USA Coast to Coast - Departing Manchester 2012 

We depart from Manchester for New York, where our base for three nights is the Beacon Hotel, within easy reach of Central Park, Broadway and Times Square.

See the incredible sights of the 'Big Apple', including Central Park and glamorous Fifth Avenue on our guided tour, before enjoying a harbour cruise around Manhattan past the Statue of Liberty. Your afternoon is free to continue exploring New York.

Today is free for you to explore 'the city that never sleeps', and your options are virtually endless as New York offers something for everyone. New York's neighbourhoods, including Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, East Village, the West Side and Harlem, all take on a unique character of their own, but remain quintessentially 'New York'. Enrich your mind at one of the city's many museums, such as the Guggenheim, American Museum of Natural History, or the Museum of Modern Art. Discover unparalleled shopping in 57th Street's upmarket boutiques or visit Wall Street for a taste of the city's financial hub.

On Day 4 we take the train south to Washington, the nation's capital, where we spend two nights at the Phoenix Park Hotel, located opposite Union Station and close to many of Washington's main sights. This afternoon we begin a guided tour of this elegant city, passing many of the famous landmarks including the White House, Capitol Hill, historic Georgetown and the Pentagon. Day 5 is free to explore Washington at leisure. Why not visit the world's largest art, science and history museum complex - the fantastic Smithsonian? There are many other terrific places to visit, including Arlington Cemetery and lively Adams Morgan and many other sights.

We leave Washington late-afternoon on the Capitol Limited. The Capitol Limited service runs daily between Washington DC and Chicago, following the historic B&O line through the Potomac Valley. Our overnight journey takes us past historic Harpers Ferry and the Allegheny Mountains into Pittsburgh, before crossing into Ohio and heading north to Cleveland, across Indiana and eventually into the centre of Chicago. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the passing scenery from the comfort of the Sightseer Lounge before moving to the dining car to enjoy dinner - included as part of the journey.

We arrive in Chicago after breakfast on board the Capitol Limited. We board a coach at the station for a city tour that revisits the 'dry and lawless years' of the 1920s and '30s, taking in the site of the St Valentine's Day Massacre and Al Capone's headquarters, as well as less violent landmarks! Your afternoon is free to explore Chicago. The Sears Tower - Chicago's equivalent of the Empire State Building - is a must-see, and the nearby Hancock Centre offers similarly terrific views. We spend the night at the Affinia Chicago Hotel, located within walking distance of Navy Pier, the shops of the Magnificent Mile and the lake.

A free morning today gives you chance to further explore Chicago at leisure. Nobody should leave Chicago without taking a ride on the "Loop" - Chicago's iconic overhead metro. This afternoon we board the California Zephyr for an overnight journey to Denver, which takes us across the cornfields and plains of Iowa and Nebraska. The Zephyr has a Sightseer Lounge where you can relax and enjoy the views. Dinner is served in the train's dining car this evening.

We arrive in Denver (nicknamed the 'Mile High City' as it is at an altitude of exactly one mile above sea level) early this morning, with breakfast served in the dining car shortly before we disembark. Our morning arrival means you have a free day to explore the city's sights. Denver boasts a mile-long promenade lined with cafés and shops and a mountain view down every street. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has a space museum and the world's most advanced digital planetarium. Our home in Denver is the centrally-located Warwick Hotel.

Today we leave the city by coach to explore the natural attractions of the Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park, with majestic mountain vistas and a wide array of wildlife including elk, bighorn sheep, black bears, coyotes, eagles, and hawks.

Today we embark on one of the USA's most scenic rail journeys along the route of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. Our journey takes us up into the Rocky Mountains, past dramatic peaks and deep ravines to the city of Grand Junction, in the heart of Colorado's wine region. We enjoy an overnight stay at the Hampton Inn, close to many downtown restaurants, museums and theatres.

A coach takes us through the San Juan Mountains to Silverton, an old mining town. Here we board the Durango and Silverton Railroad* for a journey through breathtaking canyons, past emerald-green rivers, across the remote wilderness of the National Forest, to Durango. The town retains its Wild West look, with many restored buildings, a vintage narrow-gauge railway, station and museum. We spend the night at the Doubletree Hotel.

*During the early part of the season the Durango and Silverton Railroad operates a winter timetable. During this period we enjoy an alternative journey from Rockwood to Cascade Canyon and Durango.

