A Charles Dickens Adventure

London and Kent, September 21 - 27, 2025

A Charles Dickens Adventure

September 21 - 27, 2025

Charles Dickens, one of the most prolific and celebrated novelists of the Victorian era, has left an indelible mark on literature, society, and culture. His works—rich with vivid characters, social commentary, and masterful storytelling—continue to captivate readers around the world. From the gritty streets of London to the quiet countryside of Kent, Dickens’ life and works are inextricably linked to the landscape of southern England. This tour will explore the places that shaped his writing, the people he encountered, and the events that influenced his deeply human and often biting observations of society.

As we journey through the locations associated with Dickens, we’ll see how his experiences shaped his writing. From his humble beginnings to his rise as one of the most famous authors in the world, Dickens' life story is a compelling tale of ambition, perseverance, and artistic brilliance. This tour will bring you to the places that inspired some of his greatest works and offer insight into the man behind the pen.

Scroll down to see all the many things included in this tour and to secure your space. This tour is perfect for those who want want to learn about the life and work of Charles Dickens, no matter your experience with his work.

Cost:
$2,750 (per person, double occupancy)
$3,650 (single occupancy)
$500 deposit required to secure your space.

Detailed Itinerary

    • Meet your Coach and Driver-Guide :  Heathrow Airport (10:00 a.m.)

      • Transfer to Kent by coach bus

      • Lunch at the Leather Bottle, a pub known as Dickens’ favorite ale house. Built in 1629 and featured in Pickwick

      • Visit Gad’s HIll Place, the home of Dickens for the last 14 years of his life, and the only house he ever owned. Here he wrote A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. He died here in 1870.

      • Stay at Hampton by HIlton Canterbury

    • Breakfast at the hotel

      • Walking Tour of Canterbury

      • Visit Canterbury Cathedral

      • Free time for lunch

      • Tour of Broadstairs

      • Visit Charles Dickens’ House Museum

    • Breakfast at the hotel

      • Walking tour of Rochester

        • Delightful town where Dickens spent his childhood.

      • Visit Restoration House

        • Believed to be the inspiration for Miss Havisham’s House

      • Visit Guildhall Museum

        • Including the gallery, “The Making of Mr. Dickens”

      • Visit Historic Dockhard Chatham

        • Visit the dockyard where Dickens’ father worked from 1817-1822.

    • Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to London hotel

      • Walking tour of Dickens’ London

      • Free time for Lunch

      • Visit Charles Dickens Museum

        • Situated at Dickens’ London home, where he lived with his wife and eldest son. Here he finished Pickwick, and wrote Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist

      • Independent Dinner

      • Overnight at Crowne Plaza London Kings Cross

        • Hotel Website

      • Breakfast at the hotel

      • Visit Charles Dickens’ Birthplace museum

        • Pay a visit to the small terraced house where, in 1812, the famous novelist Charles Dickens was born. The home has been lovingly restored and furnished to illustrated middle class tastes of Dickens’ era.

      • Free time for Lunch

      • Visit Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

        • Visit the Dockyard where the Dickens family had strong links. Visit HMS Victory

      • Dinner and evening on your own in London

      • Overnight at Crowne Plaza

    • Breakfast at the hotel

      • You’ll have the day free to explore London at leisure. Let us know if you’d like recommendations or an itinerary. (Extra charge)

      • Attend a performance of Oliver! in the West End

        • This limited run production is based on Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist

      • Overnight at Crowne Plaza Hotel

    • Breakfast at the hotel

    • Check out of hotel

    • 8:00 a.m. Transfer to Heathrow Airport for your flight home

What’s Included

  • Services included in the package price
    $2,750 per person in shared room/$3,650 for a single

    Accommodation (includes breakfast every day)

    • Hampton by Hilton Canterbury - 3 nights

    • Crowne Plaza London Kings Cross - 3 nights

    Included transport

    • Coach

    Other services

    • On-Site Tour Director, Joan Weber

    • Experienced Tour Guide (6 days)

    • Welcome two-course lunch with tea/coffee

    • Entrance fees to Gad’s Hill Place, Canterbury Cathedral, Dickens House Museum, Restoration House, Guildhall Museum, Historic Docyard Chatham, Charles Dickens Museum, Dickens Birthplace Museum, Portmouth Historic Dockyard & HMS Victory

    • Theatre tickets to see West End production of Oliver!

  • Founder and Tour Guide

    From childhood, Joan has dreamt of being a tour guide, especially around literature and literary figures. She earned her masters in Literature from Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English and has spent most of the past 10 summers traveling in England and Ireland as a teacher and an administrator. Her favorite thing has been to visit the places where writers lived and wrote like London, Chawton, Stratford, Haworth, Dublin. It’s not like she’s looking for ghosts, not really.

    Joan became a humanities and literature teacher in an independent school in Howard County Maryland after spending a decade as a theater artist and educator in Baltimore City.

    She is a nerd, a hardcore, to-her-soul nerd. Let’s tour.

Physical Requirements

There will be walking nearly every day of the tour, not generally more than 1 mile at a time over a period of 30-40 minutes. English towns and cities may be paved with cobblestones, creating uneven services. We will also be wandering across unpaved surfaces. Please let us know if you will need support and we will do our best to help.

Costings

$2,750 per person in a shared room; $3,650 for a single.