A growing guide to 59 destinations and London
Area-by-area guides, ready-made itineraries, theatre listings and trip planning tools for 60 destinations so far, from London's neighbourhoods to the Scottish Highlands, with more on the way. See what we cover.
Choose a destination
Every destination has the same structure: areas to base yourself, things to do, places to eat and stay, and how to get there. Filter by nation, or start with the capital.
22 neighborhood guides, theater, itineraries and a live journey planner.
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A Roman spa town of honey-colored Georgian terraces in Somerset
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A university city of colleges, bridges and riverside meadows on the River Cam
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Harbor towns, art galleries, tidal castles and Atlantic beaches at the end of the line
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Honey-colored villages, wool-merchant churches and rolling limestone hills
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Lakes, fells and market towns in Cumbria, with a National Park and World Heritage Site to explore on foot, by boat and by bus
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Docks, the Beatles, two cathedrals and soccer on the Mersey
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A university city of colleges, libraries and museums on the Thames and the Cherwell
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A walled cathedral city of medieval streets, Roman and Viking layers, and the railways
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A castle on a volcanic rock, a medieval Old Town and a Georgian New Town
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Scotland's biggest city: Victorian civic grandeur, Mackintosh, the Clyde waterfront and free museums
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Lochs, glens, castles and ferry crossings across the north and west of Scotland
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Island of castles, Neolithic tombs and sea cliffs across the Menai Strait, with the Irish ferry port at Holyhead
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The Welsh capital: a castle in the city centre, free national museums and a redeveloped bay
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Three national parks, a capital on the coast, castles from Conwy to Pembroke and a long Atlantic shoreline
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Your trip, step by step
Start at whichever stage you are at. Each link opens the hub for that part of your trip.
Plan your trip
Save places from any destination, ask the concierge for a plan, or see what is around you right now.
Tell it where, how long and what you love. It builds a short plan from places in our guides.
Open →Answer five questions and get a draft route across Britain, with travel legs and rainy-day swaps.
Open →Sights, food and stops around your location, in any region we cover.
Open →Save places from any guide and plan them day by day, with walking times, a calendar file and share links.
Open →Multi-day and multi-city routes across Britain, from a long weekend to two weeks.
Open →Edinburgh or Glasgow? Cornwall or the Lakes? Side-by-side facts from our own guides.
Open →Which destinations suit January to December, with the weather figures shown.
Open →Which area suits families, walkers, theatre-goers or a quiet break, in each of our destinations.
Open →Sights and museums in London and our other destinations, with free-entry and booking flags where we can verify them.
Open →Train, coach and ferry options with official journey times where we hold them.
Open →Advance, off-peak and railcards in plain words, with a which-ticket helper.
Open →Live Tube, rail, bus and river routes, including step-free and family options.
Open →Events, markets and festivals across regions, with dates checked at build time.
Open →Routes with maps and downloadable GPX files.
Open →Entry, money, plugs, transport and etiquette in one place.
Open →What the UK asks of visitors, with a pointer to the official checker.
Open →Pick your nationality to see whether GOV.UK lists it for an ETA or a visa.
Open →A printable checklist from three months out to the day before you travel.
Open →Fixed costs such as ETA fees and bus fare caps, and a calculator for your own figures.
Open →Routes between our destinations, with the fastest published times and the stations.
Open →Step-free planning across Britain, with the coverage counts shown honestly.
Open →Month-by-month weather, daylight and what to pack.
Open →Welsh, Gaelic and Scots place names, waiting in line, pubs and the Countryside Code.
Open →Why Britlens
Most travel sites give you a long list and leave the decisions to you. We organize each destination the way an experienced host would: by area, by how much time you have and by what you enjoy.
Instead of hundreds of generic listings, we focus on the places and neighborhoods that are worth your time, with plain-English guidance on when to go and how long to allow. Places are checked against their own websites and sources are credited.
London has a live journey planner for the Tube, Elizabeth line, Overground, DLR, buses and river boats. Every other guide shows the nearest stations and how to arrive, so you know the way before you set off.
