Britain on the Cheap

Heading to London to visit the Queen? Or at least the Queen’s main residence, Buckingham Palace? TheatreBreaks will offer a summer promotion from July 27–Sept. 29:  £63/$95 for a three-course lunch at the Ritz, a glass of champagne and a tour of Buck House.

Love is in the air at Hampton Court Palace. Join King Henry VIII durng his “Honeymoon with Jane Seymour” July 24. Imagine: Henry VIII has just married his third wife, Jane Seymour, and celebrations are underway to welcome his new bride to his favourite palace. The people of the palace will celebrate with falconry, fencing [...]

The sumptuous Hampton Court Palace Flower Show continues through July 11 at the royal palace on the Thames. This Royal Horticultural Society spectacle is the largest of its kind in the world. Day tickets start at £22/$33; less for evening hours.

Gearing up for Trooping the Colour this Saturday, in honor of the Queen’s official birthday? She will leave Buckingham Palace at 10.45 a.m. to travel down The Mall to Horseguard’s Parade. During the ceremony, The Queen is greeted by a Royal salute and carries out an inspection of the troops from the Household Division (Foot [...]

Super thanks to British Heritage magazine for spotlighting Britain on the Cheap.com in its May “Sites for the Savvy” column: “Britain on the cheap.com: Cheap and cheerful guide to British travel deals.” BOTC is in heady company, with links to such sites as Prince Charles’ initiative to save the village pub, Visit Britain and the [...]

I’ve been on the library waiting list for months to read Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, and the wait’s definitely worth it. When was the last time you read about Henry VIII and the vicious Tudor era from Thomas Cromwell’s point of view? This fabulous book won both the 2009 Man Booker Prize and the 2009 [...]

Hooked on “The Tudors”? Superbreak has a private tour of Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace March 6, with privileged access to areas unseen by the general public. Hampton Court’s warders will lead the tour, which pops into King Henry VIII’s private apartments, now showing a new Young Henry exhibition. You’ll also see the Palace State [...]

Some good news! Betsa’s piece “Kenilworth Castle Plants New Elizabethan Garden,” published on  Suite 101.com, is a finalist in the Best Online Article category in VisitBritain’s Travel Journalism Awards for 2009. Hope you’ll enjoy reading!

Dream about going behind the scenes on an evening tour of Windsor Castle? Superbreak is offering a weekend package in Royal Windsor, with a castle tour led by a Royal Household guide into the State Rooms. The tour is 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m., followed by a glass of champagne, on Jan. 23, Feb. 13 and 20, [...]

Save $25/£15 when you follow Louis XVIII to 18th-century Hartwell House near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The hotel, owned by the National Trust, is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the arrival of exiled Louis XVIII of France and his court; the French king stayed five years at the stately home, now restored with a spa and indoor [...]