Home to immersive habitats, interactive rock pools, and thousands of sea creatures, SEA LIFE® Manchester is one of Manchester’s most popular family-friendly destinations. Both entertaining and educational, exhibits such as the ocean tunnel, shark shipwreck, and rocky hideout invite visitors to get up close and personal with aquatic species.
London Victoria Station is one of the capital city’s major transit hubs. It started life as two stations under one roof—each run by a different railway company—the first of which opened in 1860, and each concourse has its own design aesthetic. Today, it’s considered a single station, linking London with destinations across southern England, including Gatwick Airport.
The only natural, mineral-water thermal spa in the UK, the Thermae Bath Spa is located just steps from the ruins of the city’s Roman Baths, and draws from the same ancient water source. Visitors to the spa can paddle in those waters (including in its showstopper Rooftop Pool), book massages and other treatments, and relax in the multiroom Wellness Suite.
Located on Blackpool’s promenade, SEA LIFE® Blackpool is a popular, family-friendly attraction. The center houses more than 2,000 sea creatures, allowing visitors to marvel at the marine life of the UK’s shoreline and the world’s deepest oceans—from sharks and rays to seahorses, reef fish, and turtles.
Clarence House dates back to the 19th century and is one of London’s key royal residences. It was home to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip before her accession to the throne, and later to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. More recently, it has become the official residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. When open to the public, visitors can go on guided tours to see the elegant interiors and landscaped gardens.
Being the largest of London’s eight Royal Parks is just one of the many accolades that the 17th-century Richmond Park boasts. This vast green space in the capital’s southwest is home to a wealth of wildlife, including a herd of over 600 red and fallow deer that roam the park and its ancient woodlands. Cycling and running trails, golf courses, a playground, and two gardens—the Isabella Plantation and Pembroke Lodge Gardens— are among the highlights.
Set among the lush, 500-acre (200-hectare) grounds of a former stately home, Alton Towers Resort is the ultimate destination for families and thrill seekers in the Midlands. Even if you’re not a fan of white-knuckle roller coasters, the theme park still has plenty to offer; there are gorgeous gardens to wander through, and if you have toddlers in tow, CBeebies Land is designed for them. Plus, there’s an indoor water park and an 18-hole crazy golf course.
In the shadows of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and just across the water from the London Eye and Southbank, you can’t get more central than Westminster Pier. Easy to access and surrounded by world-famous attractions, the pier is a popular starting and ending point for sightseeing cruises along the Thames River, and it sits along the Thames Clippers ferry route.
One of only two in the United Kingdom, LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester promises an exciting family-friendly day out. Let your imagination run riot at LEGO® workshops, ride Kingdom Quest, check out the 4D cinema, and marvel over miniatures. Then, stop by the play area before buying bricks of your own in the LEGO shop.
Billed as the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian, the Royal Observatory Greenwich is one of London’s major historical landmarks. Part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, the observatory was built by celebrated architect Christopher Wren in the 17th century. Today, it houses a planetarium, historical navigational tools, and one of the UK’s largest telescopes.
The Crown Jewels are considered the United Kingdom’s most precious treasures. Comprising more than 100 objects and a staggering 23,000 gemstones—including some of the world’s largest diamonds—they’re considered priceless ceremonial artifacts, particularly the Coronation Regalia. The Crown Jewels are displayed within the UNESCO-listed Tower of London.
Spanning 680 acres (275 hectares) of rugged countryside, Hampstead Heath feels worlds away from London’s manicured Royal Parks. Here you can spot locals flying kites and walking dogs, hang out where scenes from Notting Hill were filmed, take a dip in a rural swimming pond, or savor a London skyline view from Parliament Hill. Be sure to bring a picnic.
One of Europe’s leading automotive museums, the Beaulieu National Motor Museum is an essential stop for car lovers. Home to 280 vehicles—including everything from F1 cars to the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—as well as a vast collection of automotive artifacts, photos, and films, the museum also hosts a range of temporary and permanent exhibitions and installations.
Named after the seven towering chalk cliffs that run its shores, this Sussex spot sits where the South Downs meets the English Channel. Roughly 700 acres (280 hectares), it also comprises grasslands full of grazing sheep and the meandering Cuckmere River. Also home to plenty of winged and four-legged creatures, too, Seven Sisters is Britain’s nature at its best.
