us for a full picture of this fascinating age.

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The Procession to Calvary, Pieter Bruegal

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Conquering Sicily

The Island Where Cultures Clashed and Crossed 8 Days | 25th March - 1st April £2,495 | Single Supp: £249

Norsemen in Sicily, Italy

• Step into the glittering interior of the Cappella Palatina, an extravagantly decorated chapel brimming with eye-catching gilded mosaics • Stand beneath the honey-coloured columns of the Doric temple at Segesta and discover its history • Explore the suburban palace of La Zisa, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list Around the same time as the Norman Conquest of England - 1066 and all that - the Normans carved out lands for themselves in southern Italy and also on the wealthy island of Sicily, which had been part of the Byzantine empire before falling to the Muslims. Ruling over its diverse peoples, the Norman conquerors formed a lasting frontier between Christian Europe and Muslim Africa, and, in so doing, they created a kingdom that was like no other in Europe – a multifaith, multilingual and multicultural state that employed officials and scholars of different religions; used hybrid art and architecture from Islamic, Byzantine, and Romanesque models; and made Latin, Greek and Arabic its official languages. So, how did this Norman Conquest happen? And why did this unique state emerge?

The epicentre of this experimental new kingdom was the island of Sicily itself with its old Arab capital at Palermo. Following the path of the Norman Conquest across the island, this tour will offer a rare and expert view of people, power, art and faith by exploring the towns, palaces, churches, castles, and dramatic landscapes of this remarkable island, which was once known as the richest part of medieval Europe.

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Tour Details Led by Dr. Alex Metcalfe A Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Lancaster University, his research spans the wider Mediterranean basin and the Middle East.

Alex graduated in Literæ Humaniores from Exeter College, Oxford.

What’s Included • • • •

Palermo Céfalu

Segesta

Cefalà Diana Enna

Catania

SICILY

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 7 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 Upon our arrival into Catania, we drive to Enna and check into our hotel, before enjoying a pre-dinner introductory lecture.

Day 2 We go back to the beginning of early Medieval Sicily at Piazza Armerina. The late-antique villa is famous for its fabulous mosaics, but the site remained occupied well into the Middle Ages. Here we can take a journey in time from late antiquity to the Muslim period. In the afternoon, we head north to Sperlinga, one of the most dramatic of the early Norman centres in this central and strategic part of Sicily. The current planned village replaces the original rupestral cave settlement used in the earlier Middle Ages. The castle dates back to c.1000 with much later rebuilding. We return to Enna this afternoon.

Day 3 Our morning is spent exploring the old town of Enna, which was taken by the Normans after a major siege, and our visit here includes visits to both its castle and cathedral. Beginning as a Byzantine fort and later an Arab stronghold, it became a Norman royal castle, enlarged by the emperor Federick II and his successors.

The Cathedral of Enna was commissioned by Queen Eleanor of Anjou, wife of Federick III of Aragon who was crowned king of Sicily here. In the afternoon, we drive on to the north coast and to Cefalù, an attractive port overshadowed by a huge cliff, 900 feet high. Here we visit the cathedral, which was founded by King Roger II in 1131.

He allegedly vowed to build this cathedral after escaping a storm to land on the city’s beach. From here, we move onwards to Palermo.

degli Eremiti. This evening, we hope to visit the spectacular Cappella Palatina, built for King Roger II during the 1140s. No other building in Sicily shows so well the fusion of three cultures during the Norman era: Western-style basilica, Greek mosaics and its elaborately carved Arabic ceiling.

Day 6 In the morning, we visit Segesta. Excavations among the Classical ruins, above the famous Greek temple here, have unearthed a Muslim necropolis and a unique mosque from the 12th century, next to a Norman castle. Later, we visit the cathedral of Monreale, one of the greatest surviving monuments of medieval Christendom, with its dizzying mosaic interior and cloisters.

Day 7 Venture south to the rolling plains of central Sicily. Here, perched high on Monte Jato, we find recently excavated remains of the last stronghold of the Sicilian Muslims. The early medieval city was built over the extensive remains of a Classical site, and, from the mountain, the views across the island are simply exceptional. We also visit the antiquarium of the site, which displays a wealth of finds from the excavations.

Day 8 This morning, we transfer to the airport in Palermo for our return flight home.

Day 4 How best to experience the streets of Arab-Norman Palermo? Well, let us show you. Today we take a walk through the city, via its bustling markets, still ordered into demarcated trades, and we pay a visit the luminous mosaic interiors of La Martorana, the Byzantine church built by George of Antioch, Emir of Emirs to Roger II. This 12th century structure has a stunning interior, with a domed cupola depicting Christ alongside his archangels. We also make a stop at the adjacent San Cataldo, which was built by George’s ill-fated successor, Maio of Bari. The morning comes to an end at Palermo’s extraordinary cathedral. In the afternoon, we continue with our touring and venture through the faded glory of Palermo to visit the Palazzo Abatellis.

Day 5 In the morning, we visit the Arab baths and Norman castle at Cefalà Diana before returning to Palermo. The afternoon will see us explore the suburban palace of La Zisa, built in an Arab-Norman style and used as a residence for Joanna, daughter of Henry II of England.

We then visit the remains of the royal monastery of San Giovanni

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Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator in Byzantine style, Céfalu, Sicily

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Languedoc

Cathars & Crusaders

Joint Tour With Andante Travels

8 Days | 13th - 20th May £2,495 | Single Supp: £450

Foix Castle dominating the city, Ariege, France

• Enjoy a special traditional performance by a trobairitz – or female troubadour • Wander around the charming commune of Cordes-sur-Ciel, perched high above the clouds • Pay a visit to the Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide and sample the fantastic wine produced there

The Languedoc experienced one of the bloodiest episodes of the medieval era: the Albigensian Crusade, led by Simon de Montfort, which set out to obliterate the Cathar heresy and colonise the region for the kings of France. The land, beset by the crusaders, was one rich in history and culture. Unravel the truth about Cathars, Templars and the Holy Grail – exploring the story of the Languedoc before, during and after the crusade.

Discover the world of the troubadours, whose poetry and song were famous across Europe, and meet the fiercely independent local lords who were their patrons, and who fought to defend the strongholds of the Languedoc from the northern French crusaders. Learn of the rise of the Cathar faith, and of the beliefs and experiences of the women and men who adhered to it, and of the crusading knights who laid siege to the castles and fortress-towns of the region. Join us as we visit the great abbeys of the monks and the palaces of the bishops, who supported the Crusader cause, and discover more about the Dominican Order that was set up to combat Cathar heresy. Finally, we see how the region changed in the wake of the crusade, as the forceful ambition of Capetian kings brought the region under the power of the French crown.

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Tour Details Led by Stephen O’Shea After studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, Stephen went on to write books that include ‘The Perfect Heresy’ and ‘The Friar of Carcassonne’. He has written for both Elle and Variety, and has a strong interest in the culture of the Cathars.

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer All meals included with wine at dinner Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 On arrival in Toulouse, affectionately known as ‘La Ville Rose’ because of its red rooftops and warm-coloured churches, we enjoy dinner together as a group and then sit down to an introductory lecture at our hotel.

Day 2 This morning, we depart from our hotel and travel to the Cathar refuge of Cordes-sur-Ciel. This is a stunning and wellpreserved town, perched high on a hilltop that sometimes can be seen peeking out from the low-hanging clouds. Surrounded by amazing vineyards, this location is filled with history and we have time here to explore its Gothic townhouses. Later, we make our way to Albi to see the red-brick St. Cecile cathedral, which was built in the late 13th century as a fortress. Its interior is breathtaking and boasts a vaulted ceiling decorated with Italian Renaissance frescoes. Before our day comes to an end, we also pay a visit to the Berbie Palace, a fortified residence for the town’s bishops, which is now home to the Toulouse-Lautrec museum.

Day 3 An exploration of Lastours, the Cathar stronghold besieged

by Simon de Montfort, is on the cards this morning. Situated atop a rocky spur just above the village, the castle was classified a ‘Monument Historique’ by the French Ministry of Culture in 1905 and archaeological excavations continue to be carried out around the site. Troubadours such as Raymond de Miraval and Peire Vidal visited the castle at the request of the Seigneurs of Cabaret to dedicate verses to the Cathar Ladies. Intrigued by their medieval verses, we will depart for Carcassonne. Here, we continue to uncover the rich culture of the troubadours at Château Comtal before making a final stop at the grand basilica of St. Nazaire. Showcasing harmony between the Romanesque and Gothic, this is a truly beautiful church and one that houses some of the most famous stained glass in France’s southern regions.

Day 4 Today, we drive to Narbonne to visit the fine but unfinished cathedral. The ambition of its founder Pope Clement IV, was thwarted by the unwillingness of the town to demolish the city wall to accommodate the new church. We will also visit the Bishop’s palace. Later we pass on to Minerve, the town where citizens were burnt as heretics in a 1210 siege. This continued for another 34 years until the fall of Montsegur. The village itself is charming, made up of small alleys and a 12th century church. Next, we make our way to Béziers, the site of an October 1167 revolt. In 1209, invaders burnt the Gothic Cathédrale St-Nazaire, the town was pillaged and set on fire. There is a chance to visit the cathedral, decorated with gargoyles.

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FRANCE Albi Cordes-sur-Ciel Toulouse

Lastours Minerve Carcassonne

Château de Foix

Couiza Arques

Beziers

Narbonne Fontfroide Termes Peyrepertuse

Day 5 Another morning of fascinating visits awaits us. Today, we begin with a visit to Peyrepertuse Castle, on a high crag. A major fortress during the Cathar wars and later a French royal fortress it is a striking ruin. We go on to the Château de Quéribus, which may have been the final Cathar stronghold following the fall of Montsegur.

Finally we go on to Arques and the Chateau d’Arques.

Day 6 We begin by visiting the Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide whose fantastic self-produced wines we are lucky enough to taste over lunch. Founded in 1093, this abbey is spectacularly preserved and is also home to cloisters, a 12th century chapter house, a lay clergy building, and church. After we experience the atmospheric and unspoilt Benedictine abbey of St Marie d’Orbieu at Laagrasse. From here, we continue on to visit the Château of Villerouge-Termenès.

Day 7 Today, we visit Puivert, the centre of Troubadour culture, and Vals’ rock-carved church, thought to pre-date Roman occupation.

Here, we can admire beautiful frescoes, the fact that it is partially stone-carved and the third-level chapel, from which amazing views can be enjoyed. A travel on to Montsegur to visit the museum and field of the martyrs. We will see the towering castle where the Cathars made their last stand from a distance.

Day 8 On our final day, we explore Toulouse’s basilica of St. Sernin and its crypt. We return home this afternoon.

Quertinheux tower at Lastours, France

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Andalus

Moorish Spain 8 Days | 8th - 15th May £2,495 | Single Supp: £249

Aerial view of the Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain

• Spend time wandering around the beautiful Alcázar of Seville, with its rich Islamic artistic legacy • Discover the magnificent Alhambra palace and fortress complex • Enjoy a taste of authenticity with a traditional flamenco performance For over five-hundred years, Moorish Spain - Al-Andalus - was the most culturally advanced corner of Europe, an engine-room of science, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, poetry, architecture and agriculture that outstripped anything comparable within Christendom at the time. German writers of the 10th century described Cordoba as ‘the ornament of the world’, so in awe were they of its sophistication. Gerbert, later Pope Sylvester II, travelled to Spain ‘in search of knowledge’, drawn by the superior Moorish civilisation that he found there.

While London was still a collection of mud huts by the Thames, Moorish cities enjoyed street lighting and sanitation, and their inhabitants ate exotic foods such as artichokes, rice, spinach, oranges and saffron that were unknown north of the Pyrenees.

Writing on paper made at the only paper mills in the continent at the time, Moorish poets explored subtle, romantic ideas of love, inspired by ancient Arabian verses, that would later be termed ‘courtly’ in medieval Europe. ‘Western rational thought’ was the brainchild of the Cordovan philosopher Averroes, developing Aristotle’s concepts and presenting them in easily understood commentaries that Christian scholars studied and absorbed. Much of what we consider part of our own cultural identity anything from superstitions about the number 13 to the higher mathematics that helped men land on the moon - stems from Al-Andalus.

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Tour Details Led by Rafael Anderson An architect, writer and historian, Rafael runs an architectural practice in Granada that specialises in the preservation of historic building fabric. He has also lectured widely on Spanish history and the Islamic legacy of al-Andalus.

SPAIN Córdoba Seville

What’s Included • • • •

Ronda

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 7 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We fly to Malaga and drive to Ronda. In the evening, we have an introductory lecture followed by dinner as a group.

Day 2 In the morning, we head out for an exciting exploration of Moorish Ronda, taking in the city walls, the Moorish Bath House and the Casa del Rey Moro, which was built in the 18th century. Here, we see an Islamic stairway of over 300 steps carved into the rock that lead down to a river at the bottom of the gorge. This structure allowed Ronda’s water supplies to remain available during attacks.

In the afternoon, we drive to Cordoba, where we stay overnight.

Day 3 A leisurely stroll through the old city gets our day off to a glorious start. We take in the outside of the Great Mosque, the Convivencia Museum, the bridge and finally the remains of the Moorish water wheel. Situated next to a Roman bridge, this wheel was once used to carry river water up to the Emir’s palace. In the afternoon, we are treated to a tour of the Great Mosque’s stunning interior and iconic archways. Building began in 784 under the Caliph, Abd al-Rahman, and continued for two centuries. At the heart of Cordoba, ‘the beauty of the mosque was so dazzling that it defied any description.’

Day 4 Today, we take a walk around the Jewish quarter, stopping off first at the famous Averroes statue. We then visit the old synagogue and Jewish House before moving on to the spectacular Alcázar. In the afternoon, we visit the impressive ruins of a fortified Arab Muslim medieval palace city known as Madinat al-Zahra (Medina Azahara), ‘the shining city’, and have a tour of the site, which is located to the west of Cordoba. We then travel onwards to Seville, where we stay for the night.

Granada

Malaga

Day 6 Our day starts with a journey to Granada and upon arrival, in the afternoon, we pay a visit to the magnificent Alhambra palace and fortress complex. Built towards the end of the Moorish rule of Spain, poets described this structure as “a pearl set in emeralds,” an obvious allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods that surround them. As part of our tour of the iconic Alhambra, we also spend some time at the adjoining Generalife Palace, the summer residence and country estate of the Nasrid Kings. The gardens here are especially beautiful. Our overnight stay tonight is in Granada.

Day 7 We spend our penultimate day exploring more of this region’s wonderful sites. We start by visiting the cathedral, whose Royal Chapel is the final resting place of Ferdinand and Isabella, who conquered Granada and brought Moorish Spain to an end. We also visit the Corral del Carbon, the oldest Moorish monument in Granada. Built in the 14th century by Yusuf I, it served as a coal yard and warehouse. In the afternoon, we stop at the Carmen de los Mártires, behind the Alhambra, where Christian captives were held during the battle for Granada. Here, we see the spectacular gardens and can admire the lovely views over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the evening, we enjoy a traditional Moorish dinner.

