World Travel GuidesDiscover Britain


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Ivinghoe Beacon, Chiltern Hills, England
Ivinghoe Beacon, Chiltern Hills, England
Author: Pointillist (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)




Discover Britain takes you on a wonderful journey to uncover all that is fascinating about this island fascinating nation - a nation of many countries, of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, stitched together to form the delightful kaleidoscope called Britain. There's so much to see and so much to write about, I will not ever be done with describing Britain. But what I have written so far, in this, I hope will provide you a glimpse of all the Britain offers.

Britain, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is a nation on the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It comprises two main parts: England, Scotland and Wales, on the island of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, occupying the northern part of the island of Ireland. Britain is surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland.

Guide to Britain Hotels

Here's a list of hotels in Britain that you can book online, listed by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites. This helps you to make your room booking with the site that offers the best price.


Wastwater in the Lake District, England
Wastwater in the Lake District, England
Author: GkgAlf (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)



More on Britain

Britain covers an area of 243,610 sq km (94,060 sq mi). Its population, as of 2010 estimate, stands at 62 million people. The de facto capital of Britain is London, which is also the biggest city in the country. Britain enjoys the 6th biggest economy by nominal GDP as well as by purchasing power parity. It was the first industrialised country in the world with the biggest colonial empire in the 19th and 20th century, but its power diminished following two world wars and economic decline in the latter half of the 20th century.

The United Kingdom was created in 1603 though the Union of the Crowns of England, Ireland and Scotland. In 1707, the United Kingdom of Great Britain came into being with the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. In 1800, the Act of Union merged the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Dispute in Ireland led to the partition of the island in 1921, the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, which resulted in the change in the name of the nation to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Britain is a member of the European Union and has a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD and the World Trade Organization.


Land's End, on the westernmost tip of Cornwall, England
Land's End, on the westernmost tip of Cornwall, England
Author: Roger Butterfield (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)


Britain is composed of four "countries" namely England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each has its own system of administrative division that are older than the United Kingdom itself. England accounts for just over half of the total land area of Britain, covering 130,395 sq km (50,350 sq mi). Scotland occupies 78,772 sq km (30,410 sq mi), including nearly eight hundred islands, many of which are desolate and inhabited. Wales accounts for less than a tenth of Britain, or 20,758 sq km (8,010 sq mi) while Northern Ireland accounts for 14,160 sq km (5,470 sq mi).

Much of Britain comsists of lowland terrain. Even the tallest mountain, Ben Nevis in Scotland, is only 1,343 meters (4,406 ft6) above sea level. The tallest mountin in England is Scafell Pike at 978 m (3,209 ft).

The structure of local government in England is not uniform and quite complex. The country is divided into nine regions and 48 ceremonial coounties. Scotland is divided into 32 council area which differ widely in terms of size and population. Northern Ireland, since 1973, comprises 26 district councils while Wales consists of 22 unitary authorities.


Water Street on Castle Combe, one of the prettiest villages in England
Water Street on Castle Combe, one of the prettiest villages in England
Author: John Menard (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Visiting Britain

Britain has not fully implemented the Schengen Agreement, meaning visitors from the European Union, except Ireland, needs to bring a passport. However they enjoy residency and working rights, as are the nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Nationals of American Samoa, Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominica, East Timor, El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, French Guiana, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Kiribati, Lesotho, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saba, South Korea, St Eustatius, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Vincent & The Grenadines, San Marino, Singapore, Swaziland, Tahiti and her Islands, Taiwan, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uruguay, United States, US Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Vatican City and Venezuela only need their passport for visits of up to 6 months.

Britain is one of the major tourist destination in the world. Most tourists to the country arrives at any of London's five airports. A smaller number arrives at Manchester International Airport. London Heathrow Airport is the busiest international airport in the world. London Gatwick and London Stanstead are the two other major airports receiving international flights. London Luton airport handles mostly budget flights while London City Airport handles mostly business passengers.