We list 167 London theaters and the musicals playing or announced, with locations, photos and access information, so choosing a show and getting there is simple.
Start with London
Royal landmarks, riverside walks and West End stages, each in its own neighborhood. Our guide helps you choose where to stay and how to spend your days.
Where to base yourself
Where you stay shapes your trip. Filter by part of the city, swipe or use the arrows, then open the full guide for hotels, sights and local tips.
Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey sit within a few minutes' walk of one another. London at its most ceremonial, and the natural place to start a first visit.
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Elegant arcades, private galleries, grand hotels and quiet squares. A polished base for shopping, fine dining and a stroll through Green Park.
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Harrods and the luxury shops of Knightsbridge sit beside Hyde Park, with stucco-fronted Belgravia terraces close by.
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The heart of Theatreland, with dozens of theaters, restaurants for every budget and street performers in the old market hall. Lively late into the evening.
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Home of the British Museum, publishers' squares and the university quarter. A calm, literary part of the center with good cafés and bookshops.
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A village-like high street of independent shops and cafés, a short walk from Oxford Street and Regent's Park.
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A riverside walk past the National Theatre, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and Borough Market. Many of the galleries here are free to enter.
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Borough Market's food stalls, railway-arch breweries and street food in Bermondsey. A good choice for an unhurried lunch and an afternoon wander.
Open the mini guide → Two thousand years of history in one square mile: the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral. Quieter on weekends, which makes it easy to explore.
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Street art, independent shops, vintage markets and some of the capital's most inventive food. Relaxed, creative and away from the big sights.
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London's second financial district, with skyscrapers, riverside walks and fast Elizabeth line and DLR links to the center.
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Pastel townhouses, the Saturday antiques market on Portobello Road and the green spaces of Holland Park.
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The V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum within walking distance, all free to enter (general admission). A good base for families.
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The Royal Hospital, home of the Chelsea Flower Show, the boutiques of the King's Road and the squares around Sloane Square.
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Two Royal Parks side by side: rowing on the Serpentine, Kensington Palace and long, shaded walks in the middle of the city.
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Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and walks beside the Thames, with village charm on the edge of the city.
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Home of the Championships and the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, with a windmill on the Common, Cannizaro Park and a village high street on a hill.
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Camden Market, canal walks along the Regent's Canal and a long tradition of live-music venues.
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Hampstead Heath's open spaces and wide views of the London skyline from the top of Primrose Hill.
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Home of the Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian. Take a river boat from central London for the best approach.
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The landmark Battersea Power Station, now shops and restaurants, with riverside parks and a new Tube line close by.
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Brixton Market, live music and Caribbean food in one of south London's liveliest corners.
Open the mini guide →Theater
We start with London, which has one of the world's great theater scenes, from long-running musicals such as The Lion King and Wicked to new plays, opera, ballet, pantomime and fringe productions. We list 167 theaters and 50 musicals, each with its own page, photos, directions and answers to the questions visitors ask most.
Browse by category, find the theater nearest your hotel and open the journey planner with the address already filled in.
Playing now at Lyceum Theatre
Disney's stage version of the animated film, famous for its extraordinary puppetry and costumes.
Playing now at Apollo Victoria Theatre
The untold story of the witches of Oz, before Dorothy arrives, with soaring songs and spectacular staging.
Playing now at Victoria Palace Theatre
Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop musical telling the story of Alexander Hamilton and America's founding.
Playing now at Sondheim Theatre
Victor Hugo's epic of redemption and revolution in 19th-century France, and one of the West End's longest-running musicals.
Playing now at His Majesty's Theatre
Andrew Lloyd Webber's gothic romance set in the Paris Opera House, playing at His Majesty's Theatre since 1986.
Playing now at Cambridge Theatre
Roald Dahl's story of a brilliant girl with a wild imagination, with songs by Tim Minchin.
Itineraries
Each itinerary is built around a sensible pace, with sights grouped by area so you spend your time enjoying London rather than crossing it.
If you only have one day, this walking route links the landmarks in a sensible order and finishes with the best view of the river.
