Table of contents for Britain 2026 in Britain

Grand country houses, ancient landmarks, celebrated cities and storybook villages – Britain offers all this and far more. Presented by the award-winning BRITAIN magazine, this special travel edition is your essential companion to the very best the country has to offer, from world-renowned attractions to lesser-known treasures waiting to be discovered. Every region is given its own dedicated chapter, complete with unmissable highlights to help you shape the perfect journey. Along the way, we take you to some of Britain’s most captivating landscapes, from Cornwall’s enduringly charming villages to Scotland’s whisky distilleries; and from the gentle slopes of the Wye Valley to the tranquil beaches of the Channel Islands. And if London is on your itinerary, be sure to turn to our invaluable events calendar, featuring key moments in 2026…

“When a man is tired of London,” said the English writer Samuel Johnson, “he is tired of life.” No visitor or resident can exhaust London’s attractions. There’s always a museum to explore (estimates number 200, from big hitters such as the British Museum and the Natural History Museum to numerous off-the-radar gems), a gallery to visit or a shop to browse (Liberty, Harrods, and Selfridges are must-sees). That’s in between trips to the seats of power: the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. And even if you don’t set foot in a single one, you’ll find endless free entertainment exploring the capital’s markets, tucked-away Georgian squares and City backstreets. And then there’s the food. London has evolved into one of the world’s great culinary capitals, with an impressive 85 Michelin-star…

From the sands of Holkham Beach to the plains of the Fens, there’s a certain loveliness to the East of England. The area covers Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, and while cities like Cambridge, with its colleges and cobbled lanes, can get busy at holiday times, nowhere ever loses its character and appeal. The wool towns of Suffolk, built on the success of the local cloth trade, show off a time in the 15th century when the region was the wealthiest part of England after London. Lavenham, the best known, has more than 300 listed buildings, many of them charmingly wonky. Constable Country, the rural landscape where John Constable was born and painted much of his work, is nearby. The coast of Norfolk and Suffolk is delightfully unspoilt.…

A land of craggy peaks, majestic lochs and glens ablaze with purple heather, Scotland’s wild and wonderful landscapes take some beating. For unparalleled scenery, head for the Highlands. Covering two-thirds of the country, the region’s untarnished beauty is jaw-dropping. If this gives you a taste for wild Scotland, the islands – there are over 700 of them – offer more of the same, plus history (Orkney’s Neolithic remains, for example), fantastic cuisine (foodies love Skye) and whisky (Islay’s distilleries produce some of the world’s best single malts). For more on Scotland’s islands, see p.100. The untamed beauty of the north may feel like the edge of the world, but you’re just a couple of hours from Scotland’s lively cities. Historic, beautiful Edinburgh, its fairytale castle perched on an ancient volcano,…

BUCKINGHAM PALACE The official London residence of Britain’s monarch, Buckingham Palace is the working heart of the Crown. Watch the changing of the guard, a compelling display of discipline and tradition, before touring the lavish state rooms, which open every summer (9 July to 27 September 2026) and have been the backdrop to centuries of royal receptions. The nearby Royal Mews and King’s Gallery add context with royal carriages, portraits and precious collections; if you can, take in the special Queen Elizabeth II tribute exhibition opening in the spring (see p16). Don’t miss: The balcony on the East Front of the palace – site of royal waves since Queen Victoria’s day. WINDSOR CASTLE Just 25 miles west of London lies Windsor Castle, the world’s oldest and largest occupied castle. A…

London really is a city that has it all: royalty, historic buildings, modern architectural marvels, cosy pubs, wide open green spaces, bustling markets, world-class museums, a theatreland to rival Broadway, and myriad literary links – indeed there are stories and legends everywhere you go. But with so much on offer, where should you begin when planning your visit? Right here, with our curated guide to the best things to see and do, whatever the season, whatever the weather. SPRING As the days start to stretch out and winter becomes but a memory, spring is a time of great promise, with daffodils in the park, picnics on a whim, and new stage shows and exhibitions to look forward to. Check in Book in at The Chancery Rosewood By spring, this new…

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The Heart of England, taking in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Coventry and Worcestershire, has long been a hub of creativity and production. Discover the world of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, by visiting his birthplace, then watching a play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Or immerse yourself in the lives of entrepreneurial Victorians at Blists Hill, an open-air museum in Shropshire’s Ironbridge, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, a region known for its worldclass ceramics, houses a handful of potteries. Take a tour and have a go at the craft yourself. This area of England is also famous for its dramatic landscapes. With its wild peaks and craggy moorland, the Peak District National Park offers ample opportunities for an invigorating walk, while Sherwood Forest in…

