Guides & inspiration
Itineraries, weekends, walks and coastal days around the United Kingdom, from the VacationGuide editors.
Featured story · Bath
Bath in a day: Roman Baths, the Abbey, Pulteney Bridge and the Crescent
One day, all on foot: from the steaming Roman Baths and Bath Abbey to Pulteney Bridge, the Circus and the Royal Crescent, with a Sally Lunn bun along the way.
5 min read
Weekend · Belfast
Belfast and the Causeway Coast: Titanic, markets and basalt columns
Two days in the city, from the shipyard where Titanic was built to St George's Victorian market hall and the free Ulster Museum, then a train and bus to the Giant's Causeway.
5 min read
Weekend · Bristol
A Bristol weekend: Brunel's ship, the harbourside, Banksy and the gorge
A weekend in Bristol built around the water: Brunel's iron ship in her dry dock, a free museum of the city, Banksy on the walls and a bridge 101 metres above the Avon.
5 min read
Culture · Cambridge
Cambridge colleges and gardens: King's, the Backs and the Botanic
Fan vaulting, a river lined with college lawns, a free museum of world standing and 40 acres of botanic garden: how to spend a rewarding day or two in Cambridge.
5 min read
Culture · Cardiff
Cardiff and its castles: a Victorian fantasy, a red tower and a free museum
Two thousand years of history in the city centre, a fairytale castle above the Taff gorge and two of Wales's best free museums: our plan for Cardiff's castles and collections.
5 min read
Itinerary · The Cotswolds
The Cotswolds village by village: Broadway Tower, Sudeley and Blenheim
Follow the Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden's Market Hall to Broadway Tower and Katherine Parr's grave at Sudeley, then finish at Blenheim in Capability Brown's parkland.
5 min read
Coast · The East Neuk of Fife
Harbour-hopping the East Neuk: Crail to Elie on the Fife Coastal Path
Five fishing villages, one stretch of coast path, a lot of salt air and fish suppers. How to walk, bus and eat your way along Fife's eastern corner from Crail to Elie.
6 min read
Seasonal · Edinburgh
Edinburgh in winter: Hogmanay, free museums and short-day walks
From November to February Edinburgh trades festival crowds for early dusk, castle fireworks and some of Britain's best free museums. Here is what is genuinely worth your time.
5 min read
Culture · Glasgow
Glasgow for free: a day of great museums that cost you nothing
Kelvingrove, the Riverside Museum, a 1471 house and a medieval cathedral that came through the Reformation intact: Glasgow's best rooms are free. This is how to fit them into one day.
6 min read
Itinerary · Inverness and Loch Ness
Inverness and Loch Ness in two days: castles, cairns and a battlefield
Two days, one river, one very deep loch. Our plan for Inverness takes in Culloden, the Clava Cairns, Urquhart Castle and a boat on Loch Ness, with time left for the city itself.
5 min read
Itinerary · The Isle of Skye
Your first trip to Skye: roads, crowds, weather and the big sights
Skye rewards planning. How to get there, drive its single-track roads well, beat the crowds at the Storr and the Fairy Pools, and fit in the Quiraing and Dunvegan Castle.
6 min read
Itinerary · Liverpool
Liverpool in a day: Royal Albert Dock, two cathedrals and the Cavern
From the Royal Albert Dock and the free Museum of Liverpool to two very different cathedrals on Hope Street and a night down in the Cavern Club, all on foot.
5 min read
Coast · Northumberland
Northumberland's castle coast: Bamburgh, Holy Island and the Farnes
A short stretch of Northumberland coast holds a royal fortress, a tidal island where English Christianity took root and a seabird colony reached by boat from Seahouses.
5 min read
Walking · Northumberland
Hadrian's Wall for first-timers: Housesteads, the crags and the AD122
The central section in Northumberland is the Wall at its wildest. Start at Housesteads, walk the crags and let the AD122 bus do the rest. No car is needed.
5 min read
Culture · Oxford
Oxford for first-timers: colleges, free museums and Port Meadow
The view of Radcliffe Square from St Mary's tower, lunch in the 1774 Covered Market, dinosaurs and the dodo for free, then a walk across Port Meadow to the Trout.
5 min read
Weekend · The Peak District
A Peak District weekend: Mam Tor, Dovedale, Chatsworth and caves
Two days, two landscapes: gritstone ridges and show caves around Castleton, then limestone dales and a ducal palace further south. Our plan for a weekend in Britain's first national park.
5 min read
Coast · Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire's coast: Barafundle, St Davids, Skomer and the coast path
A long weekend or a week on Wales's far western coast: the walk-in beach at Barafundle, Skomer's puffins, Britain's smallest city and the 186-mile coast path.
5 min read
Walking · Eryri (Snowdonia)
Climbing Yr Wyddfa: which Snowdon path to choose, and how to stay safe
Six main paths, one rack railway and a summit that gets more than five metres of rain a year. How to pick your route up Yr Wyddfa, plus two easy add-ons: Swallow Falls and Harlech.
5 min read
Weekend · St Andrews
St Andrews beyond the golf: a long weekend of ruins, quads and beaches
Skip the tee times. Our long weekend in St Andrews takes in a clifftop castle, Scotland's largest medieval church, Scotland's oldest university and two very different beaches.
6 min read
Itinerary · York
York in two days: the walls, the Minster, the Shambles and the trains
Two miles of medieval wall, the country's largest expanse of stained glass, a street of overhanging timber and a free museum full of locomotives. Our two-day plan for York.
5 min read
Culture · London
London's free museums, ranked
Where to go first when everything costs nothing.
10 min read
Coast · Cornwall
The UK's top hidden beaches
Coves and strands that stay quiet even in August — if you're willing to walk.
11 min read
Weekend · Edinburgh
48 hours in Edinburgh
A tight, walkable weekend that still leaves room for a long lunch.
7 min read
Weekend · Bath
Bath on a budget
Georgian splendour without the Georgian estate to pay for it.
6 min read
Family · Cornwall
Best dog-friendly cottages in Cornwall
Ten stays where the dog is genuinely welcome, not merely tolerated.
9 min read
Walking · The Lake District
Your first fells in the Lake District
Six summits to build confidence, in the order we'd walk them.
8 min read
Featured ranking
The best UK holiday destinations, ranked
Every destination scored on traveller ratings, review volume and how much there is to do.
Ranked city guides
Top 10 places, city by city
The best-rated attractions, landmarks, restaurants and stays in major UK cities, ranked from real ratings and review counts.
Town-level guides
East Neuk of Fife, town by town
Anstruther, Crail, Pittenweem, St Monans, Elie & Earlsferry and Cellardyke — each with its own guide.