I fell in love with Jane Austen after I was 17 with the primary turning of the pages of Pleasure & Prejudice. My coronary heart was captured by her phrases, but it surely was the invention that Austen has a sister named Cassandra that really deepened my affection right into a lifelong devotion.
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Austen’s start, and after a go to final fall to Heckfield Place, a rustic property that seems like stepping again in time into Austen’s world, I’m impressed to craft the perfect Austen itinerary via Nice Britain.
It’s solely becoming to have fun Austen’s birthday with a literary escape via England, a journey that encompasses the locations that not solely impressed her writing, but in addition the settings of the innumerable movies and tv collection based mostly on her books.
Born on December 16, 1775, within the Hampshire countryside, Austen’s England was a world of drawing rooms and carriages, quiet humor, and a steely resolve that shimmered beneath the veneer of all issues well mannered society.
How her world nonetheless beckons, even now.
Nice Britain is greater than the backdrop to Austen’s novels, after all. It was her muse that impressed her landscapes and surroundings, her canvas on which she wrote enduring tales of the human situation, and her legacy, which we nonetheless have fun. From the Bathtub Meeting Rooms to the rolling hills of Derbyshire, these locations formed her characters and impressed readers throughout centuries. Exploring these locations as a literary pilgrimage immerses you into the England that Austen knew and liked.
Journeying via the landscapes and structure Austen lived in and was impressed by is about displaying you her world. It’s standing the place she stood in Bathtub’s crescents, envisioning Elizabeth Bennet’s awe as she approached the grand property of Mr. Darcy, and quietly reflecting beside the straightforward grave that marks her monumental life. Whether or not you’re a loyal Janeite or an off-the-cuff admirer, following her footsteps connects you to the quiet revolution of a lady who wrote fiercely from the sidelines with eager statement and crackling wit.
Austen’s Nice Britain stays a spot of poetic landscapes and genteel magnificence, the place Georgian mansions evoke misplaced love tales and backyard paths appear to whisper traces from Persuasion (which is now my favourite of all her novels!)
For a birthday tribute that’s equal elements elegant and emotionally resonant, this curated itinerary blends luxurious, literature, and the enduring pull of a lady who understood longing higher than most.
Jane Austen Birthday Itinerary: A 9-Day Literary Escape
Day 1: Arrival in London + In a single day at The Lanesborough
Arrive at Heathrow and switch to The Lanesborough, a Regency-era impressed resort overlooking Hyde Park. Sip champagne within the opulent Library Bar or get pleasure from a sublime afternoon tea earlier than retiring to your richly appointed room. You’re simply steps from Jane Austen’s London and completely positioned for tomorrow’s departure.
Day 2: Belmond British Pullman to Bathtub + In a single day in Bathtub
Switch to close by Victoria Station to board the opulent Belmond British Pullman practice for a glamorous journey to Bathtub. Take pleasure in champagne, basic delicacies, and artwork deco carriages that echo the magnificence of Austen’s period. Upon arrival in Bathtub, examine in at The Royal Crescent Lodge, nestled inside the metropolis’s iconic Georgian structure.
Day 4: Lacock + Wilton Home (Movie Places) + In a single day in Bathtub
Take pleasure in non-public guided excursions of Lacock Village and Wilton Home, each open to guests and used as filming places for the 2005 Pleasure & Prejudice (in addition to Cranford and Downton Abbey) Lacock’s immaculately preserved Georgian allure makes it a cinematic favourite. Wilton Home, seat of the Earls of Pembroke, is a landmark of Palladian design, that includes the famed Single and Double Dice Rooms by Inigo Jones—England’s pioneer of classical structure. Later enhancements by James Wyatt blended neoclassical and Gothic parts, creating certainly one of Britain’s most architecturally vital estates. Emma (2020) and Sense and Sensibility (1995) have been each filmed there, in addition to scenes from The Crown and Bridgerton. Return to Bathtub on your remaining night.
Day 6: Chawton – Jane Austen’s Dwelling + In a single day at Heckfield Place
Go to Jane Austen’s Home Museum in Chawton, the place she lived for the ultimate eight years of her life and revised or wrote Emma, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. The modest Hampshire cottage, rigorously preserved, gives a transferring glimpse into her each day routines, inventive course of, and home world. Particular displays in 2024–25 mark the 205th anniversary of her dying, with shows specializing in her enduring cultural influence, private belongings, and infrequently seen letters.
Only a quick stroll away is Chawton Home, the Elizabethan manor as soon as owned by Austen’s brother Edward. As we speak it serves as a analysis library and museum celebrating early ladies writers, with fantastically maintained gardens and curated exhibitions that deepen the literary context of Austen’s time. After this immersive day, return to Heckfield Place for a peaceable night surrounded by nature.
