The Countries of Great Britain – Many Destinations, Much to See

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

When you think of Great Britain, most of you will only think of England, but it’s comprised of so much more. Besides England, you have Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, not to mention the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Each of the above areas are all unique with their own cultures, traditions and customs.With so much to offer, you’ll have to go back again and again to cover everything. Britain is home to over 25 cultural and natural World Heritage Sites and 7 Heritage Cities such as Bath, Canterbury, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. Britian’s history dates back to approx. 6500BC and no matter where you travel, you’ll find monuments marking its history, like Stonehenge or Buckingham Palace.

No matter where you travel to in Britain, you’ll find hundreds of great attractions, small, local museums and some world-famous attractions like Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Search out some of the World’s oldest pubs and have a pint. Try to make a Queens Guard smile, bet you can’t do it. Shop your hearts galore at world reknown stores like Harrods. Or simply stroll in many of the beautiful parks. Here are some of the most visited areas in Britain:

London - put on your walking shoes as you plan your tour of this amazing city! Being the home of the next Olympics, London has many landmark buildings, beautiful Hyde Park, Piccadilly Circle, theatre district, shopping, and yes, the main residence of the Royal Family, London is probably one of the top 10 most visited cities in the world. Having been portrayed in hundreds of movies, stories, photographs, it would be hard not to recognize Big Ben or the Tower Bridge (aka The London Bridge of nursery rhymes) or any of the other attractions you will find. Stroll through Westminster Abbey, visit 221B Baker Street which is the address of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson according to the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You have to go see Buckingham Palace and just a suggestion, try to schedule your stop during the changing of the Guards. From Buckingham you can easily walk to; Houses of Parliament, St James' Palace, 10 Downing Street, The Thames, Trafalgar Square and even Hard Rock Café. As you can see, you, there is so much to do and see, London has so much to offer everyone!

Next up the English Country Side – Bath, Oxford and Windsor. Bath is considered one of the loveliest cities in all of England. Its Gregorian architecture dates back to the 1700’s. Visit Oxford which is the oldest University in all of England, Walk through the impressive buildings of this beautiful campus, visit Christchurch College which can also be seen in come scenes of Harry Potter. And last but not least, Windsor, home to the largest inhabited castle in the world and some say the Queen’s favorite residence. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see the State Apartments, St. George’s Chapel and Queen Mary’s Doll House. This of course is all based on the resident schedule of the Royal Family.

A Beautiful Scotland Castle

Put on your Celtic skirts for Scotland - “Guid gear comes in sma’ bouk’ (Good things come in small packages) and despite being a small territory, Scotland has so many wonderful cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. While in Edinburgh, travel through the Royal Mile and then tour Edinburgh Castle seeing the oldest set of crown jewels in all of the British Isles. If you’re into Victorian Architecture, world famous art collections, and some of the best shopping in the United Kingdom outside of London, then you definitely want to visit Glasgow. Last but not least, a visit to Inverness will definitely complete a visit to this wonderful country! Inverness, the City in the Highlands, offers wonderful sites such as historic buildings, castles, museums, and not too far away Loch Ness, where you can look for the Loch Ness monster known as “Nessie”. The Loch is over 20 miles long and more than 700 feet at its deepest point, it makes for a perfect destination for exploring the Scottish Highlands.

No matter where you decide to visit within Britain, you visit will leave you wanting to go back again and again to see the parts you missed.