The largest of the Home Nations of the United Kingdom – the others being Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – England has long been one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
It’s not really a surprise, given all the fun, intriguing, and historic places to go in England. From the ever-bustling and multicultural streets of London to the almost tropical beaches of Cornwall, there’s a destination for everyone when visiting England. To inspire your trip to the United Kingdom, here are the best places to visit in England!
London needs little introduction. The capital of the United Kingdom is an ancient city with a seriously modern outlook on the world. Multicultural, vibrant, and always buzzing with activity, London can be an overwhelming place for first-timers, but it’s a must-visit destination on any England itinerary.
If you’ve never been to London before, check out the classic sights when you arrive. There is Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the Parliament and the Tower of London; then there are also all the fantastic (and free!) museums, from the British Museum to the Natural History Museum. Don’t miss the lively Borough Market for food and be ready to spend lots of time at the pub!
London has an endless list of things to do and this is a city you can keep coming back to again and again.
When the queen is not around at Buckingham Palace in London, she’s enjoying herself at her Windsor Castle, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in England and a place rich in history. A day in Windsor gives you the chance to learn more about the ever-present royal family and offers you the opportunity to get into the countryside.
After exploring Windsor CastleWindsor, take a walk along the Thames River and soak up the quintessence of English nature. Even better, take a scenic boat ride upstream to Maidenhead and stop for a riverside pub lunch.
If you are travelling with children or are just a big fan of Lego, then Windsor also hosts the amusement park Legoland in England!
Buy your entrance ticket here or book a day tour to Windsor Castle from London!
If you are visiting places in England for history, then Cambridge has a heritage to offer in abundance. Home to the University of Cambridge, founded in the 13th century, Cambridge is much admired for its dreamlike spires and medieval architecture.
Visit the various university colleges and discover the student traditions (King’s College Chapel is by far the best), before renting a punt and taking a short trip along the river in classic Cambridge style. Then there are the botanical gardens, a treasure trove of history waiting at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and, like in any university town, endless rows of pubs and cafes for dining and drinking.
Book a day tour to Cambridge from London here!
In England, tourist attractions don’t get much more significant than Oxford, home to one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world and known as the City of Spires. The traditional rival of Cambridge, Oxford is an equally historic and equally exciting destination to visit.
It’s recommended to take a tour of the various university colleges before getting lost in the ancient medieval streets of the city. Visit the Bodleian Library (where Harry Potter was filmed), explore the curious artifacts of the Pitt Rivers Museum and take a journey back in time to ancient Greece with a stop at the Ashmolean Museum. If you visit England in summer, Oxford’s parks and riverside paths are some of the most beautiful places to explore.
After visiting all the attractions, stop by the Turf Tavern, one of Oxford’s oldest pubs, for a pint of real English ale.
Book a day tour to Oxford from London here!
From Oxford, you can quickly escape city life and lose yourself in the charming villages and countryside scenery of the Cotswolds, one of the most beautiful places to visit in southern England. Since this vast area of natural beauty covers about 800 square miles of countryside, there is always a new hike or village waiting to be discovered.
If you have a backpack and a few free days, then the Cotswold Way is a 100-mile long-distance trail that will take you through the best places in the region at a slow pace. If you’re in a hurry, take a trip to the magnificent villages of Bourton-on-the-Water, Burford and Combe Martin, before concluding your journey at the Gloucester Cathedral.
Book a day tour to the Cotswolds from London here!
Fans of England’s most famous bard should head to Warwickshire, where they can visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare himself. The countryside town of Stratford-upon-Avon sits on the beautiful banks of the River Avon and is still home to the medieval house where Shakespeare was born.
You can also visit Anne Hathaway’s house, Shakespeare’s famous wife, before attending the latest performance of a classic play at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Royal Shakespeare Company theatre.
Book a day tour to Stratford-upon-Avon from London here!
The southwestern county of Cornwall is quite different from any other part of England, and that’s because it isn’t really England. Probably home to the best beaches in the country and the most dramatic coastal landscapes, the Cornwall also has a long Celtic history that is more closely aligned with Wales and Ireland than with England.
Celtic traditions are strong in Cornwall, where people have their own language, their flag, and their proud history dating back thousands of years before the English arrived in Great Britain.
Walk the Southwest Coast Path (a huge long-distance walking route around Cornwall) to truly experience the wild nature and Celtic mythology, head to seaside towns like St. Ives or Penzance for a taste of the coastal lifestyle or spend a few days in Newquay if you’re looking for sun, surf, and bars.
