868 Best Sights in England

The vast bulk of this medieval castle rests on a cliff overlooking the Avon River and is considered "the fairest monument of ancient and chivalrous splendor which yet remains uninjured by time," to use the words of Sir Walter Scott. Today, the company that runs the Madame Tussauds wax museums also owns the castle, and it has become more theme park than an authentic heritage site, but it is still a lot of fun. Warwick’s two soaring towers, bristling with battlements, can be seen for miles: the 147-foot-high Caesar’s Tower, built in 1356, and the 128-foot-high Guy’s Tower, built in 1380.

Warwick Castle’s monumental walls enclose an impressive armory of medieval weapons, as well as staterooms with historic furnishings and paintings. Other exhibits explore the castle’s history through the ages, display the sights and sounds of a great medieval household as it prepares for an important battle, and tell the story of a princess’s fairy-tale wedding. Elsewhere, a working trebuchet, falconry displays, and rat-throwing (stuffed, not live) games add to the atmosphere. Below the castle, strutting peacocks patrol the 64 acres of grounds elegantly landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century. Each summer the castle also hosts one-off immersive experiences.

Arrive early to beat the crowds. If you book online, you save 30% on ticket prices. Lavish medieval banquets take place throughout the year, and plenty of food stalls serve lunch. For the ultimate castle experience, you can "glamp" in a medieval tent, stay in a wooden lodge in the Knight’s Village, or spend the night in your own luxury suite in the 14th-century Caesar’s Tower.

An extraordinary small museum, the Watts Gallery was built in tiny Compton in 1904 by the late 19th-century artist George Frederic Watts (1817–1904) to display his work. His romantic, mystical paintings have been somewhat rediscovered in recent years, with his 1886 painting Hope being a favorite of Barack Obama. A marvelously higgledy-piggledy studio displays his sculptures, which are astonishing both for their size and their near-obsessive attention to detail, while nearby Limnerslease House gives an insight into the life and works of Watts and his wife, fellow artist Mary Seton Watts (1849–1938). Though virtually unknown as an artist both then and now, some critics contend that Mary's talent actually eclipsed her husband's—and if you follow the short, signposted walk to the Watts Memorial Chapel, you may become one of them. Designed by Mary, this tiny chapel is a masterpiece of art nouveau style, from the intricately carved redbrick exterior to the jaw-dropping Mucha-esque painted interior. You could easily spend half an hour trying to decode all the symbolism and allegory woven meticulously into the gilded walls. The museum, house, and chapel are located three miles west of Guildford.

One of the country's top family-friendly science centers, this multimedia attraction provides a "hands-on, minds-on" exploration of science and technology in more than 300 interactive exhibits and displays. All About Us is dedicated to the inner workings of the human body. Another section allows you to create your own animations. A 3-D planetarium in a gleaming stainless-steel sphere takes you on a 30-minute voyage through the galaxy. There are up to 10 shows a day, bookable when you buy your ticket (£4). A popular exhibit lets kids test their skills at creating animations. Allow at least three hours to see it all. Buy your tickets online for a 5% discount.

One of the largest Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain, West Kennet Long Barrow was built around 3650 BC. You can explore all around the site and also enter the tomb, which was used for more than 1,000 years (though only 50 people were buried here) before the main passage was blocked and the entrance closed, around 2000 BC. More than 300 feet long, it has an elevated position with a great view of Silbury Hill and the surrounding countryside. It's about 1 mile east of Avebury.

Steeped in hundreds of years of rich and occasionally bloody history, Westminster Abbey is one of England's iconic buildings. An abbey has stood here since the 10th century, although the current building mostly dates from the 1240s. It has hosted 38 coronations—beginning in 1066 with William the Conqueror—and no fewer than 16 royal weddings, the latest being that of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. But be warned: there's only one way around the abbey, and it gets very crowded, so you’ll need to be alert to catch the highlights.

