Luxury England Helicopter Tour and Land Excursion

Aerial view of London, England

What to expect on this itinerary

Eclectic, ancient, and endlessly dramatic, the British landscape offers a wonderful paradox: it is best understood through the intimacy of its soil and the grandeur of its skies. On this curated ten-day journey, you will piece together the puzzle of England and Scotland from three distinct perspectives: the winding country road, the rhythm of the rails, and the silence of the clouds.

This is not a rush across the map, but a slow ascent through the gears of the country. You will travel from the manicured, honey-hued villages of the South to the brooding, volcanic violets of the Scottish Highlands. While your days on the ground are spent immersed in five centuries of history—walking the cobblestones of Bath, York, and Edinburgh—your journey is punctuated by three exclusive private helicopter charters. You will rise above the stone giant of Windsor Castle, trace the spine of the Lake District’s mountains, and hunt for myths over the dark waters of Loch Ness. Resting in manor houses, lakeside lodges, and city icons, this is the definitive portrait of the British Isles: seen from the street, the suite, and the air.

Countries Visited

England, Scotland

Places Visited

London, Windsor, Oxford, The Cotswolds, Bath, Lake District, Edinburgh, The Highlands, York, Cambridge

Suggested Duration

10 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

London – A Relaxed Welcome to the Capital

Your arrival in the capital is designed to be gentle and grounding. Upon landing, a private chauffeur greets you for a smooth transfer to your luxury hotel suite, where the city’s skyline feels close enough to touch. Spend your first afternoon acclimating to the rhythm of the Thames; perhaps take a private, vintage boat cruise as the sun begins to dip, turning the water into a ribbon of liquid gold. The air here hums with a mix of history and modern energy, a perfect prologue to your journey.

Dinner is an elegant affair overlooking the water, where you can watch the city lights flicker on one by one. There is no rush tonight—only the comfort of Egyptian cotton sheets, the scent of fresh flowers in the lobby, and the anticipation of the skies you will conquer tomorrow.

What's Included:

Accommodation
Transfer
Activity
Breakfast
Day 2

Oxfordshire – The Royal Perspective

Day 3

Bath – A Golden Road Trip

Day 4

The Lake District – The Grand Ascent

Day 5

The Lake District – Volcanic Vistas

Day 6

Edinburgh – The Northern Border

Day 7

Edinburgh – Secrets of the Spire

Day 8

The Highlands – The Myth of the Loch

Day 9

York – The Royal Rails

Day 10

London – The Scholar’s Farewell

Trip Highlights

  • Enjoy three exclusive private helicopter tours over London, the Lake District, and the Scottish Highlands
  • Fly past the Houses of Parliament, the Shard, Windsor Castle, and the mysterious waters of Loch Ness
  • Travel between major regions in comfort with private luxury transfers or First Class rail, avoiding weather delays
  • Visit Windsor Castle, the home of Kings and Queens, and see the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh
  • Explore the Georgian city of Bath and the poetic beauty of the Lake District National Park
  • Walk the dreaming spires of Oxford, the medieval Shambles of York, and punt down the river in Cambridge

Detailed Description

Experiencing England from air imbues a wonderful paradox. Each landscape and every angle appear very different; the rugged hills of the Yorkshire Dales, oak-lined rivers in the Cotswolds, vast castles, intriguing cities, cute villages, coastlines that rise with tumultuous tones. With six days of flying, there's thousands of postcard panoramas, each with few similarities to the last. Every angle seems to reflect the very definition of England. As you gaze from the large helicopter window, you can't help thinking, “Ah, this is England.” Only for the same words to be uttered five minutes later. The landscapes and sights are seductively diverse. But each feels iconic and quintessential as if every single vista feels ready to represent England in live high-definition.