Lincoln Cathedral, East Midlands
Lincoln Cathedral, East Midlands
Author: Richard Croft (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)


Travelers from continental Europe can travel by high-speed Eurostar trains from Paris, Lille and Brussels to London, arriving at the St Pancras International railway station. It only takes two hours fifteen minutes to reach London from Paris by train. Shuttle trains also carry cars through the Channel Tunnel from Calais, France, to Folkestone, England. The cost is £49 one way.

There are a number of ferry routes between Britain and continental Europe. The most popular passenger port is Dover, which has regular services from Zeebrugge in Belgium and Calais in France. Ferries from Amsterdam go to Newcastle, England while those from Esbjerg, Denmark, goes to Harwich, England.


View from Skye in Scotland
View from Skye in Scotland
Author: arjecahn (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)


To go to Scotland, you can take flights from London or Manchester to its main cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. The main airport for Wales is the Cardiff International Airport, located to the south of Cardiff. You can also drive or take the train from London.

There are flights to Belfast in Northern Ireland. The city has two main airports the George Best Belfast City Airport, which is closer to the city center, and the Belfast International Airport, which is further away. You can also take ferries across the Irish Sea from Larne in Great Britain to Belfast.

Directory of Cities, Towns and Villages in Britain

Major cities are in bold. Before 1888, to qualify for city status, a town in England must have an Anglican cathedral. After 1888, this is no longer a requirement.
  1. LONDON - capital
  2. Aberdeen
  3. Abingdon
  4. Accrington
  5. Alcester
  6. Aldeburgh
  7. Aldershot
  8. Alnmouth
  9. Alnwick
  10. Altrincham
  11. Amersham
  12. Ascot
  13. Ashbourne
  14. Ashby-de-la-Zouch
  15. Amersham
  16. Ashton-under-Lyne
  17. Axminster
  18. Bakewell
  19. Baldock
  20. Banbury
  21. Barnsley
  22. Barnstaple
  23. Barrow-in-Furness
  24. Basildon
  25. Basingstoke
  26. Bath
  27. Battle
  28. Beaconsfield
  29. Bedford
  30. Beer
  31. Belper
  32. Berwick-upon-Tweed
  33. Beverley
  34. Bexhill-on-Sea
  35. Bicester
  36. Bideford
  37. Birkenhead
  38. Birmingham
  39. Bishop Auckland
  40. Blackburn
  41. Bodmin
  42. Bolton
  43. Bootle
  44. Boston
  45. Bournemouth
  46. Bourton-on-the-Water
  47. Bovey Tracey
  48. Bradford
  49. Braintree
  50. Brackley
  51. Brentwood
  52. Bridgnorth
  53. Bridgwater
  54. Bridlington
  55. Bridport
  56. Brighton & Hove
  57. Bristol
  58. Bromyard
  59. Buckden
  60. Buckingham
  61. Bude
  62. Burnham-on-Crouch
  63. Burnley
  64. Burton upon Trent
  65. Burwell
  66. Bury St Edmunds
  67. Buxton
  68. Callington
  69. Cambridge
  70. Cannock
  71. Canterbury
  72. Cardiff
  73. Carlisle
  74. Chagford
  75. Chelmsford
  76. Cheltenham
  77. Chester
  78. Chesterfield
  79. Chichester
  80. Chinnor
  81. Chipping Campden
  82. Chipping Norton
  83. Chipping Sodbury
  84. Chorley
  85. Christchurch
  86. Cirencester
  87. Clacton-on-Sea
  88. Cleethorpes
  89. Coalville
  90. Colchester
  91. Coleford
  92. Colne
  93. Congleton
  94. Corby
  95. Coventry
  96. Crediton
  97. Crewe
  98. Cromer
  99. Crowborough
  100. Darlington
  101. Dartmouth
  102. Darwen
  103. Dawley
  104. Derby
  105. Didcot
  106. Diss
  107. Doncaster
  108. Dorchester
  109. Dorking
  110. Driffield
  111. Dudley
  112. Dunstable
  113. Durham
  114. Dursley
  115. Eastbourne
  116. Eastleigh
  117. Edinburgh
  118. Ellesmere Port
  119. Ely
  120. Epping
  121. Eton
  122. Exeter
  123. Falmouth
  124. Farnborough
  125. Farnham
  126. Felixstowe
  127. Filton
  128. Folkestone
  129. Fowey
  130. Freshwater
  131. Frinton-on-Sea
  132. Gainsborough
  133. Gateshead
  134. Glasgow
  135. Glastonbury
  136. Glossop
  137. Gloucester
  138. Godalming
  139. Goole
  140. Gosport
  141. Grantham
  142. Great Yarmouth