The Coronation Chair, which you'll find in St. George's Chapel by the east door, has been used for nearly every coronation since Edward II’s in 1308, right up to Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953. Farther along, the exquisite confection of Henry VII's Lady Chapel is topped by a magnificent fan-vaulted ceiling. The tomb of Henry VII lies behind the altar. Elizabeth I is buried above her sister "Bloody" Mary I in the tomb in a chapel on the north side, while her arch enemy, Mary Queen of Scots, rests in the tomb to the south. The Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor contains the shrine of the pre-Norman king, who reigned from 1042 to 1066. Because of its great age, you must join a verger-guided tour to be admitted to the chapel (£10; book at the admission desk). To the left, you'll find Poets' Corner. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first poet to be buried here, and other statues and memorials include those to William Shakespeare, D. H. Lawrence, T. S. Eliot, and Oscar Wilde.

The medieval Chapter House is adorned with 14th-century frescoes and a magnificent 13th-century tiled floor, one of the finest in the country. Near the entrance is Britain's oldest door, dating from the 1050s. If you walk toward the West Entrance, you'll see a plaque to Franklin D. Roosevelt—one of the abbey's very few tributes to a foreigner. The poppy-wreathed Grave of the Unknown Warrior commemorates soldiers who lost their lives in both world wars.

With a separate timed ticket (£5), you can visit the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries located 52 feet above the abbey floor; it's worth it for the views onto the abbey's interior below alone, but it also gets you access to a remarkable collection of historical objects that tell the story of the building, including its construction and relationship to the monarchy. Don't miss the marriage license of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the bright white vellum it's written on in stark contrast to the aged documents elsewhere on display.

Exact hours for the various parts of the abbey are frustratingly long and complicated, and can change daily, so it's important to check before setting out, particularly if you're visiting early or late in the day, or off-season. The full schedule is posted online daily (or you can call). Certain areas of the abbey are completely inaccessible to wheelchair users; however, you will get free entry for yourself and one other.

Just six miles southwest of Ledbury, this cider mill is a fantastic way to get a (quite literal) taste of the drink Herefordshire is famous for. They've been making cider on this very site since the late 19th century and many of the ciders are familiar brands. Tours (offered daily at 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2 pm, and 3:30 pm) take about an hour and 20 minutes and conclude with a tasting of about five different ciders. Make sure you factor in a stop at the very good on-site restaurant the Scrumpy House to try one of the excellent pies.

Plunging hundreds of feet into the sea, Dover's startingly white cliffs are a spectacular sight, and one of the most iconic symbols of England. The cliffs, which are composed mainly of chalk with slivers of flint, are eroding at a rather alarming rate: more than a foot (30 cm) a year on average. Because of this, you must be cautious when walking along the cliffs—experts recommend staying at least 20 feet from the edge. The cliffs stretch for around eight miles altogether, but the most popular section to visit is the one managed by the National Trust, about two miles east of town. The visitor center has five miles of walking trails heading farther east to the 19th-century South Foreland Lighthouse and St. Margaret's Bay, with spectacular views along the way. There are also some lovely coastal walks to the west of Dover with good views of the cliffs, inclduing Samphire Hoe, Folkestone East Cliff, and Warren Country Park. Signs will direct you from the roads to scenic spots.

Founded in 1901, this internationally renowned gallery mounts exhibitions that rediscover overlooked masters and showcase tomorrow's legends. Painter and leading exponent of abstract expressionism Jackson Pollock was exhibited here in the 1950s as was pop artist Robert Rauschenberg in the 1960s; the 1970s saw a young David Hockney's first solo show. The exhibitions continue to be on the cutting edge of contemporary art. The gallery also hosts talks, film screenings, workshops, and other events; First Thursdays is a regular event designed to highlight monthly openings at more than 150 local galleries, with the Whitechapel offering curated tips about where to visit on the first Thursday of the month. Pick up a free East London art map (also available online) to help you plan your visit to the area. Townsend, the gallery's on-site restaurant, serves good-quality modern British food in a bright and pretty room.

