Find places in United Kingdom

Must-Haves

• British Museum (Bloomsbury)
  Free entry to the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and treasures from every corner of the world.
• Westminster Abbey (Westminster)
  Coronation church of English monarchs since 1066, with poets and kings buried within.
• Natural History Museum (South Kensington)
  A cathedral of a building full of dinosaurs, gems and a blue whale skeleton, free to enter.
• Tate Modern (Bankside)
  Modern art in a former power station on the river, with a free viewing level.

Fun for Everyone

• Science Museum (South Kensington)
  Hands on galleries and space age exhibits that keep children and adults busy for hours.

Must-Haves

• Tower of London (Tower Hill)
  The Crown Jewels and nine centuries of royal stories told by the Yeoman Warders.
• Churchill War Rooms (Westminster)
  The underground bunker where Churchill ran the Second World War, preserved as it was.

Fun for Everyone

• London Eye (South Bank)
  Slow turning capsules with views over Parliament and the Thames.

Off the Beaten Path

• Leadenhall Market (City of London)
  A painted Victorian covered market that featured in Harry Potter.

Must-Haves

• Borough Market (London Bridge)
  London's best loved food market, with cheeses, bakeries and street food stalls.

Fun for Everyone

• Camden Market (Camden Town)
  A sprawling canal side maze of street food, vintage clothes and alternative fashion.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill)
  Antiques, vintage finds and food stalls along pastel streets, liveliest on Saturdays.
• Brick Lane (Shoreditch)
  Curry houses, bagel bakeries, vintage shops and street art in the East End.

Off the Beaten Path

• Columbia Road Flower Market (Bethnal Green)
  A Sunday morning street packed with flower sellers calling out their bargains.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Beigel Bake (Brick Lane)
  A round the clock East End institution for salt beef bagels.
• Maltby Street Market (Bermondsey)
  Weekend street food under railway arches, quieter and more local than Borough.
• Tayyabs (Whitechapel)
  Busy Punjabi grill famous for lamb chops and a bring your own drinks policy.

Great for Date Night

• Dishoom Covent Garden (Covent Garden)
  Bombay café style dishes and black daal in a buzzing room.

Must-Haves

• Rules (Covent Garden)
  London's oldest restaurant, serving game and puddings since 1798.

Fun for Everyone

• Fortnum and Mason (Piccadilly)
  The grand old grocer, ideal for a classic afternoon tea or a tin of tea to take home.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Monmouth Coffee (Borough)
  A pioneering coffee roaster with a small, much loved shop by the market.

Must-Haves

• Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (Fleet Street)
  A rebuilt seventeenth century pub of dark rooms once loved by Dickens.

Great for Date Night

• The Mayflower (Rotherhithe)
  A riverside pub near where the Mayflower set sail, with a cosy jetty terrace.
• Ronnie Scott's (Soho)
  The legendary Soho jazz club, open since 1959.

Off the Beaten Path

• The Churchill Arms (Kensington)
  A pub covered in flowers outside and serving Thai food inside.

Must-Haves

• Hyde Park (Central London)
  Huge royal park with the Serpentine lake, boating and Speakers' Corner.

Fun for Everyone

• Greenwich Park (Greenwich)
  Stand on the Prime Meridian and enjoy one of the best views over London.
• Kew Gardens (Richmond)
  World famous botanic gardens with Victorian glasshouses and a treetop walkway.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hampstead Heath (Hampstead)
  Wild heathland with swimming ponds and the city skyline view from Parliament Hill.
• Richmond Park (Richmond)
  Wild deer roam freely across the biggest of London's royal parks.

Must-Haves

• Notting Hill Carnival (Notting Hill)
  Europe's biggest street festival of Caribbean music and food over the August bank holiday weekend.

Fun for Everyone

• Trooping the Colour (Horse Guards Parade)
  The King's official birthday parade with soldiers, bands and an RAF flypast each June.

Low Cost and Authentic

• YHA London St Pancras (King's Cross)
  A friendly hostel with private rooms opposite St Pancras station.

Great for Date Night

• The Hoxton Holborn (Holborn)
  A stylish hotel with a lively lobby and a central location.

Must-Haves

• Edinburgh Castle (Castle Rock)
  The Honours of Scotland and sweeping views from the city's volcanic crag.
• Palace of Holyroodhouse (Royal Mile)
  The King's Scottish residence and the rooms of Mary Queen of Scots.

