5 great English city breaks
1 BATH is the perfect place for those with an interest in history. The Unesco World Heritage Site boasts the Royal Crescent, The Circus and Georgian architecture wherever you look. Your first stop should be the Thermae Bath Spa, where you can indulge in the mineralrich waters while taking a dip in the open-air rooftop pool. If you can find the strength to drag yourself away from the spa then head for the Roman Baths, a magnificent ancient monument dating back 2,000 years. Once you’ve had enough relaxation, celebrate Bath’s most famous resident at the Jane Austen Centre, which will also give you an insight into life during Regency times.
2 BRIGHTON is a laid-back beachside destination in East Sussex. Head to the beachfront for fresh air, fish and chips and seaside entertainment, and explore Brighton’s bohemian charms in the Lanes, the Artists’ Quarter and the quirky fashion hub, North Laine. No visit is complete without experiencing the delights of Brighton Pier, with its old-school dodgems, helter-skelter and carousel – not to mention clouds of pink candyfloss and sticks of rock. For a gull’s-eye view of this glistening stretch of the south coast there’s the Brighton Wheel and the opulent Regency era is conjured up by the iconic onion domes of the Royal Pavilion.
Left: Brighton Pier - old-school rides. Right: Manchester - the Imperial Wawrm Museum
3 MANCHESTER certainly offers a mix of old and new. If you’re a fan of the new, then head for the Imperial War Museum and The Lowry – the latter is architecturally stunning and one of the most successful art venues in the world. If you prefer the old, then check out award-winning productions at the Royal Exchange Theatre. In the evening, head for the Bridgewater Hall for the BBC Philharmonic, or even the last night of the Proms, if you’re lucky.
4 NEWCASTLE AND GATESHEAD have it all. Antony Gormley’s The Angel Of The North provides an iconic welcome to Tyneside, and Hadrian’s Wall is an epic World Heritage site. For classical architecture, visit Grainger Town. Film buffs can watch cult classics at the Art Deco Tyneside Cinema, which was built as Newcastle’s News Theatre in 1937 to show newsreel films. Modern art lovers should check out the exhibitions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, while drama fans can head for the opulent Theatre Royal.
Left: Angel of the North. Right: York - history not to be missed
5 YORK boasts Georgian mansions, Viking settlements, Victorian cobbled streets and Roman walls. There’s an eclectic mix of sights, from York Minster, the biggest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, to Clifford’s Tower, an English Heritage attraction built by William the Conqueror. The Yorkshire Museum and the Jorvik Viking Centre, built on the excavated remains of a Viking-age city, are not to be missed, and make sure you save time to explore the famous Shambles for historic, quirky shops – the higgledy-piggledy street was voted the most picturesque in the country in 2010.
For more information and hotel suggestions: www.visitengland.com
2 BRIGHTON is a laid-back beachside destination in East Sussex. Head to the beachfront for fresh air, fish and chips and seaside entertainment, and explore Brighton’s bohemian charms in the Lanes, the Artists’ Quarter and the quirky fashion hub, North Laine. No visit is complete without experiencing the delights of Brighton Pier, with its old-school dodgems, helter-skelter and carousel – not to mention clouds of pink candyfloss and sticks of rock. For a gull’s-eye view of this glistening stretch of the south coast there’s the Brighton Wheel and the opulent Regency era is conjured up by the iconic onion domes of the Royal Pavilion.
Left: Brighton Pier - old-school rides. Right: Manchester - the Imperial Wawrm Museum3 MANCHESTER certainly offers a mix of old and new. If you’re a fan of the new, then head for the Imperial War Museum and The Lowry – the latter is architecturally stunning and one of the most successful art venues in the world. If you prefer the old, then check out award-winning productions at the Royal Exchange Theatre. In the evening, head for the Bridgewater Hall for the BBC Philharmonic, or even the last night of the Proms, if you’re lucky.
4 NEWCASTLE AND GATESHEAD have it all. Antony Gormley’s The Angel Of The North provides an iconic welcome to Tyneside, and Hadrian’s Wall is an epic World Heritage site. For classical architecture, visit Grainger Town. Film buffs can watch cult classics at the Art Deco Tyneside Cinema, which was built as Newcastle’s News Theatre in 1937 to show newsreel films. Modern art lovers should check out the exhibitions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, while drama fans can head for the opulent Theatre Royal.
Left: Angel of the North. Right: York - history not to be missed5 YORK boasts Georgian mansions, Viking settlements, Victorian cobbled streets and Roman walls. There’s an eclectic mix of sights, from York Minster, the biggest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, to Clifford’s Tower, an English Heritage attraction built by William the Conqueror. The Yorkshire Museum and the Jorvik Viking Centre, built on the excavated remains of a Viking-age city, are not to be missed, and make sure you save time to explore the famous Shambles for historic, quirky shops – the higgledy-piggledy street was voted the most picturesque in the country in 2010.
For more information and hotel suggestions: www.visitengland.com