The Best Travel Destinations in Cities in England You Need to Know
If you are planning to travel to Europe, then England should be the top destination in your mind. Indeed, the land has a very rich and diverse cultural and artistic heritage. Every major city in the country has its own well-known, magnificent Opera houses, museums, and art galleries. Traveling to England, you will not be able to ignore the following famous places. Let’s follow The Broad Life to explore the top travel destinations in the cities in England.
The Capital City of London
Located right on the banks of the peaceful Thames, in the Southeast of England, London is as lavish and magnificent as a citadel, a castle in the pages of fairy tales. London is like a miniature world when it owns many works, historical sites, museums, art galleries, green parks, shopping areas, amusement parks, and a whole city bustling underground.
The city of London has been the capital of Great Britain since the 5th century after the Romans withdrew from England. Along with constant efforts, the city of London has built a system of modern facilities with many large shopping centers. London is also a global economic and financial center, the pound sterling is the most valuable currency in the world.
Traveling in the UK, you should stop in London to visit the famous beautiful places of this city. Yes, there is Big Ben tower, Tower Bridge over the River Thames, Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and two major museums are Victoria and Albert,…
Big Ben Tower
Indeed, Big Ben is what England is famous for. In 2012, the symbol of the city has renamed Elizabeth Tower. From the Big Ben tower attraction with a little time to take the subway, you can easily visit Buckingham Palace, and take pictures with the Queen Victoria memorial and flower gardens around the electric campus.
London Eye
Coming to the “Pea Soupers” London city, England, you should definitely admire the Millennium Wheel – the tallest roundabout in Europe and also the pride of the British people. Also known as the London Eye, from this roundabout, you can cover the entire scene of London.
From here, you can visit London’s Tower Bridge across the River Thames less than 3 miles from the London Eye. Traveling to London in the spring and summer is the time when the scenery here is the freshest and most lively of the year.
If you travel to England at the end of the year, especially in Dec, you will enjoy the cold weather with snow and fog, which makes London likened to the inherent “foggy city”. However, no matter what season you visit London, you will certainly be fluttered with this city and do not want to leave. Therefore, people often have the saying “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” to indicate the attraction of this British capital.
Someone has compared England to a girl with a deep and loving beauty and the capital of London is the attractive eyes of that girl. People remember England and London with the famous love songs that accompany May, the nights when the lights are splendidly lit up the whole sky but still very peaceful, or the foggy days with rain make the whole city suddenly become so hazy like some peaceful sleeping paradise. For that reason, in your England travel itinerary, you shouldn’t forget to visit the famous London capital.
City of Cambridge
Cambridge is known as the second-largest city and is also the administrative center of Cambridgeshire county. The charming city’s location is on the River Cam north of London. Furthermore, this famous place attracts many visitors yearly for being the center of rich culture and entertainment in the east of England.
Things to Do in Cambridge
Visiting the city of Cambridge, visitors will be attracted by ancient buildings with lovely arches, alternating with small but clean alleys. Especially, you will love this place because of the hospitality and friendliness of the local people. The specialty of Cambridge city is its surrounded River Cam. Therefore, you can go on boats and explore the ancient institutes and universities along the banks of the romantic River Cam.
Not only is it one of the popular travel destinations in England, but when it comes to the city of Cambridge, you can think of world-famous universities, with a huge number of international students. Yes, there are Cambridge University, Cambridge Regional College, Long Road Sixth Form College, and Hills Road Sixth Form College,… On top of them, the best known is Cambridge University, one of the leading schools in the UK and worldwide in terms of training quality and student level.
In addition, you can find all the cultural and entertainment options you might expect from a college town. King’s College Cathedral, located along the River Cam, is considered a fine example of perpendicular Gothic architecture. It is also one of the most visited attractions in the city. Besides that, you will be surprised when turning bicycles into a very popular means of transport for people here, from commuters to students going to school.
York City
York is one of the most ancient cities in England. Moreover, it’s one of the most famous cities in the history of the formation and development of England, typically with the “Wars of the Roses” – the fight for England’s throne between the Lancaster and the York. This place is a symbol of power, the capital of the York family with the White Rose badge. Its traces have appeared to this day, which is the wall surrounding the city and the rose symbol that sets the main entrance to the city.
York seems to be a city coming out of a magical old story with mysterious castles and citadel nestled on the confluence of the two poetic Ouse and Foss rivers in northern Yorkshire, England. Furthermore, the city is home to a huge collection of rich historical and artistic heritage. York is also famous as a model tourist city with many old towns, the old citadels, and great synagogues in the North of Great Britain. Here, there are many churches with different ancient architectural styles, including York Minster and Holy Trinity.
York Minster
The beauty of York City’s landscape is the harmonious and beautiful coordination with the churches. Particularly, there is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter, commonly known as the York Minster, of the top travel destinations in York. In addition, this stone church, with many outstanding works of art, is one of the largest churches of its kind in Northern Europe. In specific, it’s 160m long, 76m wide, 27m high inside, and the bell tower is 60m high. Even, York Minster contains 128 color paintings on the four sides of the church’s glass doors from the 12th century, considered invaluable works of art to England.
York City Walls
The most beautiful York citadel in Europe with a surrounding wall up to 5km long. In fact, the York City Walls was formerly a barrier to protect the city from the invasion of the Vikings, Danes, and Normans. Standing on these walls, you can both walk and have the opportunity to see the city in the peaceful sun.
Shambles Old Street
This street’s location is right in the center of York City. Shambles old street is famous for its long and interesting history. On top of that, it was named the best-preserved medieval street in Europe. It dates back to the early Middle Ages and is mentioned in the Domesday book as over 900 years old. Recently, Shambles was voted the most beautiful street in the UK.
Castle Howard
In addition to the famous churches, York City also has many other beautiful places such as Castle Howard. This magnificent castle is located in an area of more than 4 million square meters. It has been the home of the noble Howard family in England for more than 300 years.
And A Specialty Makes York One of the Top Travel Destinations in England
More specifically, coming to York, you will get the sweet smell of chocolate spreading throughout the city with just a slight breeze. There is a Nestle Rowntree Chocolate factory located right next to the city. Thus, every time the wind blows, the chocolate aroma spreads.
City of Manchester
Located in the North, Manchester is one of the busiest and most vibrant cities in England with a system of luxurious restaurants and bars. Additionally, Manchester is also the second-largest city in the UK, just behind London. The city has a strong economy with rows of high-rise buildings and commercial centers, amusement parks, and a system of museums. Explore Manchester, you can visit a roadside pub, have some drinks and enjoy the romantic view of the city.
An Attraction Makes Manchester One of the Best Travel Destinations in England
Especially, this place is outstanding with the vibe of football from the dramatic and exciting matches that the top teams in the world bring. Manchester United and Manchester City are the two strong teams here. Truly, your trip to England will be incomplete if you miss watching a football match in this city. In 2018, Manchester ranked UK’s Greatest Sporting City, in a study by ESPN and the University of Bath.
It is the frenetic excitement almost all year round from stadiums with a capacity of more than 60,000 people such as Old Trafford, and Etihad,… that has made Manchester a dream destination for followers of football.
Castlefield Roman Fort
In addition to the passionate stadiums and cheers, you can also enjoy a romantic and splendid Manchester at night when walking around the city, especially visiting the Castlefield Roman Fort lit up with lights at night. In the past, the fortress was fully called “Castle on the field”. Manchester is also famous for its bars, pubs, and clubs. Also, enjoying the lyrical voice of Mancunians is also an interesting experience when coming to England.
Manchester Cathedral gives you the opportunity to admire sculptures from the Middle Ages. If you are lucky enough to be at the church on Sunday morning, you will hear 10 bells in the church tower ring.
Port City Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan located on the east bank of the mouth of the River Mersey, in North West England. Actually, this is an old port city with a system of canals and is the largest port in Great Britain. It’s also a busy cultural and tourist center with administrative buildings, commercial buildings, historical quarters, and cultural monuments. In fact, Liverpool city attracts visitors from anywhere in the world thanks to its reasonable costs for tourists. Coming here, your passion for sports, music, or history will surely be satisfied.
As a gateway city, it has a diverse population, culture, and religion, particularly from Ireland and Wales. The city also has Britain’s oldest black community.
A city located on the banks of the River Mersey with a wide range of emotions, visitors to Liverpool will be extremely excited to visit the hometown of the legendary band The Beatles Story at Albert Harbour. The city of Liverpool is not only outstanding for its artistic culture but it is also distinguished by the antiquity of houses built in the old European style. There are many beautiful ancient buildings here. Visiting the city, you should not miss the opportunity to visit two buildings that are Cunard and Royal Liver.
Liverpool Cathedral
The place is considered one of the National Heritage of England when it holds many records. Indeed, the church is ranked as the oldest church in the world, the largest church in England, and the 5th largest in the world. Even, the bells hanging here are also considered the tallest and heaviest hanging bells in the world. It would be wonderful to hear the echoes of the Liverpool church bells. That bell is likened to a holy chant.
Merseyside Maritime Museum
As the most beautiful port city in England, any visitor to Liverpool must visit the Merseyside Maritime Museum. This museum is also one of the most prominent architectural works of the port city of Liverpool. Over many years of history, this museum has witnessed many events in the city since its inception. Here, you will learn very interesting details about the legendary Titanic too.
The Albert Dock
Traveling to Liverpool without visiting The Albert Dock is a pity. This is a complex of many works built in the harbor since 1846. Since being recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, this area has always attracted a lot of tourists to visit.
Anfield
It’s no exaggeration that Liverpool locals are truly die-hard sports fans. For passionate fans of English Premier League football, it is impossible not to mention the two names, Everton and Liverpool. Here, visitors can buy tickets and cheer for Liverpool Football Club to do their best against their opponents at the historic Anfield stadium.
Not only football, but many other sports are also popular in this city. With active students, some sports like rugby, tennis as well as water sports such as windsurfing, sailing or jet skiing, and boating along the coast are popular.
City of Chester
Besides London, it will be a missing experience if you forget to visit the beautiful famous Chester city when traveling to England. One of the top travel destinations in England as well as one of England’s oldest cities, Chester was founded in 79 BC as a base of the Roman Empire, extending to the north. To this day, it is still surrounded by ancient and solid city walls. Chester always has a quiet beauty with Victorian buildings and a calm and peaceful atmosphere. It is easy to explain why this lovely city attracts so many tourists.
Located on the romantic River Dee near the Welsh border, with a typically oceanic climate, warm summers but not hot, winters cool but not cold are special features that make visitors very excited when coming here. In addition to the favorable climate and poetic scenery with a long history, Chester also has famous tourist destinations that attract many visitors. In 2013, Chester was also in the top 5 cities as the most beautiful city in Europe voted by USA Today magazine.
Chester’s Specialty Becomes One of the Top Travel Destinations in England
As a former Roman colony, the city of Chester is more than 2,000 years old. It has a medieval-style city wall and many historical, cultural, and architectural sites. Particularly, the two-tone black and white architecture of the 19th century is characteristic of this city. You can find it everywhere on the ancient high walls or a relic of the history left in the war between the British and Roman armies. Walking around the city, you will see shops close together with the same architecture and color called The Rows. Indeed, this is a unique feature of Chester in particular as well as of the whole of England in general. Outside of this city, The Rows style only exists in Germany.
If Britain has always been associated with a gentle image and a slow pace of life, then Chester city is the destination that best clarifies this lifestyle. Usually, Chester’s population is most concentrated in the Town Crier area – the intersection of a major crossroads. Watching the sunset on the high-rise buildings in Town Crier or on the romantic banks of the River Dee is an experience that should be tried if you have the opportunity to set foot in Chester.
Chester is the embodiment of “typical England”. There are Victorian buildings, wooden houses, lovely cobblestone streets, large parks, and old mossy walls. Travel Chester looks as if it came straight out of a novel by the famous writer Charles Dickens. The pubs, hotels, and even the small shops on the street have kept their charm from many years ago, with the original paint colors. I especially like the small houses with brick walls and wooden facades and lovely glass doors.
Chester Cathedral
Along with St Paul’s, Boughton, and St Mary’s Church, Handbridge are impressive religious buildings that you should visit in the city of Chester. Chester Cathedral was built on the site of an older church dating from 958 and part of a later Benedictine monastery. It has beautiful Gothic architecture typical of many churches in England. The church also regularly takes place historical plays for the public and visitors to Chester. This is an ancient culture in England as well as in other cities in the old continent of Europe.
The University of Chester and the Roman Amphitheater
The ideal attractions that you should definitely visit even if you’re not a history lover because of the deep, ancient charm of these two ancient sites. Certainly, if you are a history lover and want to learn about interesting things in the history of the lands, the Grosvenor Museum is the place you need to visit most in Chester. This museum vividly depicted life inside the 2000-year-old Roman fortress. Images of ancient high walls – relics of history left in the war between the British and Roman troops always bring many unforgettable emotions to visitors when visiting this place.
Chester Zoo
Located more than a mile north of Chester city center, Chester Zoo is one of the UK’s largest and most popular animal parks. It is home to more than 11,000 animals representing about 400 different species. Key attractions include Chimpanzee Island, a penguin pool, and Europe’s largest tropical house.
A site that is also home to many other wildlife species is the Blue Planet Aquarium. The park has more than 700 species of fish. There are even sea rays and eels, as well as the largest collection of sharks in Europe.
You can also visit the Old Dee Bridge. It’s the oldest bridge in the city of Chester and the only bridge until Queen Victoria ascended the throne. The Old Dee Bridge was built in the 14th century to replace the previous wooden bridge.
City of Nottingham
Nottingham is a beautiful city in the East Midland region of England. It’s a land that when people hear about it, they will immediately think of the famous Robinhood legend. Nottingham was once famous for its lace, bicycle, and tobacco industries. Now, it is a peaceful but equally vibrant city with European coffee corners, vibrant Rock City, and magnificent Nottingham Castle. Additionally, there is the famous Theater Royal for its many international musical events. Spring and autumn are the most beautiful seasons to travel to Nottingham city. If you want to do skiing, this city is surely a great choice. Indeed, Nottingham city is in the top 10 most beautiful places for winter skiing in the whole of Europe.
Nottingham Old Market Square
An important first stop when exploring the city. Indeed, Old Market Square is Nottingham’s tourist center and the largest public space in the UK. To the east of the square is the Neoclassical Council, surrounded by a large dome, nearby the impressive Guildhall.
Nottingham Playhouse and Sky Mirror
As you pass through the city’s historic center, stop by the Nottingham Playhouse. There is Sky Mirror – a wide, polished stainless steel concave disc that weighs 10 tonnes and points to the sky. Created by sculptor Anish Kapoor over six years, this 19-foot wide stainless steel dish faces upwards and offers a unique view of the sky above. Its surface reflects the ever-changing environment.
Rent Market
The historic Rent Market is just a short walk from the Old Market Square. It was once the center of the British lace industry. Moreover, it is considered one of the city’s most important heritage sites. Here, you can tour warehouses and galleries, and visit shops, restaurants, and lace manufacturers.
Nottingham Castle
From Nottingham Castle, you can have a panoramic view of the town. Nottingham Castle is famous for its bronze statues of Robin Hood and his companions. James Woodford, who is a sculptor born in Nottingham, design them all.
Just a few meters away is the Nottingham Life Museum at Brewhouse Yard – well worth a visit. It houses a collection of 17th-century cottages depicting Nottingham life.
Robin Hood Road and Sherwood Forest
From Nottingham Castle to Sherwood Forest, visitors will visit the approximately 167km Robin Hood Road that passes many attractions related to the legendary Robin Hood. The trail also passes through Clumber National Park and Rufford Abbey, as well as Robin Hood Hills, Thieves Wood, and Fountain Dale.
The most prominent place here, spend time in the Sherwood forest, the most important area associated with Robin Hood. Today, this famous forest covers more than 1,000 acres around the village of Edwinstowe, including 450 acres. Yearly, Sherwood Forest draws visitors through events such as the week-long Robin Hood Festival with its recreations of medieval times and characters, including knights, jesters, and courts. Other major attractions include the Sherwood Forest Arts and Crafts Center, the 1,000-year-old Major Oak, and Thynghowe – a medieval meeting place where people came to settle disputes.
Oxford City
Oxford is a city in the South East of England and the town of Oxfordshire. It takes 52 minutes to go to Oxford city from London by train to the southeast. With an estimated 2016 population of 170,350, it is the 52nd largest city in the UK. Furthermore, it’s one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse. Especially, Oxford is world-renowned as a university city and home to the world’s top-ranked Oxford University. The city of Oxford also has many attractions that keep the heart of any travel lover.
Get Around the City of Oxford
One of the best ways to start a trip to Oxford is to walk around the city. Indeed, Oxford is a small city so you can easily walk around. In this way, you get a better sense of the city, history, and culture. If you love to eat out, you should choose the student area to taste local dishes at affordable prices.
Oxford University
Walking around the campus is a good way to explore the university. You can buy a themed tour focusing on famous movies like Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings or simply take a tour to learn about the history of this school – which was built in 1906. Indeed, this is a tourist attraction in Oxford that you cannot miss. Oxford uni is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second oldest in the world.
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden
The gardens are one of Oxford’s best spots to relax and enjoy the surroundings and the slow pace of the town. It’s also one of the nation’s oldest botanical gardens. Yes, they’ve been open since 1621. This home of more than 8,000 different plants is a quiet place for a relaxing stroll or finding a place to read books.
Boat Trip on River
In summer, boating on the river is always a popular activity. You can rent a boat or hire someone to take you. One boat can accommodate up to 5 people. If you’re traveling to Oxford with friends or staying in a hostel this is a fun activity to do with a group.
Windsor Castle or Stonehenge
If you want to leave the city for a day visit, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle are just one hour drive from Oxford. You can easily visit them in a day when traveling to Oxford if you have a car or buy a ready-made tour (usually including a tour of Oxford University). Available tours usually cost around £90 per person so if you have a car it will be much more economical.
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Certainly, England has more attractions than the popular tourist destinations in the cities. If you plan to thoroughly explore the country, here are posts that will surely help you to get ready for your trip:
12 Comments
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Ntensibe Edgar
Nnniiiccceeeee…I am definitely visiting London…especially, North London where Arsenal is located. And then, I proceed to York!
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Rosey
We were at River Thames but I didn’t see the bridge. I can’t believe I missed it. We saw a lot of other wonderful things though.
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PinayMommy
I’ve never been to England before but definitely would love to visit those places someday soon.
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momsshoutout
I have a friend working in this beautiful country. Hoping to visit this soon
Psychic Self Help
This is a very thorough list of destinations in the UK. I’d love to visit them on my next trip.