Region: Western Europe & UK

England, France and Spain, with Chelsea Flower Show

DAY 1 Tuesday May 20, 2014 Depart Australia
Today we board our Singapore Airlines flight to London.

DAY 2 Wednesday May 21, 2014 London, England
Today we arrive in London, where we will spend the next three nights. To begin our exploration of this fascinating and historic city, we meet our London Blue Badge guide for a comprehensive tour of the main sights. We will see Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, The Strand, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London, before being transferred to our hotel. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure in this exciting city. Our tour manager will meet those wishing to dine with the group to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

DAY 3 Thursday May 22, 2014 London, England
The highlight of our time in London will be an escorted visit to the famous Chelsea Flower Show. Chelsea is the main event in the English horticultural calendar and boasts amazing displays of the world’s best flowers and plants. You will see fabulous show gardens, specially created by leading designers. Angus will ensure that you get the most from this wonderful show. We return to our hotel early afternoon, with an optional drop off at Harrods. This evening, we will have an included dinner, so group members can get to know Angus Stewart and each other.

DAY 4 Friday May 23, 2014 London, England 
This morning we visit Hampton Court Palace and Garden. The Palace is an interesting place to study the activities of British monarchs from Henry VIII onwards. The garden is most famous for its Great Vine, planted in 1768, which still produces hundreds of Black Hamburg grapes each year. The Pond Gardens offer a magnificent display of bedding plants. The newly restored Privy Garden of William III is a spectacular example of the baroque, with parterres, cut work, clipped yews and spring and summer displays of 17thcentury plants. This afternoon will be at leisure. In the evening, you may like to take in a show in London’s theatre district.

DAY 5 Saturday May 24, 2014 Canterbury, England 
We travel to Kent today. Known for its apple orchards and hop oast houses, the county is very lush. We visit the house and gardens at Great Dixter. One of the best-known gardens in Britain surrounds a thatched 15th-century manor house. The sunken garden was designed and constructed by Christopher Lloyd, a noted plants man, gardener and writer, who lived and gardened here all his life, composing a series of gardens, including fine topiary and a magnificent mixed long border. This garden is a true gem. We continue to bustling Canterbury, where we check-in to our hotel and the remainder of the afternoon will be free for individual activity.

DAY 6 Sunday May 25, 2014 Canterbury, England 
Today we visit two of the finest gardens in England. We first visit Scotney Castle Garden. The formal garden overlooks a quarry garden, while the grounds of the old castle enclose a rose garden. The lakeside planting adds an air of informality. Evergreens and deciduous trees provide structure, while many shrubs and flowering plants ensure something is in bloom at every season. This afternoon we visit the renowned garden at Sissinghurst Castle, created by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson. This romantic garden is one of the outstanding gardens of the world. Angus will make sure that you get the most out of this inspiring place. We return to Canterbury. The tour manager will meet those wishing to dine with the group, in the lobby.

DAY 7 Monday May 26, 2014 Paris, France 
We travel to Paris by Eurostar this morning. On arrival, we are met by a private coach and transferred to our hotel. After time to refresh, we have a sightseeing tour of the romantic city of Paris with a local guide. Highlights include the Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Tuileries and a drive along the Champs-Élysée to the Arc de Triomphe. Those wishing to dine together, can meet in the lobby where the tour manager will suggest good value restaurants for dinner.

DAY 8 Tuesday May 27, 2014 Paris, France 
This morning we visit Claude Monet’s famous house and garden at Giverny. The garden, with its ponds and water lilies and Japanese bridge, appear in many of the artist’s paintings. Another section of the garden has a more formal layout, featuring espaliered apples and pears and abundant plantings of roses, irises, spring bulbs, poppies and more. It has been magnificently restored and gives a vivid impression of Monet’s inspiration. Angus will make sure that we get the most out of this garden. The remainder of the afternoon and evening will be for your own exploration.

DAY 9 Wednesday May 28, 2014 Paris, France 
This morning we will visit a mystery private garden. In the afternoon, we visit Jardins Jardin at the Tuileries, which is dedicated to the art of living in the garden and outdoor design. We will see a range of innovative and intriguing garden designs. The tour manager will suggest nearby restaurants for dinner.