Fun for Everyone

• The Real Mary King's Close (Royal Mile)
  Guided tours through hidden streets buried beneath the Old Town.
• Royal Yacht Britannia (Leith)
  The royal family's floating home, preserved as they left it.
• Camera Obscura and World of Illusions (Royal Mile)
  Optical illusions and a Victorian camera that spies on the city.

Must-Haves

• National Museum of Scotland (Chambers Street)
  Free museum from Dolly the sheep to Pictish stones, with a rooftop terrace.
• Scottish National Gallery (The Mound)
  Free gallery of Scottish and European masters in the city centre.

Must-Haves

• Arthur's Seat (Holyrood Park)
  An extinct volcano in the city with a rewarding climb to the summit.

Fun for Everyone

• Calton Hill (New Town)
  A short climb to monuments and a classic sunset view over the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dean Village (Water of Leith)
  A peaceful old mill village by the river, minutes from the West End.

Must-Haves

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Citywide)
  The world's largest arts festival, filling every venue each August.
• Edinburgh's Hogmanay (Princes Street)
  Street party, concerts and fireworks over the castle at New Year.

Must-Haves

• Sandy Bell's (Forrest Road)
  A small pub with traditional music sessions most nights.

Low Cost and Authentic

• The Sheep Heid Inn (Duddingston)
  Said to be one of Scotland's oldest pubs, below Arthur's Seat.

Great for Date Night

• The Bow Bar (Victoria Street)
  A tiny traditional bar with a long whisky list.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Oink (Victoria Street)
  Hog roast rolls from a counter on one of the city's prettiest streets.

Great for Date Night

• The Kitchin (Leith)
  Celebrated chef Tom Kitchin's seasonal Scottish cooking on the Leith waterfront.
• The Witchery by the Castle (Castlehill)
  A gothic candlelit dining room next to the castle.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Stockbridge Sunday Market (Stockbridge)
  Local food stalls and crafts in a leafy neighbourhood.

Must-Haves

• Urquhart Castle (Loch Ness)
  Castle ruins on the shore of Loch Ness with a classic view.
• Culloden Battlefield (Culloden Moor)
  The moving site of the 1746 Jacobite defeat, with a visitor centre.
• Glenfinnan Viaduct (Glenfinnan)
  The curved railway viaduct of Harry Potter fame beside Loch Shiel.

Fun for Everyone

• Jacobite Cruises (Dochgarroch)
  Boat trips along Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal.
• Cairngorm Reindeer Centre (Glenmore)
  Walk among Britain's only free ranging reindeer herd.

Off the Beaten Path

• Clava Cairns (Culloden)
  Bronze Age burial cairns and standing stones in a quiet wood.
• Inverness Cathedral (Ardross Street)
  A Victorian Gothic cathedral on the riverbank.

Fun for Everyone

• Ness Islands (River Ness)
  Footbridges and woodland paths on islands in the river, a short walk from town.

Must-Haves

• Glencoe (Glencoe)
  The most dramatic glen in Scotland, with walks from the visitor centre.
• Old Man of Storr (Isle of Skye)
  A rocky pinnacle and one of Skye's most famous walks.

Off the Beaten Path

• Fairy Pools (Isle of Skye)
  Clear blue pools and waterfalls beneath the Cuillin mountains.

Off the Beaten Path

• Leakey's Bookshop (Church Street)
  A secondhand bookshop in an old church with a wood burning stove.

Must-Haves

• Hootananny (Church Street)
  Live traditional music most nights in a lively Inverness bar.

Great for Date Night

• Rocpool Restaurant (Ness Walk)
  Modern Scottish cooking with local produce by the river.

Low Cost and Authentic

• The Mustard Seed (Fraser Street)
  A riverside restaurant in an old church with good value lunches.

Must-Haves

• Catbells (Derwentwater)
  A family friendly fell walk with huge views over the lake.
• Aira Force (Ullswater)
  A tumbling waterfall in woodland above Ullswater.

Off the Beaten Path

• Buttermere (Buttermere)
  A quiet lake circuit walk in a wild valley.

Off the Beaten Path

• Castlerigg Stone Circle (Keswick)
  A prehistoric stone circle ringed by mountains.
• Derwent Pencil Museum (Keswick)
  A quirky museum about the town's pencil making history.

Must-Haves

• Dove Cottage (Grasmere)
  William Wordsworth's home and the Wordsworth Museum.