This University of Manchester–owned art museum is beautifully—and uniquely—integrated into the surrounding parkland through its art garden, sculpture terrace, orchard garden, and landscape gallery. Some of the free events and activities take you into the park itself, including children's outdoor art clubs. The renowned collections inside the gallery embrace British watercolors, Old Master drawings, postimpressionist works, wallpapers, and an outstanding textile gallery befitting a city built on textile manufacturing. There's also a learning studio for families and a "café in the trees" overlooking the art garden, with a seasonal British menu.

This is considered to be one of the loveliest stately homes in England and, along with its grounds, a fine example of the English Palladian style. The seat of the earls of Pembroke since Tudor times, the south wing of the current building was rebuilt in the early 17th century by Isaac de Caus, with input from Inigo Jones, Ben Jonson's stage designer and the architect of London's Banqueting House. It was completed by James Webb, again with input from Jones, Webb's uncle-by-marriage, after the recently finished south wing was ravaged by fire in 1647. Most noteworthy are the seven state rooms in the south wing, among them the Single Cube Room (built as a perfect 30-foot cube) and, one of the most extravagantly beautiful rooms in the history of interior decoration, the aptly named Double Cube Room. The name refers to its proportions (60 feet long by 30 feet wide and 30 feet high), evidence of Jones's classically inspired belief that beauty in architecture derives from harmony and balance. The room's headliner is the spectacular van Dyck portrait of the Pembroke family. Elsewhere at Wilton House, the art collection includes several other Old Master paintings, including works by Rembrandt and members of the Brueghel family. Another exhibition is devoted to Cecil Beaton's photo portraits of 20th-century notables and the current Lord Pembroke's collection of classic cars. Also of note are the 22 acres of lovely grounds, which have sweeping lawns dotted with towering oaks; the gardens; and the Palladian bridge crossing the small River Nadder, designed by the ninth earl after the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Some public rooms may be closed on some open days—check website for more information.

This small town, a few miles south of Rye, perches prettily atop its own small hill amid rolling farmland, and has a number of interesting attractions. There's the splendid (though damaged) church at its heart, built in the 14th century with stone from Normandy. The stained-glass windows are particularly captivating, with renowned Scottish artist Douglas Strachan (1875–1950) creating an almost three-dimensional effect with his bold illustrations.

Outside the church lies a grave with one of most quoted epitaphs in the English language. When English-Irish comedian Spike Milligan (of The Goon Show fame) was buried here in 2002, he requested to have the words "I told you I was ill" added to his gravestone. The diocese refused, but agreed to a compromise in which it was written in Irish instead. Take a walk around the graveyard and see if you can spot the headstone with the words: "Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite."

Under the town's narrow streets are at least 56 medieval cellars, with some accessible by an interesting—if rather long—guided tour (£10) on various dates from April to October. A short walk from the town center is Winchelsea Beach, a pretty stretch of shingle coastline.

The imposing Norman exterior of the city's greatest monument, begun in 1079 and consecrated in 1093, makes the Gothic lightness within even more breathtaking. It's one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, and throughout it you will find outstanding examples of every major architectural style from the 11th to 16th century: the transepts and crypt are 11th-century Romanesque; the great nave, the longest in Europe, is 14th- and 15th-century Perpendicular Gothic; and the presbytery (behind the choir, holding the high altar) is 14th-century Decorated Gothic. Other notable features include the richly carved 14th-century choir stalls, the ornate 15th-century stone screen behind the high altar, and the largest surviving spread of 13th-century floor tiles in England. Little of the original stained glass has survived, except in the large window over the entrance. When Cromwell's troops ransacked the cathedral in the 17th century, locals hid away bits of stained glass they found on the ground so that it could later be replaced. Free tours are run year-round, Monday through Saturday, from 10 am to 3 pm. The Library's Winchester Bible, one of the finest remaining 12th-century illuminated manuscripts, is on display in an exhibition space in the South Transept. The patron saint of the cathedral is St. Swithun (died AD 862), an Anglo-Saxon bishop who is also buried here. He had requested an outdoor burial plot, but his body was transferred to the newly restored church in 971, accompanied by, legend has it, 40 days of rain. Since then, folklore says that rain on St. Swithun's Day (July 15) means 40 more days of wet weather.