Day 8 We take a stroll around the old Moorish quarter of Albaicín, walking up to the Mirador de San Nicolás, where we look towards the Alhambra. We then head for Malaga Airport, from where we catch our return flight home.

Day 5 In the morning, we visit the legendary Alcázar, a spectacular Moorish style royal palace built by a Christian king at the same time that the Alhambra was being constructed in Granada. We hear about the Islamic artistic legacy that survived the Reconquest and was continued by those Moors, the Mudejars, who remained in what became Christian lands. In the afternoon, we visit the Torre del Orro, which is a dodecagonal military watchtower that served as a prison during the Middle Ages. Later, we take a tour of the cathedral, which was built on the site of the old Almohad Mosque, and we climb the Giralda Tower, previously known as the Almohad minaret, which is now a bell tower. In the evening, we experience an authentic taste of the ancient culture here with a flamboyant Flamenco show. Again, we stay overnight in Seville.

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qms

Ruins of an ancient Arabic mill, Cordoba, Spain

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We Happy Few:

A Short Tour of the Long 100 Years War 7 Days | 1st - 7th June £1,995 | Single Supp: £200

The Battle of Crecy, Edward III of England defeats Philip VI of France

• Tour a range of iconic battlefields, from Agincourt and Crecy, to Patay • Enjoy the many delights of Bordeaux, with free time to sample wine or wander its charming streets • Visit sites associated with the iconic Joan of Arc in Rouen

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...” Shakespeare has King Henry V exhort his troops ahead of their victory over the French at Agincourt in 1415. But that battle, romanticised by the Bard, was just one clash in the savage, century-long struggle for supremacy between England and France, in which the English won most of the battles, but finally lost the war.

In this wide-ranging tour across some of France’s most beautiful countryside, staying in her historic cities, top medieval historian Dr. Michael Jones leads us through the main events and major battlefields of the 100 Years War: Crecy, Patay, Poitiers, Agincourt and Castillon; explaining what happened and why, and considering both the causes and consequences of the conflict.

We also meet some of the fascinating characters whose exploits in the war have since become legendary: Edward III and his French Queen Eleanor, as well as their son, Edward, the Black Prince; Henry V himself; and Joan of Arc, among others.

For lovers of both France and history alike, this tour is simply unmissable.

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London

Tour Details

Calais

Led by Dr. Michael Jones With an interest in battle psychology and French history, Michael has published over ten books one of which, ‘The King’s Mother’, was shortlisted for the prestigious Whitfield Prize. He also worked on the dig that discovered Richard III’s bones.

Lille Agincourt

Crecy

Rouen

Patay

Orléans

What’s Included Poitiers

• Tour manager & guide lecturer • 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners • Return travel to France via ferry and all local travel • Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 Meeting at Victoria coach station, we board our luxury coach, which takes us to Dover. Here, we embark upon our Club Class ferry for Calais, where we visit Rodin’s sculpture of the Seven Burghers of Calais, and hear Dr. Jones explain their role in England’s siege and seizure of the city early in the war. Calais remained in English hands as her last possession in France right up until the reign of Mary I in the 1550s. We then travel to the nearby battlefield of Crecy. Here, in 1346, Edward III inflicted a decisive defeat on a numerically superior French army and the English longbow proved its worth as a weapon of war. Here too, the King’s young son, Edward, the Black Prince, ‘won his spurs’ for his courage and precocious military ability. We then check into our nearby hotel.

Day 2 After breakfast, we drive to the battlefield of Agincourt, immortalised by Shakespeare in ‘Henry V’, where the warrior king, leading a bedraggled, starving and outnumbered army, nevertheless defeated a far larger French force; once again utilising the longbow to achieve this famous victory. Guiding us over the remarkably unchanged field of battle, Dr. Jones will explain where Shakespeare got his history right – and wrong. After lunch, we drive to Rouen, capital of Normandy, and the centre of English power in France for much of the war, and check into our next hotel.

Day 3 Today is devoted to exploring the Medieval centre of Rouen, concentrating on sites associated with Joan of Arc, who was tried and burned at the stake here for heresy in 1431. We visit the contemporary church built on the site of her martyrdom, which may look a little out of keeping with the local architecture. However, the sweeping curve of its roof represents the flames that killed her and the dramatic stained glass windows were taken from a nearby 16th century church. We also visit the Joan of Arc interpretation centre and the city’s cathedral, which contains the heart of King Richard the Lionheart. The organ is entombed separately from the rest of his body in a sarcophagus bearing his image.

Bordeaux

Castillon-la-Bataille

Day 5 This morning, we take a drive to the history-steeped city of Poitiers, home to one of France’s oldest universities (established in 1432), via the battlefield of Patay. Here, inspired by Joan of Arc, the French cavalry swept through the demoralised English to achieve a rare French victory in 1429, though soon afterwards Joan herself was captured at Compeigne. Upon arrival in picturesque Poitiers, we tour the battlefield, where, in September 1356, Edward, the Black Prince achieved a sweeping victory over a pursuing French army led by King John II. The King was taken prisoner and died in London years later.

Following a captivating day of touring, we head to our Poitiers hotel and can relax here for the remainder of the evening.

Day 6 Leaving Poitiers this morning, we drive through the increasingly beautiful countryside of Aquitaine to the city of Bordeaux, long the capital of English-ruled Gascony. Home, of course, to some of the world’s best wine, there is also a wealth of history to discover here. After lunching in the beautiful city, we drive on to Castillon, scene in 1453 of the final battle of the war. Here, the aged English commander John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, was defeated and killed by a revitalised French army using a new weapon of war – cannons with gunpowder – which finally overcame the dominance of the English longbow.

Day 7 We are treated to a morning at leisure in Bordeaux and can use this opportunity to pick up some fantastic bottles of wine, enjoy a coffee and pastry in one of the charming cafés or simply sightsee.

Later, we fly back to Britain from the city’s airport.

Day 4 Leaving our charming Rouen hotel, we drive on to the ancient city of Orleans, which, like Rouen, was fiercely contested during the war. In 1429, after a six month siege, Orleans was on the point of falling to the English and their Burgundian allies when a teenage girl, Joan of Arc, claiming to be instructed by angels, arrived at the head of a revitalised French army and lifted the siege. We visit the sites in the city associated with the ‘Maid of Orleans’, including the cathedral and the old city hall, the Hotel Groslot. Afterwards, we check into our Orleans hotel for the night.

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qyw

Old houses in Rouen

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Richard III Hero or Villain?

8 Days | 6th - 13th July £1,695 | Single Supp: £170

Richard III of England (1452-1485), engraved by Bocquet

• Journey into the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in search of sites connected with a young Richard III • Admire the interior of the legendary Westminster Abbey • Take an all-encompassing tour of the Tower of London, discovering dark tales along the way

The dramatic discovery of the skeleton of Richard III – England’s most controversial King – beneath a Leicester council car park in 2012 was the most exciting archaeological find of the 21st century (so far!) and made news around the world.

This incredible find also reignited the great debate about Richard’s personal character: was he a murderer who slew his own nephews, the ‘little princes’, in the Tower of London, or an honourable man who did his duty in an age of unprecedented conflict and upheaval, known to us as the Wars of the Roses.

This wide-ranging tour of all the significant surviving sites linked with Richard takes in battlefields, castles, cathedrals and churches – culminating with a visit to the King’s striking new tomb, and a public debate on the burning question: Richard III – Hero or Villain? Led by top medieval historian Dr. Michael Jones, this tour is a must, not only for Richard’s fans and foes, but for anyone interested in one of English History’s most tragic, bloody and colourful epochs – our very own ‘Game of Thrones’.

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Middleham Castle

Tour Details

Sandal Castle

Led by Dr. Michael Jones With an interest in battle psychology and French history, Michael has published over ten books one of which, ‘The King’s Mother’, was shortlisted for the prestigious Whitfield Prize. He also worked on the dig that discovered Richard III’s bones.

UNITED KINGDOM Leicester Bosworth

What’s Included • • • •

Day 2 After breakfast, we travel just outside the city to the village of Sheriff Hutton, to view the impressive ruins of the castle, owned

by Richard Neville, earl Warwick ‘the Kingmaker’, which fell into Richard’s hands after Warwick’s death at the Battle of Barnet and was the scene of meetings of Richard’s Council of the North. We also visit the Grade I listed parish church, where a cenotaph may possibly have been that of Richard’s son Edward of Middleham.

Returning to York for lunch, in the afternoon we travel to the great castle of Middleham in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, where Richard and his brother George spent much of their childhood under the guardianship of Warwick the Kingmaker, who also imprisoned their elder brother, Edward IV, there. Our evening meal will be in York.

Day 3 We visit the remains of Sandal Castle and the battlefield of Wakefield, where Richard’s father Richard, Duke of York and his brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland, were slaughtered by the Lancastrians. We head south, passing the battlefield of Towton, where Edward IV, avenging Wakefield, defeated the Lancastrians and cemented the House of York’s hold on the throne. We visit Stony Stratford, where Richard took control of Edward V following the death of Edward IV; the battlefield of Northampton; and Fotheringhay, Richard’s birthplace in 1452. The Church is the mausoleum of the House of York and the last resting place of Richard’s parents, the Duke and Duchess of York. Fotheringhay Castle was also the scene of the trial and execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Fotheringhay Castle

Tewkesbury Abbey

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 5 days Local travel and returning trains back to York if needed Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We gather at our hotel in the magnificent medieval city of York, Richard’s powerbase, where he ruled as viceroy for his brother Edward IV and which mourned his ‘piteous murder’. After lunch, a walking tour of the city centre takes in the new Richard III Museum and Micklegate Bar, a shrine to Richard in the ancient gatehouse where his father’s and brother’s decapitated heads were mockingly displayed by their Lancastrian enemies. Later, we have dinner.

York

St Albans London Windsor Castle

Day 5 A tour of the Tower of London awaits us. It was here in the Wakefield tower that the pious King Henry VI was murdered as he knelt in prayer. In the Bowyer tower, Richard’s brother George, Duke of Clarence, was famously drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine on the orders of his brother Edward IV. Here, Richard ordered the execution of his former ally William, Lord Hastings, in 1483. Finally, the ‘little princes’ were held here in the infamous Bloody tower and disappeared from history. En route to the hotel, we see Crosby Hall, where Richard planned the coup that got him the crown in 1483.

Day 6 En route to Tewkesbury, we visit St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and the tombs of both Kings Henry VI and Edward IV. We lunch in Salisbury, visiting the scene of the execution by Richard of his former henchman, Henry Stafford, the Duke of Buckingham, in 1483, and we also view the Duke’s tomb. Later, we visit Tewkesbury’s ‘bloody meadow’ and we end the day at Tewkesbury Abbey, where Prince Edward and Clarence are buried.

Day 7 Drive from Tewkesbury to Bosworth, where on August 22nd, 1485, Richard III was defeated and killed by the invading army of Henry Tudor. After touring the interactive Bosworth Battlefield Centre, we visit the recently rediscovered site of the battle. We then head to nearby Leicester where we visit the superb Richard III centre, before paying our respects at his modern tomb in Leicester Cathedral. Our final night will be spent at a local hotel.

Day 8 Before we leave, there is a visit to the ruins of Kirby Muxloe castle, partially built by Lord Hastings before his execution.

Day 4 We drive to London, via the two battlefields of St. Albans, where the Wars of the Roses began in 1455, and Barnet. Next, we tour Westminster Abbey, scene of the coronations of all the monarchs involved in the Wars of the Roses. We also find the Christopher Wren-designed urn, in which the bones believed to be those of the ‘little princes’, Edward V and his brother Richard, were interred after their discovery during the reign of Charles II. We also see the site of the Sanctuary where Queen Elizabeth Woodville sought shelter after Richard III’s seizure of power and where her younger son Richard was forcibly taken from her to the Tower.

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qhv

Battle of Barnet

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Castles of the Rhineland 8 Days | 1st - 8th June £2,495 | Single Supp: £325

Joint Tour With Andante Travels

Marksburg Castle at the River Rhine

• Exclusive access to the underground excavations at Trier cathedral • Sample sumptuous local wines during a special tasting experience • Visit a host of truly stunning castles that are rich in both history and heritage

The magic of the beautiful Rhineland awaits. Dramatic castles perched on hilltops that overlook winding rivers, incredible vineyards belonging to renowned wineries and famously rich history can all be found in this glorious part of Germany.

From romantic ruins to castles still magnificently preserved, we visit a variety of architecturally and historically engaging sites, and the expertise of our guide lecturer will bring them vividly back to life before our very eyes. During this trip, we will be treated to special access at the cathedral in Trier, charming towns will be ours to discover on fascinating walking tours; and regional culture will be revealed to us in exciting and immersive ways.

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Tour Details Led by Brian Ayers An expert in medieval archaeology, Brian is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of East Anglia. He was previously County Archaeologist for Norfolk and oversaw archaeological work at Butrint in Albania.

GERMANY

Burg Eltz Braubach

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer All meals included with wine at dinner Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We catch a flight from London to Frankfurt. Upon arrival, we travel to our hotel and enjoy an introductory lecture from our expert guide.

Day 2 This morning, we drive out to Rüdesheim am Rhein and can experience a walking tour along the cobbled streets of Drosselgasse to view its medieval buildings, as well as the aristocratic residences.

After a break for lunch, we pay a visit to the ruins of Rheinfels Castle, which overlooks the Rhine at Sankt Goar. Established in the 13th century, this was once the largest castle in the Middle Rhine region.

Constructed by Diether V. von Katzenelnbogen, it was besieged for a year and 14 weeks in 1255/56 by the Rhenish League after an increase in the Rhine tolls. The siege, however, was unsuccessful.

Day 3 We have a short trip to Marksburg Castle in the morning, located just above the town of Braubach. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was never destroyed and gives a beautiful impression of Bergfried (a great stone tower similar to a keep or donjon).

The castle was probably originally established c.1100 to control tolls on the river. In the afternoon, we make our way to Koblenz and visit the Ehrenbreitstein Castle. Next, we wander the halls of the Landesmuseum Koblenz. Ehrenbreitstein is the second largest fortress in Europe, occupying a site where archaeology has recovered evidence from 400 BC onwards. It overlooks the ‘Deutsche Eck’ - or ‘German Corner’ - where the two rivers meet.

Trier

Andernach Frankfurt Rudesheim Heidelberg

Day 6 After breakfast, we transfer to Trier. In the morning, we pay a visit to the Porta Nigra (or ‘Black Gate’ because of its discoloured stone). This structure was built c.170 AD as a gate in the Roman city wall and, in the Middle Ages, it was converted to hold two medieval churches - one monastic and the other for the public. Trier, an exceptionally large Roman city with fine remains that include an amphitheatre and basilica hall, is also home to an archaeological museum and was the birthplace of Karl Marx. Later, we visit the High Cathedral or Saint Peter, the oldest bishop’s cathedral in Germany.

Day 7 A journey to Heidelberg Castle gets our day off to a historic start. Here, we view the remains of one of the most important Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. Originally two castles, the upper one was destroyed in the 16th century and the lower one was ruined by war in the 17th century - and then again in the 18th century, only this time by fire. Following lunch, we travel to Rheinstein Castle, situated in a strategic position on a rocky ridge that overlooks the Rhine. The name dates from its reconstruction in the 19th century, called this because of its position on cliffs above the river. We move on to our final stop, Frankfurt.

