Quintessential elements of New England culture create an unforgettable autumn vacation featuring top-rated hotels, three unique rail journeys, Acadia National Park and exclusive tours

Surrounded by the charms of New England and the rich hues of the season, your vacation begins today as you arrive in Boston. This Revolutionary city is filled with history, and you can get your first look at it upon checking into our elegant Back Bay hotel, the 100-year-old Fairmont Copley Plaza.

The Back Bay neighborhood centers around Copley Square and is awash in cobbled streets and lush green spaces ablaze with fall foliage. You might like to stroll along Newbury Street, home to some of Boston's most upscale boutiques and excellent restaurants, many of which offer outdoor seating to soak in the city's historic ambiance.

This evening, return to the hotel to meet the Tour Manager and your group of fellow travelers, and then together, we head to a local restaurant to kick off our autumn adventure with dinner. Overnight Boston.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before getting to know Boston on a guided tour. Follow in the footsteps of our forefathers, seeing the attractions lining the Freedom Trail and points of interest like the Boston Public Library, established in 1848 as the first public library to lend books. We may also see where Paul Revere set out on his famous ride and Quincy Market, a historic building filled with an incredible selection of food stalls.

You might like to peruse the dining options at Quincy Market before continuing the day at leisure. Boston Harbor is a beautiful - and iconic - place to spend the afternoon, and there are numerous other "trails" you could discover, including the Black Heritage Trail and the Women's Heritage Trail. Boston has an array of museums, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, and endless culture to discover in its murals, art galleries and charming neighborhoods.

This evening, you can find dinner locally, perhaps ending your meal with a slice of authentic Boston cream pie. Overnight Boston.

Our first taste of adventure comes this morning as a coach transfer takes us to Boston's railway station. Here, we board Amtrak's Downeaster on its northerly journey toward Portland, Maine. Soak in quintessential New England scenery, made all the more impressive by the changing trees, while traveling through Massachusetts and along the coast of Maine.

We arrive in Portland around mid-day and have some free time to admire our new surroundings and find lunch on our own. Located on Casco Bay, this vibrant city has plenty of seaside charm.

The day continues as we travel by coach to Kennebunkport, where we stay for two nights. Hundreds of years of history greet us as we arrive in this resort city, which dates to the 1600s. We check into our century-old hotel on the shore of the Kennebunk River and then have a free evening. With no planned dinner, you might like to find a fresh seafood restaurant in town or warm up with a hearty bowl of clam chowder. Overnight Kennebunkport.

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After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy a free morning to relax at our historic resort hotel, perhaps taking a dip in the heated outdoor pool or relaxing on the waterfront.

Seafood is the lifeblood of New England, especially in Maine. Our excursion this afternoon gives us an insight into the life of a lobsterman, with a trip along the beautiful Kennebunkport River. From our hotel, we take a short walk to the waterfront, where we set out on a tour of the scenic coastal area, before seeing how the famed Maine lobsters are caught.

Returning to the hotel in the early afternoon, the rest of your day is at leisure. Make use of the complimentary shuttle into town to wander the charming streets of Kennebunkport. You could browse the many boutiques and art galleries, visit the Seashore Trolley Museum, and try some famous Maine lobster at a local restaurant.

Leaving Kennebunkport after breakfast, our journey continues to Bar Harbor. This coastal city has a reputation for its wild beauty on Frenchman Bay and is the gateway to Acadia National Park. En route, our coach winds through Maine's stunning natural scenery and pauses at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where you can admire the changing foliage as you explore with free time through lunch.

We arrive in Bar Harbor later this afternoon and check into our waterfront hotel, which dates to 1887. The Bar Harbor Inn is the most iconic hotel on Mount Desert Island, and during our stay, we can soak up its amenities and fantastic views from our private balconies or patios.

The remainder of the day is yours, and with both the ocean and downtown Bar Harbor within a few minutes' walk of the hotel, your options are limitless. We return to the hotel this evening and make our way to the elegant Porcupine Room. This window-lined dining room overlooks the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay and provides an astounding sunset view, making it the perfect place to enjoy our lobster bake dinner. Overnight Bar Harbor.</p

A highlight of your vacation - and one of the best places in New England to experience the gold, amber, rust and crimson hues of autumn - lies ahead this morning as we visit Acadia National Park. Setting out by coach after breakfast, we enter this remarkable parkland, which is not only home to some of Maine's best-preserved coastlines but also the tallest mountains on the East Coast.

As we enter Acadia, a guide steps aboard our coach to provide expert commentary, stories and knowledge to accompany our tour. We spend the day driving between points of interest that showcase the park in all its immense beauty, enjoying time to take short walks or photograph our surroundings and the foliage, all alight with fall splendor. A highlight of any tour is viewing Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in the East.