A balanced first visit mixing the big historic sights with a theater night and a slower day in the villages.
Slow down and see more: museums, markets, a river trip to Greenwich and a day out of the city.
Rail links make it simple to add Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Windsor or Hampton Court to a London stay.
Getting around
London has a live journey planner: tell us where you are and where you are going, and we show the quickest options step by step. In every other destination, each area guide lists the nearest stations and how to arrive.
Day trips from London
Some of Britain's most famous places are less than two hours from central London. Each works as a relaxed day out, and several have full guides of their own.
Castle town on the Thames.
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The city of dreaming spires.
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Roman baths and Georgian crescents.
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Colleges, courts and the River Cam.
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Prehistoric stones and Salisbury.
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Pier, Pavilion and the Lanes.
Plan this day trip →When to visit
There is no bad time to visit, only different experiences. Here is what each season offers, with London as the example.
Blossom, lambs and longer evenings, with gardens opening up across the country. A good time for walking, with fewer crowds than summer.
The longest days, festivals, outdoor theater and the best chance of coast and mountain weather. Book popular sights and accommodation early.
Golden leaves, quieter streets and a busy theater calendar. Often the best balance of weather, value and atmosphere.
Christmas lights, festive markets and pantomimes, then crisp, quiet days for museums and shows. Short daylight in the north: pack warm layers and an umbrella.
Britain in pictures
A few glimpses of what you can expect, from riverside views and historic markets to cathedral cities and open countryside.
Plan your trip
The small details that make a trip run smoothly, summarized in one place.
Many visitors need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before traveling to the UK. Requirements depend on your nationality, so always check the official GOV.UK guidance before you book flights.
The UK uses the pound sterling (£), not the US dollar. Contactless cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, including on the Tube and buses, so you rarely need much cash.
British weather is changeable in every season. Bring layers, a light waterproof and comfortable shoes, as you will probably walk further than you expect.
The UK uses Type G plugs with three rectangular pins, at 230 volts. US visitors need a travel adapter (US plugs do not fit), and only devices rated for 120 volts alone need a voltage converter: most phone and laptop chargers accept 100 to 240 volts.
Many restaurants add a discretionary service charge of around 12.5% to the check, so look before adding more: tipping is lower than in the US. For taxis, rounding up is common, and tipping in pubs is not expected.
The UK is generally safe for visitors, but keep valuables secure in crowded places. In an emergency, call 999 (or 112) for police, fire or ambulance services.
Entry rules, prices and policies change. Please confirm important details with official sources such as GOV.UK before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Most first trips begin in London, which has the widest choice of sights, theater and transport links. From there, trains reach Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, York and Edinburgh in a few hours, so a week can combine the capital with one or two other cities.
May to September brings the longest days and the most events, while April and October are quieter with mild weather. December is excellent for lights, markets and theater, though some attractions close on Christmas Day and daylight is short in the north.
Three days covers the main landmarks of London comfortably, and five lets you add a market day and a day trip. Allow two or three days for each of the other cities, and more if you want to go walking in the countryside.
Trains link most major destinations, and advance tickets are usually cheaper than buying on the day. Coaches are often the cheapest option, and some places, such as the Highlands, islands and the Cotswolds, are easier with a car or a local bus. Always check National Rail or the operator for current times and fares.
It can be costly, but many of the best experiences are free: national museums in England, parks, coastal paths and many cathedrals. Contactless daily fare caps keep London travel predictable, and off-peak theater tickets are often cheaper.
For popular shows and weekend evenings, yes, as the best seats go early. If your plans are flexible, many shows have seats available within a few days, and the Official London Theatre ticket booth in Leicester Square (formerly TKTS) sells on-the-day tickets, some discounted.
Yes. Many museums are free and designed for children, the parks have playgrounds, and there is a wide choice of family shows. Our family guide lists places and plans that work with younger travelers.
We have 60 destination guides so far, including London. That is not the whole of the UK: we are adding more regions one at a time with the same level of detail. See every guide by nation and what comes next, or join the notification list below to hear as each one opens.
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