London on Stage
Go Learn
London on Stage
October 08-17, 2026
Double Occupancy: $6100 per person
Single Occupancy: $6600 per person
Airfare is not included.
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London, thou art the flower of cities all.”
— William Dunbar, In Honour of the City of London, circa 1510
Let’s see: 4th of July celebrated—check. Perseid meteor shower observed—check. Kids/grandkids back in school—check. Labor (I mean, Labour) Day observed—check. So… it’s time to go to London! Because as fashionista Vivienne Westwood noted, “There’s nowhere else like London. Nothing, at all, anywhere.” We invite you to join us for ten extraordinary days in this Cultural Mecca, ground zero for the best theatre in the world, and (by the way) our favorite place on the planet. Or rejoin us—for as historian and novelist Walter Besant noted, “I’ve been walking about London for the last thirty years, and I find something fresh in it every day.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We are planning now an autumn festival of theatre productions, events, and meals calculated to astonish, delight, and enlighten. We can’t wait to share them with you!
Filled with one-of-a-kind visits and experiences, this trip will leave you happily tired. It includes days exploring London as a group and some late nights of theatre performances, and the pace is brisk. We average 4-6 miles (approximately 10,000 steps) of walking and 100 stairs per day. Travel is by public transportation (included in the price of the trip), and participants should be able to board Tube trains and buses independently, though we will always lead the way in group activities. The group comes first, so participants who wish to travel by taxi must make their own independent arrangements and expect to pay about $600 extra.
London on Stage is considered a Level Two out of three physical ability levels on the Go Learn scale (see the Details tab for more information).
To learn gives the liveliest pleasure.”
The above quote from Aristotle’s Poetics is the motto of our London on Stage trips. Learning a little about each play, art exhibition, and historical site beforehand makes experiencing them all the more pleasurable. And its sheer pleasure to discuss them together afterwards. We’ll accomplish both in scheduled chats on most days—accompanied by tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.
Drama is at the heart of London on Stage. We’re selecting five productions that will offer rich emotional and intellectual rewards and demonstrate the amazing variety of London theatre. To acquire the best seats (our signature) for the plays which promise to sell out fast, you have to start purchasing now. And that’s just what we’ve been doing. Here’s a sneak peek at our first two:
Please keep an eye on this web page as we roll out the rest of our scintillating 2026 productions!
Watch this space for more details!
Autumn in London is poetry… it is as if the soul was walking through smoke and cinnamon.”
- Arvind Passey
Important Note: At the moment this itinerary is fragmentary, and some of the times and dates are subject to change. Much more will be added later, but we hope this gives you an idea of some of what we’ll be up to.
We'll arrange hired cars to whisk you from Heathrow Airport to The Rockwell, our charming boutique hotel, where an included breakfast buffet is served every morning. After you're settled in, we'll go on a walking tour of our ‘hood, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, home to Kensington Gardens, several embassies, and Kensington Palace. We’ll cap our day with a delicious Welcome Dinner. Early to bed will help us beat jetlag.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meal: D
Activity Level: Moderate
After breakfast we’ll walk a block to the King’s Head Pub. The Stamp Room upstairs will be our Chats HQ, where we’ll prepare for activities and talk about them afterwards. Today we’ll be getting ready to go to a special art exhibition at the Tate Modern gallery, Frida: The Making of an Icon. What a hero Frida Kahlo was! Known for her intimate self-portraits and advocacy of indigenous Mexican culture, she suffered from chronic pain but kept on painting. “I never painted dreams,” she said. “I painted my own reality.” Starting a London trip with a Latin painter? Perfect way to appreciate this most international of cities.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meal: B,D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
After our chat, we’ll begin this adventurous day at the world’s best street market. The Saturday-only Portobello Road Market has something for everyone. It’s famous for its antiques and vintage items, but it also features a superb collection of fashion, food, crafts, and books. Plus, you know, there’s a song about it in Bedknobs & Broomsticks, so… Then it’s off to Neal’s Yard Dairy, Britain’s finest cheese monger, for a private tasting event featuring British cheeses of remarkable distinction and variety, paired with lots of other yummy eateries and drinkeries. Jet lag over, so probably a play this night.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, L
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
We’ll make our pilgrimage either to the Tower of London’s beautiful St. Peter ad Vincula church or to the stunning Wren Chapel on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea (which isn’t a hospital, actually) for a Choral Matins service. Both churches date to before the US was a nation, and both have superb choirs, so we’re good either way. Theatres are dark on Sundays in London so…a concert at Cadogan or Royal Festival Hall? Something epic; that’s the main thing.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, L
Activity Level: Moderate
We’re cooking up something amazing here. Can’t wait to tell you about it. But not till it’s all set up. Don’t forget what Gandalf said: “Many folk like to know beforehand what is to be set on the table; but those who have laboured to prepare the feast like to keep their secret.” You’re not going to argue with Gandalf, are you?
