"Downtown Abbey" Season 3 just started on January 6, getting fans pumped up for the show all over again. The return of the show isn't the only thing that fans should be excited about. There is now a "Downtown Abbey" trip on a river cruise.
Viking River Cruises sponsors PBS' "Masterpiece" series and they've created a special shore excursion that was inspired by the show. The show is filmed at Highclere Castle, so the tour revolves around this Victorian Gothic estate, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Viking River Cruises now has a three-night tour of Oxford and Highclere Castle. The short trip can be added as an extension before or after two European cruises from Paris to Prague or Prague to Paris.
The trip includes a visit to Oxford University in London, followed by a tour of Blenheim Palace and a trip to the English Cotswolds.
On the next day, guests will get to visit the "real" Downtown Abbey, Highclere Castle. The estate was built by Sir Charles Barry, who also created the Houses of Parliament. Guests receive a glass of champagne when they start the tour. They then visit the castle's rooms, including the main hall, dining room, library, sitting rooms and other areas that are seen on the television show.
You won't see Mrs. Patmore's kitchen downstairs. In real life, that area is used to display Egyptian antiquities collected by the 5th Earl of Carnavon.
Guests will also have some time to freely explore the parklands before heading back to Oxford where visitors are free to explore whatever they want.
The next day, guests will be taken to the St. Pancras Station in London where you can see things like Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and "Big Ben," along the way. They then take the high-speed Eurostar train to Paris, where they start their cruise.
The excursion is an extension on the 12-day Cities of Light river cruise which starts at $2,956 per person. The cruise heads to Prague. It can also be an extension on the eight-day Paris and the Heart of Normandy cruise which starts at $1,856 per person and heads to Paris, Rouen and Normandy. These cruises depart March through November but the Downtown Abbey tour only takes place on certain dates.
The Downtown Abbey excursion is not included in the price of the cruise. The land excursion itself is $1,399 per person based on double occupancy. The package includes transportation, hotel stays and breakfasts.
For more information, check out Viking River Cruises or call 1-800-304-9616.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