Day 8 After checking out of our hotel in the morning, we make our way to the airport and catch our return flights back home.

Day 4 Today, we travel to Andernach. The city traces back to the Celts who settled here first, before the Romans occupied the territory under the name Antunnacum. Here, we will view the Rheintor, the Round Tower and other medieval remains. The Rheintor or Rhine Gate formed the principal entrance through the fortifications of Andernach from the River Rhine. Later, we drive to the shores of the Laacher See to visit the Benedictine Maria Laach Abbey, one of Germany’s most stunning Romanesque monuments.

Day 5 Our morning will be spent at the medieval Eltz Castle, nestled in the hills overlooking the Elzbach River. Its strategic location, perched on an oval crag, is surrounded by the river on three sides, some 70m below. The afternoon will be spent visiting the Imperial Cochem Castle, which, at some 100m or more above the Mosel River, was first documented back in 1051. The core of the building has its origins as a massive Romanesque keep.

Vineyards of Rüdesheim

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/rhl

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Medieval England

Joint Tour With Andante Travels

7 Days | 17th - 23rd June £1,995 | Single Supp: £395

York Minster

• Visit Beverley Minster, often referred to as one of England’s most beautiful churches • Explore the impressive ruins of Rievaulx Abbey • Enjoy an exclusive tour of the rooftops and gallery at York Minster cathedral

From castles, palaces and great abbeys to peasant villages, the Medieval period has left its eternal mark on the English landscape.

Discover a world where displays of extravagance and power dominated the English countryside, and where a focus on religion led to spectacular places of worship.

Walk among magnificent monasteries and ragged ruins, being transported back to the Middle Ages. With gory tales and grisly truths, our brand new Medieval England tour offers an exploration of life in all echelons of society. Gain a whole new perspective at a behind-the-scenes tour of the rooftops of York Minster, stand before the iconic Whitby Abbey and wander the remains of a deserted Medieval village in Wharram Percy.

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Tour Details

Whitby

Led by Dr. Ailsa Mainman An archaeologist specialising in the early medieval period, Ailsa is an Honorary Research Associate at the University of York and at the York Archaeological Trust. She also contributed to the acclaimed Historic Town Atlas of York.

Scarborough Ripon

Fulford

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer All meals included with wine at dinner All local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We arrive in York and have time to enjoy an independent lunch before checking into our hotel and meeting the group. Before sitting down to dinner this evening, there will be an interesting lecture from the York Archaeological Trust.

Day 2 In the morning, we leave our hotel and make our way to Whitby Abbey. Upon arrival, we tour the evocative site, made famous

by Bram Stoker’s legendary work of literary fiction, ‘Dracula’. During our visit, we also explore the town and after lunch, we head to Pickering church and castle. Next, en route to Scarborough Castle, we take a scenic drive through the North York Moors. Later, we return to York and sit down to a group dinner at a local restaurant, before returning to our hotel for the remainder of the evening.

Wharram Percy

York Beverly Hull

UNITED KINGDOM

We can compare this to Byland Abbey, which is on the itinerary for this afternoon, the community of which was heavily hampered by the Black Death of 1348-9.

Day 7 Our time in the north of England comes to an end this morning. After breakfast, we check out of our hotel, say our farewells and travel back home.

Day 3 Our first stop today is York Minster and this will be a particularly special one because it includes an exclusive hidden tour of the rooftops and gallery. Following lunch at a restaurant, we drive out to the deserted Medieval village of Wharram Percy, where we walk around the remains. From here, we travel on to Fulford, site of the Battle of Fulford Gate. We spend some time discovering this area and then return to York for our evening meal. After eating, there will be time to relax at the hotel.

Day 4 We begin our day with a visit to Ripon Cathedral and Monastic Ruins, which began life as a 7th century church, thought to have been built by Saint Wilfrid and then both developed and demolished periodically over time. This afternoon, we visit the childhood home of Richard III at Middleham. Wander among the 13th century walls and admire the architecture of a truly English castle.

The town of Helmsley

Day 5 Explore one of the largest parish churches in all of the UK, Beverley Minster, which is bigger than some cathedrals and claimed to be one of the most beautiful in England. The church was originally built in the 7th century and later had Norman additions, before it was completed in 1420. In the afternoon, we drive to Britain’s City of Culture for 2017, Hull, where we can admire exhibits in the Hull and East Riding Museum, which showcases amazing Roman mosaics.

Day 6 The most spectacular abbey in England awaits our visit this morning - Rievaulx. This was once a powerful Cistercian monastery and the first of its order to be found in the north of England.

At one time, it was home to 650 monks, but was demolished under the rule of Henry VIII, falling into the romantic ruins we can see today.

Whitby Abbey

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/med

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“Above all, imaginative design and delivery of tour programme.” – Recent guest

15th - 18th Century 30

Call us today 01722 569776

Early Modern Tours The Early Modern era made the modern world. Our tours cover the religious conflicts of the 16th century, the civil wars of the 17th and the great buildings this Age gave birth to.

Our ‘Darts of Love’ tour shows how Henry VIII’s love life tore his realm apart; we join Charles II on the run during our ‘The Royal Escape’ tour; and on ‘Love & Death on the Loire’, we show you a different and darker side to those gorgeous and instantly recognisable châteaux.

And, of course, there’s much more to explore with us on tour.

01722 569776

www.historicaltrips.com info@historicaltrips.com

Soldiers in reconstruction of the Battle at Austerliz

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Love & Death on the Loire Murders, Massacres & Mistresses 8 Days | 1st - 8th September £2,495 | Single Supp: £250

R NEW FO

2019!

The Assassination of the Duke of Guise by Paul Delaroche

• Visit the breathtaking Château de Chambord, one of the many stunning châteaux of the Loire • Delve into the dark world of Catherine de Medici, learning about her interest in occultism • Experience sumptuous visits to local vineyards, where fantastic wine is produced

The opulent châteaux that line France’s tranquil River Loire are renowned for their romantic architecture, superb settings and perfectly manicured gardens... However, these wonderful buildings mask dark stories of intrigue, passion, plots, poison and religious violence, which tore 16th century France apart.

This is a Loire tour with a difference. Experience immersive visits to historic châteaux, accompanied by expert guide Lisa Hilton, who will unfold the fascinating and horrific stories that once stained these stones. Sit down to sumptuous wine-tasting tours of the renowned local Touraine wines, led by our expert, Lys Hall.

Indulge in a delicious fusion of history and wine as we travel around this glorious region in search of the tales that put it on the map, the vintages that make it a celebrated destination for oenophiles and the scenery that the Loire Valley is celebrated for.

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UNITED KINGDOM Tour Details

London

Led by Lisa Hilton A prolific historian and best-selling historical novelist. Her books include ‘The Real Queen of France’, ‘Queens Consort’ and the historical novels trilogy ‘Maestra’, ‘Domina’, and ‘Ultima’.

Dieppe

Led by Lys Hall An established lecturer on the wines of Europe, Lys is an expert on the wines from both Spain and Italy. She has been working as a wine guide for over a decade and also has an Art History degree.

2 Place Du Château Blois Amboise

What’s Included • • • •

Château de Chenonceau

Tour manager & guide lecturer 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners Return travel to France via ferry and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We meet at the Green Line coach station in Victoria and drive to Newhaven for the ferry to Dieppe. En route, our two guides introduce the journey and history that lies ahead. On board the ferry we enjoy a Club Class buffet lunch. On arrival in France, we drive to the Château d’Anet, the home and last resting place of Diane de Poitiers, legendary mistress of King Henri II. After touring the château, with its sumptuous panelled bedroom of the Royal lovers, we drive on to our hotel in the historic city of Orleans.

Day 2 We spend our morning in Orleans, visiting the magnificent Gothic cathedral, the ancient city hall and the Hotel Groslot - where Mary Queen of Scots spent much of her first marriage to the teenage King Francois II and where the king died. After lunch, we visit a regional winery. Our final visit of the day is to the Château of Meungsur-Loire, former palace of the Bishops of Orleans, later used as a brutal jail. Here, the poet Francois Villon was kept in an ‘oubliette’ dungeon, but somehow survived. We return to Orleans for dinner.

Day 3 After checking out of our hotel, we drive to the nearby town of Blois on the Loire. This sprawling renaissance and Gothic château witnessed many momentous events in French history, but darkest of all was the double assassination of France’s most powerful nobleman, Henri, Duc de Guise, and his cardinal brother in 1588, carried out by King Henri III’s bodyguards on the King’s orders. We take a guided tour of the château’s many rooms and see the secret cabinet reportedly used by Queen Catherine de Medici to store her poisons. After lunching in Blois, we visit the Herve Villemade vineyard at Chitenay.

Orléans Chaumont

Château de Chambord

FRANCE

that Catherine used a ‘magic mirror’ brought to her by her personal astrologer, the sinister Cosimo de Ruggieri, to foretell the grim future awaiting her sons, who met violent and premature deaths. She left Chaumont after learning this. But first, she forced her love rival, Diane de Poitiers, to take the château in exchange for her property, the exquisite Chenonceau. We also visit two vineyards: the Vincent Girault Clos de la Briderie at Mesland and Domaine des Grandes Esperances.

Day 6 Our visit today is to Chenonceau, the jewel in the crown of the Loire châteaux. Catherine de Medici threw banquets, balls and topless parties here, which often turned into orgies. Her daughter-inlaw, Queen Louise, went mad after the assassination of her husband Henri III, and haunted the château corridors dressed in mourning.

A later Louise, Louise Dupin, saved it from destruction during the French Revolution, and entertained philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau here. Later, we visit Domaine Rousseau Freres at Evres dur Indre and les Caves de Monce at Limeray.

Day 7 The final full day of the tour sees us visit the Royal Château of Amboise. Charles VIII was born here and also died here in 1498 after hitting his head on a door frame en route to watch a game of real tennis. In 1560, the château was the scene of a botched coup d’etat by French Protestant Huguenots which was met by a savage Royal revenge. After touring the château, we visit the winery La Grange Tiphaine in Amboise and the Domaine Huet at Vouvray.

Day 8 We head for home via Dieppe, pausing for refreshments at Gigou at Domaine de la Charriere in Chartres u le Loir.

Day 4 A relaxing day in and around the largest château on the Loire, the magnificent Chambord, awaits. Originally a hunting lodge built by Francois I, the edifice just grew and grew, reaching its present enormous size of 480-plus rooms and a reputed 75 staircases – one probably designed by the iconic artist, Leonardo da Vinci. Too huge to inhabit comfortably, the château is simply a thing of staggering beauty.

The treasures of the Louvre, including Leonardo’s ‘Mona Lisa’, were housed here in the Second World War. After our tour of Chambord, we visit the vineyard of Henry Marionnet Domaine de Charmoise at Soigns en Sologne.

Day 5 We drive to Château Chaumont overlooking the Loire and enter the dark world of Catherine de Medici’s occult beliefs. A follower of astrology and black magic, the Queen consulted many soothsayers here, including the legendary Nostradamus. It was here

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Chenonceau Château in the Loire Valley

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The Royal Escape Following the Flight Path of a Fugitive King 7 Days | 13th - 19th July £1,295 | Single Supp: £185

R 2019!

NEW FO

Charles II (1630-1685), by W. Holl

• Follow in the stumbling footsteps of this fugitive king, experiencing his journey first-hand • Take a stroll through the glorious Westonbirt Arboretum, managed by the Forestry Commission • Pay your respects to the Bard at his burial place and visit the Royal Shakespeare Company On 3rd September, 1651, twenty-one year old Charles Stuart was defeated at the Battle of Worcester, unable to drive back the Parliamentary forces of Oliver Cromwell’s army and thus take up his throne. From then on, he was a man on the run with a King’s ransom on his head. Knowing that back-tracking into Scotland would be far too dangerous, he quickly downsized his party and went underground. His original intention to head for Wales was foiled and thus began a 615-mile circuitous journey across southern England, often in disguise, always in danger, and sometimes minutes from discovery.

We follow the route of the runaway monarch as - aided and abetted by loyal supporters - he marched, rode and bluffed his way down to the south coast and made his eventual escape.

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Tour Details Led by Alexander Larman A writer and historian with a special interest in the Restoration period, Alexander has written two books about it: ‘Blazing Star’ and ‘Restoration’.

He has also written on this period for titles that include BBC History and The Telegraph.

Moseley Old Hall

UNITED KINGDOM

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 6 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 4 dinners All local travel and return journey to Victoria in London Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 Like Charles, we start our journey in Worcester. We climb the tower of the cathedral from where he watched the battle unfold and see the memorial near Powick Bridge, commemorating the thousands fallen. We then travel to White Ladies Priory, where he was hidden on the first night and given his labourer’s costume of a “course noggen shirt and green britches,” and then it’s on to Boscobel House, his safe retreat after the abortive attempt to cross into Wales and also home of the Penderel family. Here, we will see the descendant of the famous oak tree where he hid for a day and also a priest’s hole, thought to have been the King’s sleeping place. He also spent a quiet day here reading in the garden. We spend the night at a local hotel.

Day 2 Charles was now passed off as William Jackson, the manservant of Jane Lane. At 6ft 2 and of swarthy complexion, the fugitive king was not an easy man to hide. We take the next part of the route and visit Moseley Old Hall, where soldiers arrived to search and Charles had to be bundled into a priest hole. We stop to look at Bentley Hall, another resting place now marked by a cairn. Time allowing, we may walk part of the designated Monarch’s Way footpath along the Wryley and Essington Canal. Arriving at Stratford, we visit the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Holy Trinity Church, where the Bard is buried.

Day 3 We now enter Cotswolds country, travelling via Chipping Campden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold (site of the last battle in the Civil War), and Bourton-on-the-Water. We stop for coffee and lunch, and visit the gardens at Hidcote Manor. It’s on to Cirencester and Tetbury with its famed Town Hall. Later, there’s an evening stroll in the Westonbirt Arboretum. This part of Charles’ journey is not recorded, but it is presumed they went along the Roman Fosse Way and stayed at the Crown Inn in Cirencester’s market place, where the King was going to sleep on a truckle bed, but was graciously given the best bed by his companion once the chamber maid had departed.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Worcester

Wells

Chipping Champden

London

Salisbury Bridport

Wincanton

Shoreham-by-Sea

Day 5 Spend a day walking the South West Coast Path as the Monarch’s Way now leads from Trent down to the Dorset coast.

The boat that was supposed to be waiting at Charmouth never materialized, so the elaborate ruse of spiriting away as an eloping couple was never put to use. The world heritage Jurassic coast is a beautiful trail and we go over Golden Cap, then through Seatown, Thornecome Beacon, past Eypes’ Mouth and finish at West Bay. Tonight, we stay in charming Bridport, where the royal party encountered danger, but was able to evade their pursuers.

