Daily Schedule | Trip Includes

Meals - Dinner
Lodging - Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel 4*

Your HP London Theatre experience begins upon arrival in Heathrow or Gatwick Airport. The Heathrow or Gatwick Express will whisk you into central London where you will then take a short taxi ride to your hotel.

Settle into your hotel for a rest and then meet the group in your hotel’s lobby at 3:00pm for a Welcome Orientation and distribution of documents.

This afternoon you will see London by land and water in a unique way – an amphibious vehicle will take you straight from the road into the Thames for a trip along the river. Part of the filming for Order of the Phoenix has Harry and friends pursued by their adversaries down the Thames, passing many of the most famous sites in London. Enjoy these famous landmarks through Harry’s eyes and see them in a whole new way!

Enjoy a group welcome dinner.

Your hotel for the next five nights will be the luxurious Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel, which is perfectly situated in the West End. The mood at this hotel is smart and colonial with displays of eastern art.

Meals - Breakfast and Dinner
Lodging - Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel 4*

Grab your map and Underground Tickets and get ready for a Walking Tour through London in search of Harry Potter film locations and other historic landmarks.

Spend the afternoon doing more sightseeing, sample the fabulous shopping that a major city such as London can offer, enjoy an afternoon theatre matinee or just to wander and “take it all in”.

Gather in the late afternoon for a Literary Pub Crawl. Visit some of the haunts which inspired writers and actors for centuries while sampling some of the treats at each stop. Dinner included.

Arrive in plenty of time to see Dame Maggie Smith in The Lady from Dubuque. Ms. Smith will play Elizabeth in the Albee work about “three young couples at a party and the odd pair that visits.”

Meals - Breakfast
Lodging - Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel 4*

You’ll have a leisurely start to the day before heading over to arguably the most famous historical (recreated) location for London theatre. The Globe Theatre is a fascinating place to explore the world of Shakespeare whether your interests are in set design, costuming, historical references to the plays, humor or political comments found in the plays or simply the enjoyment of the plays themselves. After a tour you will have plenty of free time to explore the Theatre according to your interests.

Theatrical production of Equus
See Daniel Radcliffe live on stage

In preparation for the evening’s performance of Equus, the group will explore the difficult themes presented in this work with an expert in this field. It would be useful to watch the 1977 film with Richard Burton as preparation for the play in which a psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, investigates the savage blinding of six horses with a metal spike in a stable in Hampshire, England. The atrocity was committed by an unassuming seventeen-year-old stable boy named Alan Strang, the only son of an opinionated but inwardly-timid father and a genteel, religious mother. As Dysart exposes the truths behind the boy's demons, he finds himself face-to-face with his own.

The afternoon and dinner is open for your own additional exploration of London’s theatre scene or for whatever stikes your fancy.

Arrive in plenty of time for Equus, you won’t want to be late!

Meals - Breakfast
Lodging - Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel 4*

Enjoy a lie-in this morning before tackling themes presented in the hit musical Wicked.

Wicked tells the story of two girls who meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.

A 1 1/2 hour workshop will explore “making-up” history with a discussion of the storyline of the Wizard of Oz including the rumored political and financial connections. Another aspect will analyze the concept of being “Wicked” by focusing on classic fairytales and how these stories can evolve and change depending on the author and characters’ point of view. The perception of good and evil through these characters will be explored. A final section will delve into the art of adaptation which both Wicked and Harry Potter have gone through. For example, a few ideas from Harry Potter have appeared in the musical, ideas which do not exist in the novel.

Theatrical production of Wicked

Lunch on own in Covent Garden.

Early afternoon visit to the Theatre Museum which includes a fascinating collection of exhibits on London theatre and the cast and crew which created the magic of the stage for decades. (at the time of this writing the Theatre Museum has been scheduled to close – another activity will take place should this happen.)

Our themed day winds down with a visit to the National Portrait Galleries in Covent Garden. See if you can spot the Harry Potter link to this visit!

Early Dinner at leisure.

Get ready for Miriam Margolyes (Professor Sprout) who plays Madame Morrible in a fabulous performance of Wicked!

Meals - Breakfast and Dinner
Lodging - Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel 4*

An excursion out of London is on schedule today as you head to Oxford. On the way you will also pass by Leavesden Studios (time permitting) where the Harry Potter films are made.

A walking tour of Oxford is planned today including Christ Church College, New College and other Harry Potter film locations.

Lunch at leisure in Oxford, perhaps at the pub where JRR Tolkien, C S Lewis and Lewis Carroll frequently met.

The rest of your afternoon is free to stroll the beautiful streets of Oxford, explore its pubs, shop and visit other exciting museums and activities. Perhaps you’ll want to go punting down the Thames or duck into Alice’s Shoppe – the choice is entirely up to you! Oxford is referred to as the City of Dreaming Spires because of its beautiful architecture. The city is the home of England's oldest university and while it is also an industrial city on the Thames, the association with learning and the academic way of life remains paramount. Many scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed in Oxford, plus even more in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. One of Oxford’s grandest colleges, Christ Church was founded in 1524 by Cardinal Wolsey of Cardinal College and refounded as Christ Church on his fall from grace. Tom Tower, above the main gate, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and houses the bell Great Tom. The college chapel is also Oxford’s cathedral, the smallest in England. The Great Hall includes many features which appear in the Alice stores written by Lewis Carroll (Christ Church don Charles Dodgson) for Alice Liddell, daughter of the Dean. More up to date, the hall stairs, Ante Hall and the Great Hall appear as “Hogwarts Hall” in the Harry Potter films.

Late afternoon return to London.

Freshen up after the day in London before an intimate and special final night dinner.

Meals - Breakfast
Lodging - Radisson Edwardian Grafton Hotel 4*

Daily Schedule | Trip Includes