Places to Explore

• Bewdley

  In Bewdley, an exceptionally attractive Severn Valley town, tall, narrow-front Georgian buildings cluster around the river bridge. You can take a scenic train or boat ride from here to appreciate the rural... (more)

• Birmingham

  The dynamic cultural life of Birmingham—the result of the museums, art galleries, theater, ballet, and symphony that thrive here—comes as a refreshing surprise. The city's visual appeal, thanks... (more)

• Chester

  Cheshire's thriving center is Chester, a city similar in some ways to Shrewsbury, though it has many more black-and-white half-timber buildings (some built in Georgian and Victorian times), and its medieval... (more)

• Coventry

  Coventry, which thrived in medieval times as a center for the cloth and dyeing industries, is where, according to lore, a naked Lady Godiva allegedly rode through the streets in the 11th century to protest... (more)

• Great Malvern

  Great Malvern feels a bit like a seaside resort, though instead of the ocean your eyes plunge into an expanse of green meadows rolling away into the Vale of Evesham. Off the A449, this attractive Victorian... (more)

• Henley-in-Arden

  A brief drive out of Stratford will take you under the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal aqueduct to pretty Henley-in-Arden, whose wide main street is an architectural pageant of many periods. This area was once... (more)

• Hereford

  It's an important cathedral city, and the massive Norman building towers proudly over the River Wye. Before 1066 Hereford was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia and, earlier still, the site... (more)

• Ironbridge Gorge

  The River Severn and its tree-cloaked banks make an attractive backdrop to this cluster of villages; within a mile of the graceful span of the world's first iron bridge are a cluster of fascinating museums... (more)

• Kenilworth Castle

• Ledbury

  Among the black-and-white half-timber buildings that make up the market town of Ledbury, take special note of two late-16th-century ones: the Feathers Hotel and the Talbot Inn. The cobbled Church Lane... (more)

• Ludlow

  Medieval, Georgian, and Victorian buildings jostle for attention in pretty Ludlow, which has a finer display of black-and-white half-timber buildings than even Shrewsbury. Dominating the center is the... (more)

• Much Wenlock

  Much Wenlock, a town on A458, is full of half-timber buildings, including a 16th-century guildhall. Nearby are popular places to walk; ask the tourist office for information. The town has held the Wenlock... (more)

• Ross-on-Wye

  Perched high above the River Wye in the Malvern Hills, Ross-on-Wye seems oblivious to modern-day intrusions and remains at heart a small market town. Its steep streets come alive on Thursday and Saturday—market... (more)

• Shrewsbury

  One of England's most important medieval towns, Shrewsbury (pronounced shrose-bury), the county seat of Shropshire, lies within a great horseshoe loop of the Severn. It has numerous 16th-century half-timber... (more)

• Stratford-upon-Avon

  Even under the weight of busloads of visitors, Stratford, on the banks of the slow-flowing River Avon, has somehow hung on to much of its ancient character and can, on a good day, still feel like an English... (more)

• Warwick

  Most famous for Warwick Castle—that vision out of the feudal ages—the town of Warwick (pronounced war-ick) is an interesting architectural mix of Georgian redbrick and Elizabethan half-timbering... (more)