Day 6 Having come so close to the sea, the decision was now taken to retreat to Heale House near Salisbury. We too head for Wiltshire, following the route to Wincanton, Mere (where the King stopped for some ale), Zeals, Hindon, Fonthill, Chilmark, Dinton, Barford, Wilton and the Woodford Valley. Charles was said to have “wiled away the time in the neighbourhood of Stonehenge” and we see the site ourselves as well as visiting Heale House. We also visit Clarendon Park, where Charles set off on foot at 2am on October 13th to take his horse for the next stage of his adventure.

Day 7 On our last tour day we travel to Arundel and spend a day walking the Sussex Downs, replicating the final parts of the King’s flight. Charles had many more close shaves before he eventually made it to Shoreham. We will complete our walk by following the Monarch’s Way as it takes the old Devil’s Dyke railway line towards Brighton. Finally, we stand on Shoreham’s waterfront, looking out across the sea, from where they eventually set sail to France.

Day 4 Our next destination is the port of Bristol, where Charles and his companions hoped to secure a ship. We head to Clifton, where Charles stayed on the night of 12th September, 1651, and for a further four days when no ship was found. The original house is no longer there, but there is a monument to Sir George Norton in Leigh Church commemorating Charles’ escape. We visit the prehistoric stone circle at Stanton Drew, then travel to Wells, where we stay the night and also visit the cathedral.

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The famous oak tree in Boscobel, Staffordshire

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Passion, Plays & Palaces

Oberammergau & the Dream Castles of Bavaria 7 Days | 17th - 23rd September £2,250 | Single Supp: £225

R NEW FO

2019!

Linderhof Palace

• Tour the legendary Neuschwanstein Castle in all its glory • Delve into the fascinating origins of the Oberammergau Passion Play • Experience an authentic taste of Bavarian cuisine at the Hofbräuhaus beer hall Snow-capped alpine mountains and brooding forest lakes await in beautiful Bavaria. In 2020, the world will descend upon the charming village of Oberammergau for a performance of its iconic Passion Play, an event which takes place only once every ten years. Join us there before the crowds arrive to discover its history, legacy and timeless appeal.

Tour the fabulous castles and palaces built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century, enjoy traditional German cuisine over dinner at the famous Hofbräuhaus, and wander the stunning grounds of schloss Hohenschwangen, replete with alpine plants and flowers.

This unique trip will combine both the history behind the play - originally performed to ward off the plague - with the tragic story of Ludwig, who bankrupted Bavaria to build the fantastic palaces that are now the state’s main tourist magnet.

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Tour Details Led by Nigel Jones A specialist in 20th century history, he has written for a number of national publications and was editor on both History Today and BBC History magazine. He is a co-founder of Historical Trips and has published eight non-fiction books to date.

GERMANY Munich

What’s Included • • • •

Neuschwanstein

Tour manager & guide lecturer 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 Meet at London’s Heathrow Airport and fly to Munich.

Upon arrival, our coach takes us to our comfortable hotel in the city’s centre. After checking in, we have lunch at a nearby restaurant before enjoying free time in Bavaria’s historic capital. Those who wish, may join our guide lecturer on a walking tour around the heart of Munich. In the evening, Nigel Jones will give an introduction to the tour before we head to the famous Hofbräuhaus, the largest of Munich’s many beer halls and scene of riotous festivity during the Oktoberfest, for a hearty Bavarian supper, washed down by house beer and accompanied by a cabaret display of Bavarian dancing and folklore, with appropriate ‘oompah’ music performed by local actors and dancers clad in authentic Bavarian lederhosen and dirndls.

Day 2 After breakfast, we visit Nymphenburg Palace, where Ludwig was born in 1845. The Baroque Palace, which has displays of Royal porcelain, was built in the 1670s. It was the summer residence of the Wittelsbach family, Europe’s oldest Royal dynasty, who still occupy a wing of the palace today. Following a light lunch there, we return to the city centre and visit the Residenz, the official home of the Wittelsbachs as well as Germany’s largest city palace. The sprawling complex, which contains ten courtyards and no fewer than 130 public rooms, includes the Hercules concert hall, the Court Church and the former Royal riding school and stables, the Marstall. Afterwards, we stroll back to our hotel for dinner.

Day 3 Today is devoted to the Herrenchiemsee, grandest of the castle palaces that Ludwig built. After breakfast, we drive to the Chiemsee, Bavaria’s largest lake, where Ludwig realised his final castle dream by building a palace on Herreninsel island. Building began in 1878, directly inspired by Ludwig’s visit to the palace of Versailles, and it is a monument to royal megalomania: thirty-five seamstresses spent seven years sewing the cover for the royal bed alone. The most extraordinary room here is the gilded Hall of Mirrors, best seen by candlelight, which arguably outdoes the original in Versailles. After lunch, we explore the manicured palace grounds before returning to our hotel in Munich.

Hohenschwangen

Linderhof

Herrenchiemsee Oberammergau

Day 5 We bid farewell to Oberammergau, driving to Linderhof, smallest of the three castles built by Ludwig and the only one he lived to see completed. Building continued between 1863 and Ludwig’s deposition in 1886, during which eight and a half million marks from the King’s personal fortune was spent on this palace. It boasts a Hall of Mirrors and a ‘Moorish Chamber’, decorated in Arabic style with a peacock throne. Later, we travel to our hotel near Neuschwanstein.

Day 6 This morning is devoted to Ludwig’s crowning glory in castle construction: the stunning edifice of Neuschwanstein, the epitome of his wildest Romantic fantasies. Featuring in numerous films, its soaring turrets and wedding-cake walls draw an amazing 1.3 million visitors per year. Built in the Romanesque revival style, the castle was the scene of Ludwig’s arrest in 1886 by his courtiers, exasperated by his eccentricities and the expense of his castle foibles. After wandering the castle’s cavernous chambers, we enjoy lunch and then move on to Hohenschwangen, Ludwig’s childhood home. Here, we have a guided tour of the fortress and grounds with their alpine plants and flowers, before returning to our hotel for dinner.

Day 7 After breakfast on our final day, we return to Munich via Castle Berg on the Starnbergersee lake. This country manor house – small and modest by Ludwig’s grandiose standards – was where the King was confined after his deposition and declared insane. A few days later, he and his physician were found drowned in the lake. The mysterious double death has never been explained. After hearing the story, we continue to Munich and pay our respects to his tomb in St. Michael’s Church, before returning to the airport.

Day 4 After checking out of our hotel, we drive south through the increasingly beautiful scenery of the Bavarian Alps until we reach our goal: the village of Oberammergau itself. We check into our hotel and have the rest of the day free to explore the village. In the evening, we gather at the hotel to hear a local expert give us a lecture on the history of the legendary Passion Play.

Munich city centre in the evening

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First Impressions

Lives & Landscapes of the Impressionists 7 Days | 22nd - 28th September £2,295 | Single Supp: £250

Joined by guest lecturer Andrew Graham-Dixon

R 2019!

NEW FO

Renoir’s iconic ‘Bal du moulin de la Galette’

• Lose yourself in the beauty of Monet’s magnificent gardens at Giverny • Trace the final days of Vincent Van Gogh in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise • Discover the site of Renoir’s studio along with cafés beloved by renowned artists in Montmartre

This groundbreaking tour will tell us all we need to know (and more!) about the most revolutionary painters in the history of art: the French Impressionists. Ranging from the actual landscapes they painted in Normandy and the Seine valley, to visits to the Parisian galleries where their immortal works are shown; to the restaurants where they ate and the cafés where they drank, and informed by talks delivered by top TV art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon, this tour will make you an expert on the bestloved artists in history. We will also visit the legendary gardens of Claude Monet at Giverny, as well as Auvers, the village where Vincent Van Gogh painted his sombre last pictures before ending his life there.

Derided at first for their loose ‘impressionistic’ use of colour and their realistic scenes of everyday life and ordinary people, artists like Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro and Berthe Morisot, with their post-impressionist successors Cezanne and Van Gogh, utterly transformed classical western art and set the scene for the artistic upheavals of the 20th century. A joint venture with Historical Trips’ sister company Brightwater Holidays, who specialise in gardens, this exciting tour gives you the chance to sketch the same scenes captured by the Impressionists, and promises a feast of light, colour and fun.

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Tour Details Led by Dr. Jennifer Mundy A curator of exhibitions, including ‘Surrealism: Desire Unbound and Duchamp’, Jennifer has worked at the Tate for most of her professional career. She published ‘Man Ray: Writings on Art’.

Andrew Graham-Dixon A former art critic for The Independent and the Sunday Telegraph, Andrew is best known for the numerous television programmes on art that he has presented. He is a graduate of Oxford University and the Courtauld Institute of Art.

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners Return ferry crossing and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We meet our guide lecturer, Dr. Jennifer Mundy, in London and travel to the south coast near Newhaven in Sussex, where our guest celebrity speaker, Andrew Graham-Dixon, will deliver an introductory talk. We then board our Club Class ferry to Dieppe, enjoying a buffet lunch on board. Upon arrival in Normandy, we drive west along the coast and enjoy our first sketching stop at Etretat, the chalk coastline immortalised by Claude Monet, who painted its dramatic arches and needles. We continue to our hotel in the tiny charming port of Honfleur, much favoured by the Impressionists, who were encouraged to abandon their studios for the great outdoors by Eugene Bodin, an artist native of Honfleur.

Day 2 After exploring Honfleur, we turn inland. Following the River Seine, we arrive in the great city of Rouen, the capital of Normandy.

We visit and can sketch the city’s cathedral, painted by Monet almost thirty times in all weathers and at all times of day. Camille Pissarro was another artist fascinated by Rouen’s teeming street life, and Paul Gauguin also worked here. We see their pictures in the city’s Musee des Beaux Arts. Enjoy an afternoon free in Rouen, the city where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake, immortalised in paint by the Impressionists and in print by their contemporaries - the Normandy writers Gustave Flaubert and Guy de Maupassant.

Day 3 Today is devoted to stunning Giverny, the home and gardens of the Impressionist leader Claude Monet. We visit the house where Monet, his wife and eight children lived from 1883, and also the churchyard where he was buried after his death in 1926. Monet’s former home is now the Fondation Claude Monet Museum. However, the glory of our visit today is the Clos Normand flower garden, and the Japanese water garden, with its bridges, weeping willows and lilies, so obsessively painted by this most perfectionist of all artists.

We break our visit with lunch at the Ancien Hotel Baudy in the village, which is festooned with paintings and had two artists’ studios in the grounds. We conclude our Giverny visit by viewing the village’s modern Museum of Impressionism. Later, we return to Rouen.

Day 4 We say au revoir to Rouen and drive a short distance to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise where Vincent Van Gogh spent his final months in July 1890, painting the village church, his physician, Dr. Gachet, and the ominous wheatfields with crows as depicted in his last pictures. We visit the site of his lodgings, where he died from a gunshot wound, and Chateau d’Auvers, which has a permanent exhibition on Impressionism, before paying our respects at the graves of Vincent and his brother Theo Van Gogh. We pick up a riverboat on

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qfi

UNITED KINGDOM London

Newhaven

Dieppe Étretat

Rouen Auvers-sur-Oise

Honfleur Paris

FRANCE

the River Seine to enter Paris at leisure by water, passing river scenes painted by Renoir, Seurat, Sisley and other Impressionists. On arrival in Paris, we check into our hotel.

Day 5 On the morning of our first day in the magnificent French capital, we take a leisurely yet scenic walk through the artists’ quarter of Montmartre, where many of the Impressionists lived and worked as young men. While we’re here, we visit the sites of the studios of Renoir, Degas and Monet, as well as their favourite cafés - such as the Moulin de la Galette, painted by Renoir - and the Musee de Montmartre, located in Renoir’s former house. We also have the opportunity to visit the legendary Lapin Agile artists’ cafe. After a break for lunch, we visit the incomparable collection of Impressionist art in the Musee d’Orsay, located on the beautiful Left Bank of the River Seine.

Day 6 In the morning, we take a tour of the Orangerie, a smaller and quieter annexe of the Louvre, and a treasure trove of Impressionist art. For those who wish, the afternoon can be spent at leisure to simply relax or to explore non-Impressionist sites in Paris, but for the hardcore Monet addicts among us, we will make a special stop at the little-known Musee Marmottan, which houses 100 of the Master’s works. In the evening, we return to our hotel for dinner and then there will be a concluding lecture by Andrew Graham-Dixon.

Day 7 We check out of our hotel and return to Britain.

Picturesque village of Auvers-sur-Oise, France

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Enter Napoleon A Military Genius is Born

R 2019!

NEW FO

8 Days | 8th - 15th June £2,595 | Single Supp: £260

Napoleon crossing the Alps, by Jacques-Louis David

• Immerse yourself in the wonders of Milan and Verona, while exploring Napoleon’s first campaign • Set foot on historic battlefields, including Marengo, Lodi and also Rivoli • Experience Italy’s beauty at sites on the shores of Lake Garda as well as in charming inland towns

Arguably the greatest military genius in history, Napoleon Bonaparte remade France and Europe in his own image.

For two decades, he straddled the continent like a colossus, putting his own siblings and marshals on the thrones of Europe and repeatedly defeating the coalitions formed against him. Until he overreached himself invading Russia, the upstart Corsican soldier turned Emperor made the European weather.

Many military historians agree that Napoleon’s first major campaign, in 1796-7, against the Austrians in Italy, was his most brilliant. He took a half-starved, ragtag revolutionary army, and in a whirlwind campaign smashed the Austrian Empire in a series of stunning victories and kicked them out of northern Italy.

In this fascinating tour, Napoleonic expert John Peaty leads us in Bonaparte’s unforgettable footsteps, re-fights his battles, and, shows how, where and why he won his spectacular triumphs.

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Tour Details Led by John Peaty A graduate of King’s College in London, where he earned a PhD and MA, John is the International Secretary and committee member of the British Commission for Military History. He is closely involved with marking the centenary of WWI.

Milan

Day 2 Our first full tour day is devoted to Napoleon’s great victory over the Austrians at Marengo during his second Italian campaign, on June 14th, 1800. Surprised by a sudden Austrian advance on Genoa, Napoleon recovered speedily and smashed the enemy army, inflicting around 12,000 casualties for his own losses of 1,000. The victory clinched French control of Italy and gave Napoleon, who had just made himself First Consul of France, the political clout he needed to proclaim himself Emperor. We visit the fascinating battlefield museum at Marengo, which is home to memorabilia as well as remains, and tells the story of the battle. Exhibits here also analyse the causes, developments and consequences of the battle, and during our visit here, we hope to witness a reenactment of the event itself.

Day 3 We check out of our hotel in Genoa and, following the chronology of the first Italian campaign, we pay a visit to the battlefields of Montenotte (12th April, 1796); Dego (14/15th April); and Mondovi (21st April); in which within a few days, the newly married Napoleon defeated the Austrians and their Piedmontese allies, giving them unwelcome notice that a dangerous new kid was on their block. Less than a month after arriving in Italy, Napoleon had compelled Piedmont to make peace, and conquered Lombardy.

In the evening, we check into our next hotel, which is located in Milan. There will be leisure time this evening, which we can use to explore northern Italy’s greatest city, with its magnificent cathedral, shopping arcades and fashion houses.Visit the iconic Duomo, indulge in a little culture at La Scala or enjoy an aperitif.

