Prices and Dates
Travel dates: 1st April – 31st October
Standard package from: £2,279
Superior packages from: £2,459
Day 1 – Los Angeles Arrival
After a non-stop 11 hour 30 minute flight from the U.K. collect your convertible car from the airport and make your way to your overnight stay.
Hotels:
Standard: Clarion Hotel Anaheim Resort
Superior: Hilton Anaheim
Day 2 – Los Angeles
Take a full day to explore Los Angeles, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills but be sure to travel to Santa Monica to pick up the end point of Route 66. Park and venture the last few blocks on foot to view the “End of the Trail” sign on Santa Monica’s Pier. This sign officially marks the western end of Historic Route 66.
Further time can be spent exploring L.A.’s one-of-a-kind destinations, playgrounds of the rich and famous and architectural gems. Universal Studios Hollywood and Anaheim’s original Disneyland Park are also located within easy driving distance.
Hotels:
Standard: Clarion Hotel Anaheim Resort
Superior: Hilton Anaheim
Day 3 – Los Angeles – Las Vegas
This morning, set out to Pasadena to pick up Route 66 and on to Barstow where a collection of historic photographs and artefacts related to Route 66 and the Mojave Desert communities are on display at the Route 66 Mother Road Museum. Head into the Mojave Desert for Calico Ghost Town, California’s authentic silver mining town and one of the few original mining camps of the Old West. Your day finishes as you reach the bright lights of Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps.
Hotels:
Standard: Circus Circus Las Vegas
Superior: Luxor Hotel & Casino
Day 4 – Las Vegas
Enjoy a full day Las Vegas style. Walk the famous Strip lined with mega-resorts and flashing neon lights, place a bet at one of the many casinos, dine at world-class restaurants, catch the latest must-see show, shop designer boutiques, ride a roller coaster, lay by the pool … the list goes on. With so much to do, 24 hours in a day hardly seems like enough.
Hotels:
Standard: Circus Circus Las Vegas
Superior: Luxor Hotel & Casino
Day 5 – Las Vegas – Grand Canyon/Williams
216 miles
Leave Las Vegas and head for the Hoover Dam, one of Arizona’s hidden treasures. Considered the largest single public works project in the history of the U.S., Hoover Dam straddles the mighty Colorado River, which forms the border between Nevada and Arizona and brings much-needed water and power to the Southwest. Continue through Kingman whose old Route 66 cafes and motels still flourish making your way along the longest uninterrupted stretch of Route 66 to Seligman. Continue the short distance to Williams, known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon, along the main street you can enjoy a number of Americana-style shops and restaurants dating back to the early 1900’s and It’s home to the Route 66 Zipline and Pete’s Route 66 Gas Station Museum, featuring highway memorabilia.
Hotels:
Standard: Ramada by Wyndham Williams/Grand Canyon Area
Superior: Ramada by Wyndham Williams/Grand Canyon Area
Day 6 – Grand Canyon/Williams – Holbrook
123 miles
This morning detour away from Route 66 to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, a natural wonder that you simply have to see to believe. Spend the day discovering the distinct South Rim of the Canyon. Stop at one of the numerous overlooks, walk part of the Rim Trail or along the historic Hermit Road. Visit a Photo Hot Spot, or climb to the top of a stone Watchtower for panoramic views that extend over 100 miles on clear days. Leave the Grand Canyon and en-route to your overnight stop at Holbrook visit Meteor City, a true vintage trading post whose distinctive dome can be seen for miles along this stretch of Route 66.
Hotels:
Standard: Travelodge by Wyndham Holbrook
Superior: Travelodge by Wyndham Holbrook
Day 7 – Holbrook – Albuquerque
235 miles
Before leaving Holbrook, stop at the Wigwam Motel whose steel and concrete teepees featuring modern conveniences have welcomed guests since the 1950’s. Head out of Holbrook to the Petrified Forest National Park, the only park in the National Park System containing a section of Historic Route 66. Here you will come face-to-face with over 13,000 years of human history and one of the world’s largest and most colourful assemblies of petrified wood, historic structures and archaeological sites. Be sure to catch the view over Painted Desert from the park’s Kachina Point. As you leave Arizona for New Mexico call at some of the many trading posts along the route. Continue on into New Mexico and the land of enchantment to Albuquerque.
Hotels:
Standard: Crowne Plaza Albuquerque
Superior: Crowne Plaza Albuquerque
Day 8 – Albuquerque
The state’s largest city, Albuquerque spreads north and south along the banks of the Rio Grande. Spend the day exploring Downtown Albuquerque’s Central Avenue, a treasure trove of Route 66 landmarks. Historic Old Town offers a taste of New Mexico’s Spanish colonial past while the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, owned by the state’s 19 different Pueblo communities, traces the history of the region’s Native American cultures.
Hotels:
Standard: Crowne Plaza Albuquerque
Superior: Crowne Plaza Albuquerque
Day 9 – Albuquerque – Santa Fe – Albuquerque
128 miles
To get a true sense of the Old Route 66, today you will detour to New Mexico’s state capital, Santa Fe. Founded on the ruins of an abandoned Indian village and steeped in history, Santa Fe is the oldest capital in the U.S., and although it lost it’s place on Route 66 in 1938, it remains one of the most picturesque cities in the state. At one time this was the end of the old Santa Fe Trail, the earliest trade route linking the American frontier back east with the far west. Plan to visit one of Santa Fe’s famous art galleries, art markets, or museums full of traditional and contemporary art, including works by their own Georgia O’Keeffe, or shop for authentic creations you just won’t find anywhere else.
