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England · Scotland · Wales · Northern Ireland

The UK,planned for Americans.

London, the Cotswolds, the Highlands, Wales and Northern Ireland, explained in miles, US dollars and plain English, with the ETA, train tickets and the rules that trip Americans up. In-depth guides, checked in October 2026.

First trip to the UK Getting your ETA London Edinburgh Trains and railcards Driving on the left

ENGLANDLONDON

Photos: Tower Bridge over the River Thames, London: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edinburgh's Old Town and Castle from Calton Hill, Scotland: Daniel Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Castle Combe, a Cotswold village in Wiltshire: Saffron Blaze, CC BY-SA 3.0 · A rainbow over Glen Coe, Scottish Highlands: Colin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Before you book

Nine things every American should know

The planning guide →
Get the £20 ETA before you flyUS citizens now need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation, £20 (about $27), from the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK only. It usually comes within a day and covers unlimited trips for two years or until your passport expires.Entry rules
Keep left, look rightYou drive on the left and sit on the right. Your US license is valid for visits and limits are in mph, but manual is the default rental, so book an automatic early.Driving in the UK
The price on the tag is the priceThe 20% VAT is already included in shop and menu prices. Many restaurants add a 12.5% service charge in London; if it is on the bill, don’t tip again.Money, VAT and tipping
Tap to ride, no Oyster neededTap a contactless card or phone on the Tube and buses. Daily caps mean you never pay more than £8.90 (about $12) in Zones 1–2. Use the same card or device every time.Getting around London
Book trains early, with a railcardAdvance fares, on sale about 8–12 weeks ahead, sometimes earlier, cost a fraction of walk-up prices. A £35 (about $47) railcard takes a third off, and visitors can buy one.Trains and railcards
Pack a Type G adapterPlugs have three rectangular pins and the power is 230 V. Chargers marked 100–240 V need only an adapter; leave 120 V-only hair tools at home.Phones and plugs
The ER is free; a hospital stay is notA&E treatment is free for everyone, but England bills visitors who are admitted at 150% of the NHS rate. Buy travel medical insurance; Original Medicare pays nothing abroad.Health and the NHS
Four nations, one countryEngland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland share a currency and a monarch, but Scottish and Northern Irish banks print their own notes, Scotland has a lower drink-drive limit, and Welsh road signs are bilingual.The four nations
Book August and the big shows earlyEdinburgh’s August festivals can triple hotel rates, so book 9–12 months out. Hit West End shows, the Harry Potter studio tour and summer rooms on Skye sell out too.What to book when

Ready-made routes

Four classic first trips

Each route links to the guide with the details: where to stay, how to get around and what to book ahead.

5DAYS

London in five days

DAY 1 The South Bank and St Paul’s
DAYS 2–3 Westminster Abbey, royal London and the Tower
DAY 4 The British Museum and South Kensington
DAY 5 Greenwich, Windsor or Hampton Court

Read the London guide → 9DAYS

Oxford, the Cotswolds and Bath

DAYS 1–3 London
DAY 4 Oxford’s colleges and the Bodleian
DAYS 5–7 Blenheim Palace and the villages by car
DAYS 8–9 Bath, then Stonehenge

Read the Oxford and Cotswolds guide → 10DAYS

London, York and Edinburgh by train

DAYS 1–4 London
DAYS 5–6 York’s walls, Minster and railway museum
DAYS 7–9 Edinburgh and a day out to Stirling or Glasgow

Read the York guide → 8DAYS

A Scotland Highlands loop

DAYS 1–2 Pitlochry, the Cairngorms and Speyside
DAY 3 Culloden and Loch Ness
DAYS 4–5 Eilean Donan and Skye
DAYS 6–8 Glenfinnan, Glencoe and Loch Lomond

Read the Highlands guide →

Where to go

Find your UK

Compare every destination →
ENGLAND · GREATER LONDONLONDONLondonNeighborhoods, hotels by budget, airports, the Tube and fare caps, safety, costs and itineraries. SCOTLANDEDINBURGHEdinburghCastle, Royal Mile, festivals, Hogmanay, the new visitor levy, where to stay and day trips. ENGLAND · OXFORDSHIRE & GLOUCESTERSHIREOXFORD & COTSWOLDSOxford & CotswoldsOxford colleges, Blenheim, Stratford and the Cotswolds villages, with or without a car. ENGLAND · SOMERSET & WILTSHIREBATH & STONEHENGEBath & SouthwestBath, Stonehenge, Avebury, Salisbury, Bristol, Wells and Glastonbury, with tickets, trains and itineraries. ENGLAND · YORKSHIRE, DURHAM & NORTHUMBERLANDYORKYork & NorthYork, the Dales and Moors, Whitby, Durham, Northumberland's castles, Lindisfarne and Hadrian's Wall. SCOTLANDHIGHLANDSHighlandsGlencoe, Loch Ness, Ben Nevis, Speyside whisky and the North Coast 500, planned properly. WALESWALESWalesCastles, mountains and coast path: Cardiff, Eryri, Pembrokeshire, the Welsh language and the new visitor levy. NORTHERN IRELANDNORTHERN IRELANDNorthern IrelandBelfast, the Giant's Causeway, Derry's walls and the Mournes, plus crossing to Ireland and the ETA.