Verona Mantua

Dego Mondovi Montenotte

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 After flying into Genoa airport, we check into our hotel, have dinner and hear our guide, John Peaty, introduce the tour.

Lonato

Rivoli

What’s Included • • • •

Lodi

Marengo Genoa Arcola

ITALY

Day 5 Discover the delights of the nearby town of Mantua today, which Napoleon besieged for many months, trapping an Austrian army, and eventually went on to conquer. A destination still considered to be a little off the beaten track, it is known for its fantastic food as well as its rich history. The architecture and atmosphere here are typically Italian, and specialties include delicious pumpkin ravioli, which is worth sampling during your stay!

Day 6 We visit the battlefield of Arcola, where Napoleon first demonstrated his hallmark tactic of splitting the enemy and defeating them piecemeal. But the young General’s victory here was a narrow one: at a desperate moment in the fight, Napoleon seized a standard and carried it into the Austrian ranks, inspiring his troops to achieve another victory.

Day 7 We climb high into the beautiful mountains east of Lake Garda to visit the battlefield of Rivoli, the crowning achievement of Napoleon’s first Italian campaign. Concentrating his forces, Napoleon crushed the Austrians on the 14th and 15th January, 1797, forcing them across the Italian border into the Tyrol. The following month, Mantua surrendered, and Napoleon was the master of northern Italy and able to dictate peace terms to the humbled Austria: precursor of many conquests still to come in his stellar career.

Day 8 After spending time in Verona to shop and sightsee, we fly home from the city’s airport.

Day 4 This morning, after checking out of our hotel, we head towards Verona, visiting the battlefield of Lodi, the scene of one of Napoleon’s greatest feats of arms, on the way. After crossing the River Po in hot pursuit of the enemy, the young General attacked the Austrian rearguard on May 10th, 1796, storming a well-defended bridge and achieving an awesome triumph. Stopping on the southern shore of the lovely Lake Garda, we visit the battlefield of Lonato (3rd August, 1796), where the Austrians were again defeated. In the evening, we reach Verona - the city of Romeo and Juliet - and, after checking into our hotel, we have time to explore the centre, with its beautiful Roman amphitheatre, which is still used for theatrical, opera and musical spectaculars today.

Gate through the medieval city walls, Genoa

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qna

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Napoleon’s Last Stand: The Waterloo Campaign, 1815 4 Days | 13th - 16th June £1,495 | Single Supp: £150

Lady Elizabeth Butler’s ‘Scotland Forever!’

• Walk around the battlefield of Waterloo as our guide recounts stories from the site • Ascend the conical hill to stand before the Lion’s Mound statue, which offers a great panoramic view • Explore Wellington’s headquarters in Waterloo as well as the parish church

Waterloo was the last hurrah of Napoleon Bonaparte. After dominating Europe for two decades, the fallen French Emperor, temporarily restored to power after escaping exile on the island of Elba, finally met his match on Belgian battlefields around the city of Brussels.

His adversaries in the short but bloody Waterloo campaign were Britain’s Duke of Wellington and Prussia’s Marshal Blucher.

This short but enthralling tour, led by one of Britain’s most renowned military historians, Gordon Corrigan, tells the story of the three battles that finally put paid to Bonaparte: Ligny, Quatre Bras and Waterloo itself.

Victory over the greatest military genius of the age was finally achieved, but – as the iron Duke himself admitted - it was a ‘damned near run thing’.

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Tour Details Led by Major Gordon Corrigan, MBE A military historian and one of our leading battlefield guides, Gordon is a former officer with the Royal Gurkha Rifles. He is a graduate of Sandhurst Military Academy and his books include ‘Waterloo: A New History’.

London

Lille Brussels Waterloo

What’s Included • Tour manager & guide lecturer • 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 dinners • Return Eurostar journey and all local travel • Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 After meeting at St. Pancras in London, we travel by Eurostar to Lille in France and connect with our luxury coach, which will whisk us to the Grande Hotel, Waterloo. This will be our accommodation throughout the tour. Before dinner, our guide lecturer Gordon Corrigan will give a talk introducing the campaign.

He will talk us through the build-up to the battles, explaining how Bonaparte decided on a preemptive strike against the allies before they had the time to unite and bring the weight of their numbers against him.

Day 2 Today, we examine the two battles that preceded the grand climax of Waterloo, Ligny and Quatre Bras. In the morning, we take a walk to the battlefield of Ligny, in which Napoleon, deploying his famous tactic of dividing his enemies and attacking them piecemeal, attacked Blucher’s Prussians and drove them back: it was the great soldier’s last victory. Though beaten, Blucher’s Prussian army remained intact, and reinforced by two corps, were able to arrive at Waterloo in time to clinch Wellington’s victory. After lunch in the town of Nivelle, the afternoon is devoted to the second battle of the campaign, fought on the same day as Ligny, June 16th, 1815, Quatre Bras (‘Four Arms’: named for the crossroads around which the battle was fought). This indecisive clash, fought between the French under Marshal Michael Ney, ‘the bravest of the brave’, and the Allied British, Dutch and German army under Wellington, is classed as a tactical French victory, but a strategic allied one. Ney gained his objectives, but failed to destroy the allies, who remained an army in being, living to fight another day. We return to our hotel for dinner, which we enjoy together as a group.

Day 3 We leave our hotel after breakfast and begin our visit to the battlefield of Waterloo, fought on June 18th, just two days after Ligny and Quatre Bras. In the morning, we climb the steep artificial mound to the Lion monument that overlooks the famous field. After it was built, Wellington complained that the mound had “spoiled my battlefield”. After surveying the superb painted panorama of the battle, Gordon will then walk the battlefield with us, explaining the early French attacks on Wellington’s infantry drawn up in squares, as well as the savage assaults on the strongpoints of Hougemont farm and La Haie Sainte. After lunch at Mont-Saint-Jean and a visit to the modern Waterloo Visitors’ Centre, where fascinating exhibits await our discovery in a modern building, our afternoon is then devoted to exploring the rest of the battle, including the final assault of Napoleon’s elite Imperial Guard, the arrival of the Prussians on Napoleon’s right flank, and the final French collapse. Later on, we return to our hotel for an evening meal and the chance to discuss the day’s sites and stories together.

Day 4 We check out of the hotel and spend a morning considering the aftermath of the battle, visiting Wellington’s headquarters in Waterloo and also the parish church. Our final port of call is to pay our respects at the British mausoleum in the cemetery of the Belgian capital of Brussels, which contains the bodies of some of those killed in the battle. We return to Lille and catch the Eurostar, which will speed us back to London.

The Lion of Waterloo

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qnl

Lion`s Mound battlefield monument at Waterloo, Belgium

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Darts of Love

The Lives and Wives of Henry VIII 8 Days | 4th - 11th June £1,695 | Single Supp: £170

Henry VIII and Jane Seymour at Hampton Court

• Be treated to a private tour of the home of Sir Thomas Wyatt, rumoured lover of Anne Boleyn • Discover the Tower of London’s history, and visit the graves of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard • Exclusive tours of Hever Castle and Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire

Everyone knows the popular rhyme, “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived,” which refers to the six wives of Henry VIII. The second Tudor king is rightly famous as England’s most married monarch, with one contemporary exclaiming, after the end of only his fourth marriage, “What a man is this king! How many wives will he have?” The lives of the six women who had the misfortune to marry Henry VIII are less well known than their ultimate fates. Catherine of Aragon, who arrived in England to marry Henry’s older brother, failed to bear a healthy son. She ended her life, discarded at Kimbolton Castle.

Catherine was supplanted by the famous Anne Boleyn, who also failed to produce a male heir, and was beheaded in the Tower of London on charges of adultery. Jane Seymour, a lady in waiting to both her predecessors, gave birth to a son at Hampton Court, but died twelve days later. In December 1539, Anne of Cleves arrived to marry the king, but he took an instant dislike to her at their first meeting. His fifth marriage, to Catherine Howard, also ended on the executioner’s block. Lastly, the twice widowed Catherine Parr married the king. This sixth queen, the first English woman to publish a book under her own name, died only eighteen months after Henry at Sudeley Castle. Many sites associated with the six wives survive. This tour tells the story of Henry’s unfortunate queens through the places most associated with them.

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Tour Details

UNITED KINGDOM

Led by Elizabeth Norton With thirteen books to her name, Elizabeth is known for her expertise on the Tudor queens of England. She is a frequent contributor to historical publications, such as Who Do You Think You Are? and BBC History magazines.

Ambion Ln

Sudeley Castle

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 dinners All local travel and return journey to London Victoria Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 After meeting at London Victoria, we drive to Rochester Castle in Kent, where Henry VIII met his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, for the first time. Rumour has it that he declared that he had been brought a ‘Flanders Mare’ instead of a woman, when he first met his bride. We then travel to Allington Castle for lunch, before enjoying a private tour in the home of Sir Thomas Wyatt, who was rumoured to be a lover of Anne Boleyn’s. Wyatt was imprisoned in the Tower, but escaped the deaths inflicted upon other men in Anne’s close circle.

From here, we drive over to Hever Castle - Anne’s childhood home with its truly delightful gardens - where we have our evening meal together and then spend the night.

Day 2 In the morning, we enjoy a private tour of Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s family home, as well as that of her elder sister Mary, who had been Henry’s mistress. After lunch, we will head over to the nearby Penshurst Place, one of England’s largest and most palatial stately homes, which was granted to Anne of Cleves following the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII. The house itself was later home to the quintessential Elizabethan poet and courtier, Sir Philip Sidney. Our overnight stay will be at the four-star Lensbury Hotel, nestled on the banks of the River Thames at Teddington.

Day 3 Travelling through the Thames Valley, we spend the day in the splendid surroundings of Hampton Court, one of Henry VIII’s favourite palaces after he wrestled it from the reluctant grasp of the man who built it: his chief minister, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Henry spent time there with all of his six wives, with his last five particularly associated with the palace. Here, we tour the spectacular Tudor state apartments, including the haunted gallery, which the screaming ghost of Catherine Howard is reputed to haunt. We also visit the Chapel Royal, where the King received confirmation of Catherine’s infidelity and where Prince Edward - son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour - was christened. We return to the Lensbury for the night.

Great Bedwyn

Lincoln

Peterborough Cathedral

Kimbolton Castle

Windsor Castle

London

Hampton Court

Rochester Allington

Hever Castle

Day 5 We spend the morning exploring Sudeley Castle, which was the final home of Henry VIII’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr. She died there in September 1548, after the birth of her only child. We will then drive to Lincoln, stopping at the Bosworth Battlefield Centre, which witnessed the birth of the Tudor dynasty. We will stay in Lincoln for the next two nights.

Day 6 We drive over to Gainsborough Old Hall in the morning, which is the well preserved home of Catherine Parr during her first marriage to Edward Burgh. In the afternoon, we visit the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace at Lincoln, where Henry VIII and Catherine Howard stayed in 1541. This was one of the places where she secretly met with her lover, Thomas Culpeper. There will also be time to explore Lincoln Cathedral.

Day 7 In the morning, we drive southwards to Peterborough Cathedral, to visit the final resting place of Henry VIII’s first - and most long-lasting - wife, Catherine of Aragon. We then enjoy a private tour of Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire, which was Catherine’s final residence. She died there in January 1536, and according to an autopsy, her heart was consumed by a black tumour. We will spend the night near Kimbolton.

Day 8 After driving to London, we end our tour at the Tower of London, where both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were executed. We visit the scaffold site, as well as the graves of the two queens in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower. We then return to London Victoria in the afternoon.

Day 4 Our morning will be spent at Windsor Castle, the oldest continuously occupied castle in the world. Henry VIII is buried there with Jane Seymour, while he also spent time with his other wives in the castle. We will then drive to Great Bedwyn in Wiltshire, which was a few miles from the Seymour family home of Wolf Hall. The tombs of Jane Seymour’s father, Sir John Seymour, and her brother, can be viewed, as can stained glass from the original Wolf Hall.

We spend the night near Sudeley in Gloucestershire.

Lincoln Cathedral’s nave

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qdl

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“The tours have taken me to places I’d never have been able to access on my own.” – Recent guest

20th Century 46

Call us today 01722 569776

20th Century Tours Known as the bloodiest in human history, the 20th century made our world. The two World Wars shaped our very existence, while political extremes still echo in today’s Europe.

Our twin tours, ‘The Face of Evil’ and ‘Duce!’, both explore and explain the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy. Other tours included under this category will look at the female heroines of World War Two as well as the unbelievable suffering of Poland, where this conflict began.

01722 569776 www.historicaltrips.com info@historicaltrips.com

Gangster companions with guns and money

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The Great War

An Introduction to the Western Front 5 Days | 2nd - 6th July £1,495 | Single Supp: £150

British WWI soldiers in a front line trench

• Spend an entire day discovering the haunting Somme battlefield • See the collections at the unique Wellington Quarry Underground Tunnel Museum in Arras • Meet the man who found the British tank, known as ‘Deborah’, on the Cambrai battlefield

To coincide with the 100th anniversary of the end of First World War, Historical Trips co-founder Nigel Jones will guide this introductory tour of the Western Front. An insightful and unique perspective on the conflict awaits, borne not just of years of study, or of the 400-mile journey he made on foot along the course of the trenches — chronicled in his first book ‘The War Walk’ — but of a tangible personal connection. His father served on the staff of Field Marshal Douglas Haig during the war, and his uncle was killed, aged just 18, near Ypres in July 1915.

Visiting both Belgium and France, we follow the old trench lines along which Europe’s youth sacrificed themselves for the four devastating years of the conflict. Here, Nigel will discuss the origins of the war, the key personalities involved, the tensions between officers and men, the Great War poets spawned in the midst of the mud and misery, and the precarious Peace Settlement reached at Versailles. This tour provides an expert and deeply personal account of a global conflict, one which irrevocably changed the course of 20th century history, as well as the lives of the millions who fought ‘in Flanders Fields’.

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London

Tour Details Led by Nigel Jones A specialist in 20th century history, he has written for a number of national publications and was editor on both History Today and BBC History magazine. He is a co-founder of Historical Trips and has published eight non-fiction books to date.

UNITED KINGDOM

Day 2 This morning, we visit the ‘In Flanders Fields’ Museum, housed in Ypres’ meticulously reconstructed Medieval Cloth Hall.

Here, we find the story of the First World War in the West Flanders region presented to us in exhibits and collections. Then, we leave Ypres for Essex Farm Cemetery, where the Canadian doctor John McRae - author of ‘In Flanders Fields’ - treated the wounded.

After a visit to the German Cemetery at Langemarck, we pay our respects at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, the largest on the Western Front, before driving out to the ‘Pool of Peace’ at Spanbroekmolen. This water-filled crater is the site of the largest of 19 mines detonated before the battle of Messines Ridge in June 1917.

In 1914, it was the site of a windmill, but at the end of the First Battle of Ypres, the German Front Line was established here so it saw a lot of change. Finally, we head to Ploegsteert (‘Plug Street’) Wood, site of the brief ‘Christmas Truce’ of 1914 and the battalion HQ of Winston Churchill during his six months in the trenches.