Among the other well-known people buried here are William the Conqueror's son, William II ("Rufus"), mysteriously murdered in the New Forest in 1100, and Jane Austen, whose grave lies in the north aisle of the nave. The tombstone makes no mention of Austen's literary status, though a brass plaque in the wall, dating from 80 years after her death, celebrates her achievements, and modern panels provide an overview of her life and work. You can also explore the tower—with far-reaching views in fair weather—and other recesses of the building on a tour (£10, available July through September on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday). Special services or ceremonies may mean the cathedral, the crypt, and the Treasury are closed to visits, so call ahead. Outside the cathedral, explore the Close, the area to the south of the cathedral with neat lawns, the Deanery, Dome Alley, and Cheyney Court.

Right beside the lake, the museum houses the world's finest collection of Victorian and Edwardian steam- and motor-powered yachts and launches. Displays about Windermere's nautical history include the famous names of motorboat racing on the lake. The Dolly, built around 1850, is one of the two oldest mechanically powered boats in the world. Among the many other vessels on view are Beatrix Potter's rowing boat and a dinghy that belonged to Arthur Ransome. For £9, you can take a boat ride on Windermere in an antique vessel—if the weather is good.

From William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria, the kings and queens of England added towers and wings to this brooding, imposing castle that is visible for miles. It's the largest inhabited castle in the world and the only royal residence in continuous use by the British royal family since the Middle Ages. Despite the multiplicity of hands involved in its design, the palace manages to have a unity of style and character. The most impressive view of Windsor Castle is from the A332 road, coming into town from the south. Admission includes an audio guide and, if you wish, a guided tour of the castle precincts. Entrance lines can be long in season, and you're likely to spend at least half a day here, so come early.

As you enter, Henry VIII's gateway leads uphill into the wide castle precincts, where you're free to wander. Across from the entrance is the exquisite St. George's Chapel (closed Sunday). Here lie 10 of the kings of England, including Henry VI, Charles I, and Henry VIII (Jane Seymour is the only one of his six wives buried here) along with one very famous queen; the chapel is the last resting place of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Phillip. One of the noblest buildings in England, the chapel was built in the Perpendicular style popular in the 15th and 16th centuries, with elegant stained-glass windows; a high, vaulted ceiling; and intricately carved choir stalls. The colorful heraldic banners of the Knights of the Garter—the oldest British Order of Chivalry, founded by Edward III in 1348—hang in the choir. The ceremony in which the knights are installed as members of the order has been held here with much pageantry for more than five centuries. The elaborate Albert Memorial Chapel was created by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband.

The North Terrace provides especially good views across the Thames to Eton College, perhaps the most famous of Britain's exclusive public schools (confusingly, "public schools" in Britain are highly traditional, top-tier private schools). From the terrace, you enter the State Apartments, which are open to the public most days. On display to the left of the entrance to the State Apartments, Queen Mary's Dolls' House is a perfect miniature Georgian palace-within-a-palace, created in 1923. Electric lights glow, the doors all have tiny keys, and a miniature library holds Lilliputian-size books written especially for the young queen by famous authors of the 1920s. Five cars, including a Daimler and Rolls-Royce, stand at the ready. In the adjacent corridor are exquisite French couturier–designed costumes made for the two Jumeau dolls presented to the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret by France in 1938.

