UK Tourist Attractions

London is the capital of britain and a truly popular tourism spot. in fact, its home to breathtaking uk landmarks love Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Globe Theatre. We hope you enjoy our london guide and that it gives you plenty of info about activities to do in the city, as well as a bit of history and some fascinating facts. In 1863, bad traffic congestion on roads in london city centre led to the creation of the world's first underground railway system, the london underground.

The city was bombed badly during world war two & several lives were lost. following the war, several buildings in the city had to be built again. After the second world war, immigration changed London into one of the most racially diverse cities in Europe. Immigration was not always smooth, because there were big race riots in notting hill & brixton, but intergration was certainly more smith than in other english regions. One of the most popular tourist destinations in London is Buckingham Palace, which has been the london residence of the monarchy since 1837. The palace was initially opened to visitors in 1993 & the changing of the guard has proven particularly popular with them. This ceremony takes place in the forecourt of buckingham palace at 11.30 every day in summer & every other day in the winter.

Buckingham Palace is found in Westminster & it is accessible by tube & bus. Needless to say that the shopping in London is the finest in great britain. In fact, the city boasts a wide variety of famous outlets, comprising of Harrods and Hamleys. Camden Town is renowned for its alternative stores and fabulous market. it is a diverse location, which sells everything from retro clothing to cds. Alternatively, shoppers should visit knightsbridge or mayfair for the more high end outlets. you'll find some exciting designer names in this elite area.

London has fabulous fashion, which we are sure that all of us will find fabulous. From fabulous shops, to vip night clubs and cocktail bars, there is something for everyone to enjoy in London. One of the most famous night clubs is the Embassy, which is a private members club on Old Burlington street. The night club is relatively expensive, but it's full of celebrities and fabulous for star spotting. as well as this, it serves fabulous food by michelin starred Garry Hollihead. 

As it is such a huge location, London is truly easy to get to. in fact, it is connected well by rail & has some big railway stations, which include London Bridge, London Victoria, London Euston & Liverpool st. as well as this, the city also boasts three huge airports, Heathrow; Stanstead & Luton. Driving in London can be difficult due to the congestion charge, but the city boasts a excellent underground & bus network to help people get around.

Britain is a great place to visit if you are interested in History; it has many castles, ancient monuments and attractions to visit. London is home to some of Britain’s most famous landmarks. Buckingham Palace and the infamous Tower of London can be visited as a group. You can also take one of the big red tourist buses around London and listed to some of the history and attractions.

British Museum

This museum holds more history than any other museum in the world. Up until five years ago, most of the museum’s collections had been stored away in the warehouse. Now the exhibits are on full display and ready to impress.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most remarkable man-made creations of the ancient world. Created from large stones which had to be sailed to Britain from France, this work of art is believed to have been erected between 3,000 B.C. and 1600 B.C.

Very little is known about this mysterious location, but recent evidence points that it may originally have been a burial mound for a king, which changed over the years into a religious icon. To this day, pilgrims and druids from all over the world continue to meet during the longest day of the year.


Glastonbury

Cloaked in the mystery of the Arthur legend, this area is thought to be the resting place of the graves of the true Arthur and Guinevere, and is believed to be the location of the island of Avalon. Glastonbury Tor is a giant man-made hill that used to once hold a church on the top of it. Now, only the bell tower called the “tor” is available. When the morning mist covers the surrounding town of Glastonbury and crawls slowly up the hill, it is easy to imagine that beneath the mist is the fabled lake, home to the Lady of the lake.

Although Glastonbury is large, it should not be missed by any group of true history buffs. There is even a sacred well, which is thought to be one of the possible locations of the Holy Grail. Each year hundreds of pilgrims come here to offer prayers and drink in hopes of benefiting from the blessed water.

Bath

Bath and the stunning countryside surrounding it is one of England's most beautiful places to visit. Bath, England, is a unique city; its hot springs, Roman Baths, splendid Abbey and Georgian stone crescents have attracted visitors for centuries. Set in rolling Somerset countryside, just over 100 miles west of London, it is a beautiful and unforgettable place to visit.

Tintagel-Tintagel Castle

Tintagel-Tintagel Castle is also part of the Arthur legend. Although only ruins of the castle can now be seen, Tintagel is thought to be the site where the sage Mernyl, also known as Merlin, fought and lost the battle with Morgan de Fay. It is also believed to be the final resting place of Merlin’s body and his cave filled with ancient knowledge and magic. Perfect for the historian at heart!

