The largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom, England occupies most of the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain.

Until recently England was generally thought of as a gentle, fabled land freeze-framed sometime in the ‘30s, home of the post office, country pub and vicarage. It's now better known for vibrant cities with great nightlife and attractions, contrasted with green and pleasant countryside.
With intriguing cities, beautiful countryside, England has something for all tastes. From the essential glories of London, Stratford, Gloucester and York, to the quirky delights of Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester, England’s cities are lively, buzzing places, where a love of nostalgia strains against a spirit of inventiveness.

Enjoy the unrivalled beauty of the Cotswolds and the Dales, but travel the byways of Northumberland, and church-laden Lincolnshire too. With time to spare, escape the tourist trails and wander over peaceful countryside, savour ‘real’ ale at a country pub, visit a traditional town market, or sample England’s ‘new-wave’ wines and a cosmopolitan cuisine that rivals any in the world.

England today is welcoming, friendly, fascinating and fun, where pomp and circumstance balance the often bizarre idiosyncrasies of its people, and a sense of humor is the passport to certain acceptance.

Related pages: Isle of Wight Guide

	Location:	North Western Europe
	Size:	50,356 sq miles
	Population:	50,100,000
	Capital City:	London
	Language:	English
	Currency:	GBP Sterling (£)
	Country Code:	+44
	Time Zone:	GMT
	Electricity:	240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square 3 pin plugs
	Ferry Ports:	Dover, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Weymouth, Newhaven, Harwich, Hull, Newcastle, Fleetwood, Heysham, Liverpool, Lymington
	Airports:	Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, City (all London), Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham East Midland
	Dept. of Tourism:	www.visitengland.com

By Car: England is served by a good network of motorways and trunk roads that connect all the main cities and towns. Congestion around the main cities can be bad, and even the motorways are liable to sporadic gridlocks, especially on public holidays when what seems like half the population takes to the road . Parking can also be a nightmare; it's almost impossible to get a parking space in many city centres, and the punishments for parking illegally are hefty.

By Bus: In England, longer distance buses are known as coaches, with separate bus and coach stations in most towns and cities. Many coach companies offer express and stopping services throughout England and the rest of the UK. National Express provides nationwide coach services. As a rule, the further away from urban areas you get, the less frequent and more expensive bus services become, but there are very few rural areas which aren't served at least occasionally.

By Rail: England has an adequate rail service and trains can be a useful method of transport. The Intercity network serves all main cities in the UK mainland. All routes radiate from London. For all rail information, call National Rail on 0845 748 4950 (from within the UK only).

By Ferry: Being an island, England is easy to get in and out of by Ferry. With 100’s of ferry routes on offer, services run between numerous ferry ports and mainland Europe, Ireland (North and South), Isle of Man, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.

By Air: Domestic flights are not the most obvious choice for getting around England due to its size. However several airports including Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Stansted and Luton are well served by low-cost airlines and flights can be a cost effective as well as time-saving way of traveling. Most English cities are reachable via by the main European cities and again are well served by low cost airlines.

London

Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, The London Eye, Harrods and many more…

English pubs

From trendy micro-breweries to ancient coaching inns, England's pubs are an essential part of any visit.

Stonehenge (Wiltshire)

It's the most famous site in prehistoric Europe.

Alton Towers (Staffordshire)

The most popular theme park in the UK has a wide range of rides and attractions aimed at young and old alike.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Blackpool)

Britain’s top tourist attraction with over 145 rides, attractions and spectacular shows.

London is the place to start. Nowhere in the country can match the scope and innovation of the metropolis, a colossal, frenetic city, perhaps not as immediately attractive as its European counterparts it's here that you'll find Britain's best spread of nightlife, cultural events, museums, galleries, pubs and restaurants. Other cities, such as Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds and Liverpool each have their strengths. These days Manchester can match the capital for glamour in cafés and clubs, and also boasts the inimitable draw of the world's best-known football team.

England's ancient cathedral cities, such as Lincoln, York, Salisbury, Durham and Winchester, cannot be equalled for sheer physical beauty. In the southwest there are remnants of a Celtic culture that was all but eradicated elsewhere by the Romans, and everywhere you can find traces of prehistoric settlers - most famously the megalithic circles of Stonehenge and Avebury.

Most beguiling of all are the long-established villages of England, hundreds of which amount to nothing more than a pub, a shop, a gaggle of cottages and a farmhouse offering bed and breakfast. Devon, Cornwall, the Cotswolds and the Yorkshire Dales harbour some especially picturesque specimens, but every county can boast a decent showing. Then, of course, there's the English countryside, an extraordinarily diverse terrain from which a host of writers and artists take inspiration. Exmoor, Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor, the North York Moors and the Lake District are the most dramatic and best known of the national parks.