Top cities to visit in the UK

The United Kingdom certainly has some of the most fascinating tourist destinations in the world, starting with its magnificent capital city London. In fact record numbers of tourists visit the country every year to sightsee and admire its many historic landmarks and countless tourist attractions. The tourism industry is well developed in the UK and with excellent connectivity and transport facilities travelling in the UK is a memorable experience. As per the Office of National Statistics, which keeps a record of most visited destinations in the UK by international visitors, London tops the list with several other cities in the UK doing extremely well. Some of the top destinations to visit in the United Kingdom are:

London: The capital can safely be described as being the Crown Jewel of the UK. It is home to such iconic institutions like The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, The British Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral to name just a few of the iconic landmarks in this thriving metropolis. Besides all the tourist attractions London is also renowned as being a centre  of art, theatre, literature, music and culture besides a lot more of achievements. It is well known for its fabulous shopping venues, colourful markets, verdant green open spaces and a vibrant cosmopolitan culture.

The city is home to approximately 7.5 million people i.e. close to 12.5 per cent of the country’s population. There are close to 1.5 million Londoners who come to the city from overseas. There are about 300 different languages spoken in the city. Besides being amazingly cosmopolitan, the city hosts close 25 million visitors annually at its national rail stations, five airports and Eurostar terminal, which is the gateway to Europe. With so many visitors London has some of the finest hotels to stay at. One such great place to stay is the Discount Hotels London known for its premium quality of services and opulent ambience. 

In terms of dining London offers some of the best restaurants that serve a variety of exotic international cuisines from all over the world. With fine dining places like the 5 Star Hotels London , visitors can be assured of the best dining experience in the city. So whether you plan to shop at Harrods, spend a leisurely afternoon at Hyde Park or are looking for attractions to visit near Westbourne Terrace you will never ever have a dull moment in the city! 

Edinburgh: The capital of Scotland is also home to its Parliament. The city offers a combination of the   historic and modern which gives it a singular charm of its own. Edinburgh is renowned as being home to one of the best universities in Europe. It is also the venue for the world's largest performing arts festival, home to a 1,000 year old castle and Arthur's Seat, a mountain in the centre of the town! And to top that Hogmanay, the legendary Edinburgh Annual celebration is a four-day street party quite unlike any other in the world!

The city is home to close to half a million people people, which includes approximately around 62,000 students at its famous university. In terms of visitors it has close to 13 million people come to its shores. In fact in the festive month of August, the city’s population increases by close to one million, which makes it the country’s second largest city, albeit temporarily.

The city of Edinburgh hosts a plethora of festivals starting at the end of June which continues right to the beginning of September. Some of these festivals include art, music, film, books, television, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. One of the most prominent of them is the Edinburgh International Festival which is a part of the summer festivities. Then there is the world famous Edinburgh Fringe, in the month of August,  which encompasses music, street theatre, comedy a medley in fact, none of which can be found anywhere else in the world. The natives of Edinburgh certainly love to party and this is evident in the biggest new-year party hosted here for four days known as the Hogmanay. It is a carnival like celebration which features music concerts, fun fairs, torchlight festivals and fire festival events to name just a few of the events.  

Manchester: The city has been described as being the first modern city. Indeed this title is well earned as during the 18th century when the industrial revolution began, Manchester was known as the cotton making capital of the world. It was known to be one of the most important centres of industrial revolution in the world. As a consequence its many business tycoons and entrepreneurs who made it big in the period endowed the city with theatres, libraries, galleries and museums besides wonderful   architectural attractions. When an IRA bomb explosion devastated an area of the in 1996, the city administration felt the need to redevelop the city landscape. It has resulted in the creation of a city that is befitting of the 21st century cityscape that is expected from a modern city.

Nowadays visitors can see some of the most avant-garde architecture in the city of Manchester. It is at par with the most cutting edge architecture in Britain and a large part of it is to be found in the Salford Quays area. Some of the top architectural attractions to be found are Bridgewater Hall, the Imperial War Museum, Urbis its famous glass walled exhibition centre and Manchester's Hallé Orchestra. The city has also been known to foster musical talent of all genres. Some of the top music artists who rose to prominence from this place are Take That, Morrissey, Oasis, Elkie Brooks, Simply Red, Freddie and the Dreamers and numerous other famous names.  And it certainly has a vibrant and thriving club scene!