The list

20 experiences worth the trip

From the famous to the ones Americans tend to miss. Each links to the guide with timing, tickets and costs.

  1. The floodlit White Tower, the Norman keep at the heart of the Tower of London01See the Crown Jewels and the White Tower at the Tower of LondonLondon · book a timed ticket
  2. The Gothic stone exterior of Westminster Abbey02Hear sung Evensong in Westminster Abbey, free to attendLondon · late afternoon
  3. The facade of the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue03See a West End show, with day seats and TKTS for lessLondon · book ahead or try TKTS
  4. The historic Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem inn in Nottingham04Order a pint at the bar of a centuries-old pubAll four nations · order at the bar
  5. Fruit scones with clotted cream and jam beside a pot of breakfast tea05Take afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream and jamLondon and beyond · book ahead
  6. The standing stones of Stonehenge in the light of the setting sun06Walk inside the stone circle at Stonehenge, outside normal hoursWiltshire · from £70 (about $93)
  7. The open-air Great Bath surrounded by columns and the terrace of the Roman Baths07Walk around the steaming Great Bath at the Roman BathsBath · book ahead to save
  8. Honey-colored stone cottages along Arlington Row in Bibury08Wander a honey-stone Cotswold villageGloucestershire · best on a weekday
  9. The towers and spires of Oxford seen across South Park09Look out over Oxford's spires and college quadsOxford · an easy day from London
  10. Punts on the River Cam seen from Clare College Bridge10Punt along the Backs past King's College ChapelCambridge
  11. Old buildings leaning over the narrow medieval street of the Shambles11Walk the Shambles and York's medieval wallsYork
  12. A stretch of Hadrian's Wall crossing open hill country west of Housesteads Roman Fort12Walk a stretch of Hadrian's WallNorthumberland · AD122 bus all year
  13. The green valley of Wasdale Head below steep fells, seen from the path up Kirk Fell13Climb a fell above the lakes of the Lake DistrictCumbria
  14. A sandy cove below the cliffs, with the Logan Rock headland beyond14Follow the coast path to a Cornish coveCornwall
  15. Edinburgh Castle on its rock high above the Grassmarket15Climb from the Grassmarket up to Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh · £23.50 (about $31) online
  16. The pyramid-shaped peak of Buachaille Etive Mòr above the white cottage of Lagangarbh16Drive through Glen Coe below the peak of Buachaille Etive MòrScottish Highlands
  17. The tall rock pinnacle of the Old Man of Storr below the Storr cliffs17Hike up to the Old Man of Storr on SkyeIsle of Skye · go early
  18. The white buildings of Talisker Distillery at Carbost on Skye18Tour a Scotch whisky distillery, from Speyside to the islandsScotland · book tours ahead
  19. The rocky summit of Yr Wyddfa seen from the Crib Goch ridge19Climb Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest mountain in WalesEryri · or ride the mountain railway
  20. Close-packed hexagonal basalt columns at the Giant's Causeway20Step across the basalt columns of the Giant's CausewayNorthern Ireland · the coastline is free

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: 01 Rafa Esteve, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 02 Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 03 Bryn Holmes, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 04 Jonathan Clitheroe, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 05 Andy Li, CC0 · 06 Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 07 Diliff, CC BY 2.5 · 08 Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 · 09 Bill Tyne from Oxford, England, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 10 Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 11 Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 12 Steven Fruitsmaak, Public domain · 13 Julian Herzog (Website), CC BY-SA 4.0 · 14 Jim Champion, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 15 Tom Page, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 16 Colin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 17 rboed*, CC BY 2.0 · 18 DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 19 Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 20 Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0

Free tools

Plan it, price it, pack it

Trip builderA day-by-day route from your dates, month and interests Budget calculatorHotels, food, trains, castles and fuel, in pounds and dollars ConvertersPounds, °F and °C, stones, pints, fuel by the liter, sizes and time zones Packing checklistEverything an American needs for British weather, ticked off as you go British EnglishThe words that mean something else at home, and how to say the place names

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