Richmond

The UK is a diverse patchwork of native and immigrant cultures, possessing both a fascinating history and dynamic modern attractions. This is a country known for its eccentric and subversive popular culture and for having a music scene that many regard as the best in the world. Witness thousands of years of history – stone circles, castles, thatched cottages and palaces; in these islands the past comes alive. The capital and largest city is London, a truly global metropolis like no other, and many of the country’s other cities have much to offer. To understand their sheer diversity, compare genteel Oxford with brooding Edinburgh, gentrifying Manchester, sports-mad Cardiff, the cultural melting pot of Birmingham or newly thriving Belfast, while remembering these are but the tip of the iceberg. Although Britannia no longer rules the waves, it continues to be hugely influential in the wider world and welcomes over 30 million visitors to its shores each year. Whether you wish to walk in the steps of giants in Antrim, to immerse yourself in Celtic culture at Eisteddfod, to pound the streets of an English urban jungle, to climb, ski or snowboard Cairngorms-style or simply to dream of having tea with the Queen, there is something for everyone in the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom

The southern areas like Dorset, Cornwall and Sussex are the best place to visit for beaches, sunshine and beautiful but rugged coastlines. The central area contains London and Birmingham, the two largest cities (10 million and 1 million people respectively) as well as slightly smaller cities like Liverpool and Manchester. These cities (the ones outside of London particularly) are becoming incredibly popular in the last few years, with amazing food, entertainment, art and culture growing year on year. The north of England holds much of the farming land, as well as stunning national parks like the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. London has several airports that are the gateway to almost anywhere you’d like to visit in the world, and there are regional airports in many of the smaller cities as well, with Birmingham Airport and Liverpool Airport being amongst the cheapest. Getting around the country is easy and hassle-free, if slightly more expensive than public transport in mainland Europe. The trains run very well, and are clean, but they are quite expensive. Perhaps the best way to get around is by bus with two main companies – Megabus and National Express. English cuisine is really a mix of everything, with more than 50,000 pubs to find traditional England food, as well as a lot of Indian, Chinese food in almost every town and city as well.

England

Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. Founded in 1840 from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the 27,000 taxa curated by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, while the herbarium is one of the world's largest, has over 8.5 million preserved plant and fungal specimens. It is one of London's top tourist attractions and is a World Heritage Site. © iStock/tupungato

Kew Gardens, London

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