  143. Grimsby
  144. Guildford
  145. Hailsham
  146. Hale
  147. Harpenden
  148. Harrogate
  149. Hartfield
  150. Hartlepool
  151. Harwich
  152. Hastings
  153. Hatfield
  154. Hawes
  155. Hayle
  156. Heathfield
  157. Hedon
  158. Helston
  159. Hemel Hempstead
  160. Henley-on-Thames
  161. Hereford
  162. Hertford
  163. Hexham
  164. High Wycombe
  165. Hinckley
  166. Hitchin
  167. Hornsea
  168. Howden
  169. Huntingdon
  170. Inverness
  171. Ipswich
  172. Kendal
  173. Kettering
  174. King's Lynn
  175. Kingston upon Hull
  176. Knaresborough
  177. Knebworth
  178. Kidlington
  179. Kington
  180. Knowsley
  181. Lancaster
  182. Langport
  183. Launceston
  184. Lechlade
  185. Ledbury
  186. Leeds
  187. Leek
  188. Leicester
  189. Leominster
  190. Letchworth Garden City
  191. Lewes
  192. Leyburn
  193. Leyland
  194. Lichfield
  195. Lincoln
  196. Liskeard
  197. Littleborough
  198. Liverpool
  199. Looe
  200. Lostwithiel
  201. Louth
  202. Loughborough
  203. Lowestoft
  204. Ludlow
  205. Luton
  206. Lyme Regis
  207. Lymington
  208. Macclesfield
  209. Madeley
  210. Maidenhead
  211. Maidstone
  212. Maldon
  213. Manchester
  214. Mansfield
  215. Marazion
  216. March
  217. Market Drayton
  218. Market Harborough
  219. Market Rasen
  220. Market Weighton
  221. Marlow
  222. Matlock
  223. Melton Mowbray
  224. Middlesbrough
  225. Minchinhampton
  226. Minehead
  227. Morpeth
  228. Nailsworth
  229. Newark-on-Trent
  230. Newbury
  231. Newcastle-under-Lyme
  232. Newcastle upon Tyne
  233. Newhaven
  234. Newlyn
  235. Newmarket
  236. Newport, Isle of Wight
  237. Newport, Shropshire
  238. Newquay
  239. Northallerton
  240. Northampton
  241. Northwich
  242. Norwich
  243. Nottingham
  244. Oakham
  245. Oundle
  246. Oswestry
  247. Oxford
  248. Padstow
  249. Penrith
  250. Penzance
  251. Peterborough
  252. Plymouth
  253. Pocklington
  254. Poole
  255. Portsmouth
  256. Preston
  257. Princes Risborough
  258. Redruth
  259. Richmond
  260. Ripon
  261. Rochdale
  262. Rochester
  263. Romsey
  264. Ross-on-Wye
  265. Rotherham
  266. Royal Tunbridge Wells
  267. Royston
  268. Runcorn
  269. Ryde
  270. Rye
  271. Saffron Walden
  272. Sale
  273. Salford
  274. Salisbury
  275. Saltash
  276. Sawtry
  277. Scarborough
  278. Scunthorpe
  279. Seahouses
  280. Selby
  281. Sennen
  282. Settle
  283. Shaftesbury
  284. Shanklin
  285. Sheffield
  286. Sherborne
  287. Shrewsbury
  288. Skegness
  289. Skipton
  290. Snaith
  291. South Shields
  292. Southampton
  293. Southend-on-Sea
  294. Southport
  295. Southwold
  296. St Albans
  297. St Austell
  298. St Helens
  299. St Ives, Cambridgeshire
  300. St Ives, Cornwall
  301. St Just in Penwith
  302. St Neots
  303. Stafford
  304. Stamford
  305. Stevenage
  306. Stockton-on-Tees
  307. Stoke-on-Trent
  308. Stonehouse
  309. Stony Stratford
  310. Stow-on-the-Wold
  311. Stratford-upon-Avon
  312. Stroud
  313. Sudbury
  314. Sunderland
  315. Sutton Coldfield
  316. Swaffham
  317. Swindon
  318. Tamworth
  319. Taunton
  320. Telford
  321. Tetbury
  322. Tewkesbury
  323. Thame
  324. Thames Ditton
  325. Thornbury
  326. Towcester
  327. Tring
  328. Truro
  329. Uckfield
  330. Uppingham
  331. Uttoxeter
  332. Wadebridge
  333. Wakefield
  334. Wallingford
  335. Walsall
  336. Waltham Abbey
  337. Wantage
  338. Wareham
  339. Warrington
  340. Watford
  341. Wellingborough
  342. Wellington
  343. Wells
  344. Welwyn Garden City
  345. West Bromwich
  346. Westcliff-on-Sea
  347. Westminster
  348. Weston-super-Mare
  349. Weybridge
  350. Weymouth
  351. Whitby
  352. Whitchurch
  353. Whitehaven
  354. Whittlesey
  355. Widnes
  356. Wigan
  357. Wilmslow
  358. Wincanton
  359. Winchcombe
  360. Winchester
  361. Windsor
  362. Winsford
  363. Winslow
  364. Wisbech
  365. Witham
  366. Witney
  367. Wolverhampton
  368. Worcester
  369. Workington
  370. Worksop
  371. Wotton-under-Edge
  372. Wroxham
  373. Wymondham
  374. Yarmouth
  375. Yate
  376. Yaxley
  377. Yeovil
  378. York




