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Of course, you want to know which regions of England to visit during your trip — and to find the best cities, towns, castles, cathedrals, gardens, and countryside that England has to offer. Note that England isn't that large, so you can base yourself in London and take day trips to many historic cities and towns in other parts of the country.
Southeast England
East and Southeast England include an abundance of fascinating castles, famous gardens, and picturesque towns. Canterbury is one of the most historic cathedral towns in England. Tourists have been visiting Canterbury's magnificent cathedral since before Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales more than 600 years ago.
Rye is a town whose charms are irresistible. More historic buildings (the earliest dates to 1250) line the cobblestone streets and time-warped lanes than in any other town in England. With its fine restaurants and cozy inns, Rye makes a good base for further exploration of this area along the Channel coast. You may want to visit nearby Battle, where William the Conqueror defeated King Harold and thus gained control of England.
Don't miss the castles, stately homes, and magnificent gardens of Kent; including Hever Castle, former home of the American Astor family and Anne Boleyn; Knole, the largest and one of the most splendid country homes in England; and moated Leeds Castle.
Stonehenge and the West Country
Winchester is a graceful town with an amazing history and a wonderful cathedral. Jane Austen is buried in Winchester Cathedral; you can also visit her modest home in nearby Chawton. Bare, brooding Salisbury Plain is the setting for Stonehenge, one of the world's most famous ancient monuments. A few miles from this Neolithic wonder is Salisbury. The soaring spires of its Gothic cathedral dominate this busy country town.
Dartmoor National Park lies a few miles west of the cathedral town of Exeter. If you want to explore this open, treeless moorland with its gray stone fences and tunnel-like lanes winding beneath tall hedgerows, the area around Chagford is a good place to stay.
Thousands of years ago, Cornwall was a Celtic land known for its tin mines, and ancient mysteries still cling to its rocky coastline. The brooding ruins of Tintagel, a sixth-century seaside castle, have long been associated with King Arthur. You can find the remains of a Stone Age village, as well as cromlechs, or standing stones, in the vicinity of St. Ives, a beautiful Cornish seaside town that became famous as an artists' colony.
England's heartland
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small Warwickshire village. This town, located in central England, only 90 minutes from London by train, is one of England's top tourist destinations. Consider staying overnight if you want to see a play performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. From Stratford, local train service runs to Warwick, whose top attraction is mighty Warwick Castle. Behind its thick stone ramparts, this imposing hilltop fortress features beautiful Victorian-era living rooms (with wax figures by the artisans at Madame Tussauds), a creepy dungeon, and beautifully landscaped grounds.
Northern England
Northern England is where you find the walled city of York, with its Viking heritage, medieval buildings, and the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe. Crammed with museums, restaurants, and plenty to do day and night, York is an excellent headquarters for exploring England's northern climes. Don't miss North York Moors National Park and Yorkshire Dales National Park, two areas of haunting beauty with heather-covered moors and winding river valleys. Emily and Charlotte Brontë's homestead in the village of Haworth is a place of literary pilgrimage. East of York, in a vast, landscaped park, sits the greatest country house in Yorkshire: Castle Howard. Scarborough, on the Yorkshire coast, is a fun-loving seaside resort with a wide, curving beach and plenty of gaudy seaside arcades.
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