Yellowstone holiday with Chicago city break

Itinerary in brief:

• 3 nights Chicago
• 4 nights Yellowstone National Park
• 3 nights Grand Teton National Park

Day 1: London to Chicago

Depart the UK from your chosen airport. You’ll arrive in Chicago later the same day, making your own way to your hotel and checking in for three nights.

Included: International flights, 4* hotel

Days 2 & 3: Chicago

Two days is enough time to enjoy the highlights of Chicago. Start with a trip to the Cloud Gate, more popularly known as “The Bean” where you can snap a photo in its distorted reflection, before heading to Intelligentsia Coffee for a latte. We’ve included the Chicago City Pass so you can use it to explore two of America’s best museums. The Art Institute of Chicago holds paintings by Picasso and O’Keefe, as well as the famous American gothic portrait by Grant Wood, while at the Field Museum you can visit Sue, the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever found.

Enjoy a slice of Chicago deep dish pizza at Giordano’s before a night of comedy at Second City, where many famous comedians made their debuts. Don’t leave before heading to the top of the Willis Tower SkyDeck, where you can stand in a glass box high and admire endless views of the city and Lake Michigan below.

Included: 4* hotel

Day 4: Fly to Bozeman

Enjoy a final breakfast in the Windy City, before making your own way to the airport in time for your flight to Bozeman in Montana. On arrival, you’ll pick up your hire car and drive to your accommodation, just north of Yellowstone National Park.

Included: Flights, Glamping accommodation, car hire   

Days 5 - 7: Yellowstone National Park

Two days of exploration will barely scratch the surface of Yellowstone, so get stuck in and see as much as you can! Highlights include Old Faithful, a geyser that erupts with convenient regularity and the Grand Prismatic Spring, a rainbow coloured hot spring that steams in the cool mountain air. You could hike to the edge of Yellowstone Falls and then relax in the Boiling River, one of the only hot springs that you can bathe in.

Next, why not rent a kayak and venture out onto the deep blue waters of Mount Yellowstone before heading to the lush green and yellow grasslands of Hayden Valley at dusk, one of the best places and times to see wildlife like elk, bears, bison and coyotes. There are endless beautiful sights and activities here, with hundreds of bubbling mud pools and scenic vistas to get swept up in.

Included: Car hire, glamping accommodation  

Day 8: Drive to Grand Teton National Park

This morning you’ll drive a couple of hours south to Grand Teton National Park, the often-overlooked neighbour of Yellowstone. On arrival, you’ll check into your hotel for three nights and head out to the park to start exploring.

Included: Car hire, dinner, 4* lodge

Days 9 - 10: Grand Teton National Park  

For the best views, head into the park for sunrise and watch the pink sunshine light up the mountains behind the Moulton Barn. As the most famous view in Grand Teton, of a rugged barn surrounded by peaks, it’s the perfect start to your time here. Spend the day kayaking along the Snake River, hiking to Oxbow Bend to see Mount Moran reflected in the water and watching moose wading upstream. A day here will go very quickly so make the most of it!           

Included: Car hire, breakfast, dinner, 4* lodge   

Day 11: Depart USA

Finish your time in the USA with a final hike, before driving back to the airport in time to drop off your car and catch your flight back home.

Included: Breakfast, car hire, international flights          

Day 12: Arrive UK