Reserve seats on any 2017 Rick Steves tour today, and you’ll save $ 100 per person! To receive your early booking discount, you must reserve a 2017 tour by midnight on November 30, 2016. Discounts are for new bookings only and must be secured with a $400 per person deposit(订金).

See our Conditions:

   Tour price guarantee: our tour prices do not include air tickets, and may be adjusted without notice due to possible changes in currency rates and trip costs. However, your price for the tour you’ve selected will be guaranteed the moment we receive your deposit.

   Included in the price of each tour: Sightseeing tours by a Rick Steves’ Europe(RSE) guide, and local guides when appropriate, including all admission to sights seen as a group; all breakfasts and half of your dinners; accommodation each night; all transportation from the first hotel to the last hotel of the tour; all RSE guide, local guide and driver tips.

   The plans of the trip may be changed: Europe is full of surprise, and we need to be flexible enough to take advantage of whatever comes along so that we may provide you with the best possible tour.

   Tour payments: Your final tour payment must be paid at least 60 days before the departure. Missing the final payment deadline may result in your being removed from the tour! If you sign up for a tour less than 60 days before its departure, the entire tour price must be paid.

   Transferring(改签) to another tour: Up to 60 days before your departure, you can transfer to any other tour in the same calendar year with seats available, applying your existing deposit and with no transfer fee. If you transfer to a different tour, the price of that tour will be applied, effective on the date we confirm your transfer. Transfers less than 60 days before your tour’s departure may not be possible.

Ecotourism：A Different Way to Travel

Are you attracted to obscure places? Do you prefer to vacation away from other tourists? Are you careful to take only memories and to leave only footprints？If you answered yes to more than one of these questions，you just might be an ecotourist.

Ecotourists are people who want to experience the unspoiled natural world—and leave it that way when they return home. This trend started in the 1990s，and ecotourism is now growing three times faster than the tourism industry at large. The Kapawi Ecolodge in Ecuador’s remote Amazon Basin is contributing to that expansion，and it gives a snapshot of what ecotourism looks like.

At the Ecolodge，a small group of cabins sits in the middle of the Achuar people’s reserve and is only accessible by air. From here，visitors can explore parts of the Amazon rainforest seen by few outsiders. As they do，local Achuar guides explain how the forest is like their supermarket，where they find food，clothing，medicine and tools. As a result，tourists learn to appreciate the local culture as well as the natural environment.

The owners of Kapawi pay monthly rent to the Achuar people，but they also train the community to run and manage the lodge. They have agreed on a plan to turn the operation over to the Achuar completely by 2011.The owners are working to make ecotourism benefit and empower the local people.

You probably won’t start your own ecolodge，but you can be an ecotourist if you follow these guidelines：Protect the environment；Support local businesses；Respect the local customs and traditions.

The world is full of fascinating places to visit. As an ecotourist，you can enjoy them yourself and make sure that they remain beautiful for future generations as well.

More perhaps than any other European nation, the Swiss have got used to looking after foreign travelers. As early as the 18th century, wealthy French, Germans and Italians were treating the country as an amusement center while, in the 19th century, it became the major holiday playground for the British nobles. Today, it attracts visitors from all over the world.

The Swiss are clear about the importance of tourism to their economy, which contributes about eight percent of Gross National Product, and helps the industry greatly. Managers of hotels from all over the world go to Switzerland to learn how to do the job, and a generally high standard can be expected from the great majority of the country’s hotels, most of which are small and pride themselves on a personalized service. Public transport is the best in Europe. Both the Swiss Federal railways and the private railways are fully electrified, and the total network is made up of about 5000 kilometers of track.

Under the Fly Baggage system passengers can check luggage in at 116 railway stations and have it automatically carried to their flight. The national highway system is equally well planned, and the mountain roads offer views of some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Also serving the mountains is an effective system of railways and cable ways, while more than 160 passenger cars cross the lakes and rivers to and fro. Hiking in the mountains is equally popular with Swiss nationals and foreign visitors. For those who want to view the country from a height without having to climb the mountain themselves, it is always possible to take in the view from a balloon.

Sorburoy, a tiny island off the north coast of Norway, is one of the world's loneliest places. Blown By restless winds, this distant island is nothing short of heaven to the villagers there.

    The villagers are living on the minimum of what it takes to keep up a community. In their community are a combined primary and secondary school, a shop, a fish farm and a boat. The community is a simple but entirely dependent ecosystem. Take one away and the rest would suffer. But it is also a self-sufficient(自给自足的) one, determined to survive and hold on to their simple and traditional lifestyle. Without televisions or iPads to entertain them, the children enjoy the pleasures outdoors while the adults rely on fishing and seasonal tourism for income.

    The calmness about the island reminds people of Norway's natural heritage(遗产) which is slowly disappearing. History hangs heavy on the island. The deserted houses are a warning of what might happen. Ghost(鬼) stories are familiar to the islanders.

    But for all the supernatural whispers, the practical challenge of the present shouts louder. Up until the 1960s, there were 400 people living on the island but now there are only 35, among which are eight children aged between 7 and 15. In 2009, Sorburoy's only school was under threat of closedown because of too few pupils. The community's solution was to place an advertisement in a newspaper, seeking a family with at least three children (preferably ten) with the promise of a job at the fish farm and a house. 400 people applied. The family who won still lives there with their four children, which becomes one of many tales of Sorburoy.

The city of Florence eats, sleeps and breathes art. Examples of man's artistic genius (天赋) stand on nearly every street. Dozens of museums and art shops wait to be explored.