With this unique itinerary, you spend six days flying. A private helicopter charter takes you the length and breadth of the country, crossing from London to Oxford to Bath, then to the Lake District and Scotland. Returning south, you chart an eastern path, soaring through Yorkshire towards Cambridge. The tour runs at a relaxed pace, with daily stops for you to explore on the ground before taking to the skies again. For example, you fly over London before taking in the enormity of Windsor Castle. Touch down on the ground, explore the state apartments and ancient turrets, then fly onwards to Oxfordshire. With a helicopter, the aerial sightseeing is complemented by the ease and convenience of travel. In just six days of flying, you can travel from London and the south to the remote landscapes of Loch Ness and Northern Scotland. And then back again. All at a very leisurely pace.

Sometimes it's the countryside that inspires. Great folds of green hills divided by stone walls; wisps of mist rising from hidden lakes; sheep scattered across precipitous coastal cliffs or the jagged rise of Scotland's peaks. At other times, it's the grandeur of England's history. Monumental castles standing unbowed, centuries-old cathedral spires that still dominate city skylines, magnificent Tudor homes surrounded by moats. And then there's the wealth of architecture, revealed as you soar above cities and admire their design. With a helicopter, you fly high enough to take in the scale. But low enough to take in all the intimate details. Gaze one way and rural England spills onto the horizon. Look the other and you clearly make out the turrets of an 11th-century castle.

The helicopter itinerary covers all of England and a large sweep of Scotland. It's customizable on the day, with the pilot able to subtly change the route to take in any special interests. The focus is always on ensuring you have the maximum opportunity to view the two countries from the air. Complementing the helicopter journeys are a handcrafted collection of England's finest accommodations. Picture rustic cottages, stately homes, and boutique guesthouses tucked away from the world.

Consider browsing our other trips to England, and see how you can customize your England vacation of a lifetime to your particular interests and desires.

Starting Price

$10,600 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

5.0

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 5 reviews

England Travel Review: London, Cotswolds, Cornwall, Dorset, Chelsea Flower Show, Windsor Castle, 2 Weeks

Every hotel had beautiful grounds and views. We had asked for hotels that also had the ambiance of age and antiquity. One of our favorites was in Chelsea. The staff was especially warm and friendly. We felt very comfortable with everyone! We loved all of the rooms in the entry level. It was cozy and beautiful, even the patio.

The Broadway hotel really blew us away. It was built in 1300 or so. It has an outstanding courtyard and landscaping. The staff were flexible. Theye even helped me to find a secluded area for dinner the last evening. We were mesmerized by every sitting area. There were antiques everywhere; I should say ancient antiquities. The coastal hotel was nautical and charming. There were lovely staff there as well! The views of the estuary were stunning. At high tide, the river came right up to the outdoor patio. It was mesmerizing!

Another hotel was very pretty inside and had compelling views of gardens and sweeping lawns. It overlooked the Jurassic coast, as well as a very large beach and piers. It was very far to walk and straight downhill. We could not get any taxi or bus to get to the harbor for our boat ride, sadly. We tried walking, but it was too far. There was no taxi for the return trip either. We had to walk up steep steps and then along a winding garden path back to the top. It was very stressful for me because I have a damaged tendon in my ankle, which hurt me quite a lot. It was very disappointing. However, my husband was thrilled that I made it up the hill. So was I.

There was a mix-up at the hotel about our room. We had discussed with our agent that we needed rooms on the ground floors. They had us on the first floor and moved us at the last minute to a very small corner room with cheap furniture and no space for two people to maneuver. We were both appalled, but fortunately our agent was able to take our call and we ended up in an apartment instead. It had no view other than of parked cars, but it was spacious and modern. It was the best they could do. This hotel was located in Lyme Regis.

Our next stop was Henley on Thames. The hotel was very nice and the two was pretty, but we didn’t arrive until 4.30. There was no Sunday dinner, so went elsewhere. Then we left the next morning at 9.30. The river was lovely to view.

We had fantastic drivers and driver guides throughout London, the Cotswolds, Cornwall, and Dorset back to London.

We missed our tour of Westminster Abbey due to the time change and lack of sleep. Our concierge tried his best to arrange for us to visit it on our last day. I called our travel company and was given the ticket number by email. Westminster Abbey declined because the company it was purchased through refused to confirm it. We were again disappointed. I tried calling the travel company back, left a message for help, but never got a return call.