Although a fire in 1992 gutted some of the State Apartments, hardly any works of art were lost. Phenomenal repair work brought to new life the Grand Reception Room, the Green and Crimson Drawing Rooms, and the State and Octagonal Dining Rooms. A green oak hammer-beam (a short horizontal beam that projects from the tops of walls for support) roof looms magnificently over the 600-year-old St. George's Hall, where the late Queen Elizabeth frequently hosted state banquets. The State Apartments contain priceless furniture, including a magnificent Louis XVI bed and Gobelin tapestries; carvings by Grinling Gibbons; and paintings by Canaletto, Rubens, van Dyck, Holbein, Dürer, and Bruegel. The tour's high points are the Throne Room and the Waterloo Chamber, where Sir Thomas Lawrence's portraits of Napoléon's victorious foes line the walls. You can also see arms and armor—look for Henry VIII's ample suit. A visit October to March also includes the Semi-State rooms, the private apartments of George IV, resplendent with gilded ceilings.

To see the castle come magnificently alive, check out the Changing the Guard ceremony, which takes place daily at 11 am April to July and on alternate days at the same time August to March. Confirm the exact schedule before traveling to Windsor. Note that the State rooms (and sometimes the entire castle) are closed during official state occasions; dates of these closures are listed on the website, or you can call ahead to check.

The remains of an ancient royal hunting forest, this park stretches for some 5,000 acres south of Windsor Castle. Much of it is open to the public and can be explored by car or on foot. Its chief attractions are clustered around the southeastern section, known (or at least marketed) as the Royal Landscape. These include Virginia Water, a 2-mile-long lake that forms the park's main geographical focal point. More than anything, however, the Royal Landscape is defined by its two beautiful gardens. Valley Gardens, located on the north shore of Virginia Water, is particularly vibrant in April and May, when the dazzling multicolor azaleas are in full bloom. If you're feeling fit, the romantic Long Walk is one of England's most photographed footpaths—the 3-mile-long route, designed by Charles II, starts in the Great Park and leads all the way to Windsor Castle.

Divided from the Great Park by the busy A308 highway, the smaller Windsor Home Park, on the eastern side of Windsor Castle, is the private property of the Royal Family. It contains Frogmore House, a lavish royal residence. Completed in 1684, Frogmore was bought by George III as a gift for his wife, Queen Charlotte. The sprawling white mansion later became a beloved retreat of Queen Victoria. It was also formerly home to the duke and duchess of Sussex, otherwise known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and can still only be visited by guided tour on a handful of days throughout August; see  www.rct.uk for more information.

There are few more quintessentially English sights than that of Worcester Cathedral, its towers overlooking the green expanse of the county cricket ground and its majestic image reflected in the swift-flowing waters of the River Severn. A cathedral has stood on this site since 680, and much of what remains dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. Notable exceptions are the Norman crypt (built in the 1080s), the largest in England, and the ambulatory, a cloister built around the east end. The most important tomb in the cathedral is that of King John (1167–1216), one of the country’s least-admired monarchs, who alienated his barons and subjects through bad administration and heavy taxation, and, in 1215, was forced to sign that great charter of liberty, Magna Carta; it's worth joining one of the expert talks by his tomb.

Don't miss the beautiful decoration in the vaulted chantry chapel of Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's elder brother, whose body was brought to Worcester after his death at Ludlow in 1502. The medieval library (accessible only by pre-booked tour) holds around 300 medieval manuscripts, dating from the 10th century onwards. Worcester is eight miles north of Great Malvern.

Cockermouth was the birthplace of William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, whose childhood home was this 18th-century town house, carefully kept as it would have been in their day. There is no sense of dusty preservation here, though, and nothing is roped off; the house achieves a rare sense of natural authenticity, with clutter and period cooking in the kitchen and herbs and vegetables growing outside in the beautiful traditional Georgian garden. A café makes good use of the homegrown produce. Enthusiastic staffers are both knowledgable and approachable, and the busy calendar of activities adds to the sense of a house still very much alive.

