England country guide

Things To Do In England

London is the reason most people come and the most expensive part of the country by a wide margin. Two hours north, the same money buys twice as much and the accents change every forty miles.

Pick a city What it costs

£28

Dorm bed, from

Free

Every national museum

London to Manchester by train

3,000

Years of visible history

London, and the country people skip

England is small and densely packed, and almost every visitor spends their whole trip in one corner of it. London earns that — it is one of the great cities, with free national museums, a thousand years of layered history and the best theatre anywhere — but it is also two or three times the price of everywhere else in the country.

Go north and it changes completely. Manchester and Liverpool are music cities with a fraction of London's prices and more nightlife per pound than anywhere. York is a walled medieval city you can walk in an hour. Bristol is the most independent-minded city in the country.

The countryside is the other half of the argument. The Lake District, the Peak District, the Cotswolds and the Cornish coast are all two to five hours from London by train, and the footpath network means you can walk across most of it legally and for free.

Where to go

Trains reach everywhere and are cheapest booked weeks ahead. Coaches cost a fraction and take twice as long.

London

92 hostels · dorms from £15

Free world-class museums, a thousand years of history, and the highest prices in the country.

Just remember to pack appropriately for the weather in London and that it might change at the drop of a hat and foremost remember that the city is huge. It is over on hour east to west and north to south and there will be many things that need their own day to get to so, plan accordingly. Don’t worry though, it’s worth it once you get there.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The London guide

Manchester

9 hostels · dorms from £19

Music, football and the best nightlife outside London, at half the price.

Manchester was a great surprise, very cultured rich, easy to get around, lots of museums, events, bars and clubs.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Manchester guide

Liverpool

11 hostels · dorms from £19

The Beatles, two cathedrals, a waterfront and a city that talks to strangers.

Liverpool has been a fantastic destination. As many of us, I arrived here seeking for The Beatles everything. However, once here, I fell in love with the places, the sightseeing, the people. It really is stunning, when you stop to think about all the history behind all these walls, streets and docks that have moved the city for years.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Liverpool guide

York

3 hostels · dorms from £15

Roman walls, a Viking past and a Gothic minster, all walkable in an afternoon.

York was excellent. Roman, Viking, and Medieval history is excellent. Nightlife was excellent on Friday and Saturday night.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The York guide

Bristol

5 hostels · dorms from £25

Street art, independent everything, and the gateway to Bath and the west.

Loved the vibe! I saw 8 different original Banksy pieces of art around Bristol. Plus are at Kooch, Vegan Mezze Restaurant. Some of the best food I’ve had in the world.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Bristol guide

Brighton

6 hostels

An hour from London: a pebble beach, a pier, and the most eccentric city on the coast.

Brighton has everything you could possibly want, from cafe culture to night life. I came for live music, then had a chilled morning looking round the lanes. Next time I'm going to eat out in an evening, visit the Pavillion and people watch outside the bakery in the lanes.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Brighton guide

Bath

5 hostels

Georgian crescents and Roman baths in a small walkable city, and a day trip that deserves two.

Beautiful and elegant city with long culture and great entertainment!
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Bath guide

Newcastle

2 hostels

The north-east: a famous night out, seven bridges over the Tyne, and Hadrian's Wall nearby.

It’s a nice little town. The museum is worth seeing. The Beechs are lovely and the food is good. It’s a bit expensive. Sydney prices but not a Sydney place. I stayed for two days.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Newcastle guide

Cambridge

3 hostels

Colleges, punting and the best small-city museums in England, most of them free.

The old university buildings and relaxed atmosphere make this town perfect for a day trip. Or add an extra day if you like to go punting on the river or visit a couple of musea.
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Cambridge guide

Oxford

1 hostel

The other one: older colleges, covered market, and a pub where Tolkien and Lewis drank.

- Oxford was such a nice break from London - Had some lovely historic areas and museums to see - Easy enough to get around - Lots of shops for all of your needs - Not a big party scene - Would recommend booking a tour privately to do surrounding areas if you don’t have a car,
A traveller, on Hostelworld

The Oxford guide

What kind of trip is this?

England does cities, coast and countryside within a few hours of each other.

City break in England

Three or four days, one city, and free museums.

What to do

British Museum, free
A walk along the South Bank
A pub with no music

Spots to visit

Southbank
Manchester Northern Quarter
York walls

Best cities for it

Things to do

Things to do in England

London's national museums are free — the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Modern, the V&A, the Natural History Museum — which makes it possible to spend a week there on very little once the bed is paid for. Special exhibitions charge; the permanent collections do not.