Hotels:
Standard: Crowne Plaza Albuquerque
Superior: Crowne Plaza Albuquerque
Day 10 – Albuquerque – Amarillo
288 miles
Leave Albuquerque today heading for the Lone Star State of Texas. At the state border look out for Glenrio Ghost Town, a town that died along with the Main Street of America. Continue on for a stop at the MidPoint Cafe in Adrian famous for its “ugly crust”. Continue on to Amarillo and be sure to visit Cadillac Ranch, one of the iconic sites on route 66. This unique display of art features a row of ten colourfully painted Cadillac cars buried grille first in the ground. Once in Amarillo, be sure to stop at Big Texas Steak Ranch where you can attempt their 72oz. steak challenge.
Hotels:
Standard: Quality Inn Medical Center
Superior: Candlewood Suites Amarillo – Western Crossing
Day 11 – Amarillo – Oklahoma City
260 miles
You continue on to Oklahoma City today passing through pancake-flat plains of the Texas Panhandle. This area of Texas was once the buffalo-rich grasslands of the Great Plains, inhabited by bands of Kiowa and Comanche Indians. Continue East to see Shamrock’s Tower Station and the U-Drop Inn Cafe whose towering spire is still a reminder of the booming business it once saw. See the first restored Phillips 66 gas station in McLean and in Groom, the leaning water tower and a 150-foot tall stainless steel cross.
Hotels:
Standard: Howard Johnson by Wyndham Oklahoma City
Superior: Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel
Day 12 – Oklahoma City – Tulsa – Springfield
310 miles
Before leaving Oklahoma City, the state’s capital, be sure to check out the old Route 66 motels, gas stations and numerous vintage buildings. Heading towards Tulsa, stop to view the beloved 20-foot tall cement Blue Whale in Catoosa, a landmark along Route 66, and then Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge in Tulsa honouring the “Father of Route 66’s” memory and connection to the historic highway.
The Oklahoma section of Route 66 contains more driveable miles than any other state as well as several miles of the original 9-foot road segment that served Oklahoman families heading west in search of better opportunities during the 1930’s.
At the end of a long day arrive in Springfield, Missouri, considered the birthplace of Route 66.
Hotels:
Standard: Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven
Superior: Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven
Day 13 – Springfield – St. Louis
220 miles
Continue through the Ozark Highlands of southern Missouri to en-route to St. Louis. Stop at Meramec Caverns, an extensive set of natural limestone caves whose formations and colours are as unique as they are beautiful. Adding to the pleasure of exploring the caves is learning that Jesse James used them as a hideout and took advantage of the underground river to escape through the “back door.”
Once in St. Louis, the largest city along Route 66, you can follow in the footsteps of legendary explorers by visiting the historic sites found throughout the city, including the Gateway Arch, the nation’s tallest monument.
Hotels:
Standard: Hampton Inn & Suites St. Louis at Forest Park
Superior: Hilton St. Louis Downtown
Day 14 – St. Louis – Chicago
300 miles
The final leg of your journey to Chicago to see you pass through Springfield, Illinois, where you should call at the Cozy Dog Drive-In, the birthplace of the corn dog, and explore the legacy of Abraham Lincoln with a visit to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. Continue on and don’t miss Wilmington’s most photographed “citizen”, the larger-than-life green Gemini Giant, and Atlanta’s Bunyan Giant, a 19-foot statue of Paul Bunyan holding a giant hot dog. The last part of your journey will see you passing through endless cornfields and flat prairies before reaching the ‘Windy City’ on the banks of Lake Michigan where you will return your ca to a downtown location and so avoid expensive car parking charges for a car you no-longer need.
Hotels:
Standard: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Chicago – Downtown
Superior: The Whitehall Chicago
Day 15 – Chicago
Step outside today and experience mile after magnificent mile of the Windy City. Stand on the corner of Michigan and Adams, marked as the starting point of Historic Route 66. Enjoy coffee and a big breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s, a Chicago institution since 1923 and a must for Route 66 travellers. Stroll the lakefront, peruse the shops, bike the parks, grab a Chicago Dog, or explore the city’s incredible sights and architectural treasures including Willis Tower, one of the tallest buildings in North America.
Hotels:
Standard: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Chicago – Downtown
Superior: The Whitehall Chicago
Day 16 Depart Chicago
Today you can make your own way to the airport or ask one of our team to arrange a shuttle transfer for you. Flights generally do not leave until later in the day so there is no rush and you will have more time to enjoy this fabulous city.
Your non-stop overnight flight will take approximately 7 hours and 45 minutes.
Your holiday includes
- Scheduled non-stop flights
- UK & US Airport taxes
- Accommodation – 15 nights as displayed or similar
- Convertible car rental – 15 day rental
- Exclusive travel documentation package including EZ-66 guide, personalised maps, itinerary and driver directions along with all applicable tickets and vouchers
Additional Experiences
Our holidays are completely tailored to suit you. We would be happy to help you choose from a vast array of additional experiences that will enhance your North America holiday adventure.
These might include:
- City tours
- Helicopter flights
- Sporting event tickets
- Golf
- Hiking
- Rafting
- Horseback riding
- Restaurant reservations
There are many more, often quite unique to your chosen destination so please do ask.
from £2,499 per person including flights