Well, my dear friends, this time I am going to tell you a story on how to have a great holiday not far away from your home and on a small budget. So, as I see it, there are two main objectives, to get greatest pleasure from and spend as little money on this kind of bliss as possible. To tell you the truth, often it not really the place but the company, who are going to be with you, that makes the holiday. So we need to think carefully who we are going with and choose well and then together decide perhaps to have a nice holiday break nearer to home, let us look at the advantages of the Great British holiday.

First of all, you can save your time on investigation with regard to the location and climate of the new country, as you are already know the weather of your own country! However, maybe you think that it is rather boring to explore the country you are already familiar with? Not at all, I personally think that it is very interesting and alluring doing so. Your investigation and survey can go wide and deeper than ever you imagined. If you spend your vacation on Britain, it can often you cost you far less as travelling time to another country is curtailed and the economy is not offering good exchange rates recently so you pound does not buy what it used to when traveling abroad...So this is a high time to think what you can do within the country of origin seek out the places you have here at this moment as they are now very competitive.

So, as we can see price is the first major advantage. To travel around your own country, visiting closer to home places, to discover the wonderful local UK natural worlds and open your mind towards meditation and fun, is a super thing that you can do easily on home soil. Let us not forget that home soil is the best place where you can feel really comfortable and safe. It is a splendid opportunity and benefit to explore the country where you live. Believe me when I say you will have a lot to discover. As you fully understand the second advantage you will also know your country far better: its culture, language, history, customs, traditions, places of interest, and places of natural beauty. There is also the added benefit of already being familiar with the cuisine thus only the locally meals will not worry your foods needs if with a fussy family.

Taking into account all the above, I would like to recommend you one special destination. It is one of the most wonderful and green islands in the United Kingdom and as you may have already guessed called the Isle of Wight. I think and feel it is an important that you have an exciting vacation and unforgettable experience with the all members of your family. An Isle of Wight Holiday is a very good opportunity to spend super vacation time with children. You can be relaxed as there are so many things to do on the Isle, so much so that your children will be busy all the time. The Isle of Wight is full of gorgeous scenery, various attractions, great historical places, Zoos, museums etc.

The Island offers a one stop package shops as it ahs something for everyone. You are able to be close to nature gaining having pleasure and enjoyment as it is so simple to be very happy there. In order to find a suitable Isle of Wight Hotel, click here.

Many parks are inspected on an annual basis and graded according to the Visit Britain Star rating scheme. These official ratings reflect the overall quality of each park, to help you have a clear and independent idea of what your holiday accommodation will be like. Whether you are one of the thousands of guests who book with us every year, or are considering us for the first time, I'm sure you 'll enjoy browsing through our extensive holiday selection for your dream way to get away.

The UK Holiday Park has become one of the great national institutions. Generations of families, from the turn of the century onwards, have left the UK’s cities to head for their two weeks summer holidays on the British coastline. The Holiday Park had a fairly humble beginning, essentially offering accommodation, entertainment and food all under one roof, more often than not on the edge of a large traditional seaside town like Blackpool, Skegness or Great Yarmouth.

These holiday parks were very popular with families looking for affordable holidays, at a time when overseas travel was expensive and unobtainable for a large percentage of the general public. However as overseas travel became more affordable Britain saw the rise of the package holiday in the 70’s and 80’s, which meant that the UK holidays no longer offered the value that was such a unique selling point for many of the popular parks. With the new found competition from guaranteed sun, cheap accommodation, food and drink, UK holiday parks came under increasing pressure.

The challenging times that faced the industry were definitely compounded by a change in perception of the holiday park experience. When you mentioned holiday parks people began to think of the popular TV series Hi-de-Hi and never ending rounds of knobbly knees competitions, donkey rides and red coat style entertainment. Unfortunately combined with cold and windy chalets and indifferent food!

The holiday park has however come a long way since its humble beginnings and in the last ten years the industry has seen a massive revolution in the breadth, quality and style of holiday parks available in the UK. Like many UK tourism business the independent and multiple holiday park owners began to see a decrease in the interest in their holiday offering. The park owners came up with a number of solutions to counter the perception and the improve the quality of the holiday park experience.