DAY 10 Thursday May 29, 2014 Amboise, France 
Today we journey south-west to Amboise in the scenic Loire Valley, stopping along the way to visit Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. Angus will lead us around this baroque garden, which was the first great work by Andre Le Notre, who went on to design the Versaille gardens. Organised on a central axis, the gardens stretch for 3km and include elaborate parterres, ornate fountains, ponds, topiaries and statues. Chateau Amboise is located in the town where Charles VIII was born. The attractive, hilly quarter is enclosed by the chateau, cathedral and river. The tour manager will recommend nearby restaurants that offer good food and value.

DAY 11 Friday May 30, 2014 Amboise, France 
Today we travel through the Loire Valley to visit the Festival des Jardins de Chaumont sur Loire. Jean-Paul Pigeat established the festival in 1992, with the aim of introducing the public to imaginative and innovative new design. The 30 show gardens are in leaf -shaped enclosures, hedged by beech or hornbeam. In the afternoon, we visit the fabulous 16th-century Chateau Villandry. The gorgeous formal garden has been terraced into three levels, displaying hedges and motifs of box, fine yew topiaries and flowers in season. The lowest level is the potager, which elevates vegetable growing to a fine art. We will return to Amboise for an evening at leisure.

DAY 12 Saturday May 31, 2014 Amboise, France 
The morning is free for you to explore the charms of Amboise. The afternoon’s treat is a visit to Chateau de Chenonceau, spanning the River Cher, which reflects the castle’s unique beauty. Known as the Ladies’ Castle, its design and charm are a result of six important women throughout its history. Two large formal gardens and extensive woodland surround this fairytale chateau. The remainder of the afternoon will be free for individual exploration.

DAY 13 Sunday June 1, 2014 Clermont-Ferrand, France
This morning we travel to Clermont-Ferrand, one of the oldest cities in France. Upon arrival we will take a tour of the Old Town, where we will find medieval and romanesque masterpieces, gothic and renaissance private mansions, great gothic sanctuaries like the cathedral. This evening the tour manager will suggest restaurants for the evening meal.

DAY 14 Monday June 2, 2014 Avignon, France 
We travel south-east through the beautiful French countryside to Avignon today. We will stop at an interesting French town for lunch during the journey. The tour manager will suggest a good local restaurant for dinner.

DAY 15 Tuesday June 3, 2014 Avignon, France 
This morning we have a sightseeing tour of Avignon with a local guide. We will see the Palace of the Popes, which was the seat of the popes from 1309 until 1377 and the Place de l’Horloge, an attractive square shaded by plane trees. We see the theatre and town hall located in this square. This afternoon will be free to explore Avignon. The tour manager will suggest restaurants for the evening meal.

DAY 16 Wednesday June 4, 2014 Avignon, France
This morning we visit Jardin de la Noria for a guided tour. Jardin de la Noria is a private garden designed by noted French designers, Arnaud Maurieres and Eric Ossart. The owners, Mr and Mrs Deparis, commissioned them to transform a hectare of level orchard in the grounds of their farmhouse, called Mas de Licon. The remains of an old noria, or water wheel, determined the hub of the new garden, influenced by the spirit of Islamic paradise gardens. We will have free time for lunch in the attractive medieval city of Uzes. In the afternoon, we visit the Bambouseraie, a unique bamboo forest. The garden was started by Eugene Mazel in the middle of the 19th century. There is a surprisingly wide variety of bamboo, with coloured stems, glaucous green, emerald, yellow and black are among the interesting species.

DAY 17 Thursday June 5, 2014 Barcelona, Spain
Today we drive around the Mediterranean coast to Barcelona, capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain. It has a population close to two million people and is the most cosmopolitan of all Spanish cities. It is a Mediterranean metropolis, a major port, a centre for modern art and a city that lives life to the full. The tour manager will recommend a good restaurant this evening to enable you to soak up a little of the atmosphere of this historic city.

