Your ultimate guide to theUnited Kingdom

If you’re looking for an outdoor holiday, June to August is the best season to visit the UK for reliable weather. However, this is when the local schools are on their holidays and therefore prices are at a premium.

The spring months of April and May often have mild temperatures and the countryside looks particularly pretty at this time of year, when daffodils and violets fill the hedgerows. Autumn is also a good time for an outdoor holiday and the weather in September is generally still warm, although you’ll definitely need a coat for the evenings.

Some landscapes, such as the haunting Pennine moors that inspired Charlotte Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, are at their most atmospheric in winter, and many hotels will have sales during the quieter months. Discover the best of the UK in winter with our handy guide.

How to get there

For the first time it is possible to fly directly to the UK thanks to Qantas’ new flight from Perth to London. You can fly to all major UK airports from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide with a single stop.

The UK’s history is as colourful as the crown jewels which means there are more things to see than you can fit into a lifetime of trips, let alone a single holiday.

Does visiting the famous races at Cheltenham sound tempting, or discovering Newcastle’s music scene? Having a ballroom dancing lesson in Blackpool is one of the top things to do in the UK for couples, while a weekend in eye-wateringly picturesque Bath is unmissable.

Whatever type of traveller you are, you won’t be short of memorable things to do in the UK.

Best UK Festivals

The UK has a host of festivals and traditions which are celebrated throughout the year. Some, such as Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, date back to pagan times. Others, such as Glastonbury Music Festival, are newer but no less magical.

Burns Night is a very traditional celebration of Scottish culture, while Wales’ Hay Festival is the most famous literary and arts event in the world. Edinburgh Fringe Festival is newer, yet no less iconic. Read our run down right here…

London’s Notting Hill Carnival is a vibrant celebration of cultural diversity in the UK which sees the streets around Ladbroke Grove filled with crowds dressed in colourful festival gear and thumping sound systems, while Guy Fawkes Night (celebrated to remember the foiling of a plot to blow up the houses of Parliament in 1605) is particularly impressive in Lewes.

Tours & Deals

With four countries to choose from, it can be hard to know where to pick as the focus of your trip. Luckily there are a host of UK tours to choose from.

Guided walking tours are offered in every city and they often reveal secrets that you would otherwise miss, such as Charles Dickens’ favourite pub or the remains of a Roman baths. They are normally paid for by donation, making them some of the best cheap things to do in the UK.

Of course, the UK is an island and a fantastic way to get a sense of this is with a small-ship cruise. The Hebridean Princess is essentially a charming country house with space for just 50 guests and it goes to some of Scotland’s most beautiful and remote islands.

A self-guided rail tour can be very rewarding. Try catching the Caledonian sleeper from London to Edinburgh or the Night Riviera from London to Cornwall. You’ll wake up to the sound of the seagulls and views of the pastel-painted village of St.Ives, which overlooks a crescent moon of white sand.

Visit a chocolate factory

The birthplace of the famous Cadbury brand, the UK is a nation of chocaholics. Families will go wild for the decadent experiences on offer at Cadbury World, while you can watch chocolates being finished by hand at the Thornton’s in Derbyshire, which has to be one of the best chocolate factory visits in the UK.

Discover some of the London’s most iconic chocolate houses as well as exploring hidden side streets on The London Chocolate Tour, which focuses on Mayfair, the epicentre of British luxury.
The UK’s craft chocolate scene is booming and there are a host of regional chocolatiers to discover. Cocoa Cabana in Manchester offers chocolate-focused afternoon teas, so you can combine two Great British traditions in one.

Discover the UK beaches

A trip to the seaside is as much of a summer institution as Wimbledon, but you’ll get a very different flavour of it depending on where you go.

For old-school kitsch, Brighton’s long pebble beach is hard to beat. Expect donkey rides, sticks of sugary rock and coconut shies on Brighton Pier. Very different, Cornwall’s Scilly Isles look like they’ve sprung fully formed from the pages of an Enid Brighton novel with their rock pools, shell beaches, sandy coves and thatched villages.

For something even more remote, head to the north coast of Iona in Scotland. It’s milk-white sand and azure waves wouldn’t look out of place in the Caribbean – although the water temperature may be rather different! Also worth checking out are Littlehampton Beach, Hamilton Beach and Norfolk’s many dramatic beaches.

Forty years ago the UK’s food scene was famously bleak, known for over boiled vegetables and tasteless meat. Many of the ancient skills, such as cheese making, were lost during the rationing of the World Wars and most chefs were having a love affair with their freezers.

However, an influx of immigrants and an increased interest in provenance mean that it is now one of the most exciting food destinations in the world. Get a flavour of what they eat in the UK with our tasty guide.

Foodie Destinations

Indian’s typically settled in the north and an entirely new type of cooking developed to suit the milder palates of the English, including legendary dish chicken tikka masala. Find our list of Birmingham’s best curry houses here. Italians headed for the Welsh Valleys and you’ll still find authentic cafes and gelataria in the midst of classic mining villages.

There has been a real interest in reviving ancient traditions in farming counties such as Dorset and Yorkshire, while the Scottish island of Mull is a shining example of how sourcing ingredients locally can create a food scene that is drawing gourmands from all over the world.

The gateway to the West Country, Bristol is home to a fantastic community of experimental young chefs who are reimagining the area’s culinary traditions – and it’s the capital of the UK’s cider scene! Traditionally associated with pie and chips, gastro-pubs such as The Pointer at Brill are engaging with their local larder to produce fine-dining food in a laid back pub setting. Their beef dripping butter is worth the journey alone…

Cheap eats in London

Sure London is home to some of the best restaurants in the world, but thanks to the foodie revolution you can now enjoy delicious food without eating into your holiday budget too much. London is full of delicious cheap eats if you know where to look.

That British classic of fish and chips tastes best from a neighbourhood chippy rather than a fancy gastro-pub. The battered cod from Poppie’s Fish and Chips on Brick Lane is some of the best fish to eat in the UK.

Food markets have been a massive trend for several decades and they are only growing in number. Although the cooking may be restaurant quality (chefs often trial new concepts at markets before opening their restaurants), the stall holders have no overheads so you are only paying for their delicious food. Borough is one of the oldest and most famous, Mercato Metropolitano consists entirely of specialist Italian producers, while Brixton Market showcases the best of Caribbean food and drink.

The Great British greasy spoon provides an insight into the England of yesteryear. Get your fry up on in The Electric Café in West Norwood, a family-run caf that has been there since the ‘30s and has the retro interiors to prove it. Other legends include E Pellicci and Regency Cafe.