The city's focal point, this vast cathedral is the largest Gothic building north of the Alps and attracts almost as many visitors as London's Westminster Abbey. Inside, the effect created by its soaring pillars and lofty vaulted ceilings is almost overpowering. Binoculars may be helpful for viewing the loftiest of the 128 dazzling stained-glass windows. While mere numbers can't convey the scale of the building, the central towers are 200 feet high while the Minster itself is 519 feet long, 249 feet across its transepts, and 90 feet from floor to roof. Among the especially notable contributions to the building's uplifting splendor is the ornamentation of the 14th-century nave: the east window, one of the greatest pieces of medieval glazing in the world; the north transept's Five Sisters windows, five tall lancets of gray-tinged 13th-century glass; the enormous choir screen depicting stylized images of every king of England from William the Conqueror to Henry VI; and the masterful tracery of the Rose Window, with elements commemorating the 1486 marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, a union which ended the Wars of the Roses and started the Tudor dynasty. Don't miss the exquisite 13th-century Chapter House, with its superb medieval ribbed wooden roof and fine traceried stained-glass windows; the Treasury; the Crypt; and the museum in the undercroft, where you can see the remains of a Roman barracks, the Minster's Norman foundations, stained glass, and the 10th-century Horn of Ulf carved from an elephant tusk and donated by a Viking nobleman. After exploring the cathedral at ground level, climb the 275 winding steps to the roof of the great Central Tower, which offers both close-up glimpses of the cathedral's gothic grotesques and panoramic views over the city. Allow 45 minutes for the Tower tour, which is by timed admission only. Don't miss the restored great east window, Britain's largest expanse of medieval stained glass, with its 311 stained-glass panels dating back to the 15th century. To experience the cathedral at its most atmospheric, attend one of the evensong services with organ and choir.

This outdoor gallery near Wakefield is part of a former 18th-century estate encompassing more than 500 acres of fields, lakes, exotic trees, and rolling hills. The park, garden, and Underground Gallery—three galleries cut into a hillside—are filled with a carefully curated collection that includes works by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, as well as modern sculptors like Antony Gormley, Anthony Caro, and David Nash. A visitor center offers a café, a self-service restaurant, a table service restaurant, a gallery for temporary exhibitions, and information about the ecology and history of the estate. You can get here easily from Leeds by train or car.

A treat for all but designed specifically for children under age 14, this East London outpost of the Victoria & Albert Museum houses one of the world's biggest toy collections. The iron, glass, and brown-brick building—an architectural joy in itself—was transported here from South Kensington in 1868 and reopened July 2023 following an extensive five-year renovation project. The collection of more than 2,000 objects is organized into three galleries: Play, Imagine, and Design, all offering plenty of interactive experiences, including an amphitheater-style stage, a free-play construction area, and a working design studio. Fun new acquisitions include a skateboard belonging to 13-year-old 2020 Olympic medallist Sky Brown. The shop is a good spot to pick up original toys. 

With an emphasis on education, wildlife conservation, and the breeding of endangered species, London Zoo offers visitors the chance to see tigers, gorillas, meerkats, and more in something resembling a natural environment rather than a cage. Operated by the nonprofit Zoological Society of London, the zoo was begun with the royal animals collection, moved here from the Tower of London in 1828; the zoo itself did not open to the public until 1847. Big attractions include Land of the Lions, a walk-through re-creation of an Indian forest where you can see two resident Asiatic lions relaxing at close range; Gorilla Kingdom, which provides a similar re-created habitat (in this case an African rain forest) for its colony of six Western Lowland Gorillas; and the Attenborough Komodo Dragon House, renamed to honor the renowned naturalist. The zoo also offers the chance to get up close and personal with 15 ring-tailed lemurs. The Giants of the Galapagos is a lagoon inhabited by the resident giant tortoises while Rainforest Life is an indoor tropical rainforest (complete with humidity) inhabited by the likes of armadillos, monkeys, and sloths. A special nighttime section offers glimpses of nocturnal creatures like slow lorises and bats. The Animal Adventure playground allows kids to closely observe coatis, as well as interact with llamas, donkeys, small pigs, sheep, and goats. An ever-popular attraction, especially at feeding time (noon in winter and 4:20 pm in other months), is Penguin Beach, an enclosure and pool that hosts a colony of Humboldt penguins.