DAY 18 Friday June 6, 2014 Barcelona, Spain 
This morning we have a city tour with a local guide. We will see the historic cathedral and the beautiful streets of the Gothic Quarter. We visit the modernist Eixample district and see examples of Gaudi’s stunning architecture, including the famous Sagrada Familia. We will visit Parc Guell, which combines architectural and landscape features with mature and natural-looking plantings. Among them is the grand iron-balustrade entrance, with its mosaic tile work on the walls and the imposing staircase dragon. Angus will make sure that you get the most out of this unique garden. This afternoon will be free for individual exploration.

DAY 19 Saturday June 7, 2014 Barcelona, Spain
This morning we travel north to the Costa Brava to visit the Jardi Botanic Marimurtra, which was created by Karl Faust. He created several different gardens to house the plants he collected from all over the world. Marimurtra is now divided into tropical, temperate and Mediterranean garden areas. In the afternoon, we will travel to visit Santa Clotilde, a large property built on the site of an old vineyard. It is an italianate garden in the renaissance style, where the symmetry of paths, planting and interesting focal points define the garden. This evening we will enjoy a farewell dinner to say goodbye to our new friends.

DAY 20 Sunday June 8, 2014 Barcelona, Spain 
This morning we are transferred to Barcelona airport where we will board our plane to fly to Australia.

DAY 21 Monday June 9, 2014 Australia 
Tour members arrive back in Australia. The tour concludes.

Garden tour to England, Switzerland and Italy

DAY 1 Saturday May 17, 2014 In flight     We depart Australia on our flight to London.

DAY 2 Sunday May 18, 2014 Stratford-upon-Avon     On arrival at Heathrow airport this morning we travel north to the Cotswolds. We first visit Bourton House, an inspiring garden offering an alternative to a traditional country house garden. The geometric potager is a particular delight. Well-kept lawns, quiet gardens, a knot garden and the Cotswolds stone walls are set off by herbaceous borders. In the afternoon we visit Sezincote. We travel along a long dark avenue to enter the property, where surprisingly we see an English country house built in the Mogul style of Rajasthan architecture. The cool and elegant curving Orangery frames the Persian garden of Paradise in the south which has been laid out with canals and Irish yews. Streams and pools are lined with great clumps of bog plants. We continue to the hotel for check in and the remainder of the afternoon will be at leisure.

DAY 3 Monday May 19, 2014 Stratford-upon-Avon      We travel west to beautiful Gloucestershire today. This morning we will visit Broughton Castle. Set in the most romantic of settings, Broughton Castle is a fairytale, moated castle, surrounded in its turn by open parkland, grazed by sheep and cattle. The walled Ladies’ Garden, where box-edged fleur-de-lys beds are filled with floribunda and climbing roses that cascade down the walls is a particular delight. The garden was laid out by Lady Algernon Gordon Lennox who rented the castle in the 1880s. The two magnificent west and east facing borders in front of the battlemented walls are planted in subtle shades of blues, yellows and whites for one and reds, mauves and blues for the other. Everywhere there is a profusion of old-fashioned roses. The afternoon will be at leisure. We will enjoy a welcome dinner this evening to formally meet Tony Fawcett and other tour members. D

DAY 4 Tuesday May 20, 2014 Stratford-upon-Avon     This morning we will visit Pettifers Garden. The garden was designed by the Hon. Mrs Price and has taken some 15 years to create. This mature garden is a plantsman’s garden. The elegant pattern made in the paths shows the care that has gone into the creation of the garden. The borders are deep and varied. The Botticelli meadow at the bottom of the garden, alongside two crocus lawns, looks beautiful in Spring. We travel to Banbury where we will have time for lunch. We continue our journey to visit Rousham House. Before William Kent’s design of 1738 was effectively frozen in time it was described by Alexander Pope as “the prettiest place for water-falls, jets and ponds enclosed with beautiful scenes of green and hanging wood that ever I saw”. The enchanting setting and the use Kent made of it creates a powerful impression on every visitor. We return to Stratford-upon-Avon for an evening of exploration.