Firstly the accommodation was upgraded. Customers were no longer happy with basic facilities, so holiday parks spent millions on improving accommodation facilities, from upgrading the standard rooms to developing penthouse apartments with plasma TV’s, four poster beds and room service. This resulted in holiday parks giving a more upmarket feel to all their accommodation and provided customers with a much greater range of choice.

Secondly the entertainment offering changed enormously. Some UK parks began to specialize in just offering specific entertainment breaks. Top comedians, shows and musical acts have begun to top the bill and themed weekends specializing in entertainment like county western, 60’s revivals and dance and sport breaks. Parks have also become better at targeting key groups like adult weekends, family activity holidays or special nights for stag and hen groups.

Thirdly the traditional three meals a day offering of parks has probably seen the greatest change. To adapt to the change needs of holiday makers more and more parks have began to offer self catering options rather than providing full or half board and charging extra for meals. Some of the larger chain parks have gone even further and don’t offer any catering, just inviting the restaurants and fast food places to offer food on the Park. However, as the parks themselves have diversified, offering different things to different holiday markets, so has the catering, and some holiday parks now make a virtue of the fact that they offer three top quality meals all day.

One example of a company who stayed ahead of the game was Potters Leisure Resort (http://www.pottersholidays.com/). As the UK’s only Five Star Independent Park they had long been investing to top quality infrastructure, entertainment and catering and the initial costs of the project have been rewarded with a reputation for top quality holiday park experience.

But Potters aren’t the only company offering top quality park style holidays. More and more developments in the UK are building the lodge style accommodation away from the traditional holiday park centres of seaside towns. The inland lodge style developments have specifically moved away from the ‘park’ image and now offer champagne and hot tubs style breaks in a quiet and secluded rural environment.

Parks are springing up right across the UK on the coast and inland and more than ever before the UK holiday park experience offers something for everyone from traditional entertainment in Great Yarmouth, to five star luxury in the Cotswolds. With so much innovation in the industry holiday parks will continue to offer more of what the holidaymaker wants and needs – a top quality holiday experience.

Cruise holidays are growing in popularity among Britons, as more and more people are finding budget airline flights to be more trouble than they are worth – literally. Statistics show that the number of holidaymakers departing on cruise ships from ports around the UK grew by nearly 25 per cent last year, with around 40 per cent of all cruises booked leaving from British harbors. Known as ex-Britain cruising, these numbers are only set to grow, especially as three ex-Britain cruise ships are due to be launched by British company Cruise & Maritime next year.

One source within the cruise industry believes that the number of ex-Britain cruises will grow in relation to the number of cruises that are booked to depart from overseas, i.e. fly-cruising. It is expected that as the industry grows, more companies will take their ships to more obscure ports around the UK, as demand for holidays dictates departure points. P&O cruises believe the main thing that holidaymakers want is convenience, and will have 128 ships leaving from Southampton.

Currently, those considering a cruise are most likely to book to go from major UK ports such as Dover, Southampton and Portsmouth, all of which are easily accessible via main roads and rail services. For those who don’t have their own transport, and prefer not to travel by train, P&O are able to offer their cruise customers coach transfers, with pick up and drop off points in 50 different locations around the country. So, the first thing to decide is where you would like to go, and how long you would like your trip to last. The world is most certainly your oyster.

Great Britain has a great selection of stately homes that were built by aristocrats centuries ago.  Many are still occupied by there descendants and display wealth, power and social standing. Most of the homes were built with great attention to detail and craftsmanship. The art collections and furnishing were displayed as the priceless treasures they were and still are. Not only were the walls covered with magnificent art and paintings, but also with expensive tapestry. Over 500 stately homes alone were built between the mid 16th century and the 20th century, and have survived two world wars and remain standing today. 

Visitors can admire the ancient decorations and experience first-hand the designs of an earlier era. Visits include a comparison view of the servants quarters to get an idea of what life was like for the less privileged.  The landscapes alone are breathtaking with gardens and parks that just beg to be admired. Many of Britain’s stately homes and surrounding countryside are used as movie locations in films and TV. All in all, there are over 600 castles, stately homes and gardens across Britain.  History buffs will not be disappointed!

