Sunday 20 August

Individual arrivals. Check in to the Caledonian Hilton Hotel, Princes Street, Edinburgh EH1 2AB. Tel (0)131 222 8888; Fax (0)131 222 8889.

5:00pm
Welcome Drinks and Briefing. A detailed look at the Itinerary, and all other aspects of the tour, with information about extra performances during the International Festival (EIF), the Fringe, the Book Festival and the Film Festival, exhibitions, and recommended restaurants. In the Caley Bar at the Hotel

Monday 21 August

BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED IN THE TRIANON VERSAILLES ROOMS from 8am to 10am daily

Monday 21 August

10:00am
Coach departs for our Highlights of Edinburgh tour with our expert guide, YVES WALKER, which introduces Scotland's most beautiful city. The Old Town huddles around the volcanic ridge which stretches down the Royal Mile from the Castle, a royal residence since the 11th century, to the Abbey and Palace of Holyrood House, the monarch's official residence today. The so-called New Town was laid out in the Georgian (18th century) period and displays all the elegance of the age: squares, circuses, avenues all combined in perfect harmony. Ends at 12pm.

AFTERNOON FREE

6:15pm Coach departs for the *Kings Theatre, Leven Street.
7:00pm TROILUS AND CRESSIDA by William Shakespeare. A thrilling and disturbing exploration of infidelity, which Shakespeare sees as the root of all other human failures; the hidden catalyst for every downfall. This play is a forceful attack on politics, brutality, vanity, war and double standards and is presented in a major new staging by Peter Stein in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
10:30pm Coach departs for the hotel.

Tuesday 22 August

10:00am
The Beating Heart of Scotland. We discuss with leading journalist, critic and political commentator, JOYCE McMILLAN of The Scotsman, the big issues: independence from England, Support for the Arts, Golf, the Scots tongue, the Scottish sense of humour and any subject you care to raise. In the Trianon Versailles Rooms following breakfast. Ends at 12.00pm.

3:15pm
Assemble in the foyer to depart on foot for Filmhouse 2, 88 Lothian Road.

3:45pm
FAMILY LAW. UK premiere starring Daniel Burman. Described by Variety Magazine as 'A deft, witty and emotionally rewarding study of a thirty something man in his roles as father and son'.

5:25pm
Depart for the hotel on foot.

6:00pm
Coach departs for the Gilded Balloon Teviot, 13 Bristo Square.

6:45pm
TWINKLE LITTLE STAR by Philip Meeks. Christopher Biggins stars as Harold, the last great pantomime Dame. As Harold prepares to resurrect Widow Twankey for another season, he unveils his startling plan to fight back against the world that's forgotten him.
8:00pm Coach departs for the hotel.

Wednesday 23 August

10:15am
Coach departs for the *Queen's Hall, Clerk Street.

11:00am
QUEEN'S HALL SERIES. Steven Osborne on Piano performs Debussy's Preludes Book 2 and Rachmaninov's Preludes Op 32.

12:45pm
Coach departs for the hotel.
Wednesday 23 August

AFTERNOON FREE

7:00pm
Assemble in the foyer to depart on foot for the *Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street.

7:30pm
IMPROBABLE FREQUENCY performed by Rough Magic. Multi-award winning musical comedy about neutral Ireland's role in WWII. "Soar into another stratosphere with this marvellous cabaret concoction" Sunday Tribune.

9:45pm
Return to the hotel on foot.

Thursday 24 August

10:30am
Coach departs for our visit to Hopetoun House on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Home of the Marquess of Linlithgow, this unique gem of Europe's architectural heritage is one of the most splendid examples of the work of Scottish architects Sir William Bruce and William Adam. When Adam died in 1748 his more famous sons, John and Robert, finished the house and decorated the new building.

1:00pm
Private Lunch at Hopetoun House, with the Countess of Hopetoun, whose husband is the Marquess of Linlithgow's heir.

3:00pm
Coach departs for the hotel.

6:30pm
Coach departs for the *Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street.

7:15pm
MAZEPPA, by Tchaikovsky and performed by the Opera National de Lyon. Romance, war, love, politics and patriotic passion, Tchaikovsky's opera has them all. Mazeppa is an ambitious Ukrainian military leader at once in a thrall to and plotting against his mighty Tsarist neighbour Russia. His love for the young daughter of a local landowner is the crux of a gripping tale of revolution and betrayal. Sung in Russian with English supertitles.
11:00pm Coach departs for the hotel.

Friday 25 August

10:00am
A discussion with PAUL GUDGIN, Director of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In the Trianon Versailles Rooms following breakfast. Ends at 12.00pm.

3:30pm
Assemble in the foyer to depart on foot for the *Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street.

4:00pm
PETROL JESUS NIGHTMARE #5 (IN THE TIME OF THE MESSIAH) performed by the Traverse Theatre Company. Fringe First winner Henry Adam's (The People Next Door) chillingly apocalyptic thriller about the violent consequences of faith and belief for five people caught under fire in occupied territory.

6:15pm
Return to the hotel on foot.

Friday 25 August

8:15pm
Assemble in the foyer to depart on foot for Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile.

9:00pm
THE EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO. A spectacular open-air display of massed bands, military precision, and highland dancing. On the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. NB: Wrap up warmly and be prepared for rain.

10:30pm
Return to the hotel on foot.

Saturday 26 August

9:45am
Coach departs for our Guided Visit of the Glenkinchie Distillery. The home of 'The Edinburgh Malt' is located in the rolling farmland of East Lothian and houses an exhibition in the listed red brick buildings.

12:00pm
Coach departs for the hotel.

AFTERNOON FREE

5:30pm
Coach departs for the *Pleasance Dome, 1 Bristo Square.

6:20pm
LIES HAVE BEEN TOLD. Fresh from a sell-out West End run, Rod Beacham's outstanding play about Robert Maxwell. Starring Philip York.

7:40pm
Coach departs for the hotel.

Sunday 27 August

MORNING FREE

1:45pm
Coach departs for the *Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place.

2:30pm
DON QUIXOTE. Choreography by George Blanchine, performed by The Suzanne Farrell Ballet and accompanied by the Orchestra of Scottish Opera. This is the first new production of the ballet in more than twenty five years and the first time it has ever been performed on a British Stage.

5:10pm
Coach departs for the hotel

7:15pm
Assemble in the foyer to depart on foot for the Atrium Restaurant, 10 Cambridge Street.

7:30pm
Farewell Dinner at the award winning Atrium Restaurant, set within a striking interior and offering cutting edge food and wine. Return to the hotel on foot after dinner.

Monday 28 August

Individual departures.

* Note for the hard of hearing: asterisked theatres provide headphones or operate a loop induction system. A small returnable deposit may be required.