DAY 5 Wednesday May 21, 2014 London     Today we will visit two of the finest gardens in England. We first visit Hidcote, one of the most notable gardens in the world. It was created by self-taught gardener Lawrence Johnson in the early part of the 20th century, with a fabulous sense of design and great planting skills, using mainly 19th-century varieties. After lunch at leisure at Hidcote, we travel the short distance to Kiftsgate Court. This garden is full of colour and scent. The magnificent old species of roses are the glory of the garden. We continue to London. Upon arrival in exciting London, the tour manager will meet those wishing to dine with the group in the lobby, to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

DAY 6 Thursday May 22, 2014 London     The highlight of our time in London will be an escorted visit to the famous Chelsea Flower Show. Chelsea is the main event in the English horticultural calendar and boasts fine displays of flowers, plants, trees and interesting garden layouts. Tony Fawcett will ensure that you explore all areas of this wonderful show. Early afternoon we enjoy a sightseeing tour escorted by a local guide. Some of the great sights include Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, St Paul’s Cathedral, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The rest of the day will be free for independent activity.

DAY 7 Friday May 23, 2014 London     This morning we will have free time for individual exploration. In the afternoon, we visit Mr and Mrs Raworth’s garden in West London. This is a true collector’s garden, with some rare and unusual plants. Among its many striking features are impressive hedges of privet, yew, box and hornbeam, which enclose various rooms and a new formal knot garden. Entering through a sunken Mediterranean garden, it is full of interesting small plants. The visitor passes by a rose-covered pergola to an emerald grass carpet, flanked by flower borders and backed by old trees set in a private park. This garden is a highlight, and will become one of your favourites.

DAY 8 Saturday May 24, 2014 Venice     This morning we enjoy free time before flying to Venice, early afternoon. On arrival we will be transferred to the island of Venice in a motor launch. The tour manager will meet in the lobby those wishing to dine with the group this evening.

DAY 9 Sunday May 25, 2014 Venice     This morning we will enjoy a sightseeing tour of Venice with a local guide. We visit St Mark’s Square, see the Grand Canal, St Mark’s Cathedral and the Doge’s Palace. In the afternoon we will catch a vaporetto to enjoy afternoon tea and visit the gardens of the Hotel Cipriani. The hotel is noted for its spectacular gardens and waterfront terraces. There are two 15th-century buildings connected to the Hotel Cipriani through an ancient courtyard and flowered passage-way, with magnificent views overlooking the lagoon and St. Mark’s square.

DAY 10 Monday May 26, 2014 Venice     This morning will be spent exploring some of the beautiful hidden gardens of Venice. We meet our guides, members of the Venice Garden Club, who will provide entry to some very special and beautiful private gardens. This afternoon is free for individual activity. Perhaps enjoy a ride on a gondola on one of the many canals or explore the Doge’s Palace or one of the beautiful churches.

DAY 11 Tuesday May 27, 2014 Ascona     We depart Venice to travel to Verona, the setting for the play Romeo and Juliet, where we stop for lunch at leisure. We continue to Ascona, a very picturesque town situated on Lake Maggiore in Switzerland, where we stay four nights. The old section of the town has many small and attractive winding streets.

DAY 12 Wednesday May 28, 2014 Ascona     This morning we will visit Villa Carlotta, on the west shore of Lake Como. This elegant 18th-century villa has its own landing place on Lake Como and beautiful views over the lake. It was given as a wedding present to Carlotta, Duchess of Saxe-Meningen, who with her husband, created the landscape garden and began the botanical collection. Around the house an 18th-century formal layout has lemon arbours on the terraces, tall camellia hedges and flower beds to suit the architecture. This afternoon, we visit Villa Balbienello, located on a small island in Lake Como. Steep steps covered with flowers lead from the landing to the garden and villa. The villa perches high above Lake Como and is a fine illustration of neo-classical blending of the picturesque landscape with architecture. The tour manager will meet in the lobby those wishing to dine with the group.

