Great Britain travel guide : explore England, Scotland and Wales

What you need to know before visiting Great Britain

• Official status: Great Britain comprises England, Scotland and Wales (part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
• Capital: London (UK capital and England's capital)
• Population: About 67 million people
• Official languages: English (official), Welsh (official in Wales), Scottish Gaelic and Scots (recognized in Scotland)
• Currency: Pound Sterling (£)
• Area: 209,331 square kilometres

How British history shaped the modern world

Great Britain's history weaves together three distinct national narratives into an epic saga of conquest, resistance, and ultimately, union:

Ancient foundations: from prehistoric monuments to Roman Britain

The island's story begins with prehistoric peoples who left mysterious monuments—Stonehenge in England, Callanish in Scotland, and Bryn Celli Ddu in Wales. Celtic tribes dominated until Roman legions conquered what is now England and Wales in 43 CE, establishing a frontier at Hadrian's Wall, a 117-kilometre fortification marking the edge of their empire in what is now northern England and southern Scotland.

Medieval Britain: how three nations formed one island kingdom

After Rome's withdrawal around 410 CE, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms emerged in England, while Celtic cultures endured in Wales and Scotland. The Norman Conquest of 1066 transformed England, imposing a new aristocracy and connecting the island to continental Europe. Over centuries, English monarchs attempted to subdue Wales and Scotland, with Wales formally united with England in 1536, while Scotland remained fiercely independent until the Acts of Union in 1707 created Great Britain as a political entity.

The British Empire: industrial revolution and global influence

The 18th and 19th centuries saw Britain become the world's dominant power. The Industrial Revolution, beginning in British factories and mines, transformed human civilization. The British Empire grew to cover nearly a quarter of the Earth's land surface, with London as the center of global finance and trade. Scotland's engineers, England's manufacturers, and Welsh coal powered this unprecedented global reach.

Modern Britain: from world wars to contemporary society

Two World Wars and the dissolution of empire reshaped Britain's place in the world. The welfare state established after 1945 created the National Health Service and comprehensive social security. While remaining united, recent decades have seen devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd, reflecting the enduring distinct identities of Britain's constituent nations. Following the 2016 Brexit referendum, the UK (including Great Britain) left the European Union in 2020, beginning a new chapter in its long history.

British culture: languages, arts and traditions

Languages and Identities

While English dominates as the primary language, Great Britain's linguistic landscape reflects its multicultural reality. Welsh is spoken by over 750,000 people and appears on all official signage in Wales. In Scotland, around 87,000 people speak Scottish Gaelic, with efforts to revitalize this ancient Celtic language. Regional accents and dialects—from Geordie in Newcastle to Scouse in Liverpool, from Glaswegian to Welsh English—provide a rich tapestry of expression across the island.

British arts: literature, music and scientific achievements

British cultural contribution spans literature, science, and the arts. From William Shakespeare and Robert Burns to Dylan Thomas, from Jane Austen to J.K. Rowling, British writers have created works of enduring global significance. Scientists like Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Charles Darwin, and Rosalind Franklin revolutionized our understanding of the physical world. British music, from classical composers to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Adele, continues to resonate worldwide.

British food and drink: what to eat during your visit

British cuisine reflects both regional heritage and global influences. Distinctive dishes include:

• Scottish haggis (sheep's heart, liver, and lungs minced with onion and oatmeal)
• Welsh cawl (hearty lamb and vegetable soup)
• English fish and chips (typically using 225 grams of cod or haddock)
• Full breakfast variations across England, Scotland, and Wales
• Afternoon tea with approximately 25 million cups consumed daily across Britain

Britain's drink culture encompasses traditional ales (with over 1,800 breweries producing 8.5 billion pints annually), Scotch whisky (with 133 distilleries across Scotland exporting 1.1 billion bottles yearly), and increasingly acclaimed wines from southern England, which produces about 15 million bottles annually.

British sports: from football to cricket and rugby

As the birthplace of football, rugby, cricket, golf, and tennis, Britain maintains a passionate sporting tradition. Football remains the national obsession, with the English Premier League broadcasted to 212 territories worldwide. Rugby holds particular significance in Wales, where the 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium in Cardiff becomes the nation's emotional heart during international matches. The 700-year-old sport of golf, developed in Scotland, now attracts players to historic courses like St Andrews, which covers 6.5 square kilometres of linksland.

Where to go in Great Britain: top cities and attractions

London: essential sights in Britain's capital city

The UK's capital blends centuries of history with cutting-edge innovation:

• Houses of Parliament: The neo-Gothic home of British democracy spanning 112,476 square metres along the Thames.
• British Museum: Housing 8 million objects from across human civilization within its 92,000 square metre space.
• Tower of London: The nearly 1,000-year-old fortress and royal palace.
• The London Eye: A 135-metre observation wheel offering 40-kilometre views across the city.
• Hyde Park: A 142-hectare green space in central London offering respite from urban intensity.

Edinburgh: exploring Scotland's historic capital

Scotland's capital is divided between the medieval Old Town and the Georgian New Town, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Edinburgh Castle, perched on an extinct volcano, dominates the skyline, while the annual Edinburgh Festival and Fringe transform the city into the world's largest arts festival, increasing the city's population by over 400,000 visitors.

Cardiff: discovering Welsh culture and heritage

Wales' capital combines a revitalized waterfront district with Cardiff Castle, whose Roman foundations date back nearly 2,000 years. The striking Millennium Centre, with inscriptions in both Welsh and English, symbolizes Wales' cultural renaissance and commitment to its unique bilingual identity.

Oxford and Cambridge: visiting Britain's historic university cities

Britain's ancient university cities house institutions dating back to the 13th century. Oxford's 38 colleges and Cambridge's 31 colleges have educated 42 British Prime Ministers and countless world leaders, while their laboratories have produced over 200 Nobel Prize winners.

The Lake District: exploring England's most beautiful national park

This 2,362-square-kilometre national park in northwest England inspired Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter with its 16 major lakes (Windermere being the largest at 14.8 square kilometres) and England's highest peak, Scafell Pike (978 metres).

Best natural destinations across England, Scotland and Wales

• Scottish Highlands: Covering 26,484 square kilometres with mountains, glens, and lochs, including Ben Nevis (1,345 metres), Britain's highest peak.
• Snowdonia: Wales' mountainous heart, where Snowdon rises 1,085 metres above spectacular valleys and lakes.
• Giant's Causeway: An area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns along the coast of Northern Ireland, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
• Seven Sisters: A series of chalk cliffs along the English Channel in East Sussex, reaching heights of 160 metres.
• The Cotswolds: 2,040 square kilometres of gentle hills and honey-colored stone villages across five counties in southern England.

Interesting facts about Great Britain you may not know

The Channel Tunnel connecting Britain to France runs for 50 kilometres, with 37.9 kilometres beneath the seabed.

Great Britain has 17,820 kilometres of coastline—longer than that of Brazil, despite being 35 times smaller in area.

The British drink about 100 million cups of tea daily, requiring approximately 100,000 litres of milk.

London's underground railway system (the "Tube") is the world's oldest, with 402 kilometres of track serving 272 stations.

British innovations that changed world history

• Modern parliamentary democracy and the concept of common law
• The Industrial Revolution, transforming manufacturing through steam power and mechanization
• The theory of evolution through natural selection (Charles Darwin)
• The World Wide Web (Tim Berners-Lee, 1989)
• The discovery of penicillin (Alexander Fleming) and the structure of DNA (Watson, Crick, and Franklin)