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meal: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
After our chat, we’re off to architect Sir Christopher Wren’s English Baroque masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we’ve arranged a private tour of parts generally unseen high up in the triforium. There’s a hidden library of treasures up there, and for just a brief time William Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament will be on view—one of only three copies in the world. He died for this English translation, and we’ll get to see it for its 500th anniversary. After the tour is over, we’re authorized to climb to the top of the cathedral to see the best view of London there is, if we wish, as well as to plunge into the crypt below the ground floor. It’s where Lawrence of Arabia is interred. Enough said.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
This might be the perfect time to take our day trip. But first, a chat. Then we’ll board our own private coach and be transported the short distance to Dover on the coast of Kent to witness the White Cliffs for ourselves and then explore other sites. Then it’s on to Canterbury. Our main destination there is the cathedral, seat of the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This is the place where Thomas Beckett, then A of C, was assassinated in 1183 by henchmen (well, hench-knights) from the court of his former friend, King Henry II. Taking all this in is the essential preparation for seeing Murder in the Cathedral. We’ll attend a Choral Evensong at dusk and then head back to The Rockwell.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
No autumn trip to London is complete without walking among the October colors at World Heritage Site Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. So, after our chat we’ll make our way there to stroll among the trees, gaze at tropical color in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, wander in the largest-in-the-world Temperate House, climb up to the Tree-top Walkway, take in the art at two galleries, visit the lake with its swans and other aquatic fowl, and on and on: 300 acres of highly oxygenated bliss. We’ll depart together for St. John the Divine church in nearby Richmond for the 4 pm start of Murder in the Cathedral. Afterwards, we’ll dine at the fabulous Britannia Richmond restaurant.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
A chat, naturally, and then we have other plans we’re hatching. That evening we’ll be dining at a mouthwateringly good Indian restaurant, Kahani, where all levels of spicy heat are cheerfully accommodated. Then it’s just a stroll over to the Royal Court Theatre to see Tilda Swinton in Man to Man. Swinton created the role she’ll be playing more than thirty years ago: a woman in 1930s Germany who must take on the guise and identity of her husband after his death. She reprises it for us tonight.
Hotel: The Rockwell opens a new window
Meals: B, D
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous
We’ll get you back to the airport, or wherever you’re going next, with but one wish in our hearts: that we all get together again in brilliant, beautiful London!
Meal: B
Tim and Jane bring their expertise and enthusiasm to Go Learn from also directing the University of Utah's Beacons of Excellence Award-winning Theatre, Fine Arts and Humanities in London Learning Abroad student program—for fifteen years and still going strong.
Tim is a Professor in the Department of Theatre, where he teaches Playwriting, Dramatic Literature, Shakespeare, and Contemporary Drama. Tim is also a produced screenwriter, a published novelist, and an award-winning playwright with plays produced off-Broadway and in the US, Britain, and Canada.
Jane teaches Introduction to Theatre and Dramatic Literature in the Department of Theatre and administers London Learning Abroad programs for both the Theatre and English Departments. She attended the London School of Economics for post-graduate studies and, in addition to her many London and UK tours, has led travel programs in Bali and Japan.
Like all Go Learn journeys, the adventure begins at home. We'll make sure you have all the information you need before you arrive in London—we'll answer questions about what to pack, how to get around, and our daily itinerary. We want you to arrive in London ready to learn!
A trip reunion about a month after returning will be the perfect conclusion to our journey. We’ll exchange pictures and stories while remembering the highlights of our tour. Go Learn expeditions are designed to be small, boutique experiences where one returns with a group of friends. Good food, drink, and company await us at this reunion.
It’s hard to fit what London is into one sentence, but let's give it a shot: London is the capital of the United Kingdom (and hence has all the Washington D.C.-type buildings), and it also has hundreds of historical sites from a Roman temple to Jimi Hendrix's apartment, and it's also the biggest city in the European Union (8.5 million) with the most diverse population (270 nationalities and 300 languages—imagine what that means for restaurants, yum), and it’s also one of the world’s premier financial and commercial hubs (um, shopping), and it has the most museums in the world (173, with 11 of them national museums, and unlike other European cities, they're mostly FREE); it also has the most restaurants in the world (37,450), 5,000 acres of parks (8 of them Royal) and 214 theatres to which 14.2 million people flock each year (including us); plus it has fourteen football clubs, including 6 Premier League teams, is home to the tallest building in the UK (the Shard) and has hosted the Olympic Summer Games 3 times. Whew! But it isn't all about bigness and most-ness. London is also home to quiet nooks and curious crannies—truly an adventure around every corner.
The temperature range in October is 50º-60º, and there is always a chance of rain. Bring a water-resistant jacket, water resistant shoes, warm clothing, and an umbrella to be ready for British weather. The best news: the London crowds will be reduced, and we’ll get more of London to ourselves, but the weather will still be lovely.
This trip is considered a Level 2 trip and is a very walking-intensive trip. In order to fully explore the sights on our itinerary, we will be walking every day. Most city walking is flat on paved surfaces, but we may encounter cobbles stoned or uneven surfaces. When visiting gardens, museums and churches, we may be walking long distances or standing on our feet for prolonged times. Locals walk everywhere—be it to historical sites or just during everyday life—and we’ll do the same. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes!
Since we’ll be waking up early with jetlag, we often start our days early and continue until sundown. You must also be able to board and exit the trains with your luggage so pack accordingly.
This is an Activity Level 2 trip.
Learn more about our
October 8-17, 2026
Double occupancy: $XXXX per person
Single occupancy: $XXXX per person
Payment options are available upon request. Contact golearn@utah.edu for information.
Seefor payment and cancellation details.
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