DAY 13 Thursday May 29, 2014 Ascona     We will have a free morning to explore Ascona, perhaps enjoy a ferry ride on Lake Maggiore. In the afternoon we visit Isole di San Pancrazio on Lake Maggiore. This botanical garden designed by Baroness Antoinette de Saint-Leger is comprised of 1600 different plant species. During the four decades she gardened on the island she made it into her personal paradise.

DAY 14 Friday May 30, 2014 Ascona     This morning we will drive to the beautiful town of Stresa. We go by boat to Isola Bella, the most spectacular of the Borromean Islands. The magnificent villa is surrounded by one of the most dramatic 17th-century gardens in Italy, with 10 terraces rising like a ship’s prow in the reflecting waters of the lake. Masses of roses and perfumed plants set among superb statues and fountains make this a garden to remember. We visit the nearby island Isola Madre. This very different garden has lush sub-tropical planting of ornamental trees and shrubs including a swamp cypress, which was blown down in a storm in 2010 and has been salvaged with cables securing it at the cost of thousands of euros. Around the edge of the garden there is a very interesting botanical walk.

DAY 15 Saturday May 31, 2014 Siena     This morning we travel south to Siena. We will stop on our journey to explore Villa Gamberaia, set in classic olive-grove country. Restored to its 16th-century splendour, the garden is small but idyllic. The main terrace is laid out with parterres de broderie and the water gardens are reminiscent of Persian reflecting pools. We continue to Siena, where the tour manager will show tour members good value restaurants for dinner.

DAY 16 Sunday June 1, 2014 Siena     This morning a local guide will introduce us to the major sights of the city, including the the magnificent Piazza del Campo renown for the famous Palio horse race held in the Campo and its splendid civic tower and the enormous, partially completed Duoma. Siena is also home to the oldest bank in the world. This afternoon will be free for individual exploration.

DAY 17 Monday June 2, 2014 Siena     This morning we will visit Villa Cetinale, built in the 15th century by the Chigi family, bankers and money lenders for Popes and English kings. Additions to the original house and garden were carried out by Carlo Fontana, who was a pupil of Bernini. In the gardens are wonderful statues and the Romitorio, a hermitage where monks lived until near the end of the 19th century. To the north of the villa is the Holy Wood, which has wide green rides and footpaths and statues of hermits, saints and chapels with frescoes representing the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. Lord Lambton bought Vila Cetinale from the Chigi family in 1977 and since then the gardens have been immaculately restored and enriched. Lord Lampton died eight years ago. In the afternoon we visit Roseto Botanico “Carla Fineschi” at Cavriglia. With more than 6500 different roses, it is the largest private collection in the world. Like a living museum, it presents roses historically and botanically, in a lovely setting.

DAY 18 Tuesday June 3, 2014 Rome     We depart Siena this morning and travel to Rome. We will visit the magnificent gardens of Villa Lante near Viterbo on the journey. This is a perfect Renaissance garden in which murmuring water, flashing fountains, shade and sunlight alternate under vast plane trees. We arrive in Rome late afternoon, where we stay for two nights.

DAY 19 Wednesday June 4, 2014 Rome     This morning we will enjoy a sightseeing tour of the eternal city of Rome. Highlights include the Coliseum, the Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica before we walk through the old town to see the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, one of the few perfectly preserved ancient Roman buildings. We travel south this afternoon to visit the unique Giardino e Rovine di Ninfa. The ruins of Ninfa, a medieval town, were transformed into a garden from the 1920s by the Caetani family. Clear streams and waterfalls punctuate these romantic gardens, which contain an international collection of plants and magnificent trees. Climbing roses, wisteria and clematis scramble across ruined walls, and flowering shrubs revel in the fertile woodland conditions. This is a very special garden, often voted a favourite on our tours. We will enjoy a farewell dinner to celebrate our wonderful time together. D

DAY 20 Thursday June 5, 2014 Departure     We will have free time this morning in Rome before travelling to the airport for our flight early afternoon.

DAY 21 Friday June 6, 2014 In flight

DAY 22 Saturday June 7, 2014 Australia     We arrive in Australia early morning and tour arrangements conclude.

