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Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of Her Majesty The Queen, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. Today the Buckingham Palace State Rooms are used extensively by Her Majesty The Queen and Members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on State, ceremonial and official occasions. During August and September when The Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace's nineteen state rooms are open to visitors. What there is to see? The Buckingham Palace State Rooms form the heart of the working palace and are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto; sculpture by Canova; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture. In celebration of The Queen's 90th birthday, a special exhibition will be staged across each of Her Majesty's official residences during 2016. Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen's Wardrobe (23 July – 2 October 2016) The Garden Described as a 'walled oasis in the middle of London', the Palace's garden is home to thirty different species of bird and more than 350 different wild flowers, some extremely rare. Visitors end their tour with a walk along the south side of the garden, with splendid views of the west front of the Palace and the famous lake. Audio Guide An audio guide is included in the ticket price and is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese, Russian and Mandarin. There is also a family audio guide (in English only) and accompanying activity trail, suitable for children 7-11 years. Changing of the Guard The Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place at 11:30 daily from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting. The new guards arrive at the forecourt of the Palace at 11:30 from Wellington Barracks. The journey takes about 5 minutes and the soldiers are accompanied by a band. The ceremony is conducted on the Palace forecourt and takes approximately forty minutes to complete. [The Army have not yet released the schedule for July, August or September.] Wheelchair Access If you require wheelchair access or the use of the lift, you should not book with 365 Tickets.com and should pre-book tickets directly with Buckingham Palace. Access booking line: 020 7766 7324 www.royalcollection.org.uk or email [email protected] Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, is one of the official residences of Her Majesty The Queen. The Castle's dramatic site encapsulates 900 years of British history. It covers an area of 26 acres and contains, as well as a royal palace, a magnificent chapel and the homes and workplaces of a large number of people. Kew Gardens Kew Gardens, is a World Heritage Site located in 121 hectares of stunning vistas with six magnificent glasshouses set in a beautiful landscape beside the River Thames between Richmond and KEW in south-west London. Kew Gardens represents more than 250 years of historical gardens. It is home to a remarkable collection of over 30,000 types of plants from all over the world that range from the decorative to the peculiar. Kew Gardens provide opportunities for public enjoyment and enrichment and the behind-the-scenes scientific work helps ensure a sustainable future for plants and people. In the summer of 2004, Kew's determination to make serious botany great fun for children was demonstrated with the opening of 'Climbers and Creepers'. Bringing a new use to an old cycad house by White Peaks, Climbers and Creepers engages children from around 3-9 years in the pleasures of learning more about plants and their relationships with animals and people. Apart from the sheer beauty and tranquillity of the garden's landscapes Kew offers a wonderful day out for all, whether horticulturally, historically or botanically inclined. Botanical Highlights The dates below are approximate, and flowering can vary by three to four weeks, depending on the weather. Image Credits: Image 1: Photographer: Derry Moore, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013 Image 2 : Photographer: Peter Smith, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013 Image 3 : Photographer: Andrew Holt, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013 Image 4: Photographer: Derry Moore, Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013
The Sainte-Chapelle Be dazzled by the 1,113 stained glass windows at this jewel of the Rayonnant Gothic period. The first of the Holy Chapels to be decorated with exceptional stained-glass windows. Known for having housed Christ’s Crown of Thorns, it has spectacular stained-glass windows. Veritable walls of light that make the Sainte-Chapelle the jewel of French Gothic. The Conciergerie Discover this Medieval royal palace that became a revolutionary tribunal and Marie-Antoinette’s prison. Discover on the Île de la Cité, the exceptional Gothic rooms of the first royal palace of Paris and the reproduction of the prison cells of the revolutionary tribunal. At the end of the 17th century, numerous people were imprisoned in the prison of the Conciergerie, including Marie-Antoinette. The Conciergerie is also listed as a historical building by the Unesco. Pantheon On Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, visit the Panthéon, masterpiece of the architect Soufflot. Come and learn all about the Pantheon, this incredible building by Soufflot who's ambition was to outdo the churches of St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. Observe the style of this building, inspired by the Pantheon commissioned by Agrippa in Rome. From 1874 onwards, the sanctuary was decorated with paintings on canvas illustrating the life of Saint Geneviève and the epic story of the beginnings of both Christianity and the monarchy in France. Make the most of the Pantheon with a visit into the Crypt, get to see the tombs of the eminent personalities who shaped France's national identity. A permanent exhibition gives details about the lives and works of those who are buried here, from Voltaire and Rousseau to Alexandre Dumas. You'll also have the chance to see the Foucault’s pendulum*, first installed in 1851 and removed then reinstalled in 1995, this device demonstrated the Earth's rotation.