Familiar from a hundred westerns, the rugged landscape of Utah's Monument Valley is one of America's defining images. The whole region has the imagery and feel of a bygone age, where cowboys still spend lonely months herding cattle across miles of untouched hills and Native Americans still perform rituals passed down through the generations. The journey through Navajo country takes us to Flagstaff, Arizona, for two nights at the Little America Hotel. The city of Flagstaff is surrounded by some of the most appealing scenery in North America, including the breathtaking Grand Canyon and the towering San Francisco mountains. The city established itself as a railroad town with a flourishing lumber trade and today is spread alongside a section of Route 66. Located halfway between New Mexico and California, Flagstaff serves as both a stopping point for tourists en route to the Grand Canyon and as an interesting destination in its own right.

Enjoy a day at leisure in the fabulous setting of Flagstaff, maybe by spending the morning relaxing at the hotel's outdoor swimming pool (seasonal) and hot tub before enjoying a gentle walk amidst the hotel's 500 acre private ponderosa pine forest. It is also worth venturing out to discover the Downtown area of Flagstaff, which has a distinct "Wild West" charm, with few buildings taller than three floors. The city's high street is perhaps better known as Route 66 - the USA's most famous highway - and you'll find a number of Route 66-themed shops, bars and cafés here. While the main draw of Flagstaff is its excellent location for visitors to the Grand Canyon, the town also has a range of attractions of its own, including the excellent Museum of Northern Arizona, which focus on documenting Native American life and preserving the traditions, culture and unique skills of Native Americans.

Today we head along the legendary Route 66 to the town of Williams to join the Grand Canyon Railway. We travel in vintage carriages, hauled by historic locomotives, to the Grand Canyon to see one of the world's most awe inspiring sights. The canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 277 miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep. We arrive at the South Rim and main viewpoint of the Canyon. You have the option of taking a spectacular flight over the Canyon (payable locally) - a fantastic way to see the scale of this natural wonder! During the evening we transfer to the station to join the Southwest Chief for the overnight journey to Los Angeles. The Southwest Chief is unique among Superliner trains as it is permitted to reach speeds of up to 90mph on sections of the route.

We spend the morning in Hollywood, with free time to see the footprints of the stars at Mann's Chinese Theatre or to take a stroll down the famous Hollywood Boulevard. We then travel to Long Beach for one night on board the RMS Queen Mary, which has a fascinating history as a luxury ocean liner and due to its role in World War II as a U-boat dodging, high-speed troop carrier.

We join Amtrak's Coast Starlight for a daytime journey, leaving sprawling LA and travelling north along the scenic Pacific coast shoreline to San Francisco. Relax in the Sightseer Lounge and enjoy spectacular views through floor-to-ceiling windows as the train hugs the coast, passing vast stretches of pristine beaches north of Santa Barbara, then takes us through the wine county of San Luis Obispo. We arrive into Oakland, a suburb of San Francisco, and transfer to the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, our base for three nights. The hotel enjoys a great location close to the cable car terminus, with excellent views over San Francisco.

Sightseeing on our first morning includes the inspiring Golden Gate Bridge and the popular Fisherman's Wharf, home to a famous population of sea lions. We then head across San Francisco Bay, by ferry from Pier 33, to visit the infamous island of Alcatraz, most famous for its time as a prison. Known also as "The Rock", from where there are no known escape survivors, the island's notable former residents include Al Capone and the 'Birdman of Alcatraz'. Our tour of the island takes us into the prison itself, seeing the cells as they were, with examples of some escape attempts on display.

Your second day in San Francisco is free, so why not explore the vibrant streets of Chinatown and the intriguing Golden Gate Fortune Cookie factory, or ride the trams (cable cars) up and down the hilly streets and visit the famous winding Lombard Street, which has the distinction of being 'the crookedest street in the world"? You could spend time taking in the city's culture with visits to the Museum of Modern Art or the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, enjoy some opera, jazz or ballet, or visit the Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill for stunning views. A trip to Haight-Ashbury takes you into one of the city's most fashionable areas. Known as "the Haight", this inter-section is famous for its association with the hippie-culture era of the 1960s.

We transfer to the airport for the overnight flight to Manchester, arriving mid-morning on Day 21.