Unlock 2000 years of history on the banks of the Thames in a cityscape that gets better with time. Watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and find out why ravens are so important a sight at the Tower of London. Picnic in its Royal Parks, see a show in the colourful West End or scour the East End’s many markets for a bargain to take home. Don’t forget to ascend the Shard or ride the London Eye for a rooftop view of what’s probably the most fascinating city in the world.

Visit a city where Roman hot springs meet elegant Georgian terraces to form one of the West Country’s most attractive tourist destinations. Taste Sally Lunn’s famous buns, visit Sulis Minerva’s temple and discover the world of author Jane Austen in the city that was once her home. It’s one of the UK’s charming cities and features some of its most interesting museums: the Museum of Fashion and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy being two of the best.

Embrace your literary side and discover the place where Shakespeare was born. Visit the playwright’s family home, see one of his plays performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and prepare to fall in love with the rolling English countryside as you venture out into the Cotswolds, whose sandstone cottages make it one of the quaintest areas in England.

Turn back time when you visit one of the many medieval castles and fortresses that dot the lush, rolling green countryside of North Wales. Across the border in England, it’s a stone’s throw to the timbered architecture of Chester and the Beatles’ legacy in Liverpool.

Be captivated by Scotland’s capital, which boats cosmopolitan nightlife and a grand castle perched atop the plug of an extinct volcano. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is an essential stop, as are the gardens and shops that line Princes Street. Time your visit for summer to experience the Edinburgh Festival and the Fringe.