Ypres

Menestraat

Arras

FRANCE

Tour manager & guide lecturer 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 4 dinners Return ferry crossing and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We meet in London before heading to Dover, where we make our crossing to Calais. During our journey, Nigel will give an on-board talk about the coming of the Great War. Upon arrival, after freshening up at our Ypres hotel, we walk to the Menin Gate, which was built to commemorate the 50,000 men who fell in the Salient and have no known grave. Every evening, the town’s fire brigade sound the Last Post in tribute to those who died here. After the ceremony, we return to our hotel for dinner.

Calais

BELGIUM

What’s Included • • • •

Dover

Cambrai The Somme

Day 4 A visit to Vimy Ridge, the scene of bitter fighting during the Battle of Arras in 1917, is how our day begins. Once we’ve had time to take in the site, we move on to the unusual Wellington Quarry Underground Tunnel Museum located in the city of Arras. This unique museum tells the often-overlooked story of the New Zealand miners, who constructed a network of tunnels under the German front lines.

Here, we descend into the tunnels themselves and hear stories of hand-to-hand encounters between Commonwealth and German miners deep underground. In the afternoon, we make our way out to Flesquières and hear an account of the Battle of Cambrai, before visiting the British tank ‘Deborah’, and hearing her story from the man who found her on the Cambrai battlefield - and who has also spent many painstaking years researching her story. We return to our hotel later in the afternoon and enjoy some well-deserved leisure time before we have our final group dinner.

Day 5 On our final day, we drive to the village of Ors, the scene of the last battle of the war on November 4th, 1918. No fewer than seven VCs were won in one morning by those storming the Sambre-Oise canal, and among those killed was renowned war poet Wilfred Owen — we pay our respects at a series of sites with which he is associated, including the spot where he died along with his grave. Finally, we return to Calais for our ferry crossing, arriving in London in the late afternoon.

Day 3 Today is devoted entirely to visiting the haunting Somme battlefield, where the landscape really tells a story. Shellholes, cemeteries and remains of trenches are a sobering reminder of the horrors of war, and The Remembrance Trail lets visitors explore the main sites of remembrance to be found in this area. We begin with a visit to the front line trenches and memorials to the Pals battalions at Sheffield Memorial Park, before sitting down to a light group lunch at ‘Ocean Villas’ cafe in the village of Auchonvillers. From here, we move on to the Newfoundland Memorial Park, which was given to Canada in gratitude for the sacrifice of the Newfoundlers here on July 1st in 1916, before visiting the Thiepval Museum and Sir Edwin Lutyens’ impressive, unflinching Memorial Arch, inscribed with the names of 72,000 of those who fell and are missing on the Somme. We end the day with a visit to the Lochnagar mine crater at Ovilliers, and a walk into the sinister Mametz Wood, described by Siegfried Sassoon as “a menacing wall of gloom [with] an outburst of rapid thudding explosion”.

Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qgw

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Duce!

The Rise and Fall of Italian Fascism 8 Days | 2nd - 9th April £2,895 | Single Supp: £289

Mussolini in Munich, Germany on June 18, 1940

• Open the door of Mussolini’s bedroom during our stay at Villa Carpena, furnished exactly as it was • Visit Mussolini’s birthplace museum as well as his family tomb, where his body was interred in 1957 • Gaze in awe at the fantastical Vittoriale degli italiani, an opulent and eccentric lakeside villa

Most notorious in Hitler’s Nazi Germany, the creed of Fascism dominated the mid-20th century history of Europe and of the wider world. But it was Benito Mussolini, who ruled Italy as its dictator from 1922 until his downfall and violent death amid the chaotic last days of World War Two, who created it.Visit his birthplace and tomb in Predappio, now a controversial neo-Fascist shrine; see the remote Apennine mountains hotel where Nazi commandos staged a glider-borne rescue of the deposed dictator, and contemplate the extant examples of Fascist art and architecture in Rome.

At many points throughout our journey, our idyllic surroundings belie the dark deeds that were undertaken there. We refresh ourselves in the luxury Lake Garda hotel that, in the dying days of the war, served as the HQ of Mussolini’s radical Italian Social Republic, and retrace the desperate Duce’s last journey along the shores of Lake Como to the site of his summary execution in April 1945. Touring will be enlivened by talks from our expert guide lecturer, Nigel Jones. This highly original tour, a twin to our acclaimed Face of Evil tour of Nazi Germany, aims to give our guests a penetrating insight into Mussolini the man, his regime, and his doctrine, which still has uncomfortable echoes across contemporary Europe.

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Tour Details

Lake Como

Led by Nigel Jones A specialist in 20th century history, he has written for a number of national publications and was editor on both History Today and BBC History magazine. He is a co-founder of Historical Trips.

Milan

Lake Garda Verona

ITALY

Forli Predappio

Apennine mountains

Led by Nicholas Farrell A British journalist, historian and biographer, he currently writes on Italian affairs for The Spectator.

Nicholas lives in Italy and he is also the author of ‘Mussolini: A New Life’.

Rome

What’s Included

• • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 6 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 After our flight, we arrive in Rome and transfer to our hotel.

We have dinner and enjoy welcome drinks, as well as an introductory talk from one of our guide lecturers, Nigel Jones.

Day 2 Today, we take a tour of the EUR district, home to many examples of Fascist modernist architecture intended to showcase the ‘progressive’ nature of the regime. As well as paying a visit to the Piazza Venezia, and the balcony from where Mussolini delivered his speeches to ecstatic crowds of his admirers, we end the day with a visit to the Villa Torlonia. This grand Neoclassical beauty was the Duce’s Rome residence, rented by him from the 1920s onwards for a nominal one lira a year!

Day 3 We begin our day with a visit to the Foro Italico sports complex, which strove to emphasise Fascism’s spurious continuity with the glories of ancient Rome. We visit the sombre site of one of Fascism’s darkest deeds: the massacre of 335 innocents in the Ardeatine caves carried out by the Nazis in March 1944, in reprisal for a partisan attack on a German column. We climb high into the spectacular Appenine mountains, arriving at the Hotel Campo Imperatore on the Gran Sasso. Here, we visit the same hotel where, in 1943, German paratroops and Waffen SS commandos staged a glider raid, described by Churchill as ‘of very great daring’, to rescue Mussolini after he was deposed and arrested by his own Fascist Grand Council. Our stay includes a private view of Mussolini’s bedroom, furnished as it was during his enforced stay.

Day 6 In Salo, the lakeside resort that lent its name to Mussolini’s radical regime — set up in 1943, while northern Italy was still controlled by the Germans and their Fascist allies — we visit the Mussolini museum. Then, after lunch, we visit the eccentric Vittoriale, the grandiose home of poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, a prophetic forerunner of Fascism and rival to Mussolini. An amazing combination of taste and kitsch, the house and grounds, with their sunken ship, have to be seen to be believed! We end the day with refreshments at the luxury Villa Feltrinelli Grand Hotel, Mussolini’s home and headquarters during the Salo republic.

Day 7 We drive to Lake Como, rivalling Garda in the beauty of its scenery. After checking into our hotel, we replay the Duce’s final hours as he desperately drove north towards Switzerland in April 1945. Disguised in a German uniform, he was arrested in the lakeside town of Dongo and executed with his mistress Clara Petacci by partisans at the gates of the nearby Villa Belmonte. This evening, we have free time to spend on Lake Como.

Day 8 Today, we drive to Milan to visit the two city squares that bookend the beginning and end of Italian Fascism. On the Piazza san Sepulcro on March 23rd, 1919, the Fascist party was founded.

In the Piazza san Loreto on April 29th, 1945, the executed bodies of Mussolini, his mistress, and his closest collaborators were displayed and degraded. After visiting these sites, we fly back to London.

Day 4 Today we drive to Predappio, Mussolini’s hometown and burial place. Along with nearby Forlì, where we stay this evening, the town was named ‘La Città del Duce’ or ‘the city of the Leader’. Here, we see Mussolini’s Casa Natale, or birthplace museum, and the family tomb where, after many vicissitudes, his body was eventually interred in 1957. Afterwards, we have the opportunity to explore the shops on Predappio’s main street, controversially still selling souvenirs and relics that celebrate the town’s most infamous son.

Day 5 Visit the Villa Carpena, a museum of Fascism that was the home of the Mussolini family. We then drive to Verona, where we visit the scene of the trial and execution of Mussolini’s son-in-law and former Foreign Minister - Count Ciano, before lunch. After, we continue to the glorious scenery of Lake Garda, centre of the Italian Social Republic run by Mussolini under German ‘guidance’ in the last days of the war. After checking into our hotel, we stop at the Villa Flordaliso, where Mussolini cavorted with his mistress, Clara Petacci.

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qrf

EUR:The Palace of Italian Civilisation

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Face of Evil

Rise & Fall of the Third Reich 9 Days | 8th - 16th June £2,695 | Single Supp: £269

Adolf Hitler happily dances a jig before signing of the WWII French Armistice on June 22, 1940

• Let Hitler’s lift whisk you to the summit of Kehlstein mountain for lunch with amazing views • Tour the remains of the Berghof, Hitler’s home, and the court where Nazism was condemned • Explore a variety of notorious sites that have historic links to the Nazi regime and its downfall

Our groundbreaking ‘Face of Evil’ tour follows the story of Nazi Germany, beginning with the Party’s birth in the beer halls of 1919 Munich and ending with the Third Reich’s demise, in the ruins of 1945 Berlin. We see how Germany embarked upon this catastrophic direction in its history. We learn how the country elected the Nazis, the methods the Nazis used to sustain themselves in power, and the perpetration of some of the most murderous crimes in history. Finally, we hear about the fate of Germany itself as it was propelled along this path of self-destruction with ruinous consequences.

In Munich, we examine such milestones as the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch - Hitler’s first abortive attempt to seize power; we visit the first Nazi concentration camp at Dachau; and we dine in the famous Munich Hofbräuhaus, where Hitler unveiled the 25-point Nazi party programme. In Berchtesgaden, we have lunch at the Eagle’s Nest, on the mountain where Hitler relaxed and entertained his courtiers. Our final destination is Berlin, visiting the lakeside villa at Wannsee, where the Holocaust was planned in chilling detail. We descend into a newly excavated air-raid shelter complex and see the Topography of Terror exhibition, which documents the atrocities of Hitler’s criminal regime in all their horror.

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Wannsee

Berlin

Tour Details

GERMANY

Led by Nigel Jones A specialist in 20th century history, he has written for a number of national publications and was editor on both History Today and BBC History magazine. He is a co-founder of Historical Trips.

Led by Roger Moorhouse Co-founder of Historical Trips and one of the world’s leading experts on Nazi Germany, Roger is Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Warsaw, where he lectures on Totalitarianism.

Nuremberg

Dachau Munich

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 8 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout

Berchtesgaden

Day 1 We fly to Bavaria’s ancient capital, Munich, cradle of the Nazi movement. After checking in to our hotel, one of our guide lecturers, Nigel Jones, will give an introductory lecture, ‘The birth of the Nazi Party’. Following the talk, we will sit down to our first dinner together as a group at the hotel.

Day 5 A walk around the Nuremberg Rally grounds, where the Nazi faithful gathered in mass rallies each year until 1938, gets our day off to an active start. We visit the museum, which explains the context of the Rallies. Later, we see Courtroom 600, where the Nazi regime was subject to a final judgement at the Nuremberg Trials.

Day 2 This morning, we drive out to Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, recognisable to most for its infamous inscription ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’. Our tour takes in the camp huts, gas chamber and also the crematorium, and we can also pay our respects at the memorials honouring those who died. This afternoon, we make our return to Munich, where we visit the Documentation Centre. Later on in the day, we take a walk through the city, starting at the former Sterneckerbräu, where Hitler first encountered the Nazi party, and we follow in the footsteps of the 1923 Beer Hall Putschists to the Odeonsplatz, Munich’s central square. We end the first full day of our tour with a group dinner in the Hofbräuhaus, Munich’s biggest beer hall, where Hitler unveiled the 25-point Nazi party programme in 1920.

Day 6 We check out of our hotel this morning and head for the German capital of Berlin, stopping at Bayreuth, home to Richard Wagner and the opera festival so beloved by Hitler.

Day 3 We say goodbye to Munich and take a drive through the beautiful Bavarian Alps to Berchtesgaden, the mountain town that Hitler and his cohorts adopted as their playground. Upon our arrival here, we are whisked in Hitler’s lift to the summit of the Kehlstein mountain, for lunch at a restaurant that boasts truly spectacular views. At 1,834m (6,017ft), the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ was a luxurious gift given for Hitler’s 50th birthday. Here, we have a guided tour of the building and can find out more about its history and the stories housed within its walls. In the evening, we enjoy another lecture - this time on Berchtesgaden.

Day 7 After breakfast, we travel to Wannsee, the lakeside villa where the ‘Final Solution’ was planned by the Nazi leadership in 1942.

Tour the villa’s museum, which houses original documents from the Wannsee Conference and detailed exhibits about the deportation and extermination of Jews. Afterwards, we visit the Topography of Terror exhibition, which details Nazi crimes in Germany and throughout Europe. Later, there is a lecture on the Holocaust.

Day 8 The first stop today is the Gesundbrunnen air raid shelter, built beneath an underground station. We explore the Humboldthain Flak Tower, built to protect the city from air raids by allied bombers.

In the afternoon, we visit the Museum of the German Resistance on the site of Stauffenberg’s failed 1944 putsch. Tonight, we will stay in Berlin and we can pack our bags ready for the journey home tomorrow. However, one final visit awaits us in the morning.

Day 9 Our last day has arrived! We begin with a walking tour of Berlin, taking the Reichstag and Holocaust Memorial, and we end at the site of Hitler’s Bunker. Once we’ve finished our explorations, we drive to the airport and head back home.

Day 4 Today, we visit the site of the Berghof, Hitler’s home, where he spent time with his inner circle and also met with foreign VIPs, including Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

After the war, the Berghof was demolished, but the foundations remain. We then tour the Documentation Centre, an excellent museum recording Hitler’s links with the area, and the history of the Nazi movement. Here, the permanent exhibition “Fascination and Terror” explores the causes and consequences of Nazi Germany.

Next, we explore underground tunnels, which were dug by the SS beneath their mountain lair, before continuing on to Nuremberg.

In the evening, we have an enlightening lecture on the Nuremberg rallies and post-war trials.

Postage stamps of the Third Reich

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qfe

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Poland at War

Invasion, Resistance and the Holocaust 8 Days | 24th June - 1st July £2,195 | Single Supp: £219

Mirador in Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp

• Take a fully comprehensive tour of historic Gdańsk, stopping at points of significant interest • Enter the haunting death camp remains of Treblinka and feel the weight of its dark history • Spend time at Oskar Schindler’s former factory in Kraków

If any country experienced the Second World War to its full murderous extent, it was Poland. Fought over and occupied by the totalitarian regimes of Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union, its people endured the most brutal occupation imaginable.

Soon, Germany would begin its systematic persecution of the country’s Jewish population, culminating with the building of extermination camps Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Majdanek. Here, it became apparent that Poland was the last stage in the Nazis’ “Final Solution to the Jewish Question”.

