Attraction
British Museum
Britain's great museum of world history and culture in Bloomsbury, with free entry to a permanent collection spanning two million years of human civilisation.
The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and each has its own landscapes, history and traditions. London is the main gateway, with its museums, theatres and royal landmarks. Beyond the capital, visitors travel to the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, the Roman baths and Georgian streets of Bath, and the countryside of the Cotswolds and the Lake District. In Scotland, Edinburgh is known for its castle and festivals, and the Highlands for mountains and lochs. Wales has castles and national parks such as Snowdonia (Eryri), while Northern Ireland offers Belfast and the Giant's Causeway. Distances are short, and trains connect most major cities.
Attraction
Britain's great museum of world history and culture in Bloomsbury, with free entry to a permanent collection spanning two million years of human civilisation.
Attraction
Edinburgh's fortress on an extinct volcanic plug, home to the Honours of Scotland, St Margaret's Chapel, Mons Meg and the daily One O'Clock Gun.
Attraction
The monarch's official residence in Scotland at the foot of the Royal Mile, with State Apartments, Mary, Queen of Scots' chambers and the ruins of Holyrood…
Attraction
Nearly a thousand years of royal history on the Thames, home to the Crown Jewels, the White Tower and the famous Yeoman Warders.
Attraction
The nation's collection of Western European paintings on Trafalgar Square, with free entry to works from the 13th to the early 20th century.
Attraction
Free national museum on Chambers Street covering Scottish history, natural world, science and world cultures, with Dolly the sheep and the Lewis chessmen.
Café
A Stockbridge bakery known for classic viennoiserie, custard slices, pains suisses and cardamom buns, with a regularly changing range and a pantry next door.
Café
A specialty coffee shop and roaster's outlet at Borough Market, serving filter and espresso coffee and selling beans that can be sampled in store.
Café
A family-run Italian espresso bar on Frith Street, opened in 1949 and open from early morning until the small hours.
Café
A Swedish bakery café at Quartermile beside the Meadows, serving buns, sourdough and Swedish pastries baked on site, open every day from early morning.
Café
The West End café of Edinburgh roaster Cairngorm Coffee, serving its own speciality coffee from early morning until 7pm, seven days a week.
Café
A specialty coffee bar on Leather Lane near Farringdon, known for carefully prepared espresso and filter coffee and its barista training.
Hotel
Rocco Forte's five-star landmark at the east end of Princes Street, opened in 1902 as a railway hotel, with a spa, whisky bar and famous clock…
Hotel
A landmark luxury hotel on the Strand, open since 1889, with Thames views, the American Bar and the Gordon Ramsay Savoy Grill.
Hotel
A Mayfair grande dame dating back to 1812, famed for its Art Deco interiors, afternoon tea and long association with royalty and celebrity.
Hotel
The Edinburgh outpost of Gleneagles, a 33-room luxury hotel in a Georgian building on St Andrew Square with The Spence restaurant and a rooftop bar.
Hotel
A five-star country house hotel in 20 acres of parkland beneath Arthur's Seat, with 23 opulent rooms and suites and the all-day Rhubarb restaurant.
Hotel
César Ritz's Piccadilly hotel, opened in 1906, famous for its Louis XVI-style interiors and its afternoon tea in the Palm Court.
Bar
A walk-in cocktail bar on Queen Street in the New Town, open every night from 4pm until 1am, with sister bars across Edinburgh.
Bar
A celebrated Soho jazz club, founded in 1959 and now on Frith Street in Soho, with two shows a night and dining until late.
Bar
The Connaught hotel's award-winning Mayfair cocktail bar, named the world's best bar in The World's 50 Best Bars in 2020 and 2021.
Bar
A basement live music venue on Chambers Street with jazz, blues, funk and more every day of the week, open until the early hours at weekends.
Bar
A flower-covered Fuller's pub in Kensington dating from 1750, known for its memorabilia, real ales and long-running Thai kitchen.
Bar
A historic village pub in Duddingston below Arthur's Seat, reputedly dating to 1360, with a courtyard, Sunday roasts and a Victorian skittle alley.
Restaurant
Fergus Henderson's influential Smithfield restaurant, founded in 1994 and known for nose-to-tail British cooking from a daily changing menu.
Restaurant
Tom and Michaela Kitchin's Michelin-starred restaurant in a converted whisky warehouse in Leith, cooking Scottish seasonal produce under the motto From Nature to Plate.
Restaurant
The original Dishoom, a Bombay-style café in Covent Garden serving breakfast, small plates, grills and curries from morning until late.
Restaurant
Candlelit historic dining rooms at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, serving classic dishes built on Scottish produce, with nine suites to stay in.
Restaurant
Founded by Thomas Rule in 1798, this Covent Garden institution serves traditional British dishes and is especially known for its game.
Restaurant
A family-run restaurant on Lady Lawson Street with a Michelin star and Green Star, serving weekly-changing menus built on wild meat, fish and vegetables.
Thing to do
London's celebrated food market beside London Bridge station, with traders selling produce, cheese, bread, street food and specialist groceries.
Thing to do
Guided tours through a preserved 17th-century street hidden beneath the Royal Mile, led by costumed guides who tell the stories of the close's residents.
Thing to do
A Victorian camera obscura and floors of hands-on optical illusions on Castlehill, topped by a rooftop terrace with panoramic views over Edinburgh.
Thing to do
A landscaped public garden and viewing gallery on the top floors of 20 Fenchurch Street, with free timed tickets to admire the skyline.
Thing to do
A reconstruction of Shakespeare's open-air playhouse on Bankside, staging plays alongside the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and running guided tours.
Thing to do
Guided whisky tours and tastings on Castlehill, with the 3,384-bottle Diageo Claive Vidiz Collection and the Amber restaurant and whisky bar.
Tour operator
A long-running London walking tour company offering guided walks every day, from Jack the Ripper and Beatles routes to village London and pub walks.
Tour operator
Edinburgh walking tour company running history walks and ghost tours since 1985, including trips into the Blair Street Underground Vaults.
Tour operator
Edinburgh-founded small-group tour company running day trips and multi-day tours to the Highlands, Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye since 1993.
Tour operator
A London bike tour and hire company running guided cycle and e-bike tours of the capital's sights, plus hire of bikes from tandems to children's bikes.
Tour operator
A three-hour food and drink walking tour visiting four restaurants and pubs across Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town, with cheese, beer and whisky tastings.
Tour operator
A not-for-profit social enterprise whose London walking tours are led by guides with personal experience of homelessness.
Trains link London with most major cities, and booking in advance usually gives lower fares. A car is helpful for rural areas such as the Scottish Highlands, Wales and the Lake District.
May to September brings the longest days and the warmest weather. The weather can change quickly at any time of year, so it is worth packing layers and a waterproof.
Popular choices include Edinburgh, the Scottish Highlands, Bath, Oxford, York, the Cotswolds, the Lake District, Cardiff and the Giant's Causeway.