 

Baltic and St Petersburg Cruise

  • DAY 1 Saturday 5 July, 2014 Depart Australia 
  • DAY 2 Sunday 6 July, 2014 Amsterdam 
  • Arrive at Amsterdam airport then visit Paleis Het Loo, which features a wonderful sunken garden, clipped arbours, extensive parterres, gilded statues and elaborate water features, then a visit to the garden of Piet Oudolf, extraordinary plantsman and landscape designer.
  • DAY 3 Monday 7 July, 2014 Amsterdam
  • City tour and leisure time to explore
  • DAY 4 Tuesday 8 July, 2014 Celebrity Constellation 
  • Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam’s botanic garden then we board the Celebrity Constellation.
  • DAY 5 Wednesday 9 July, 2014 At sea
  • DAY 6 Thursday 10 July, 2014 Warnemunde, Germany 
  • Explore Warnemunde’s pleasant waterfront, then we travel on to Schwerin Castle, one of Europe’s foremost examples of historic architecture and dramatic 19th century garden.
  • DAY 7 Friday 11 July, 2014 At sea 
  • DAY 8 Saturday 12 July, 2014 Tallinn, Estonia 
  • Guided tour of the medieval city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, with its cobblestone streets and gingerbread-style houses, including Toompea (the old town), the Viru Gate, Raekoja Plats and the sixth Garden Design Festival.
  • DAY 9 Sunday 13 July, 2014 St Petersburg, Russia 
  • We explore beautiful St Petersburg, visiting the oldest part of the city: SS Peter and Paul Cathedral and fortress, the world famous Hermitage Palace, with its wonderful art collection and see the city’s most famous theatre, the Mariinsky.
  • DAY 10 Monday 14 July, 2014 St Petersburg, Russia
  • We travel to Petrovorets, the summer house of Peter the Great, who wanted the gardens to surpass the gardens at Versailles. The centrepiece is the Grand Cascade and Water Avenue. We continue the day with a visit to the Imperial Palace at Tsarskoe Selo; the Catherine Palace.
  • DAY 11 Tuesday 15 July, 2014 Helsinki, Finland 
  • We have a sightseeing tour of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, including the Sibelius Monument and the unusual underground Temppeliaukiojn Church.
  • DAY 12 Wednesday 16 July, 2014 Stockholm, Sweden 
  • Stockholm, capital of Sweden is surrounded by clear water and unspoiled countryside. Later we travel to Drottningholms Slottsparken, the most impressive of Stockholm’s palaces. The extensive baroque garden was laid out in the 1690s for Queen Hedvig Eleonora.
  • DAY 13 Thursday 17 July, 2014 At sea 
  • DAY 14 Friday 18 July, 2014 Copenhagen, Denmark 
  • From Copenhagen our private coach takes us on a guided tour of the city, including the Amalienborg Palace, Radhus, (city hall), Kongens Nytorv, the Royal Theatre and Charlottenborg, a 17th-century Dutch baroque palace. We then travel north to visit the author Karen Blixen’s Manor House and garden.
  • DAY 15 Saturday 19 July, 2014 At sea
  • DAY 16 Sunday 20 July, 2014 Paris 
  • Disembark in Amsterdam and travel south to Paris, ‘the city of light’ by coach. On the journey we will stop in Villers-Bretonneux to visit the Australian War Memorial, a very moving experience.
  • DAY 17 Monday 21 July, 2014 Paris
  • We have a sightseeing tour of Paris seeing the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Seine, Notre Dame and the other major sights of Paris. After lunch, we visit to Claude Monet’s famous house and beautiful garden at Giverny. This garden, with its ponds, water lilies and its Japanese bridge, appears in many of the artist’s paintings.
  • DAY 18 Tuesday 22 July, 2014 Paris 
  • This morning we will visit a mystery private garden. This afternoon will be free so you can enjoy Paris at leisure.
  • DAY 19 Wednesday 23 July, 2014 Depart
  • Transfer from our hotel to the airport for the flight back to Australia.
  • DAY 20 Thursday 24 July, 2014 Australia 
  • Arrive in Australia and the tour concludes.