The diabolical restrictions on Polish citizens spawned one of the War’s most effective resistance movements — the Home Army. The 1943-44 Warsaw uprising, fought against German attempts to transport its Jewish inhabitants to the Nazi death camps, lasted nearly four weeks before the ghetto was razed. Follow the story of these brave attempts to derail one of the most devastating genocides in human history. We take a cross-country journey that begins with the War’s opening shots at Gdansk’s Westerplatte, visits the nation’s capital, Warsaw, and culminates at its cultural heart, Kraków. This sobering tour provides a much-needed overview of a complex, murderous and literally earth-shattering period.

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Gdańsk

Tour Details

Wolf’s Lair

Led by Roger Moorhouse Co-founder of Historical Trips and one of the world’s leading experts on Nazi Germany, Roger is Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Warsaw, where he lectures on Totalitarianism. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

POLAND

Treblinka Powązkowska

Warsaw

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout

Day 1 We arrive in the unique city of Gdańsk and after checking in to our comfortable hotel, we enjoy introductory drinks as well as a fascinating lecture on the September Campaign. Roger will tell us how the war began here when the Nazis used the status of Gdansk as an excuse to invade and subjugate Poland. This destination has a distinctive feel with varied architecture that reflects its diverse history, and there are many sites to be visited during our time here - from the Gothic defensive walls of the main town to the cathedral, which suffered significant damage in 1945.

Day 2 Our first full day of the tour has arrived. We begin this morning with an all-encompassing exploration of the ancient heart of Gdańsk, site of the very first battles of the Second World War. Notable stops here include the harbour channel of Westerplatte, and the cathedral, heavily damaged when the city was stormed by the Red Army. Westerplatte, a peninsula in the Bay of Gdansk, saw a battle take place on September 1st, 1939, that marked the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. The cathedral, meanwhile, was left in a terrible state of disrepair in 1945 as the wooden roof burned, causing the ceiling to fall in on itself; the windows were destroyed and a number of its large vaults eventually collapsed.

Day 3 Today we visit one of the war’s most famous sites: Ketrzyn, the former headquarters of Adolf Hitler, known as the Wolf’s Lair, from where he directed the war against Russia on the Eastern front.

Then part of German East Prussia and known as Rastenburg, this purpose-built complex, set deep in a forest landscape, was the scene on July 20, 1944, of the famous assassination attempt on the Fuhrer’s life, carried out by Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg. We drive on to an even more notorious location: the site of the Nazi death camp at Treblinka, east of Warsaw, where, in just a short space of time, hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered, giving the camp a death toll second only to Auschwitz.

Kraków Auschwitz

Day 5 Hitler gave orders that Warsaw, Poland’s capital, should be razed to the ground – and by the war’s end, 90% of it had been destroyed by Nazi bombing and street fighting in the Warsaw and Warsaw ghetto uprisings. An estimated 200,000 of the city’s population died. Building by building, the heart of the old city has been lovingly and meticulously restored, as we shall see during our tour of the Old Town.

Day 6 We drive south to Poland’s second city, Kraków. The ancient capital of the nation, and now the country’s cultural heart; Kraków largely escaped the destruction wrought on Warsaw, but was nevertheless the centre of many significant events. The castle was the HQ of the German occupation under the brutal and corrupt Nazi overlord Hans Frank, Hitler’s personal lawyer; and Kraków was also the scene of Oskar Schindler’s successful effort to save scores of Jews from the death camps by employing them at his factory in the city. We tour Krakow’s most notable sites, including the Cloth Hall.

Day 7 Today is a truly challenging day, as it is devoted to the world’s most notorious historic site: the extermination camp of AuschwitzBirkenau. Here, around a million Jews from all over Europe, were exterminated in the gas chambers, worked to death or perished of disease and starvation. We tour the camp’s museum, with its exhibits of the personal possessions brought here by those about to die.

Day 8 Our final morning focuses on one of the country’s more uplifting sites: Oskar Schindler’s former factory in Kraków. After lunch, we transfer to the airport for our return home.

Day 4 This morning, we are the living in the company of Poland’s dead heroes – notably the famous pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman – when we tour the famous and beautiful Powazki cemetery. After lunch, the afternoon is devoted to a visit to the National Military Museum, which tells the story of Poland’s part in the Second World War as well as that of the many previous conflicts that have divided the prostrate nation.

Market square in Kraków at sunrise and Mariacki Cathedral

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qpo

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Malta

The Two Sieges 5 Days | 20th - 24th May £1,695 | Single Supp: £180

Valletta, Malta

• Experience the charm and atmosphere of 2018’s European Capital of Culture, Valletta • Visit the port airfield of Kalafrana, RAF Hal Far and also Fort Rinella • Spend a delicious lunch time at the Meridiana Wine Estate, a former RAF ops building

The Mediterranean island of Malta – then a British colony – was famously awarded a collective George Cross for its heroism in enduring a long siege by German and Italian aircraft and ships in the Second World War. This tour highlights the island’s bravery in that struggle, but reveals that Malta had been besieged before, in 1565, when Ottoman Turks attacked in a bid to oust the military order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who were holding the island. The subsequent siege lasted three months, three weeks and three days before the 2,000 Knights, aided by some 500 Maltese civilians, were victorious.

This tour, led by military historian Col. Paul Beaver, tells the heroic story of both sieges.

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Tour Details Led by Colonel Paul Beaver After working as a journalist for Sky News during the Gulf War, Paul spent time as an independent defence and aerospace consultant. He is a leading military and political historian, as well as a member of the British Commission on Military History.

MALTA

For Saint Elmo Attard Ta’ Qali

Valletta

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 4 dinners Return flights and all local travel Hand-picked hotels throughout

Day 1 We fly to Malta from London’s Gatwick Airport. Upon our arrival, we drive across the island to our hotel in Valletta, Malta’s historic capital and 2018’s European Capital of Culture, with its churches, grid layout, and enormous and beautiful harbour – a central point of contention in both sieges. After settling in and freshening up, we meet up for drinks and hear an introductory pre-dinner talk from our guide, Col. Paul Beaver, who will set the scene by telling the thrilling and tragic story of the two sieges.

Day 2 Our day begins with a visit to Fort St. Elmo, the imposing fortress that guards the mouth of Valletta’s Grand harbour, which was built within six months to prepare for the Great Siege, but reduced to rubble by cannon fire during the course of it, and was eventually captured by the Ottomans, who slaughtered 1,500 members of the garrison - though at the cost of some 6,000 of their best troops, including their commander, Dragut. From here, we move on to Malta Museum, which has a large range of pictures and artefacts from both sieges. After lunch, we treat ourselves to a boat trip around the huge harbour, with Paul giving an informed commentary on the fortifications that we pass. In the evening, we drive on to Mdina, the island’s ancient capital in the centre of Malta. Built by the Arabs, Mdina wears its antiquity lightly and is a crossroads of the different cultures that make up Malta’s heritage. We dine here and later make our return to Valletta.

Hal Far

Kalafrana

Day 3 Our first visit today is to the site of RAF Hal Far, known as HMS Falcon, the main airfield in Malta during the Second World War. A ferocious 2,300 tons of bombs were dropped on the airfield between 1940 and 1943, damaging buildings and killing thirty people.

Spitfires, Swordfish, Hurricanes and other aircraft defended the base.

We also visit the nearby port airfield of Kalafrana, the main base for seaplanes. After lunch, we visit Fort Rinella, which houses the world’s largest cannon, and we will also have the opportunity to fire cannons and muskets while we’re here! We then tour the tunnels of the Lascaris War Rooms, the underground nerve centre from where the defence of Malta was master-minded. Our day ends with seeing and hearing the Saluting Battery fire their daily round. Dinner will be on the water, accompanied by an interesting talk on the siege.

Day 4 Following a drive to the Aviation Museum at Ta’qali, we hear the dramatic story of the Air War over Malta. A stop for lunch at the delightful Meridiana vineyard breaks up our day and it will be accompanied by a talk on the veranda on Air Operations over Malta, which were conducted from the former RAF Ops Building – the very site that now houses the winery. Our farewell dinner comes later tonight at our hotel and we can look back at the experiences this great week has afforded us.

Day 5 We have a relaxing morning to ourselves to enjoy the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Valletta. There will be some free time available to us for either lunch or further discovery before we head to the airport at about 2pm for our flight back to London, landing in the early evening.

The Medieval Knights helmets in Mdina, Malta

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qim

View from Fort St. Elmo

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‘Cosa Nostra’ Sicily & the Mafia 7 Days | 9th - 14th June £2,795 | Single Supp: £280

R 2019!

NEW FO

Italian Mafia members in the 1930s

• Eat at a restaurant whose owner lectures about Mafia protection rackets at Sicilian schools • See the Grand Hotel Ed Des Palmes, where the New York and Sicilian Mafia forged a partnership • Encounter the dark side of Sicily with interesting site visits and lectures

The “Godfather” films of Francis Ford Coppola and the Mafia movies of Martin Scorsese, such as ‘Goodfellas’, have glamourised what is actually the cruel and ugly reality of organised crime in the island where it originated - Sicily.

In this controversially unique and groundbreaking tour, Historical Trips will take guests for a walk on the dark side of the sun-kissed Sicilian streets, taking in the sites of infamous Mafia crimes, the villages that were the ancestral home of Mafia families - like the Corleone clan - and eating at restaurants that daringly refused to pay protection money to the mob.

We hope that the tour will give you an enhanced understanding of the historical roots of a little understood, but undeniably important and integral part of Sicilian life, death and culture.

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Tour Details

Palermo Castellammare

Led by Nicholas Farrell A British journalist, historian and biographer, he currently writes on Italian affairs for The Spectator.

Nicholas lives in Italy with his wife and their six children, and he is also the author of ‘Mussolini: A New Life’.

Gangi Corleone Castelvetrano

Lecara Friddi

What’s Included • Tour manager & guide lecturer • 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners • Return flights and all local travel • Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 Upon arrival in Palermo, we check into our central hotel, before driving forty miles inland to the small town of Corleone, used by both novelist Mario Puzo and film director Francis Ford Coppola.

The town was where the most powerful Mafia clan, the ‘I Corleonesi’ originated, whose bosses included Salvatore Riina, (‘La Belva – the Beast’) and Bernardo Provenzano (‘U Tratturi – the Tractor’).

Here, we visit the Mafia Museum and derelict farmhouse in the nearby hamlet of Ficuzza, where Provenzano both hid out and controlled the clan using notes hidden in Bibles. He was finally arrested there in 2006 and died in jail, aged 83, in 2016. We hope to hear a talk by Provenzano’s son, Angelo, on his father’s life and crimes.

Later, we return to Palermo and enjoy dinner in our hotel.

Day 2 We drive to Gangi, in Sicily’s wild, mountainous interior, stopping en route at Leccara Friddi, birthplace of the notorious US Mafiosi ‘Lucky’ Luciano. Gangi was the scene of a bloody clash in 1926 between the Mafia/Cosa Nostra, and the forces of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, led by the island’s ‘Iron Prefect’ Cesare Mori, who succeeded in (temporarily) stamping out most Mafia crime.

Later, we return to Palermo and have dinner at the Capricci di Sicilia restaurant, owned by Vincenza Eterno, queen of the pizza margherita con anchovies, and whose policeman father arrested the Corelone clan boss, Luciano Liggio, in 1964.

Day 3 On a day devoted to sites associated with the Mafia in Palermo, we visit the apartment where Salvatore Riina – the ‘boss of bosses’ – lived underground for a quarter of a century, while on the run from the law. We drop by at the Hotel Zagarella di Santa Flavia, where in June 1979 seven times Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti was photographed dining with Cosa Nostra boss Nino Salvo at a dinner organised by Andreotti’s Christian Democratic party.

After lunch, we experience the elegance of the Grand Hotel Ed Des Palmes, where the partnership between the New York and Sicilian Mafia was forged. The hotel has a less dark side as Richard Wagner composed his religious opera ‘Parsifal’ here.

D’Amelio, where in the same year Borsellino – Falcone’s friend and colleague – was killed by a car bomb detonated when he arrived to visit his mother. Five members of his police escort also died.

Day 5 We travel northwest along the coast to Castellammare Del Golfo, the home town of ‘Joey Bananas’ Bonanno and numerous other Mafiosi involved in a scam exporting drugs to the US under the guise of seafood. We eat lunch at one of the town’s famous seafood restaurants, sampling the favourite dish of Lucky Luciano ‘Spaghetti alla Marinara’. We visit the nearby fabulous 5th century BC Greek temple, nostalgically eulogised by Bonanno in his memoirs, before returning to Palermo to eat dinner at Il Mirto e la Rosa, a restaurant specialising in vegetarian and Sicilian fusion food, and whose feminist owner, Antonella Sgrillo, lectures about mafia protection rackets to local Sicilian schools.

Day 6 We journey west from Palermo to Castelvetrano, where, in 1950, Salvatore Giuliano – a good looking bandit who enjoys almost mythical status in the island as a sort of Sicilian Robin Hood – was run to earth and cornered by police, possibly acting on a tip-off by rival Mafiosi. Although he murdered many police carabinieri during his criminal career, Giuliano was celebrated for his exploits after his death in a hail of police bullets while visiting a brothel. Giuliano was the subject of a famous 1961 biopic directed by Francesco Rosi.

We return to Palermo for our final dinner together.

Day 7 We enjoy free time in Palermo, perhaps stocking up on Sicilian souvenirs before flying home.

Day 4 We pay a visit to the fortified bunker courthouse in Palermo, built for the Cosa Nostra’s ‘Maxi Trial’ in 1986/87, where 474 Mafiosi were brought to book by the anti-Mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – both later murdered by the Mafia.

We visit the sites of both slayings: the spot on the road between Palermo and the airport at Capaci, where in 1992 a huge bomb hidden in a drainage pipe and detonated by a mobile phone killed Falcone, his wife and three police bodyguards. We also visit the Via

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qmf

Illegal Mafia business of drugs and money

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The Women of SOE

Female Agents and the French Resistance 5 Days | 20th - 24th September £1,595 | Single Supp: £159

The bust of Violette Szabo, gazing out across the River Thames

• Discover the former SOE headquarters in Bloomsbury and learn about its history • Tour a variety of significant sites connected to the stories of the brave women of SOE • Travel alongside award-winning author, Clare Mulley, an expert on this tour’s subject

Churchill famously launched SOE, the secretive Special Operations Executive, in June 1940, with his rousing injunction to ‘set Europe ablaze’. The first agent was dropped into France the next year and over 400 would follow, 39 of whom were women.

Their role was to support local resistance with the supply of arms and explosives, expertise and radio communications, and prepare for the Allied liberation. 91 of the men, and 13 women, would not return. From 1943, there was increasing demand for female agents to act as couriers and wireless transmitters in France, where their movements were less conspicuous.

Three would be awarded the George Cross, Britain’s highest civilian decoration. One was Noor Inayat Khan, a Sufi Princess, who, for a while in 1944, provided the only wireless communications with Paris. We will discover where she was arrested, before visiting the infamous Avenue Foch - Gestapo HQ - where she was interrogated, before being sent to her death. Pearl Witherington initially served as a courier in Valencay, our last destination. When her circuit leader was captured, Pearl stepped up to command over 2,000 men. When, as a woman, she was offered civil rather than military honours, Pearl commented there had been nothing remotely ‘civil’ about her work. The dramatic and often tragic stories of female agents in France have attracted huge interest and this tour tells their brave story.