Day 7: Winchester – Closing Chapter + In a single day at Heckfield Place
Head to Winchester, the place Jane spent her remaining days. Go to Winchester Cathedral to see her resting place, a modest tomb within the cathedral’s north aisle and see the Jane Austen memorial window, added many years after her dying, which honors her literary legacy via symbolic stained glass. Winchester was as soon as the capital of Anglo-Saxon England and a coronation website for early English monarchs. Kings reminiscent of Alfred the Nice dominated from right here, and the town served because the royal seat and treasury earlier than Westminster rose to prominence. Return to Heckfield Place for a quiet night, reflecting on the enduring presence of Austen—and England’s royal previous.
Day 8: Relaxation + Reflection at Heckfield Place
Spend your remaining day immersed within the serenity of Heckfield. Benefit from the biodynamic gardens, take a countryside stroll, or e-book a therapeutic massage on the wellness area. Toast to Jane’s life with a fantastically crafted dinner within the Fireside restaurant.
Day 9: Departure
Depart from Heckfield Place to Heathrow or central London, full of tales, surroundings, and the quiet energy of a lady whose pen nonetheless shapes the world.
Your Expanded Itinerary (tentative)
First Extension
Day 9: Blenheim Palace (close to Oxford, UNESCO website): Constructed 1705–1722 in English Baroque type as a reward for the Duke of Marlborough’s army triumphs, it options opulent state rooms, Functionality Brown gardens, and even an property bridge spanning streams beneath the home. That is additionally Winston Churchill’s birthplace. (Additionally utilized in many movies, Bond ones specifically!) Then head to Oxford which is wealthy in educational historical past, Victorian structure, and literary connections—Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” was impressed right here. It additionally serves because the backdrop for Inspector Morse, with filming centered across the metropolis’s faculties and riverside. Retire on the newly renovated Estelle Manor, providing country-house hospitality with an intensive spa, journey programming (horse trekking, archery), and vibrant interiors mixing Jacobean and up to date type.
Day 10: Windsor Fortress: As one of many oldest and largest repeatedly occupied castles, it gives ceremonials just like the Altering of the Guard, state residences, St George’s Chapel (the place many royals are buried), and deep royal custom. Lunch on the Leaf at The Fortress Lodge, Situated straight reverse the fort, providing trendy British–European fare, artisan cheeses, native beers, and a sublime terrace. Windsor is a spotlight of any royal-themed itinerary. Late afternoon and night at leisure at Estelle Manor.
Day 11: Depart from Estelle Manor to Heathrow.
Second Extension
Day 11: Return to London through Hampton Court docket & Richmond + In a single day at Raffles The OWO
Depart Heckfield Place and start your return to London with a cease at Hampton Court docket Palace, as soon as dwelling to Henry VIII. Tour the Tudor kitchens, grand Baroque residences, and formal gardens, together with the well-known maze. Proceed on to Richmond, the place you possibly can stroll the riverside, get pleasure from a stroll in Richmond Park (dwelling to free-roaming deer), or cease for lunch at a conventional pub like The White Cross. Arrive in central London and examine in to Raffles London at The OWO, a surprising reimagining of the historic Outdated Conflict Workplace.
Day 12: Churchill’s Legacy + Raffles + Dinner at The Goring
Start your day with a go to to the Churchill Conflict Rooms, the underground nerve heart of Britain’s WWII effort. Then get pleasure from a guided tour of Raffles London at The OWO, the place British intelligence as soon as operated. Within the night, dine at The Goring, famously favored by the royal household, and revel in its refined British menu and regal atmosphere.
Day 13: Greenwich + The West Finish + In a single day at Raffles
Spend the day in Greenwich, exploring the Royal Observatory, dwelling of the Harrison marine chronometers that revolutionized navigation within the 18th century. Go to the Painted Corridor and Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, filming websites for The Crown, Les Misérables, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Return to central London in time for an elective West Finish present or musical.
Day 14: Kensington & Tradition + Departure
Begin your remaining morning with a go to to Kensington Palace, as soon as dwelling to Queen Victoria and Princess Diana, and a hub of Georgian court docket life. Spend your remaining afternoon on the British Museum, the place you possibly can see iconic treasures just like the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures, and the Enlightenment Gallery—a becoming tribute to the mental legacy of Austen’s period.
Day 15: Relaxation and recreation earlier than switch to Heathrow or your onward dwelling.
Able to stroll in Jane’s footsteps, champagne coupe in hand? Let’s plan your customized Austen birthday escape—luxurious, literature, and landscapes await.