We may go back again, but I would arrange for someone to meet me at the airport with a wheelchair. I would have been less stressed. That airport was overwhelming and confusing.

I sincerely wished that we did not have the Chelsea Flower Show and Windsor Castle on the same day. I could hardly walk by the end. Our agents offered to change Windsor to a different day, but it was an additional £350 or so. That seemed very unfair.

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England, Ireland, Scotland Vacation Review: Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, Llanybydder, Aberystwyth, Windsor, Family Heritage, 15 Days

Zicasso's tour planner and her associates at the travel company did an excellent job of putting together a long-awaited trip to the UK to explore our father's roots.

Starting in Edinburgh, Scotland, and extending down into London and on to our father's birthplace in mid-Wales, she and the company found us great accommodations centrally located within our areas of interest. Our various walking tour guides were excellent and our agent's recommendations for places to see were wonderful and fit within the timeframe and parameters of our travels.

Our wonderful Welsh guide was able to locate our father's childhood farm and even discovered some previously unknown family members still in residence there. We had a truly memorable trip and highly recommend our agent and her travel company!

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England, Scotland Travel Review: London, Cotswolds, Hampton Court, Bath, Edinburgh, 2-Week Tour

Zicasso's trip planner was wonderful and very responsive during the trip.

The hotel in London had very small rooms on our three-day stay. I would suggest a larger room for that and the smaller room would have worked for the overnight we did to catch a flight. But if it was done to keep costs down, I appreciate that. The service in all the hotels was wonderful!

We loved our tour guides, except for the first in Cotswold, where we wound up with a substitute. She did not share info as much as drove us to locations. However, she brought us to one ruin which we really liked that I don’t think was on the initial plan.

I would definitely recommend this company and Zicasso!

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Scotland Vacation Review: Castles, Gardens, Palaces, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, The Kelpies, Private Driver, Distillery Tour, 1 Week

Zicasso’s tour planner did a wonderful job responding to us and tailoring our 8-day Scotland trip to our desires. At her recommendation, we utilized a driver rather than rent a car, and that maximized our experience and minimized driving anxiety. Our driver was fantastic! He moved us comfortably and smoothly through our itinerary with humor, local knowledge, and history.  Lodging and required entry tickets were prearranged and any questions that arose were speedily handled by our driver and agent.

Trip highlights to the central Highlands included garden and ground visits at Edinburgh, Glamis, Drummond, and Sterling castles, Scone Palace, Branklyn Gardens, Jupiter Artland, and The Kelpies. My wife wanted to include The Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels, which is not a convenient spot to visit. By having our driver pick us at the Edinburgh airport upon our arrival, we were able to maximize our first day and include Abbotsford House. Our tour company was great.

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Ireland, Scotland, England Family Trip Review: Edinburgh, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Cliffs of Moher, History, Castle, Local Cuisine, Scenery, Art, 21 Days

Zicasso's trip planner worked with my family for the better part of a year planning our big family trip. She provided exceptional service and planned every detail of our trip. We have a large family, with lots of moving parts. There were many changes in the itinerary along the way and she rolled with all the many changes. She was always polite, courteous, and graceful in her many interactions with our family.

She listened carefully during our initial conversations to help us plan the best trip possible. Being a large family, with multiple generations, she really created the best possible experience, taking in everyone's wishes. Working with her was very relieving, knowing she was taking care of all the details.

Our family's trip took us from the States to Ireland, Scotland, and England. We traveled on planes, trains, ferry, and drove a car. Our trip planner arranged every detail meticulously. We stayed in lovely, quaint, boutique hotels, ate the most wonderful foods, saw the amazing sights, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites across all three countries. From the Cliffs of Moher to the Culloden Moor Memorial to Stonehenge to castles grand and desolate; from beautiful cathedrals to old abbey ruins; from little country pubs to Michelin-starred restaurants; and even spending a couple days in an actual 17th-century castle, every minute was amazing! Truly amazing!

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews