Eltham Palace
Eltham Palace is a distinctive historic site in southeast London, where a medieval royal great hall stands beside a 1930s Art Deco mansion.
- Must see
- Historic monument
- London
Country guide
The United Kingdom is 244,376 km² holding 69,281,437 people, and it is four countries rather than one: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Londo...
Photograph · Colin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
The United Kingdom is 244,376 km² holding 69,281,437 people, and it is four countries rather than one: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast as their capitals. Three of the four run parliaments of their own over devolved matters, and the law splits three ways — England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland. A visitor meets that in small practical things rather than at a border. London alone holds about 9.1 million of the total, which is why so many trips never leave it, and why the ones that do feel like arriving somewhere else.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Ilya Grigorik · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph · 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · 瑞丽江的河水 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Daniel Nisbet from Manchester, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
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Eltham Palace is a distinctive historic site in southeast London, where a medieval royal great hall stands beside a 1930s Art Deco mansion.
The Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is an art museum in central London, occupying Hertford House on Manchester Square. It was established through the bequests of the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, with the collection assembled primarily across the nineteenth century.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a prestigious private members club in Wimbledon, southwest London. It is globally recognised as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
The Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is a working parliamentary building at Holyrood and a free public visit, not merely an architectural sight.
Primrose Hill is an open public park immediately north of Regent’s Park in Camden. Its grassy summit rises to 256 feet above sea level, creating one of London’s most memorable elevated views.
Chiswick House is an eighteenth-century Palladian villa in west London, created under the direction of Lord Burlington and inspired by Andrea Palladio and classical Roman architecture.
The Saatchi Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in London. It was established by Charles Saatchi to exhibit contemporary art.
Holland Park is a varied green space in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, occupying the former grounds of Holland House. The house was largely destroyed during the Second World War, leaving a dramatic surviving ruin within the park.
The Serpentine
The Serpentine is a recreational lake in Hyde Park, central London. It was created in 1730 at the direction of Queen Caroline, wife of George II, by damming the Westbourne River.
Manchester Art Gallery grew from the Royal Manchester Institution, whose fine-art holdings transferred to the new municipal gallery in 1882.
Glasgow Botanic Gardens is a working botanic garden run by Glasgow City Council in the West End, and the council asks visitors to hold that distinction: many people arrive thinking of it as a park, and the staff would rather…
The National Maritime Museum is a major maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It forms part of the Royal Museums Greenwich, which also includes the Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, and the Queen's House.
Crookston Castle is a medieval stone ruin in south-west Glasgow, set on elevated ground above the surrounding landscape.
Portobello Road Market is a historic street market in Notting Hill, West London, stretching along Portobello Road. It is one of London's most famous markets, known internationally for its antiques trade.
The Design Museum is a museum in London dedicated to contemporary design in every form, from architecture and fashion to graphics, product and industrial design.
Royal Observatory, Edinburgh
Royal Observatory Edinburgh is a working astronomical research institution on Blackford Hill, south of the city centre. The present observatory site dates from 1896 and continues to support astronomical science rather than operating as a conventional museum.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is Edinburgh’s national museum of portraiture, housed in a red sandstone neo-Gothic building on Queen Street. Robert Rowand Anderson designed the building, which opened in 1889.
The Royal Mews
The Royal Mews is a working royal stable and carriage house serving the British monarch. Located at Buckingham Palace, it houses the royal collection of historic carriages and state vehicles used for coronations, weddings, and official ceremonies.
Arthur's Seat is the high point of Holyrood Park, the royal park that Historic Environment Scotland manages on the eastern edge of Edinburgh's Old Town and describes as roughly circular and about a mile in diameter.
The Churchill War Rooms constitute a museum housed within the original Cabinet War Rooms, the underground headquarters where Prime Minister Winston Churchill directed British military operations during the Second World War.
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The National Museum of Scotland is the national museum on Chambers Street, combining collections that range across Scotland, the natural world, science, technology, art and design.
The Burrell Collection
The Burrell Collection is a civic museum in Pollok Country Park, three miles south of central Glasgow, built to hold the roughly 9,000 objects that Sir William Burrell spent seventy-five years buying.
Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery on Whitechapel High Street in East London. Founded in 1901, it occupies an Arts and Crafts building and presents modern and contemporary art.
AO Arena
Manchester Arena, currently known as AO Arena, is a major indoor arena in Manchester, England. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest indoor arenas with a capacity for concerts and sporting events.
Ten to fourteen days can cover four or five days in London, two in Manchester, and two or three each in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Highlands, Lake District, or Welsh national parks need dedicated nights and should not be squeezed into London day trips.
UK document rules depend on nationality and trip purpose, and many visitors now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before boarding. Check the linked UK government visa service for both visa and ETA status shortly before travel.
Intercity rail is the practical spine between London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, with advance fares usually distinct from flexible tickets. Each city runs its own local fare system, so London's contactless cap is not a nationwide travel pass.
May to June and September are useful planning windows for this route, but conditions vary between southern England and Scotland. Festival dates in Edinburgh and rural transport in national parks can matter more than the national seasonal label.
The United Kingdom uses pound sterling (GBP). Contactless payment is widespread in major cities, but keep another payment method for rural services or terminals that do not share London's payment arrangements.
Use 999 or 112 for emergencies in the United Kingdom. Type G sockets supply 230 V, and mains tap water is recorded as safe; save rail disruption information as well when the itinerary depends on several city-to-city journeys.