With two long stretches of coast to offer visitors on both the north and south of the county, Devon is best known for its seaside towns and seafood. Explore the English Riviera, where you can dine on Devon crab and cream tea while watching the English Channel. Head north coast, where you’ll find remote stretches of coastline, spectacular cliffs, and the rocky wildlife sanctuary that is Lundy Island.
Devon is also the county that keeps on giving. Nature lovers can lose themselves in the Dartmoor National Park, one of the last truly remote destinations in England. City lovers can visit Plymouth, where the Mayflower set sail 400 years ago, or Exeter, where the Romans built their westernmost outpost about 2000 years ago.
The most emerging city in the southwest of England is undoubtedly Bristol, where vegan bistros comfortably sit next to medieval pubs. The home of Banksy, this is a city always at the forefront of English culture and politics, and you can discover more on a street art tour or a visit to the M -Shed, the best museum in Bristol.
On the waterfront, you can visit the SS Great Britain, a Victorian-era ship that paved the way for modern travel around the world as one of the fastest passenger ships in the world (at the time, anyway). Take a hot air balloon ride over the city, or walk or cycle across the imposing Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the River Avon.
You can’t explore England without exploring Bristol and be sure to save plenty of extra time to enjoy the city’s best restaurants, bars, pubs, and eateries because Bristol might very well have the best food scene in the country.
Follow the River Avon inland from Bristol and soon you’ll reach the city of Bath, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, Bath is the only city in England to be included in two distinct UNESCO World Heritage lists, one for its heritage and history and the other as part of a broader European list recognizing important spa cities.
Bath’s history dates back to the Romans, who built the city over the hot springs that continue to attract visitors today. Start with a tour of the ancient Roman baths, get lost in the narrow medieval alleys of the city and visit the 18th-century Georgian terraced houses for which the city is famous.
After a long day of sightseeing, spend a relaxing evening at the Thermae Bath Spa, the city’s modern take on its ancient tradition of thermal baths.
Book a day tour to Bath from London here!
The best cities in England are not, however, limited to the south, because some of the largest and best destinations in the country are located in the north. One of the most unbeatable city break destinations is Manchester, a city perhaps better known for its two internationally renowned football teams.
Manchester is also proud of its industrial past, and you can learn more about the city’s rich heritage by visiting the Manchester Museum or the Science and Industry Museum. This is also a modern city, and you will find art galleries, restaurants and waterfront bars at the Quays, and of course, the National Football Museum.
Another northern powerhouse is Liverpool, the city that gave us the Beatles. If you are a music enthusiast, then a stop in Liverpool is a must, as you can visit all the iconic places that inspired the Beatles’ classic songs and the Beatles Story museum: you can buy your ticket for the Beatles Story museum here.
There is much more to Liverpool than the Beatles, however, and visitors can enjoy the restaurants and bars of the revitalized docklands area, modern art at Tate Liverpool and the city’s two famous football grounds.
One of the most beautiful places in England is the city of York. This ancient city was founded by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago, before becoming the center of a Viking kingdom in the early medieval period. It is still possible to visit the ancient Roman walls and the intriguing Jorvik Centre, which brings the Viking era back to life.
York also has some of the best-preserved medieval architecture in the country, including the York Minster Cathedral. You will also find that the incredibly narrow Shambles medieval street is the most beautiful place to visit in England if you’re looking for picturesque tea and coffee shops.
Covering a huge area of Cumbria, the Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is easily one of the most beautiful places to visit in England. Made famous in the Victorian era by romantic poets like William Wordsworth, the lakes, rivers, islands, towns, and villages of the Lake District continue to attract crowds today.
First-time visitors should head to Windermere Lake, where you’ll find easily accessible trails, scenic boat rides, and charming lakeside villages. Avid hikers can take on Scafell Pike, which, at 978 meters (3,200 feet), is the highest mountain in England.
Book your Lake District day trip from Manchester here!
If you’re still wondering what to do in England, then look no further than Stonehenge. This might be the ultimate historic attraction in England, as Stonehenge is one of the most impressive prehistoric sites in the world.
Thought to have been built by some of England’s earliest human inhabitants at least 5,000 years ago, Stonehenge is much more than just a pile of big rocks. Carefully arranged, these massive stones align with the sun at the summer solstice, although their exact purpose and the reason for their construction remain hotly debated.
You can walk among the stones themselves before learning more about the ancient site’s history and archaeology at the visitor center. Combine a visit to Stonehenge with a trip to nearby Avebury, where there is a larger but lesser-known stone circle.
Purchase your admission ticket here or book a day tour to Stonehenge from London!
Stonehenge at dawn, United Kingdom
