Highlights of Georgia Self-Drive

Begin your trip in style with complimentary VIP airport lounge access. Arrive in Atlanta after your daytime flight, the state capital of Georgia and make your way to your hotel.

Stay: Hyatt Regency Atlanta (or Ellis Hotel, Atlanta) (Superior)

Spend today exploring Atlanta's many highlights including the Georgia Aquarium, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum and the Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour, where you can see behind-the-scenes-action in a live newsroom. In the evenings, make sure you take the chance to dine at some of the city's superb restaurants, which can be found downtown as well as in the bustling and vibrant Buckhead area.

Stay: Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Superior)

Pick up your hire car this morning and then depart Atlanta and drive to Madison where you can visit the Welcome Centre and learn about the town's pre-Civil War and Victorian architecture. In the afternoon, make your way to Social Circle and enjoy lunch and a cup of tea – known as the Champagne of the South – at the iconic Blue Willow Inn. Spend the rest of the day exploring historic Macon before dining at one of the city's superb southern-style restaurants.

Stay: 1842 Inn (Superior)

After a morning riding a trolley discovering more of Macon's historic buildings and museums, head to Juliet and enjoy lunch at the Whistle Stop Café, which was used in the 1994 movie Fried Green Tomatoes. Visit the town's unique souvenir and antique stores before continuing your journey to Savannah, where superb music and cuisine reflect the colour and flavour of this wonderful region the Southern States. Spend the following two days exploring Savannah's historic district as well as the city's many squares and monuments and in the evenings tuck into some traditional southern fare where sizzling steak dinners are the order of the day.

The next stop on your tailor-made self-drive tour is Jekyll Island, one of the Golden Isles of Georgia and home to historic buildings and beautiful swathes of unspoilt coastline. Two days here will afford you plenty of time to visit the island's main attractions including the Georgia Sea Turtle Centre, the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District and nearby Cumberland Island, a stunning unspoilt wilderness just a short ferry ride away.

Stay: Jekyll Island Club Resort (Deluxe)

After a morning exploring the glorious unspoilt nature of Great Okefenokee Swamp, drive back across the Jekyll Island Causeway to the town of Thomasville, known as the City of Roses and famed for its annual Rose Show and Festival that takes place each April. Explore the town's historic main street before spending the afternoon at nearby Pebble Hill Plantation, where you'll find a treasure trove of antiques, paintings and prints.

Stay: Hampton Inn Thomasville (Standard)

On your final day, head for Atlanta airport, where you drop off your hire car and depart on your overnight flight back home, arriving on day 11.