Stops Line A Piazza Bra Corso Porta Nuova Stazione FS Prota Nuova Basilica San Zeno Castelvecchio Via Diaz Prota Borsari Teatro Romano Porta Leoni Line B Piazza Bra Via Pallone Tomba Giulietta Via G. Giusti S. Stefano Teatro Romano Castel S. Pietro Panorama Duomo Piazza Erbe Casa Giulietta Castelvecchio
Montserrat Start your full day trip from Barcelona in a comfortable Bus to the mountain of Montserrat which rises majestically to 4,051 feet (1,236 meter) above sea level. The rocks of Montserrat were formed by natural cement of sand during the centuries. The wind and rain shaped the mountain with strange and varied forms. The popular imagination has seen human or animal shapes in some of these peaks, giving those names and inventing legends to explain their fantastic origins. This trip to Montserrat will give you the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful and breathtaking views of the Montserrat Mountain, one of nature’s special creations. You will visit the Royal Basilica of Montserrat, which holds the famous 12th century Romanesque carving of Verge Moreneta (the Black Madonna). You will be able to see this famous statue of the Black Madonna from a distance. The Benedict sanctuary of Montserrat has been founded in 1025 and provides a mystical backdrop for the Virgin of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia who is enshrined in the monastery's Royal Basilica. The little monastery soon began to receive pilgrims and visitors who contributed to the spread of stories of miracles and wonders performed by the Virgin. Today, Montserrat has been modernized to continue attending to the needs to pilgrims, one thousand years after it was originally founded. You will be given some free time to visit the audio visual exhibition about the history and creation of Montserrat. And taste typical liquors of Montserrat. The Escolania of Montserrat is one of the oldest boys choirs in Europe (XIV Century). On some days the children's choir sings in the monastery and so you may be fortunate enough to catch one of their delightful performances. Their timeframe is subjected to the school calendar and special events of the choir and monastery. Our tour to Montserrat will finish in our office at Balmes 5, downtown, where the second part of the tour departs. Artistic Barcelona* Barcelona is known as the capital of Modernism and the place where the famous architect Antoni Gaudí worked and lived. Gaudi, one of the greatest innovators of his time, has left behind numerous treasures for the discerning tourist to discover in Barcelona. This Artistic Tour of Barcelona starts at the Julia Travel Office (Balmes 5), we will take you to the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Basilica, Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece which is Barcelona's most famous landmark. The guide will take you on a walking tour of the exterior of the Sagrada Familia, to admire the richly and symbolically decorated facades, where vaults reach up to seventy meters. Next you will discover Gaudi's bizarre Park Güell which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be careful, it's easy to get lost in the whimsical design of this bizarre but compelling public park with a perfect integration of the architectural elements in nature. Our tour continues to Passeig de Gràcia to see Gaudi's famous apartment buildings like Casa Mila “La Pedrera”, Casa Batlló and others modernist buildings. Please Note: Departure at 03:30PM. Check in at 03:15PM in Julià Travel Office, c/Balmes 5 *From 1ST of November to 31st of March we will visit the Park Güell before than Sagrada Familia.
The Queen's Gallery was built in the shell of the former Holyrood Free Church and Duchess of Gordon’s School at the entrance to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The buildings were constructed in the 1840s with funds from the Duchess of Gordon, but fell into disuse in the late 19th century. Benjamin Tindall Architects were appointed project architects for the new Queen’s Gallery in October 1999. Their central visual theme was a celebration of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, expressed through a series of arches and screens that lead visitors from the Gallery entrance to the exhibition spaces beyond. Their design complements the original 19th-century architecture, elements of which were incorporated into the new spaces. Unsympathetic later internal alterations were removed, and a new exposed steel and concrete floor inserted to reflect the original ‘gallery’ of the Church. A new stone arched entrance was created at the centre of the Horse Wynd frontage, opposite the new Scottish Parliament building. The use of a stone archway, with a courtyard beyond, is a traditional entrance device in Scottish architecture. The main walling is of Catcastle stone, the dressed work and lettering is of Stainton stone and the base is of Kenmay granite. ‘THE QUEEN’S GALLERY’ lettering above the entrance is the work of John Neilson, a calligrapher and carver. The letters were cut from single pieces of stone. Above sits Scotland’s heraldic lion, designed by Jill Watson. The lion sedant is based on a small red lion that sits at the feet of Mary, Queen of Scots on her tomb in Westminster Abbey. (The Palace of Holyroodhouse was once home to Mary, Queen of Scots.) The monumental entrance doors of oak have gilded bronze hinges by Jill Watson. Continuing the heraldic theme, the main hinges are decorated with the Scottish lion and unicorn. The beasts are set against the adjacent urban scene of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and the rural scene of Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags. The upper hinges are made as golden boughs of flowering native trees – chestnut and laburnum, oak, rowan and hawthorn. The stone archway is decorated with a carved and gilded garland of Scottish flowers, including daisies and thistles, created by Graciela Ainsworth, an Edinburgh-based sculptor, carver and conservator. Over the old entrance to the former church is a stained-glass window by Christian Shaw. The design shows a perspective drawing of the interior of a gallery. At night, the shape of the archway is reflected by the glass lights by Keiko Mukaide set into the paving. The artist has given the tiles a water flow pattern, mirroring the stream of visitors walking in and out of the Gallery. Inside, the reception desk by Hamid van Koten is made from curved pieces of Scottish elm with kilned glass and patinated copper. The pendant lights were designed and made in Edinburgh by Ingrid Phillips. Dividing the reception from the main Gallery area is a patterned glass screen by Jacqueline Poncelet. The screen’s bronze handles by Jill Watson incorporate figures looking at art in a gallery. The dramatic central stair of native timber leads to the Gallery spaces above. The complex shape was designed by the architects with Charles Taylor Woodwork, who were responsible for the construction. Lights set into the first floor illuminate the curved balustrading. The Queen’s Gallery was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 29 November 2002, as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. It hosts a programme of changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection.
Highlights Explore Discover the ruins of Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town better preserved than Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius’s in 79 AD See the cobbled streets and see the the ancient villas, frescoes, bathhouses and much more Hotel-pick up and drop-off from central Naples Roundtrip transfers between Naples and Herculaneum aboard a fully-fitted GT coach with audio commentary on board An experienced guide who will help you purchase your skip-the-line tickets to Herculaneum Ticket Includes Services of a knowledgeable tour guide Hotel pick-up and drop-off aboard a modern coach Roundtrip transfers between Naples and Herculaneum Ticket Exlcudes Herculaneum Tickets
