Norman Allen Group Travel

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Norman Allen Group Travel

Founded in 1972, Our activities exclusively involve group travel and we provide quality British, Irish, European and Worldwide tours by coach and by air.
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25/03/2024

🚌⛱ Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2024 Finalists ⛱🚌

We have great pleasure in announcing that we have been chosen as finalists in the Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2024, in the category Best Coach or Tour Operator - UK Tours.
Voting in all categories can be found through the links below and it would be wonderful if you were able to vote for us.

https://awards.groupleisureandtravel.com/yandellpublishingltd/form/GLTAwards2024FinalistsVotingForm/formperma/0g5mNiZl8aaiKQ9VO5AvGT8GdSwf0jVM0zrUKX3RbRo

Thank you for all your support over the years.
The Private Groups Team
Norman Allen Group Travel

25/03/2024

🚌⛱ BTTS 2024 ⛱🚌

It was great to see and meet so many friends at the NEC Birmingham last week.

19/03/2024

🚌⛱ British Tourism & Travel Show 2025 ⛱🚌

Come and see us on Wednesday and Thursday at BTTS at the NEC Birmingham stand D34.

06/02/2024

🚌✈️ Excursions 2024 ✈️🚌

Saturday 27 January 2024 saw Norman Allen Group Travel once again exhibiting at the Excursions Travel Show. The event, run by Tourism South East, was celebrating its 50th anniversary and was held at Wembley Stadium in the Great Hall. A very successful day saw us meeting many old friends and making many new ones.

We are looking forward to next year's event already and hope to see you there!

11/12/2023

✈️ Osaka, Japan ✈️

After a little more wandering and a little more shopping, it was time to say goodbye to Osaka and to Japan as we caught the bus to the airport and began the journey home.

Sayonara Nippon san!

11/12/2023

✈️ Osaka, Japan ✈️

Lunch in Osaka was a local speciality, Okinomiyaki, at the famous Chiba Okinomiyaki restaurant, where the queue was unusually short and we got virtually straight in.

https://www.chibo.com/en/

11/12/2023

✈️ Osaka, Japan ✈️

Next stop was Dotonburi / Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street.

https://www.shinsaibashi.or.jp/

11/12/2023

✈️ Osaka, Japan ✈️

Next stop in Osaka was Kuromon Ichiba Market (Black Gate) where many local delicacies could be found including Kobe beef, fugu (puffer fish), and king crab.
https://kuromon.com/en/

11/12/2023

✈️ Osaka, Japan ✈️

Thursday morning in Osaka began with a visit to Osaka Castle. The castle park sits on a peninsula once surrounded by the sea. Here the first settlement of small houses was established 3000 years ago.
https://www.osakacastle.net/

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

On Wednesday night we took the overnight ferry "Sunflower" from Beppu to Osaka. The journey takes approximately 12 hours on a new ferry which entered service in March this year.

https://www.ferry-sunflower.co.jp/en/

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Wednesday's final visit was another experiential one. At the Usukiyaki porcelain manufacturer where Koki Tamada gave us a brief tour before introducing us to Kitsugi, the Japanese art of decorative porcelain repair.

https://usukiyaki-global.com/

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

After lunch we visited another of Oita's National Treasures, the Usuki Stone Buddhas. Most date from around the 12th century and are carved from soft stone formed from the ash of a volcanic eruption 100km away some 20/30 thousand years ago.

https://sekibutsu.com/

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Lunch in Usuki was at Kyozen Usami. Definitely space for a group lunch here at just over £10 per person!

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Our next stop was Kotegawa Sake Brewery (since 1855) where our guide explained how sake and shoju are made before tasting and the opportunity to purchase. The brewery's original 19% sake was definitely the highlight for me.

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Wednesday morning saw us visiting the Samurai district in Usuki. After donning our kimonos at Akouya, a 357 year old rental shop, our guide explained the history of the town and its samurai families before tea at his wife's tea house.

11/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Tuesday night we stayed at the Amanek hotel in Beppu. This is an excellent modern hotel with a fabulous location right in the centre of Beppu, right amongst the bars, restaurants and shops.

https://amanekhotels.jp/beppu/

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita Japan ✈️

Sushi for dinner at Owadazushi sushi.

https://beppu.asia/en/spot/6017

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Kitsuki, where we had a cycle tour visiting the castle and the samurai district. The Ohara samurai residence is the most famous and can be visited for a small charge. Kitsuki Castle is the second smallest in Japan.

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Steam rises from Beppu hot springs.

There are 2300 hot springs in Beppu and the city receives 8m visitors a year.

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Lunch today was at Hyotan Onsen. Here the food is cooked using Jigoku steam cooking. Using steam from a hot spring. Hyotan Onsen has been awarded 3 stars in the Michelin Guide to Japan.

https://www.hyotan-onsen.com/

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Next was a show around of Hotel Sora Kan, part of the Suginoi Hotel

https://suginoi.orixhotelsandresorts.com/

The hotel has 336 bedrooms and a 300 seat buffet restaurant with an open kitchen.

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

The next visit was to a Ryokan, Yufuin Tamanoyu. A 16 bedroom property, close to the city centres.

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Next stop was Yufuin, one of the most important hot spring locations in the country.

05/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

First visit of the day was to a volcano, Garandake. The air was thick with the smell of sulphur brought from below ground by the steam escaping from the earth.

Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse as we left for Yufuin, with the forcast rain beginning to fall.

04/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Breakfast at the farm.

04/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Our dinner and overnight was at another farm (Hyakunennoie Tokieda) where we "helped" make dinner and visited a local onsen (hot spring bath).

http://www.ajimu-gt.jp/page0102.html

04/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Our next stop was one of the most important sites in Japan. Usa Jinga Shrine is a Japanese "National Treasure" our guide, Canada, brought the complex to life for us with her excellent English commentary.

http://www.usajinguu.com/

04/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Lunch today was at a farm. We brought mushrooms with us that were put to good use.

04/12/2023

✈️ Oita, Japan ✈️

Monday's next stop was the Buddhist temple Fukiji, built in the 12th century.

Our guide was the head monk, a man of some renown locally and an expert noodle maker. There's a guesthouse here where you can stay and enjoy the atmosphere for a little longer. And yes, he does still make the noodles.

Smartphone at hand he might just possibly be the coolest monk in Japan.

https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/692/

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Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:30
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:30
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:30
Thursday	09:00 - 17:30
Friday	09:00 - 17:30

Telephone

+441432277666

Website

http://www.group-travel.com/

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