Returning to Bar Harbor this evening, you are free to find dinner locally, perhaps at one of the many restaurants serving seafood caught just off the coast. Overnight Bar Harbor.

We get a different perspective of New England today as our journey turns inland toward the White Mountains of New Hampshire, another leaf-peeping haven. Our coach departs Bar Harbor after breakfast, and we can soak up beautiful scenes of deep forests painted with fall colors.

Our route takes us through Maine's capital, Augusta, where we stop for free time through lunch. Downtown Augusta showcases Maine's history and its growth, with a mixture of old-world and modern buildings. You could peruse the shops and restaurants or walk along the Kennebec River before rejoining the coach to continue toward our destination: Bretton Woods, surrounded by the White Mountains National Forest.

Later, we check in to the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa, a National Historic Landmark that has been welcoming guests for more than 120 years. The rest of your day is free to wander the grounds or book a treatment in the 25,000-square-foot spa. Dinner is on your own this evening, and there are several dining options including 1902, which serves New England cuisine in sophisticated surroundings, and Stickney's, an informal pub and steakhouse. You might also like to soak up the views from the rooftop Observatory Bar. Overnight Bretton Woods.

Today, we admire the White Mountains from their highest point and the ground level, as we embark on two memorable rail journeys. The first takes us aboard the world's first mountain-climbing train, the Mount Washington Cog Railway. With a boxed lunch provided by the onsite restaurant, join a line that has been taking travelers to the summit of Mount Washington since 1869. It takes approximately an hour to reach the top, where views include five states, Quebec and the Atlantic Ocean.

After admiring the vistas, we head inside the weather station for a behind-the-scenes tour. See the instrumentation and working quarters, and learn how they observe and forecast the extreme weather patterns in this region. We descend the mountain onboard the cog railway and return to the hotel with free time.

Later in the day, we set out for North Woodstock, where we board the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train. A memorable conclusion to our time in the East, this train meanders through the Pemi River Valley in the White Mountains, showcasing the stunning autumnal scenery as we enjoy a delicious five-course dinner in vintage 1950s rail cars. Overnight Bretton Woods.

Boston's history, Maine's quaint seaside destinations and the beautiful White Mountains set the tone for a vacation to remember in New England. This journey has been filled with historical sites and beautiful displays of nature, including those of Acadia National Park. From sailing the Kennebunkport River to touring the weather station at the summit of Mount Washington, each day has brought a new way to experience the East.

An encore of wonderful scenery guides the way back to Boston this morning. We depart from our hotel after breakfast and follow our route back to the coast. As we arrive in Boston, you are free to continue your onward travels home.

Colonial cities, stunning beaches, and breathtaking scenes of the Eastern Seaboard abound on Amtrak's Downeasterroute. Ideal for commuters and vacationers alike, this comfortable train offers unbeatable views of towns in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Five daily trains run between Boston, MA, and Portland, ME, with select trains venturing even further north to Brunswick, ME. Passengers can complete the route in its entirety in approximately 3 1/2 hours or travel from city to city, breaking the 145-mile route into shorter connections throughout New England.

 Set on the edge of Frenchman's Bay on Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor, Maine, the 3-Star Bar Harbor Inn has a fantastic location between the ocean and downtown Bar Harbor. This hotel opened in 1887 and offers astounding waterfront views from every angle. There are three onsite restaurants, a spa, a fitness center, a heated outdoor pool and hot tub overlooking the ocean, and a fire pit. Each air-conditioned guest room exudes coastal elegance and features free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV, a safe, a minifridge, coffee-making facilities, robes and hairdryers.

 Set in Boston's elegant and historic Back Bay neighborhood, the Fairmont Copley Plaza is a 4-Star hotel that has welcomed guests for more than 110 years. Many of Boston's best attractions are within walking distance, and there are a range of restaurants and bars onsite. The hotel also includes a fitness center with lovely views over Boston and a spa with bespoke treatments. Each air-conditioned guest room features timeless decor and amenities like free Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV, a safe deposit box, a desk, tea & coffee-making facilities, a hairdryer, and complimentary toiletries.

 The 4-Star Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa is surrounded by thousands of acres of woodlands and expansive grounds in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. This luxurious hotel opened more than 120 years ago and is a destination in and of itself. In addition to offering several restaurant options and an outdoor heated pool complex, the hotel includes 9 and 18-hole golf courses, a 25,000-square-foot spa, and access to fantastic skiing. Each guest room is decorated with contemporary decor and features free Wi-Fi, a television, an in-room safe and a hairdryer.

Located on a bend of the Kennebunkport River, the 3-Star family-owned Nonantum Resort has stood in this privileged location within Kennebunkport, Maine, since 1884. Adirondack chairs surround the hotel's grounds, providing views of the lobstering boats and two onsite dining options. Coastal charm comes as standard in each guestroom, beautifully updated to include amenities such as free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV and coffee-making facilities.