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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 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.
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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Typical visit duration
The National Gallery is Britain's national collection of European painting, standing on the north side of Trafalgar Square and free to enter.
Tate Modern holds the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, meaning work created from or after 1900, and it holds it inside a decommissioned power station on the south bank of the Thames.
The National Portrait Gallery is an art museum in London dedicated to portraiture. It holds a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people.
Tate Britain is the national gallery of British art in London. It houses a substantial collection spanning from the 1500s to the present day. The institution occupies a prominent riverside position on Millbank, facing the Thames.
The Scottish National Gallery, branded by National Galleries of Scotland simply as the National, is the principal gallery on the Mound above Princes Street Gardens.
Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art museum in south London. It occupies a distinctive building designed by Sir John Soane, opened in 1817, making it England's oldest purpose-built public art gallery.
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 Saatchi Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in London. It was established by Charles Saatchi to exhibit contemporary art.
Manchester Art Gallery grew from the Royal Manchester Institution, whose fine-art holdings transferred to the new municipal gallery in 1882.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It holds the national collections of portraits, featuring Scottish historical figures from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in the Whitechapel area of East London. Established in 1901, it occupies a distinctive Arts and Crafts building on Whitechapel High Street.
The Courtauld Gallery is an art museum in London, situated within Somerset House on the Strand. It forms part of The Courtauld Institute of Art, a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in art history and conservation.
The Gallery of Modern Art is Glasgow's civic contemporary art gallery, and it occupies a building that was never meant to hold art.
The Hayward Gallery is a major public art gallery located on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It forms part of the Southbank Centre complex, alongside the Royal Festival Hall and other cultural venues.
Guildhall Art Gallery is an art museum located in the City of London, within the historic Guildhall complex. The gallery occupies a purpose-built building that opened in 1999, replacing previous gallery structures on the site.
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is a major art museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. It forms part of National Galleries Scotland, the country's national collection of art.
Usher Hall is a concert hall located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It serves as a major performance venue in the city, hosting a variety of musical and cultural events.
Britannia Music Hall, locally known as Britannia Panopticon, stands as a historic entertainment venue in Glasgow. Dating to the 1850s, it claims distinction as one of Britain's oldest surviving music halls.
The Whitworth is the University of Manchester’s art gallery in Whitworth Park, founded in 1889 in memory of industrialist Joseph Whitworth for the benefit of Manchester’s public.
Edinburgh Festival Theatre is a major performing arts venue in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands as one of the city's principal theatres, hosting a diverse programme of opera, ballet, musical theatre, and drama.
The Manchester Opera House is a prominent touring theatre in Manchester, England. Located on Quay Street, it forms part of the city's major theatrical circuit alongside the Palace Theatre.
Edinburgh Playhouse is a prominent theatre venue located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands as one of the United Kingdom's largest working theatres by audience capacity.
The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a prominent producing theatre located in Edinburgh, Scotland. Established in 1883, it stands as one of Scotland's leading theatre venues.
The Tron Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Glasgow's Merchant City area. It occupies a distinctive building with a notable architectural presence in the city centre.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
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.
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