It might be less than a sixth of the size of England, but this small nation, where sheep outnumber people, is rich in castles, countryside, coast and Celtic myths. Edward I is responsible for some of the most formidable fortresses, which he built in the 13th century to keep out the English. The castles at Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Britain’s smallest city, St David’s, has a 12th-century cathedral and the Gothic ruins of the Bishop’s Palace. Even Cardiff, the cosmopolitan capital, has a castle, along with hundreds of shops, museums and galleries. Wildlife-lovers flock to the Gower peninsula to spot dolphins, seals and oystercatchers. Mountain climbers enjoy tackling the peaks of Snowdonia National Park. Others are grateful for the chance to reach…

Scattered between England’s southern coast and the shores of Normandy, the trio of Guernsey, Sark and Herm offers an ideal island-hopping adventure, with the islands just under an hour apart by ferry. As Crown Dependencies – self-governing territories belonging the British Crown rather than part of the UK – the islands are proudly independent, and as they each have a distinct local character, each stop is a memorable experience in its own right. Your journey begins in Guernsey, second largest of the Channel Islands. As you arrive in St Peter Port, the island’s capital, your view is of a crescent of Regency and Victorian terraces rising steeply above a tidy harbour bobbing with yachts. You could easily spend a morning getting pleasantly lost in St Peter Port’s tangle of alleys…

Every summer, British holidaymakers flock to England’s southwest coast. In Cornwall, they might stroll, surf or sunbathe on one of 300 beaches. In Devon, they might head for the Torbay area, dubbed ‘the English Riviera’ for its palm trees and waterfronts. But the West Country, which also covers Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Wiltshire, isn’t just for sunny days. Even when it’s overcast, visitors enjoy the outdoors – wandering the villages of the Cotswolds, fossil-hunting on the Jurassic Coast, exploring two national parks (Dartmoor and Exmoor), hiking near Cheddar Gorge or discovering prehistoric ruins, Stonehenge among them. Find out about legendary figures like King Arthur at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, where he is said to be buried, and literary greats such as Jane Austen in Bath, where she lived and…

Much of southeast England is an easy train ride from London but seems a world away. The area, which takes in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex, is characterised by countryside, coast and charm. Seaside resorts have a creative vibe. Margate in Kent is home to Turner Contemporary, a leading art gallery built on the site of a boarding house that used to host JMW Turner. Brighton in East Sussex has the spectacular Royal Pavilion, with its domes and minarets. Visitors while away whole days milling around country estates and gardens, from Sissinghurst in Kent, renovated by the writer Vita Sackville-West, to grand Cliveden House, on the Buckinghamshire-Berkshire border, which has been home to one prince of Wales, two dukes and an earl. For…

Northerners have real pride about where they live – and it’s clear why. The region, which encompasses Cheshire, Cumbria, Northumberland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham, Tyne & Wear, Manchester and Liverpool, has a lot going for it, from ancient ruins to vibrant cities. Even in the larger towns, there’s a warm sense of community. Walkers and history-lovers head for Hadrian’s Wall, the frontier of the Roman Empire, stretching 73 miles across the country, for the expansive views and the remains of forts. Cities are also rich in history – especially Durham, with its castle and cathedral, and York, founded by the Vikings. Brontë fans flock to the west Yorkshire village of Haworth, while Beatles obsessives aim for Liverpool, taking pictures at Penny Lane. Big appetites are well catered for 'up North'. You…

Billows of steam and a loud hissing above South Wales’ industrial hub Port Talbot in September 2024 signalled the end of an era, as the last blast furnace at Britain’s largest remaining steelworks powered down for good. It followed coal mine closures across Wales in the 1980s, the 20th-century decline of Swansea’s copper smelting, and iron, lime and explosives production before that. The decline of these industries has been so dramatic in South Wales because in their heyday they were so titanic: carving out an industrial legacy on a life- and landscape-altering scale never known before or since anywhere on earth. Over the course of mere decades in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the steep-sided South Wales valleys were transformed from predominantly rural backwaters into industrial powerhouses that…

Britain has more than 1,000 islands – although only about 200 are inhabited. Each has its own appeal, charm and character, with most lying off the Scottish coast. Orkney boasts Neolithic sites. Lewis and Harris is renowned for white-sand beaches. Skye offers Fairy Pools of glassy mountain water, fed by waterfalls. A trip to the Welsh island of Anglesey could take in standing stones, forests and lakes, while a visit to Skomer in Pembrokeshire could involve spotting some of the island’s plentiful population of puffins. England has its own wildlife havens in the Farne Islands in Northumberland, where 100,000 seabirds gather each year, and Brownsea Island in Dorset, one of the last refuges of the red squirrel in Britain. The Isle of Man has its own distinct culture and is…