Tools







Countries of the United Kingdom

  1. England
  2. Wales
  3. Scotland
  4. Northern Ireland

Regions of England

  1. South East England
  2. South West England
  3. East of England
  4. West Midlands
  5. East Midlands
  6. Yorkshire and the Humber
  7. North West England
  8. North East England

Counties of England

  1. Bedfordshire
  2. Berkshire
  3. Buckinghamshire
  4. Cambridgeshire
  5. Cheshire
  6. Cornwall
  7. County Durham
  8. Cumbria
  9. Derbyshire
  10. Devon
  11. Dorset
  12. East Riding of Yorkshire
  13. East Sussex
  14. Essex
  15. Gloucestershire
  16. Greater Manchester
  17. Hampshire
  18. Herefordshire
  19. Hertfordshire
  20. Isle of Wight
  21. Kent
  22. Lancashire
  23. Leicestershire
  24. Lincolnshire
  25. Merseyside
  26. Norfolk
  27. North Yorkshire (part of)
  28. Northamptonshire
  29. Northumberland
  30. Nottinghamshire
  31. Oxfordshire
  32. Rutland
  33. Shropshire
  34. Somerset
  35. South Yorkshire
  36. Staffordshire
  37. Suffolk
  38. Surrey
  39. Tyne and Wear
  40. Warwickshire
  41. West Midlands County
  42. West Sussex
  43. West Yorkshire
  44. Wiltshire
  45. Worcestershire

Tourist Destinations in Britain

  1. Isles of Scilly
  2. Land's End
  3. Windsor Castle
  4. St Michael's Mount

Staying in London

  1. Find the latest property to rent in London online at Zoopla


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