Visiting Downton Abbey: Decadence and Drama in Northern England

From Harry Potter to The Hobbit, visiting places where some of our favorite television shows and films were shot has become a travel trend, so it’s no surprise that visiting Downton Abbey (or the places that inspired it) is on the rise! Whether you’ve hung onto every cliff-hanger in the dramatic lives of the Grantham family or somehow managed to miss drooling over the lifestyle and costumes in TV’s most lavish period drama, now is the time to experience England’s grand stately homes and picturesque countryside in the flesh.

Thanks to a partnership with VisitEngland, Visit Manchester and Rail Europe, US visitors can benefit from an abundance of downloadable Downton Abbey inspired travel ideas complete with handy information on the nearest local train stations in England, as well as a special 20% off discount on all train travel across the country with Rail Europe.

Additionally, you can enter a sweepstakes online for the chance to win a prize of a trip for two people to Manchester including accommodation at the grand hotel The Midland and non-stop flights from the US into Manchester Airport. For further details, go to: www.VisitManchester.com/classicEngland.

With just one more episode left to air of season 4 on Sunday, February 23^rd, 2014, loyal followers will soon bid a sad farewell to Downton Abbey. However, for those captivated by the picture perfect sets, stylish dress and upstairs-downstairs shenanigans, much of the romance, intrigue, decadence and drama of the hit series can be recreated in England; in Manchester and its surrounding areas.

Fans inspired by the show who dream of visiting Downton Abbey can now enjoy a quintessentially English experience in Northern England, such as:

• visits to grand stately homes and gardens where you can appreciate aristocratic tradition with afternoon tea;
• drifting through rooms upstairs and down;
• pampering by a personal butler; or
• riding side-saddle like Lady Cora across the Yorkshire hills, the fictional home of the famous Downton Abbey estate.

Perfectly positioned as the gateway to the north of England, Manchester is an ideal base to stay. From there, you can take advantage of the city’s extensive rail network, along with discounted train tickets with Rail Europe, allowing easy and affordable access into the northern counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Among England’s most charming, these destinations feature a wealth of impressive manor houses, a plethora of restaurants and hotels fit for gentry, as well as country pursuits and striking landscapes worthy of any period drama backdrop.

Boasting a fascinating heritage from the Industrial Revolution, Manchester itself offers a mix of old and new architecture and thriving cultural and vintage scenes, such as the grand Edwardian aesthetics displayed in all their glory at Manchester Art Gallery.

Just south of Manchester city centre is Tatton Park, a magnificent historic estate where visitors can channel their inner aristocrat like Lady Mary or Mathew Crawley, perusing the neo-classical mansion, its 50 acres of award-winning gardens, Tudor Old Hall and 1930s working farm.

For further information, or to download the Downton era itinerary and enter to win a vacation including two round-trip tickets to Manchester, visit: www.VisitManchester.com/classicEngland.

Manchester is one of England’s major metropolises and has never been easier to reach, with non-stop routes from eight destinations across the US, including:

Atlanta (ATL) – Delta Air Lines
Charlotte (CVG) – US Airways (starting May 2014)
Chicago (ORD) – American Airlines
Las Vegas (LAS) – Virgin Atlantic
New York (EWR) – United Airlines
New York (JFK) – American Airlines
Orlando (MCO) – Virgin Atlantic
Philadelphia – US Airways
Washington DC (IAD) – United Airlines