If you're feeling flush, try to book tickets for VIP experiences (£54) that offer a 20-minute guided close encounter where you can feed and interact with meerkats (1:30 pm), monkeys (2 pm), giraffes (9:30 am), and even komodo dragons (9 am, £110). Other zoo highlights include a Butterfly Paradise and the Tiger Territory, an enclosure for four beautiful endangered Sumatran tigers (including two cubs born at the zoo). There are also early evening (6:15 pm) "relaxed tours" for the neurodiverse from June to August (they're also offered at 8:30 am before the usual opening hours in other months) to ensure a calmer experience. Adults-only Zoo Twilights are held Friday nights in June and July, featuring street food, alcoholic drinks, and entertainment. You can also experience the zoo after-hours by booking an overnight stay in one of the cozy cabins near (not in) the lion enclosure. Check the website or the information board out front for free events, including creature close encounters and "ask the keeper" sessions. Booking in advance online for all tickets is required.

The home of Punch cartoonist Linley Sambourne in the 1870s, this charming house is a rare example of the "Aesthetic interior" style; it displays delightful Victorian and Edwardian antiques, fabrics, and paintings, as well as several samples of Sambourne's work for Punch. The Italianate house was the scene for society parties when Sambourne's granddaughter Anne Messel was in residence in the 1940s. This being Kensington, there's inevitably a royal connection: Messel's son, Antony Armstrong-Jones, was married to the late Princess Margaret, and their son has preserved the connection by taking the title Viscount Linley.

Among the many artists and intellectuals fleeing Nazi persecution who settled in the area was noted architect Ernö Goldfinger, who built this outstanding and influential modernist home opposite Hampstead Heath in 1939 as his family residence. (His plans drew the ire of several local residents, including novelist Ian Fleming, who supposedly got his revenge by naming the Bond villain after his neighbor.) Along with design touches and building techniques that were groundbreaking at the time, the unique house, a place of pilgrimage for 20th-century architecture enthusiasts, also contains Goldfinger's impressive collection of modern art and self-designed innovative furniture. Admission is between 11 am and 2 pm by hourly tour only, which must be booked in advance.

The 16-sided, nearly circular A la Ronde was built in 1798 by two cousins inspired by the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Among the 18th- and 19th-century curiosities here is an elaborate display of feathers and shells. The house is 5 miles south of Topsham.

Just outside Abbotsbury is one of the world's few remaining undisturbed brackish lagoons, a wildlife haven and the only place in the world where you can walk through a colony of nesting mute swans. Originally tended by Benedictine monks as a source of meat in winter, the swans have remained for centuries, drawn by the lagoon's soft, moist eelgrass—a favorite food—and fresh water. Now some 600 swans build nests yearly in reeds provided by the swannery. Cygnets hatch between mid-May and late June. You can try hand-feeding the birds at noon and 4 pm daily. You can also try finding your way out of the county's largest willow maze (swan-shaped, naturally).

A spectacular 65-foot waterfall pounds under a stone bridge and through a wooded ravine to feed into Ullswater. From the parking lot it's a 10-minute walk to the falls, with more serious walks on Gowbarrow Fell and to the village of Dockray beyond. A new 1¼-mile footpath allows visitors to leave their cars at Glencoyne Bay, to the south, and walk through a deer park.

Bring sturdy shoes, especially in wet or icy weather, when the paths can be treacherous.

