Home / Regions
The guide covers the four nations of the UK, with England split into its nine regions. Each entry below says what the region is known for, when it is at its best and how many hotels we list there.
The capital is the starting point for most trips: world-class museums, theatres and markets, five airports and rail terminals that fan out across the country. Hotels cluster around Westminster, the West End, the City and the Thames, with quieter options in Kensington, Paddington and the outer boroughs.
Best time: Spring and early autumn; December for lights and markets.
The belt around the capital: Brighton on the Sussex coast, Oxford and Windsor, the Kent cathedral city of Canterbury, Southampton's cruise port and the airports of Gatwick and Heathrow's western side.
Best time: May to September for the coast; spring and autumn for the cities.
Cornwall and Devon's coastline, the Georgian terraces of Bath, Bristol's harbour, the Jurassic Coast and Dartmoor. Seaside towns fill quickly in school holidays.
Best time: June to September for beaches; spring and autumn are calmer.
Cambridge and its colleges, the Norfolk Broads and long beaches, Suffolk's villages and the cathedral city of Norwich, plus Stansted and Luton airports for fast links to London.
Best time: Late spring to early autumn.
Nottingham and Leicester as city bases, the Peak District edge near Derby, Lincoln's hilltop cathedral and East Midlands Airport for regional flights.
Best time: Spring to autumn; summer for the Peak District.
Birmingham and its canals and conference venues, Stratford-upon-Avon for Shakespeare, Warwick and the Cotswold edge, and Hereford and Shropshire towards the Welsh border.
Best time: April to October; theatre season runs all year.
Manchester and Liverpool for music, football and museums, Blackpool's seafront, the Lake District fells and lakes, and Carlisle at the western end of Hadrian's Wall.
Best time: May to September for the Lakes and coast; city breaks all year.
York's medieval walls and Minster, Leeds and Sheffield as city bases, the Dales and North York Moors for walking, and the Yorkshire coast around Whitby and Scarborough.
Best time: Spring to early autumn; York is busy in December.
Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead on the river, Durham's cathedral and castle, the Northumberland coast of castles and beaches, and Hadrian's Wall country around Hexham and Housesteads.
Best time: May to September for walking the Wall and the coast.
Edinburgh's castle and festivals, Glasgow's galleries and music, Inverness as the gate to the Highlands and Loch Ness, Aberdeen's granite city and the whisky country of Speyside.
Best time: May to September; August for the Edinburgh festivals.
Cardiff's bay and castle, Snowdonia's mountains and the Llŷn coast in the north, Pembrokeshire's beaches in the west and the Brecon Beacons in the south.
Best time: May to September for coast and mountains.
Belfast's Titanic Quarter and murals, the Giant's Causeway and Antrim coast road, Derry~Londonderry's city walls and the lakes of Fermanagh.
Best time: May to September.
Jersey and Guernsey off the Normandy coast and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea: small islands with their own governments, coastal paths and ferry or short-flight links to the mainland.
Best time: May to September.