UK destinations
Where to go in Britain, from capital cities to islands and national parks — with the best time to visit, how to get there and what not to miss.
England
London
Greater London
The capital does everything at scale: world-class free museums, theatre, markets and a restaurant scene that changes faster than any guide can keep up with.
Cornwall
South West England
Turquoise coves, surf beaches and fishing harbours strung along 400 miles of coast path, with Britain's best seafood at the end of most days.
The Lake District
Cumbria, England
England's largest national park: sixteen lakes, high fells and slate villages. Walking country first and foremost, with a growing crop of excellent inns and lakeside spas.
Bath
Somerset, England
A honey-stone Georgian city built around Roman baths and thermal springs. Compact, elegant and endlessly photogenic, with a strong independent food scene.
The Cotswolds
South West & Midlands, England
Rolling limestone hills dotted with honey-coloured villages, wool churches and very good pubs. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty best explored slowly, on foot or by car between market towns.
Oxford
South East, England
The city of dreaming spires: medieval colleges, the Bodleian Library, punts on the Cherwell and some of the world's great museums, all within a compact, walkable centre.
York
Yorkshire, England
Two thousand years of history inside intact city walls — Roman, Viking and medieval — with the Shambles, the Minster and a rewarding tea-and-pubs culture.
Brighton
South East, England
London's seaside: a pebble beach, a Victorian pier, the extraordinary Royal Pavilion and the independent shops of the Lanes. Creative, liberal and fun at any time of year.
Cambridge
East of England
A university town of college courts and riverside lawns, best seen from a punt along the Backs. Smaller and flatter than Oxford, with superb free museums and easy cycling.
Manchester
North West, England
A former cotton powerhouse turned creative capital: red-brick mills, world-famous football, a huge live music scene and the independent bars and cafés of the Northern Quarter.
Liverpool
North West, England
A great port city reborn: the Beatles, two cathedrals, a waterfront of grand buildings and free national museums, with famously warm locals and a big night out.
The Peak District
East Midlands, England
Britain's first national park: gritstone edges, limestone dales, stately homes and stone villages between Manchester and Sheffield.
Bristol
South West, England
A harbour city of colourful terraces, Brunel engineering, street art and a big independent food scene, on the doorstep of Bath and the West Country.
Northumberland
North East, England
England's least crowded county: castles above empty beaches, Hadrian's Wall and some of the darkest skies in Europe.
Scotland
Edinburgh
Scotland
Scotland's capital pairs a medieval Old Town with the elegant Georgian New Town, all watched over by a castle on an extinct volcano. Expect cobbled closes, superb whisky bars and a festival city that hums all summer.
Glasgow
Scotland
Scotland's biggest city trades on Victorian grandeur, Mackintosh design, free world-class museums and the best live music scene in the UK. Friendly, loud and far less touristy than Edinburgh, an hour along the line.
The Isle of Skye
Highlands, Scotland
The largest island of the Inner Hebrides, joined to the mainland by a bridge: rock pinnacles, sea cliffs, the Cuillin mountains and Portree's coloured harbour. Wild, weather-beaten and unforgettable.
Inverness and Loch Ness
Highlands, Scotland
The capital of the Highlands, on the River Ness, and the gateway to Loch Ness, Culloden and the North Coast 500.
St Andrews
Fife, Scotland
St Andrews is a compact coastal town in Fife, on Scotland's east coast, best known as the Home of Golf. It sits about 10 miles south-east of Dundee and roughly 90 minutes' drive from Edinburgh, and it is small enough to explore on foot. The medieval centre is laid out along North Street and South Street, which converge on the ruined cathedral, with Market Street running between them. The town has seven public courses run by St Andrews Links Trust, including the Old Course, which has hosted the Open Championship 30 times, more than any other venue. Beyond golf, visitors come for the two-mile West Sands beach used in the opening scene of Chariots of Fire, the cliff-top castle, and the University of St Andrews, founded between 1410 and 1413 and the oldest university in Scotland. The 155th Open returns to the town from 11 to 18 July 2027.
The East Neuk of Fife
Fife, Scotland
A string of pantiled fishing villages along Fife's south-east corner — Elie, St Monans, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Cellardyke and Crail — linked by the Fife Coastal Path. Expect harbour walls, lobster creels, artists' studios and some of Scotland's best fish and chips.
Wales
Eryri (Snowdonia)
North Wales
Wales's largest national park: jagged mountains, glacial lakes, slate villages and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest peak in Wales and England. Built for hikers, but with castles, steam railways and beaches within easy reach.
Cardiff
South Wales
Wales's compact capital: a castle in the city centre, Victorian shopping arcades, a regenerated bay and match-day atmosphere at the Principality Stadium.
Pembrokeshire
West Wales
Wales's coastal national park: sandy bays, sea cliffs, puffin islands and Britain's smallest city, St Davids.