Just above Aira Force in the woods of Gowbarrow Park is the spot where, in 1802, William Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy, observed daffodils that, as she wrote, "tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them." Two years later, Wordsworth transformed his sister's words into the famous poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Two centuries later, national park wardens patrol Gowbarrow Park in season to prevent tourists from picking the few remaining daffodils.

To understand the city's prosperous maritime past, head for these 7 acres of restored waterfront warehouses built in 1846. Named after Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, the dock provided storage for silk, tea, and tobacco from the Far East until it was closed in 1972. Today the fine colonnaded brick buildings contain the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, Tate Liverpool, and the Beatles Story. When weather allows, you can sit at an outdoor café overlooking the dock; there are also bars, restaurants, and even hotels on the site. For a bird's-eye view of the Albert Dock area, take the rotating Wheel of Liverpool—a 60-meter-tall version of the London Eye. Much of the pedestrian area of the Albert Dock and waterfront area is cobblestone, so wear comfortable shoes.

After Prince Albert's early death from typhoid in 1861, his grieving widow, Queen Victoria, had Sir Gilbert Scott create this ornate, High Victorian Gothic tribute erected near the site of Albert's brainchild, the Great Exhibition of 1851. A 14-foot gilt-bronze statue of the prince (holding an Exhibition catalog) rests on a 15-foot-high pedestal, surrounded by marble figures representing his passions and interests. A frieze at the base depicts 187 exquisitely carved figures of well-known Victorian painters, poets, sculptors, musicians, and architects.

The Avebury Stone Circles are put into context by this collection of Neolithic and Bronze Age artifacts from the site, one of the most important prehistoric archaeological collections in Britain. The museum contains charts, photos, models, and home movies taken by its namesake, archaeologist Alexander Keiller. It has been suggested that Keiller, responsible for the excavation of Avebury in the 1930s, may have adapted the site's layout to highlight presentation more than authenticity. The exhibits are divided between the 17th-century Stables Gallery, which displays finds from Keiller's excavations, the child-friendly Barn Gallery, where you find interactive exhibits about the history of Avebury, and an activity area where kids can dress up in Bronze Age clothes. You can also visit the Manor House, where Keiller lived, and its surrounding gardens. The Tudor-era building received several subsequent (Queen Anne, Regency, and art deco) additions, and the rooms have been filled with acquired or commissioned period-appropriate furniture to illustrate how previous occupants lived.

Sometimes called the "Windsor of the North," the imposing Alnwick Castle will likely provoke cries of "Hogwarts!" from younger visitors as it comes into view over the hill; the grounds appear as the exterior of the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter movies. Older visitors might also recognize it as Brancaster Castle from the TV series Downton Abbey. In reality, the castle is the ancestral home to the dukes of Northumberland, whose family, the Percys, dominated in the Northeast for centuries.

While the exterior is all imposing turrets and towers, the Italianate interiors are lavish and stately. Family photos and other knickknacks scattered around the state rooms are a subtle but pointed reminder that this is a family home, rather than a museum. Highlights include the extraordinary gun room, lined with hundreds of antique pistols arranged in swirling patterns; the formal dining room, its table set as if guests are due at any minute; and the magnificent galleried library, containing 14,000 books in floor-to-ceiling cases.

There's plenty here for kids, too. Join a free film tour to hear fascinating anecdotes from the filming of the first two Harry Potter films (as well as Transformers: The Last Knight, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and many more). There are also Potter–themed events on certain dates, including broomstick lessons on the exact spot used in the movie (check the website for the schedule). Elsewhere, Dragon Quest is a labyrinth designed to teach a bit of medieval history; there's have-a-go archery (weather permitting); and there are regular special events, from alchemy and wand-making to bird of prey displays and longbow demonstrations.

For the best views of the castle's dramatic exterior, follow the 20-minute Capability Brown Walk along the River Aln. Tickets are valid for one year, so you can come back if you don't see everything in a day. Keep in mind that many castle events are canceled in inclement weather (which isn't uncommon).