One of the Isle of Skye’s most loved natural wonders, the Old Man of Storr is a 164-foot (50-meter) high rocky pinnacle that juts out from the otherworldly Trotternish Ridge. Shrouded in legend and folklore that claim it to be a giant’s thumb (among other things), the Old Man of Storr is a favorite of sightseers, hillwalkers, and photographers.
Dominated by two giant, bubble-shaped biomes—the world's largest greenhouses—the Eden Project is one of Cornwall's most famous landmarks. The biomes maintain miniature ecosystems that enable all kinds of plants to flourish: orchids, palms, and cacao trees in the Rainforest Biome and proteas, cacti, and huge aloe veras in the Mediterranean Biome.
Towering 98 feet (30 meters) above the Forth and Clyde Canal, The Kelpies are a monumental tribute to the horses that have shaped Scotland’s industry and mythology. Sculptor Andy Scott’s two steel structures are within The Helix park, where you’ll find playgrounds, a café, a visitor center, and walking and cycling paths.
This quirky museum in Bath tells the story of the author who wrote Frankenstein—Mary Shelley. Set in a 300-year-old Grade II–listed townhouse, it has a screening room where you can watch the first ever Frankenstein film (from 1910), as well as two escape rooms, an immersive game, and plenty of eerie artifacts.
An affluent residential neighborhood at the confluence of the Grand Union and Regent's canals, Little Venice oozes the sophisticated style typical of West London. The former home of poet Robert Browning, Little Venice is full of quaint cafés, canal boat cocktail bars, and grand white townhouses along leafy avenues.
Open since 1898, Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery is home to the Dewar’s brand and the only distillery built by its namesake family. Located on the banks of the River Tay in the Perthshire countryside, it hosts tours, tastings, and experiences, and also has a visitor center, heritage museum, lounge, bar, café, and gift shop.
Once the world’s tallest building, Lincoln Cathedral remains one of England’s most significant religious landmarks, housing one of only four original Magna Carta manuscripts in the world. At the intricately detailed cathedral, visitors can pray, attend service, light a votive candle, or simply enjoy the Gothic architecture.
The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile (164-kilometer) long-distance hiking trail that starts in the market town of Chipping Campden and ends in Bath. This picturesque route showcases charming villages, historic battle sites, and majestic stately homes alongside the tremendous Cotswold countryside. This beautiful hike lets travelers explore classic English landscapes and rich historical sites.
Hadrian’s Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stretches 73 miles (117 kilometers) across the north of England, all the way from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. Built in AD 122 under Emperor Hadrian’s orders and finished four years later, the wall marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire in Britain.
A corner of London to brighten your social media feed, Neal’s Yard has become one of the capital’s most aesthetic sites. The boldly painted buildings in this little nook are home to a handful of boldly priced eateries and independent shops that attract camera-toting travelers and Londoners alike. A wander through will take no more than a few minutes of your time—unless you plan to shop or eat.
Shiny colored bricks abound at LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort, a theme park with rides inspired by LEGO® and DUPLO. The first of its kind in the UK, the Windsor resort is popular with families, offering kids the chance to build, play, and experience rides, too. There are also themed hotels on-site for those who don’t want the fun to end.
Belfast is known for its shipbuilding heritage, urban regeneration, and blossoming food scene. As well as providing easy access to attractions such as Titanic Belfast, Belfast Cruise Port also serves as the gateway to Northern Ireland’s other big-name sights, including the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is an important site for the British Royal Navy, having played a part in the war against the Spanish Armada, the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars, and both World Wars. Although the dockyard is still a working naval base, many of its historic ships have been converted into museums.
An icon of Brutalist architecture, the Barbican Center is where nature, music, art, and culture intersect. As well as being the largest multiarts venue in Europe, it's the official home of the London Symphony Orchestra, and its two art galleries host rotating exhibitions exploring fashion and contemporary art. It also boasts a library, a 2,000-seat concert hall, a theater, bars and restaurants, and a botanical garden.
Also known as the Cathedral Church of St. Philip, the Birmingham Cathedral is the oldest building in central Birmingham still used for its original purpose. The seat of the Bishop of Birmingham, the cathedral (the third-smallest in the country) was built in the Italianate style 300 years ago. Today, its architecture, stained-glass windows, and expansive grounds are all notable features.
Domes, minarets, and regency splendor beckon at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton’s premier historic attraction. Built for King George IV when he was a party-loving prince, the site flaunts some of Britain’s most extravagant royal interiors and Eastern-style architecture. A dragon-bedecked banqueting hall, a gold-crested music room, and bedrooms with hand-painted wallpaper are among the wonders.