Fun for Everyone

• Hill Top (Near Sawrey)
  Beatrix Potter's farmhouse, kept as she left it.

Fun for Everyone

• Keswick Launch (Derwentwater)
  Boats around the lake that drop walkers at jetties.
• The World of Beatrix Potter (Bowness-on-Windermere)
  Peter Rabbit and friends brought to life for children.

Off the Beaten Path

• Honister Slate Mine (Honister Pass)
  Underground mine tours high in a mountain pass.

Must-Haves

• Windermere Lake Cruises (Bowness-on-Windermere)
  Steamers across England's largest lake.

Must-Haves

• Grasmere Gingerbread Shop (Grasmere)
  The famous spiced gingerbread baked to a secret recipe.

Low Cost and Authentic

• The Dog and Gun (Keswick)
  A cosy pub with goulash and dogs welcome.

Great for Date Night

• The Drunken Duck Inn (Barngates)
  A smart country inn with its own brewery and views.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Keswick Market (Market Square)
  Thursday and Saturday stalls in the town centre.

Fun for Everyone

• YHA Keswick (Keswick)
  A riverside hostel in the town centre.

Must-Haves

• Roman Baths (Abbey Churchyard)
  A remarkably preserved Roman bathing complex around a hot spring.
• Bath Abbey (Abbey Churchyard)
  Fan vaulted ceilings and tower tours over the city.

Fun for Everyone

• No. 1 Royal Crescent (Royal Crescent)
  A Georgian townhouse museum in the famous crescent.
• Jane Austen Centre (Gay Street)
  The story of the author's time in Bath.

Great for Date Night

• Thermae Bath Spa (Hot Bath Street)
  A rooftop pool filled with natural thermal water.

Off the Beaten Path

• Castle Combe (Castle Combe)
  A Cotswold village often called the prettiest in England.

Must-Haves

• Arlington Row (Bibury)
  A row of weavers' cottages on a stream.
• Stonehenge (Amesbury)
  The world famous prehistoric stone circle.

Fun for Everyone

• Bourton-on-the-Water (Bourton-on-the-Water)
  Low stone bridges over a shallow river.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sally Lunn's (North Parade Passage)
  Bath buns in one of the city's oldest houses.

Great for Date Night

• The Pump Room (Abbey Churchyard)
  Afternoon tea in an elegant Georgian hall above the baths.

Low Cost and Authentic

• The Star Inn (Vineyards)
  An old fashioned pub with wood panelled rooms.
• The Raven (Queen Street)
  Real ales and famous pies.

Fun for Everyone

• Bath Skyline Walk (Claverton Down)
  A circular walk with views over the city.

Fun for Everyone

• Bath Christmas Market (City centre)
  Wooden chalets around the Abbey in late autumn.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bath Guildhall Market (High Street)
  An old covered market with stalls.

Must-Haves

• York Minster (Minster Yard)
  A vast Gothic cathedral with a tower climb.

Fun for Everyone

• Jorvik Viking Centre (Coppergate)
  Viking age York recreated on its dig site.
• National Railway Museum (Leeman Road)
  Royal carriages and famous locomotives, free entry.
• York Castle Museum (Eye of York)
  A recreated Victorian street and more.

Must-Haves

• York City Walls (City centre)
  Walk the medieval walls around the city.
• The Shambles (City centre)
  A crooked medieval street of overhanging buildings.

Off the Beaten Path

• Merchant Adventurers' Hall (Fossgate)
  A superb medieval guildhall.
• Castle Howard (Malton)
  A grand stately home and gardens.

Fun for Everyone

• Clifford's Tower (Tower Street)
  A castle keep on a mound with city views.

Must-Haves

• Bettys Café Tea Rooms (St Helen's Square)
  Classic Yorkshire tea room with fat rascals.

Fun for Everyone

• The Golden Fleece (Pavement)
  A crooked old pub with ghost stories.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ye Olde Starre Inne (Stonegate)
  One of York's oldest licensed pubs.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Shambles Market (Shambles)
  Market stalls and street food.

Fun for Everyone

• Jorvik Viking Festival (City centre)
  Viking reenactments each February.

Off the Beaten Path

• Whitby Abbey (Whitby)
  Clifftop abbey ruins that inspired Dracula.

Great for Date Night

• The Grays Court (Chapter House Street)
  A historic house hotel inside the walls.