7 Best Places to Visit in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom packs royal history, prehistoric monuments, and university towns into a country you can cross by train in a day. Here are seven places worth building a trip around.

1. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The Elizabeth Tower, home to the Great Bell known as Big Ben, stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London and was completed in 1859. The Palace itself has been the seat of the UK Parliament for centuries and, together with Westminster Abbey just across the street, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

2. Tower of London

Founded by William the Conqueror around 1078, the Tower of London's White Tower is one of the best-preserved Norman keeps in the world. It now houses the Crown Jewels, is guarded by the ceremonial Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters), and keeps ravens on the grounds — legend holds that the kingdom will fall if they ever leave.

3. Stonehenge

This prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire was built in stages roughly between 3000 and 2000 BC, with some of its massive sarsen stones transported from as far as 25 kilometers away. Its exact purpose is still debated, but its alignment with the sunrise on the summer solstice is well documented and draws crowds every year.

4. Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle sits atop Castle Rock, the plug of an extinct volcano, dominating the Scottish capital's skyline. It holds the Honours of Scotland — the country's crown jewels — as well as the Stone of Destiny, historically used in the coronation of Scottish and later British monarchs.

5. Bath

The city of Bath grew up around a natural hot spring that the Romans developed into a bathing complex around 70 AD, and the well-preserved Roman Baths remain one of the best examples of Roman engineering in Northern Europe. The city's later Georgian architecture, including the curved terrace of the Royal Crescent, helped earn it UNESCO World Heritage status.

6. Lake District

England's largest national park inspired William Wordsworth and the other Romantic poets, and Lake Windermere within it is the largest natural lake in England. The region's combination of farmed valleys, stone villages, and fells earned it UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017 as a cultural landscape.

7. Oxford

The University of Oxford, with teaching dating back to around 1096, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Its Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and the honey-colored colleges — including Christ Church, used as a filming location for the Harry Potter films — make the city one of England's most-visited outside London.

Staying connected while you travel

The UK's major mobile networks (EE, O2, Vodafone, Three) cover all seven of these destinations, from central London to the Scottish Highlands. An eSIM lets you land with data already active instead of hunting for airport Wi-Fi — compare current United Kingdom eSIM plans below.

Running a promo code for United Kingdom right now:

Airalo

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Eskimo

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Get 50% off your first purchase, capped at $15. Applied automatically at checkout, no code needed.

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CloudOn

CLOUDON10 - 10% off your first eSIM

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Public sitewide banner code, first purchase only.

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For more on how eSIMs work before your trip, see our beginner's guide to eSIMs. You can also browse the full list of United Kingdom eSIM plans sorted by price.