During the Renaissance, Florence was a paradise (天堂) for artists themselves. Before this time, art focused completely on religious subjects. Renaissance art began to include more variety. Artists painted pictures of ordinary people. They painted scenes from history and characters from Greek and Roman myths (神话).

Michelangelo was the greatest of Florence's artists. Visitors line up for hours at the Academia museum for a look at his impressive David. This 14-foot-high statue has become the ideal human figure of the Renaissance. David is an example of Michelangelo's talent for sculpting people simply, yet powerfully.

More of Michelangelo's works can be seen in the great Palazzo Vecchio. Paintings and carvings of famous Italian artists fill the palace rooms.

A short walk through the narrow streets of Florence brings visitors to the famous Uffizi Gallery. It has an outstanding art collection. Visitors should be sure to wear comfortable shoes, as exploring the gallery takes many hours. Some of the most famous works in the collection include Botticelli's Primaveraand The Birth of Venus.

Even visitors tired of art won't want to miss the Pitti Palace. Once home to Florence's powerful Medici family, the large palace now houses three museums. Filled with priceless art, the countless rooms glitter (闪光) with gold decorations. For a breath of fresh air, wander among the statues and fountains of the palace gardens.

To get a feel of modern Florence, join the evening walk. This traditional feature of Italian life begins around 6 p.m. People walk down the streets of central Florence to do last-minute shopping or just chat with friends. Be sure to walk past Perch Noi, home of the oldest and best ice cream in the city.

Florence has given the world many great art treasures. Some stand in gardens and squares. Others line the walls of beautiful palaces. Still others are the palaces themselves. For art lovers, Florence is indeed paradise.

Welcome to Holker Hall & Gardens

Visitor Information

How to Get to Holker

By Car： Follow brown signs an A590 from JB6, M6.Approximale travel times: Windermere-20 minutes, Kendal-25 minutes, Lancaster-45 minutes, Manchester-I hour 30 minutes.

By Rail: The nearest station is Cark-in-Cartmel with trains to Carnforth, Lancaster Preston for connections to major cities & airports.

Opening Times

Sunday-Friday (closed on Saturday)11:00 am-4:00pm,30 March-2nd November.

Admission Charges

Hall & Gardens                Gardens

Adults:              £12.00                                £8.00

Groups              £9                                       £5.5

Producers:  Market 13th April

Join us to taste a variety of fresh local food and drinks. Meet the producers and get some excellent recipe ideas.

Holker Garden Festival 30th May

    The event celebrate its 22^nd anniversary with a great show of the very best of gardening,  making it one of the most popular events in gardening.

National Garden Day 28th August

Holker once again opens is gardens in aid of the disadvantaged. For just a small donation you can take a tour with our garden guide.

Winter Market 8th November

This is an event for all the family. Wander among a variety of shops selling gifs while enjoying a live music show and nice street entertainment.

Big cities and small historic towns top the list of most popular places to visit in the United States, according to the votes of the travel site, TripAdvisor. Here’s a look at TripAdvisor’s Top 5 most popular travel destinations in America!

1,New York City

More than 50 million people visit New York City every year. The five boroughs – or districts  of New York have some of the most easily recognized attractions in the world. Visitors on a budget can take a free boat from Manhattan to Staten Island for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

2, Chicago, Illinois

America’s third-largest city offers world-class museums, sporting events and iconic architecture – including Willis Tower, America’s tallest building. The Midwest city is also known for comedy. The Second City theater is where many famous comedians get their start.

3,Charleston, South Carolina

The coastal city has a very rich history. The Civil War began at its waterfront, at Fort Sumter, which visitors can explore. But present-day Charleston has a lot to offer, too. Conde Nast Traveler voted it the number one U.S. city, for its beautiful architecture, food, and friendly people.

4, Las Vegas, Nevada

The desert city of Las Vegas is known around the world for its casinos and bright lights. Visitors stay at world-class hotels, eat at top chefs’ restaurants, and usually see a wonderful show or concert.

5, Seattle, Washington

Visitors to the West Coast city of Seattle will find the iconic Space Needle, the world’s first Starbucks, and Pike Place Market, one of the oldest and most famous farmers markets in the country. The Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World’s Fair. Riding up to the top provides views of the nearby mountains.

People who like travelling have their reasons. They believe that travelling can help them expand their field of view，especially in the geographical and historical sense. They also think that touring will give them more chances to enjoy different kinds of food and experience newthings that would never be brought by other activities. But those who dislike travelling also have some reasons.

Travelling, in my opinion，does more good than harm. Most importantly，it broadens(使扩大)our mind. We can get in touch with other civilizations(文明), cultures, customs and ideas.

 Through history, most people travelled because of necessity(必要性)－not for pleasure. People travelled just in order to remain alive. They searched for food to eat or places to live in. They sometimes ran away from enemies. This is not to say that no one ever travelled just for fun of it. In ancient times, for example, rich Romans travelled all the ways to Greece to take part in the Olympic Games, and festivals. Of course, some people decided to travel just out of curiosity(好奇心).They wanted to find out what it looked like beyond the horizon(地平线). Also business travel has been going on for centuries. Traders could not only make money but also learn to speak several languages and be introduced to different cultures.

So, travelling does enrich our mind and draw new ideas to us. There is no doubt that we can get much from it.

   Virtual tours havesprung up globally. In South Africa, John Gore established the Virtual Tour Guide in November last year. On his blog, Gore was quoted a saying,  “The world is panoramic(全景的).” “ˈWe are able to turn our heads and look in all directions and get a feel for where we are, but the typical photograph cannot show or describe that experience completely.” However, there is an answer --- technology makes it possible to share the world around us in a 360 degree panoramic way, which really makes the viewer feel as though he or she is really there.