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London

Tour Details

UNITED KINGDOM

Led by Clare Mulley Author of the award-winning book, ‘The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville’, Clare is an expert on the female agents of the SOE and frequently lectures on the subject at universities, museums and festivals.

Paris

FRANCE

What’s Included • • • •

Tour manager & guide lecturer 4 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners All local travel and return Eurostar journey Hand-picked hotels throughout the tour

Day 1 We meet in central London and begin our tour by visiting Kensal Green’s Roman Catholic cemetery, where we see Krystyna Skarbek’s grave and memorial plaque. We then travel to Baker Street to see the former SOE Headquarters. In Bloomsbury, we visit Noor Inayat Khan’s former home and Gordon Square Gardens, where there is a memorial statue. After lunch, we visit the South Bank and see the SOE memorial, topped by a bust of Violette Szabo. We then travel on to Stockwell to see Szabo’s old house, now proudly sporting a blue plaque. We end the day visiting sites associated with Krystyna Skarbek in South Kensington, including the Polish Hearth Club, the Polish Museum that houses her medals and the hotel where she was mysteriously murdered. In the evening, we hear an introductory lecture on the Women of SOE by Clare.

Day 2 In the morning, we travel to Paris by Eurostar and have lunch on board the train. In the afternoon, we visit the Rue Erlanger, near the Bois du Boulogne, which was the base of the Cinema SOE network. We visit Grignon, where the radio transmitter for the Bricklayer circuit was based and where Noor Inayat Khan narrowly escaped capture. We go to the Rue de Faisanderie and see the apartment above the bakery where Noor Inayat Khan was arrested after betrayal. Our final stop of the day is the Avenue Foch, the location of the infamous Gestapo Headquarters, where many female agents were interrogated before their subsequent deportation to concentration camps. We stay overnight in Paris.

Valençay Trendu

Day 3 Today, we travel to Pont Neuf, where Eileen Nearne met her contact at the King Henri IV statue. We go to the Boulevard St Michel, her first Paris radio transmitter base, and 11 Rue de Saussaies - the former Gestapo headquarters that has original cells. Eileen Nearne was interrogated and tortured here, before being sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. In the late afternoon, we make our way to Valençay and enjoy a captivating evening lecture. We stay here overnight.

Day 4 A visit to the Valençay SOE Memorial to the 104 SOE F Sections agents who died in France is first up on today’s itinerary, and here we can pay our respects. We drive on to Tendu, near Chateauroux, to see the parachute site where Pearl Witherington was dropped in September 1943, to serve as a courier for Maurice Southgate, leader of the Stationer network. We hear how she served as the Wrestler network leader from May 1944 onwards and we also visit the site of Château de Souches, the network Headquarters, east of Valençay.

Day 5 Today, we visit sites associated with the Maquis as, commanded by Pearl Witherington, they fought large pitched battles against the Germans in the aftermath of D-Day. After lunch, we return to Paris and then in the late afternoon, we catch our Eurostar train back to London.

Château de Valençay, Loire Valley, France

01722 569776 | www.historicaltrips.com/qch

French man and woman fight against the Germans, August 1944

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Join us for a fascinating journey into history on a Study Day When you aren’t travelling the world with us, hot on the trail of historical knowledge, we know that you keep yourselves busy with opportunities to discover more. So, we created a range of Study Days, which offer in-depth and immersive encounters with various periods of history alongside expert guides. We have combined the most exciting elements from our full tours with the passion brought by our guide lecturers into day-long experiences that will satisfy any curiosity...

2019 Arthur & Alfred | Monarchs & Myths Kings Arthur and Alfred the Great are the giants of the Dark Ages. Based in Winchester, ancient capital of Alfred’s Kingdom of Wessex and one rumoured site of Arthur’s Camelot court, this Study Day will separate what we can really know about these legendary warlords, and what is merely myth (burned cakes and swords in lakes, anyone?).

Led by Dr. Andrew Fear, one of our most popular guide lecturers, this fascinating exploration of England’s royal roots should not be missed.

R 2019!

NEW FO

A vintage engraved illustration of Alfred the Great

Summer, 2019 • Tour Winchester, ancient capital of Alfred the Great’s Wessex • See King Arthur’s round table and learn about his legends • Explore the links between these giants of the Dark Ages King Arthur

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Call us today 01722 569776

Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace Spend a relaxing day visiting Henry VIII’s palace of pleasure – the extraordinary Hampton Court. Examine the architecture, visit the kitchens and State Apartments, and discover the onsite Young Henry VIII exhibition as Suzannah tells the stories of this legendary king. Trace the stories of Henry’s last four wives through their association with the palace, from where jane Seymour gave birth to the long-awaited heir to the Chapel where he learned of Katherine Howard’s infidelity.

• Visit key parts of the palace associated with Henry VIII • Entry to Hampton Court and lunch are both included • Join Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb, former curator at Hampton Court Palace, on this full day tour of “the English Versailles” Joined by guest lecturer Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb

16th May 2019 | £150 27th September 2019 | £150

Officer’s Mess and WWII artillery at Dover Castle

Everything You Need To Know About Castles What is a castle? Join Dr. Marc Morris, the country’s leading expert on castles, as he explains everything you need to know on this fascinating Study Day set at Dover Castle in Kent. Tour the iconic structure and learn about its rich history, explore its Great Tower - from the roof to its basement - and discover the presence of symbolism in castle design. From lectures to hands-on experiences, this is a great introduction.

• • • • •

Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb and guests on this fascinating Study Day

Led by Dr. Marc Morris, presenter of the TV series ‘Castle’ Discover the origins and development of castles in Britain Entry, refreshments and lunch at Dover Castle is included Take home a copy of Dr. Marc Morris’ book, ‘Castle’ Spend the day exploring the history of Kent’s Dover Castle

3rd June 2019 | £130

A Masterpiece in Stone: Salisbury Cathedral Set among the beautiful Wiltshire countryside, journey from Old Sarum to Salisbury Cathedral, discovering incredible stories along the way. From the Magna Carta and a private viewing of the chapter house, to lectures from Dr. Emma Wells - you won’t want to miss this.

R 2019!

NEW FO

• Join Dr. Emma Wells on this unique Study Day • Admire amazing architecture and uncover its history • Private access to Salisbury Cathedral’s chapter house

2nd August 2019 | £140 Salisbury Cathedral

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2018 isn’t over yet...

If you haven’t yet treated yourself to a holiday this year, we have some late availability on a variety of tours and study days. Book now and prepare to journey back to the past.

The Greek Temple in Segesta, Sicily

The Loire Châteaux 2nd - 8th September | £2,545 | SS £300

Medieval fortresses, royal châteaux, Renaissance residences, impressive cathedrals... these are just a few treasures that await you on this tour.

Enjoy a Michelin-starred meal, sample amazing local wines and retrace the steps of fascinating figures such as Joan of Arc and Catherine de’ Medici.

The gardens of Château de Chenonceau

Ireland | A Century of Troubles 15th - 22nd September | £2,195 | SS £215

Visit the cities that served as centres of conflict, from Cork and Dublin, to Derry and Belfast. We explore an entire century of tensions, from the War of Independence to the Civil War, and we do so alongside our expert guide, Tommy Graham. Tour Dublin Castle, the Ulster Museum and more.

Belfast City Council

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Languedoc | Cathars & Crusaders 10th - 17th September | £2,645 | SS £450 17th - 24th September | £2,595 | SS £450

Discover the rich history of this scenic part of France. Tour the fairytale Châteaux de Foix, sample unctuous local wines during a special tasting and be treated to a private musical performance that reflects the traditions and heritage of the region.

Petra, Jordan

Bare Bones | Classical Sicily 18th - 28th October | £2,495 | SS £420

Beautiful blue bays, ruinous ancient cities and honey-coloured columns await in this beautiful part of Italy.

Admire exceptional mosaics at Piazza Armerina, enjoy a private evening visit to the glittering Cappella Palatina to see its golden interior, and stand before the Doric temple at Segesta.

Bare Bones | Pompeii 5th - 12th November | £1,695 | SS £195

Nothing can prepare the modern visitor for the experience of visiting Pompeii. An ancient city destroyed and preserved by the cataclysmic eruption of Vesuvius in AD79, explore its streets, walking in the footsteps of its former citizens.Visit Herculaneum, tour Paestum & enjoy special access.

Romans, Crusaders & Lawrence of Arabia 22nd - 30th October | £2,995 | SS £450

Explore three periods of conflict: under the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the time of the Crusades and the period of Lawrence of Arabia’s campaigns in 1916-18.Visit Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba Fort and follow the route of the Hejaz Railway.

If you want to take a trip before the year ends, join one of our 2018 departures & bring the past to life.

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www.historicaltrips.com info@historicaltrips.com

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A vibrant selection of niche, special interest tour operators, delivering group tours and experiences worldwide.

Experience a journey into the ancient world with Andante, experts in archaeological and cultural travel since 1985. www.andantetravels.com

Wine Tours

From short yet indulgent breaks in Champagne to New World wonders of New Zealand, wine tours to suit all tastes. www.arblasterandclarke.com

Worldwide garden and special interest tours - from famous royal properties to private gardens not open to the public. www.brightwaterholidays.com

archaeological tours

Delivering Archaeological and historical study tours worldwide, led by noted scholars for over 40 years. www.archaeological-tours.com

Bespoke tours for private groups quotations available for any special interest, worldwide. www.authenticadventures.com

Raising millions for charities with exciting individual and team challenge events around the world. www.dream-challenges.com

To speak to one of our travel experts: 01722 569757 Call our guest service team on: 01722 569754 Switchboard: 01722 713800

2019 priced tours Booking information YOUR HOLIDAY CONTRACT

When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our confirmation invoice.

Once you have received your confirmation invoice, it is your responsibility to check that the information and booking details, including the spelling of all passenger names, as stated on your invoice are correct and match the passport details. If any of the details on the confirmation invoice are incorrect, you must notify us immediately.

We will pass on any additional charges incurred as a result of these details not being correct. We reserve the right to refuse to accept and/or not proceed with any booking at any time at our sole discretion.

BOOK BY PHONE, BY EMAIL OR ONLINE

For bookings made by telephone or email, payment can be made by card or cheque (payable to Historical Trips). You can pay securely via our website, in either sterling or dollars. We accept Visa, MasterCard and Visa Debit cards (American Express accepted for all payments in $). There is no credit card fee for guests. We do not accept post-dated cheques, nor do we keep your card details. our price promise

It is our principle that the earlier you book, the lower the price you pay. When we launch our new holidays our lowest prices are made available to give you the very best value for money. It pays to book early as prices can increase as the departure date approaches. programme changes

For the vast majority of our tours, the program will be exactly as described in the brochure. Occasionally we do make changes to the order or number of visits. This is usually due to opening hours, or in order to include a re-opened site or museum. We always tell guests in advance of any changes. insurance

We strongly recommend that all travellers are covered by comprehensive travel insurance and do not travel against medical advice.

You should organise it immediately when you book, to ensure you have cover against possible cancellation charges, medical treatment and repatriation.

Balance payment

Balance payments will be requested 12 weeks before you depart for all tours and we will then send you practical information regarding the tour, flights, hotel and joining instructions.

cancellation by you

In the event of cancellations the charge which will be made varies with the amount of time between Historical Trips receiving your written cancellation and the tour departure date. The charges made for our tours are as follows: • Up to 84 days before departure date: deposit • 83 – 63 days before departure date: 35% of tour cost • 62 – 42 days before departure date: 55% of tour cost • 41 – 21 days before departure date: 75% of tour cost • 21 days before departure date: 100% of tour cost.

Penalties are also levied on the single supplement. Insurance is recommended. cancellation by us

If we have to cancel your holiday before the date of departure, you will have the choice of taking an alternative holiday (and paying or receiving a refund/credit in respect of any price difference) or accepting a full refund of all monies paid.

outside of the UK, which are sold to customers outside of the UK. 1, 2 and 3 provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled. 1 and 3 provides for repatriation. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected

by ABTOT when purchased directly with Historical Trips. aito quality charter

Historical Trips is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators.

The Association represents Britain’s leading independent tour operators and encourages high standards of quality and service.

Historical Trips abides by the Association’s Code of Conduct and adheres to the AITO Quality Charter which can be viewed on www.aito.com. Visit the website to find out more about the Association or call 020 8744 9280. what’s included

• • • •

Expert Guide Lecturer Tour Manager (with all groups of 15+) 3 - 5* Accommodation Tips, entrance to all sites in the program

financial protection

data protection act

Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL scheme as explained below.

We are HISTORICAL TRIPS, registered limited company no. 1969761. Registered offices: The Clock Tower, Unit 4 Oakridge Office Park, Southampton Road, Whaddon, Salisbury, SP5 3HT.

Flight inclusive tours: we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence issued by the CAA (ATOL No. 3552) which provides for your protection in the event of Historical Trips’ insolvency. The price of your air holiday packages includes the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) we pay to the CAA. This charge is included in our advertised prices. the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) we pay to the CAA. This charge is included in our advertised prices. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

Tours without flights arranged by us: The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 for Historical Trips, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for the following: 1. non-flight packages commencing in and returning to the UK; 2. non-flight packages commencing and returning to a country other than the UK; 3. flight inclusive packages that commence

Any personal data that you provide will be held securely and for the purpose you have provided it, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. We may need to disclose personal data to a third party including countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) for the purpose of providing your holiday. In addition, your data may be disclosed to regulatory bodies or public authorities such as customs or immigration for the purposes of monitoring and/or enforcing compliance with any regulatory rules/codes; and it may be used for marketing, offering renewals, research and statistical purposes and crime prevention.

New York Office: 271 Madison Avenue, Suite 904, New York, NY 10016.

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2019 Calendar Napoleon soldiers,The Battle of Austerlitz

Conquering Sicily

25th March - 1st April

16

Duce!

2nd - 9th April

50

Moorish Spain

8th - 15th May

20

Languedoc

13th - 20th May

18

Malta

20th - 24th May

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We Happy Few

1st - 7th June

22

Castles of the Rhineland

1st - 8th June

26

Darts of Love

4th - 11th June

44

Enter Napoleon

8th - 15th June

40

Face of Evil

8th - 16th June

52

Napoleon’s Last Stand

13th - 16th June

42

Medieval England

17th - 23rd June

28

Poland at War

24th June - 1st July

54

The Great War

2nd - 6th July

48

Richard III

6th - 13th July

24

The Royal Escape

13th - 19th July

34

Love & Death on the Loire

1st - 8th September

32

‘Cosa Nostra’

9th - 14th September

58

Passion, Plays & Palaces

17th - 23rd September

36

Women of the SOE

20th - 25th September

60

First Impressions

22nd - 28th September

38

To book your place on a tour or study day now, call our friendly team:

01722 569776 www.historicaltrips.com | info@historicaltrips.com Unit 4 Oakridge Office Park, Whaddon, Salisbury, SP5 3HT