Here is a list of some popular Stately Homes in Great Britain that you or any group would surely enjoy visiting:

Kentwell Hall: One of England’s finest Tudor homes complete with moat and tudor brickwork. Built in the 16th century, with improvements made in the 1820's, this Gothic style home by Thomas Hopper was built and designed by the Clopton Family. This home has been lived in by the Phillips family since 1971. It contains a strong sense of history and is open for viewing and private functions such as weddings, re-creations or corporate events. Visitors to Kentwell Hall can conveniently stay in Long Melford where a vast selection of top-notch hotels and country Inns are located.

Audley End House: This stately home and gardens is one of Britain’s great wonders. It was originally built by the first Earl of Suffolk, the Lord Treasurer to James I. It has been compared to many great royal palaces, and was purchased by Charles II in 1668. It was finally returned to the Suffolks in 1701, when certain sections of the home were demolished. It is considered one of today’s best examples of Jacobean houses in England. Visitors to the Audley house can stay right in Saffron Walden, and can choose from several great hotels and Inns while visiting. 

Elton Hall: One of England most romantic and Gothic stately homes. It has been in the Proby family since 1660 and is build in the middle of an unspoiled parkland. It was designed with a fascinating combinations of styles. Visitors to Elton Hall can stay at one of several fine hotels or Inns in nearby Peterborough. In addition to the above the following stately hz`omes are also worth mentioning:

I love visiting Europe.  I’ve been many, many times. But I do have one MAJOR issue with it: as the British would say, it is “too bloody expensive.”

When you consider that the American dollar is in the toilet compared to the Euro (and certainly to the British pound), travel gets super expensive.  Furthermore , in major destinations for Americans like London, Dublin, and Paris, there are 5 billion tourist traps out there designed specifically for the purpose of milking as much money as possible off you.

It is for this reason that I often like to travel elsewhere.  Travel in South America, Africa, and parts of Asia, comparatively, can be ridiculously cheap.  Your only real expense is the initial plane ticket (which will, to be fair, often be significantly more expensive than your run-of-the-mill ticket to Europe.)  The difference is how LITTLE you will spend during your time in these other countries versus Europe.  You can save a lot of money by going to these off-the-beaten path destinations, especially if you forsake some of the big name tours/attractions, or if you opt for a local guide to take you to whatever the major attraction is.

Sometimes, however, rural Uruguay just isn’t doing it for you.  You need your fix of European culture. The good news, which many people overlook, is the fact that many of the best things to do in Europe are FREE, or at least cheap.  Maybe the Beatles were onto something when they said, “The best things in life are free.”  We can only hope.

Take Dublin, for example.  There are a host of free places to visit in Dublin.  Furthermore, the author of that guide has some great tips of ways to travel on the cheap in Dublin elsewhere on the site.  Some glaring things many travelers forget: don’t take the taxi.  They’re expensive.  You wouldn’t take a taxi every day at home, would you?  So why do it in Dublin, where the minimum fee is going to be $4 euro?  Eating out, if you must do it, presents another opportunity to save.  Go for the Prix Fixe lunch menus, if they offer one.  Also, consider that takeaway prices for food may be cheaper than dining-in prices; so why not grab a bite to eat and take it with you to the park or a favorite neighborhood?  You’ll get much more of a feel for the local culture that way.

England is another good example; here’s another guide of free things to do when you visit Britain.  Many museums in Europe actually have free admittance.  I don’t want to sound bitter here, but this seems to be because, unlike in the United States, many European countries recognize the need to PROMOTE the arts and culture, rather than relegate it to a backroom that only the rich can afford to enter and appreciate.  Some museums in the Bay Area are starting to charge over $20 for entrance.  This is insane.  If you keep it free, you can reach a lot more people.  The high entrance fee deters people of more limited means from the joy of artistic discovery.  But I digress.  Getting back on point, there are many free attractions in Europe, and you should take advantage of them.

On a final, more obvious note, many of the iconic destinations in London are buildings.  And while you may have to pay to go to the top of some, if you just wish to see the place, a building is, well, a building.  It is public.  And free.  So stare at Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, and the Millennium Bridge all you want.  Go and spend the day in Hyde Park.  You don’t always have to mortgage the next 3 years of your life to afford a perfectly pleasant European trip.  It just requires a little budgeting.