Brighton Excursions

One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to venture outside your host city and explore the surrounding area. Excursions are offered for all semester, year, and summer programs. You will receive a calendar of the specific CEA excursions offered for your program during orientation. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we have collected typical experiences from some of the tours and trips we have offered to our students in England in the past.

Arundel Castle

Students will visit the amazing Arundel Castle, which looks down over the small riverside town below and is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Norfolk. They will travel through 1,000 years of history marveling at paintings by Van Dyke, 16th century furniture, as well as rare and unusual plants in the Victorian Flower Gardens. After the tour, students will enjoy an English cream tea with scones.

Canterbury and Leeds Castle

This excursion takes in both Canterbury and Leeds Castle, which is located about 40 minutes away. Leeds Castle is billed as “The loveliest castle in the world,” and it is lovely indeed. Its extensive grounds are home to babbling brooks, well-tended gardens, an aviary, a vineyard mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and a grotto hidden at the end of a maze. Leeds Castle traces its origins to the days of William the Conqueror and became a royal home when Edward I, the founder of the British Parliament, acquired the estate around 1290. The castle remained in the hands of the monarchy for the next three centuries. Leeds Castle’s connection with America goes back to 1663, when Thomas, the second Lord Culpeper, purchased the castle; Lord Culpeper’s father had been granted more than 5 million acres in Virginia, and Culpeper later became governor of the colony. The tour continues to Canterbury, a city steeped in history-- occupation of the area can be traced back to many centuries before Christ. It is home to the famous Cathedral, the murder of Thomas A. Becket and to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Upon arriving at the city, a guided visit to the Cathedral is scheduled. Perhaps one of the main reasons why Canterbury is such a popular place for pilgrims to visit is the skeleton of St. Thomas Becket. No fewer than 703 miracles were witnessed and reported within ten years of the establishment of Becket’s shrine and each pilgrim hoped that by visiting the shrine their prayers would be answered.

London

London is such a treasure trove of wonders waiting to be discovered. CEA’s excursion aims to focus on the main attractions, leaving students wanting more. The visit begins with a walking tour of Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament. From here, students will walk up Whitehall, home to many government offices, and Downing Street, home to the Prime Minister. At the end of Whitehall students will find themselves in Trafalgar Square, where Nelson sits proudly atop his column. The National Gallery is the next stop, home to such paintings by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Raphael as well as the English great artists, Turner, Stubbs and Hogarth. The British Museum is only a short bus ride away. The museum houses possibly one of the world's greatest collections of human cultural history; it is far too much to take in one visit, but will hopefully give students a taste of the treasures it houses. A walk along Oxford Street, Europe's longest shopping street, is a must. A tube stop away from Oxford Circus is Green Park, from which students will walk to the central London home to the Monarch, Buckingham Palace, which has served as the official London Royal Residence since 1837. Originally built and owned by the Duke of Buckingham, it was bought by George III for his wife in 1761. Buckingham House, as it was then called, eventually was re-named Queen's House. In 1762 work began to remodel the house to the King's specifications.

Stonehenge

The ancient Celtic ruins will tower before students as they recall the legends of mystery that surround its purpose, its existence. To some it may seem like a pile of rather large cut rocks on a grassy knoll, but after students see this 5,000 year old landmark with their own eyes will know it is something special.

Warwick Castle and Stratford

Students will have an enchanting time walking the gardens of Warwick Castle, watching jousting competitions that rival the movies, and archery that makes Robin Hood appear to materialize before their eyes. The excursion also includes a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon where Shakespeare lived as a child and is now buried. Students will feel as though they have been transported through time.

Windsor and Eton

The excursion begins with a walk to Windsor Castle, which is located in the middle of the town. Windsor, a compact and easy walking town of about 30,000 people, originally grew up around the royal residence. In 1070, William the Conqueror continued his habit of sacking Saxon settlements, taking over what the locals called “Windlesora,” meaning “river bank with a hoisting crane”. William built the first fortified castle on a chalk hill above the Thames; later kings added on to William’s early designs, rebuilding and expanding the castle and surrounding gardens. The official home of England’s royal family for 900 years, Windsor claims to be the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. While touring the castle students will see immense grounds, lavish staterooms, a crowd-pleasing dollhouse, an art gallery, and the chapel. The state apartments range from the intimate chambers of Charles II to the enormous Waterloo Chamber, built to commemorate the victory over Napoleon in 1815. All are exquisitely furnished with important works of art from the Royal Collection. After the tour of the castle, there will be time for lunch before heading across the bridge from the castle toward the college of Eton, a “public” (our “private”) school that has educated some eighteen former British prime ministers and members of the royal family. Eton was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI to provide free education for poor scholars who would go on to study at King’s College, Cambridge.

Oxford

Oxford is famous the world over for its University. Home to some thirty-nine colleges, this is truly the home of academia. Although Oxford has been an established town since the 9th century, it has been the residence of both royalty and scholars for over 800 years, and people are known to have lived in the area for thousands of years. Today, the city is a bustling cosmopolitan town. The excursion to Oxford begins with a walking tour during which students will take in the delights of Carfax Tower, The Bodelian Library and the Ashmolean Museum. The tour will also include a visit to Christ Church, one of Oxford's largest colleges, originally founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1524. When Wolsey fell from power in 1529 the College became property of King Henry VIII and he re-founded the College in 1546. In recent times the college has become more famous for its students: Lewis Caroll, author of the Alice in Wonderland books, found inspiration while studying at Christ Church, some thirteen Prime Ministers have studied there and Albert Einstein studied briefly at Christ Church. It also gained additional fame through being featured in several scenes of the popular Harry Potter films. After this tour, there will be time to participate in a traditional Oxford past-time-- punting on the river. Similar to a Venetian gondolier, the art of punting will test one’s skills of strength and navigation.