New England in the Fall 2012 

We depart London for Boston Airport, from where we transfer to the town of Falmouth on Cape Cod. Our base for the next three nights is the family-run Shoreway Acres Inn*, ideally located just a short stroll from the beach in Falmouth's historic district.

*Our 20 September departure stays at Falmouth's Inn on the Square.

Our first full day in New England begins with a morning departure by ferry to Martha's Vineyard, a summer resort for New England's wealthy population. "Vineyarders", as the island's residents are known, are fiercely protective of the island's traditions and heritage, giving Martha's Vineyard the look and feel of a bygone age. The usual 'big business' franchises have yet to make an impression anywhere in the resort. A coach takes us on a tour of the island, introducing us to the main sights. We travel to 'up-island', the sparsely-populated and sleepy towns to the west, and 'down-island', the busy and fashionable eastern half of the Vineyard, where Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and Vineyard Haven lure the rich and famous.

Today is free to explore Cape Cod and the surrounding region at leisure. You could remain in Falmouth itself, enjoying the pristine beaches, historic buildings and green parkland. Alternatively, you could use the frequent bus service to visit the nearby resort town of Hyannis. Hyannis has long been a summer getaway location. The Kennedy connection is strong here and you can visit the famed John F Kennedy Hyannis Museum and the John F Kennedy Memorial. The Main Street Waterfront District features many retail shops, art galleries and quaint restaurants, and Cape Cod Mall houses over 100 retail stores.

This morning we transfer to Hyannis, where we board the Cape Cod Central Railroad for a quaint round trip past cranberry bogs, natural woodlands and lush marshes on a round trip named as one of the top ten scenic train rides in the country by 'USA Today'. We transfer from here to Boston, checking in to the centrally located Midtown Hotel* for a two-night stay. The rest of your day is free to explore Boston at leisure. The city's Public Gardens were the first public botanical gardens in the United States. The New England Aquarium is home to over 2,000 species of aquatic life, including sharks, seals and penguins. The JFK library has several exhibits dedicated to the city's most famous son.

*Our 20 September departure stays at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Boston Bayside.

Today we enjoy a guided sightseeing tour of Boston, taking in the main sights of a city known for its 'old world' charm. Our tour takes in selected parts of the city's famed Freedom Trail. We travel through the Back Bay past the historic USS Constitution, to Copley Square and Beacon Hill; an ideal introduction to stylish Boston's history. This afternoon we make our way to Boston Harbour for an afternoon whale-watching excursion by high-speed catamaran. The three outside viewing decks offer superb views as we track Humpback, Finback and Minke whales, as well as White Sided Dolphins. Informative commentary is provided throughout the excursion by researchers from the Whale Centre of New England.

Today we board the Downeaster as we travel north along the coastline. Named after the sailing vessels built by Maine's shipbuilders in Colonial times, the Downeaster takes us on a 116-mile (187 km) journey through beautiful New England to Portland, Maine. From here we continue by coach into the White Mountains, one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of North America. Our journey takes us through Maine and New Hampshire during their golden season, as a breathtaking tapestry of colour, from deep, dark reds to delicate, pale yellows, lines the route. We reach our destination at North Conway, where we spend three nights at the North Conway Grand Hotel.

This morning we board the Mount Washington Cog Railway - the world's first cog railway. It opened in 1869 and climbs the 6,228ft (1,898m) up Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Eastern States. During the fascinating steam-hauled journey, we enjoy a short stop at the summit to enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding White Mountain Range.

Today we enjoy a round trip on board North Conway's Scenic Railroad 'Notch Train'. We relive the legend written in the annals of railroad history as we follow a route first taken by train over 132 years ago. We pass some of the finest natural scenery of North America's East Coast as the train takes us through spectacular Crawford Notch - past sheer bluffs, steep ravines, cascading brooks and panoramic mountain vistas. The experience is truly breathtaking during the autumn season, as New Hampshire's scenery is covered in a stunning blanket of dark red, yellow and brown. We cross the Frankenstein Trestle and Willey Brook Bridge en route to Crawford Depot. Live commentary during the journey helps to give an insight into the history and folklore of the railroad and its route.

Our final day of the tour begins with a free morning before we begin our journey home. We travel by coach through New Hampshire and Massachusetts to Logan International Airport, where we board our flight back to the UK. We land at Heathrow Airport in the morning of Day 10.