Day 3
Step back in time today as you pay a visit to, and your respects at, the Gettysburg National Military Park, which preserves the land upon which Unionist forces overcame the Confederates during one of the bloodiest episodes of the American Civil War. In addition to the battlefield site itself, with its monuments and memorials, including that at Gettysburg National Cemetery dedicated to Abraham Lincoln's famous Address, the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Centre houses a collection of over 40,000 Civil War artefacts, and your visit will provide a deep insight into this momentous point of American history.
After a fascinating day, you'll journey on to spend two nights at Tyson's Corner, close to Washington DC.
Day 4
Today is spent in the 'most powerful city on Earth', Washington DC, the nation's capital and site of some of the most recognisable US landmarks. Our optional guided city tour will bring to life the giant domed Capitol building on 'the Hill' - home to the Senate and the House of Representatives - the vast Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. Stretching two miles from the Capitol to the Potomac River, the vast, manicured acres of the Mall boast the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, the Smithsonian museums and - across the green swathe of the Ellipse, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - the White House itself. Across the Potomac lie Arlington National Cemetery and the hulking Pentagon.
After the tour, the rest of the day is free to explore at leisure, before you return to Tyson's Corner.
Day 4
This morning you'll travel north to the original US capital, historic Philadelphia. The Independence Hall National Park is home to the place where the Declaration of Independence was prepared and - after the tolling of the Liberty Bell - first read to the nation in July 1776. Enjoy our orientation tour, which will bring to life the colourful story of America's birth and the characters of the men, like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, who wrought it.
After a fascinating day, you'll travel north to Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, for a two-night stay, and the chance to visit extraordinary New York City.
Day 5
Enjoy a full day in the incomparable Big Apple, perhaps the world's most famous metropolis, with its landmark skyscrapers, the green acres of Central Park, its famous Fifth Avenue stores, glittering Broadway, bustling Time Square, world-class museums and its irrepressible buzz, from Harlem in the north to Wall Street's Financial District, overlooking the Statue of Liberty and famous Ellis Island.
Take our wonderful optional guided city tour and make the very most of your day in this wonderful place, and spend a few hours in leisurely exploration of the 'city that never sleeps', before returning across the Hudson River for a second night in New Jersey.
Day 6
Today you'll head north once more, boarding the coach for the scenic journey through beautiful, rural Upper New York State, its forested landscape dotted with quintessential New England towns and villages, to spend a final two nights close to Niagara Falls.
Day 7
Spend a day in awestruck wonder as you visit the Falls, which plunge over the famous precipices in a cacophony of noise and a permanent misty spray heard and seen for miles around. Perhaps enjoy lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Falls, and stroll the green acres of the park that runs above the teeming Niagara River, before spending a last evening in the resort town.
Day 8
Treat yourself to an optional helicopter flight over the Falls - the perfect way to bid them farewell - before you board the coach once more to journey on to glittering Toronto, with its waterfront developments, sky-piercing CN Tower, countless cafes and restaurants and its ultra-modern shopping malls. Spend a brief visit soaking up the atmosphere of the city, then make the short journey back to Toronto Airport and the return overnight flight.
Day 10
Arrive back in the UK, at the end of a wonderful holiday.