Theatre is the other London argument. Day seats and lottery tickets put West End shows at £15 to £25 if you plan for them, and the National Theatre and the Globe are cheaper again.

Outside London, the national parks are free to walk and England's right-of-way network means public footpaths cross private land legally, which is unusual and worth using. The Lake District, the Peaks and the South West Coast Path are the three obvious ones.

Eating in England

English food has improved beyond its reputation and the best of it is cheap. A full English breakfast is £8 to £12 and will see you through until evening. Pub lunches, curry houses and the country's enormous range of immigrant cooking are where the value is.

Curry is effectively a national cuisine — Birmingham's balti houses and Manchester's Curry Mile do it best, and a good meal runs £10 to £15. Fish and chips from a proper chip shop is £8 to £12.

Wetherspoons pubs are a national institution in the same way milk bars are in Poland: cheap, everywhere, and serving a pint and a meal for under £10. Nobody will judge you and almost everyone uses them.

Going out in England

The pub is the institution and it is not a bar: you order at the counter, nobody tips, and the good ones have no music. English pubs close earlier than continental Europe — many at 23:00 — which is why the night starts at six rather than ten.

Manchester and Liverpool are the value nights out. Both are music cities with genuine scenes rather than tourist strips, and drinks cost roughly half of London's £6 to £8 a pint.

London's clubbing is world class and priced accordingly, spread from Shoreditch to south of the river, and the last tube goes around midnight with night tubes on Friday and Saturday on some lines.

Getting around England

Trains are fast and expensive unless you book ahead. Advance fares are released around twelve weeks before travel and cost a third of the walk-up price — London to Manchester can be £25 booked early and £90 on the day. Split-ticketing sites often find further savings on the same train.

A 16-25 or 26-30 Railcard cuts a third off most fares for £35 a year and pays for itself in two journeys. National Express and Megabus undercut the trains everywhere if time matters less.

In London, contactless bank cards work on everything with a daily cap, so an Oyster card is no longer necessary. Walking is underrated — central London is smaller than the tube map suggests.

Costs

What England costs

London is the expense. Dorms start around £28 and rise sharply for events and in summer; in Manchester, Liverpool or York the same bed is £18 to £24.

What pulls it back is that so much is free. Every national museum, the parks, the markets and the walking. A day in London with a hostel bed, supermarket lunch, pub dinner and museums costs around £60 to £80; two or three restaurant meals a day doubles it.

Transport is the other lever. Booking trains in advance and carrying a railcard is the difference between a £25 journey and a £90 one, on the same seat.

Staying safe in England

England is safe for travellers, with the ordinary caution of any big country. In London, phone snatching from mopeds is the specific and well-publicised problem — do not stand at the kerb using a phone, particularly in the West End and Westminster.

Pickpocketing happens on the Underground at peak times and around Oxford Street and Camden. Night-time city centres in any English city can be rowdy at weekends, which is more about noise than danger.

Weather causes more problems than crime, particularly in the hills. The Lake District and the Peaks look gentle and produce mountain rescue callouts every week — go equipped, check the forecast, and tell someone your route.

Entry and documents

England is part of the United Kingdom, which is not in the EU or Schengen. Time spent here does not count against the 90-day Schengen allowance, which is useful when planning a longer European trip.

EU, US, Canadian and Australian visitors need an ETA — an Electronic Travel Authorisation — applied for online before travel. It costs a small fee, is usually approved quickly and lasts two years. Check the official UK government site, because the rollout has changed repeatedly.

EU citizens now need a passport rather than an ID card, which catches out people who travelled here before Brexit.

When to go

It rains in every month, so pick for daylight and events. May to September gives long evenings; December gives Christmas markets and dark by four.

8°

Jan

Grey and cheap. Museums are empty

8°

Feb

Still winter. Cheapest month for beds

11°

Mar

Days lengthening, daffodils, still quiet

14°

Apr

Spring proper. Easter lifts prices for a week

17°

May

Excellent. Two bank holidays and long evenings

20°

Jun

The best month. Festival season starts

22°

Jul

Peak. School holidays from late in the month

22°

Aug

Busiest. Edinburgh pulls people north, London stays full

19°

Sep

Superb value. Warm enough, crowds gone

15°

Oct

Cool and quiet. Good for cities

11°

Nov

Dark and wet. Lowest prices of the year

8°

Dec

Christmas markets, then a spike over the holidays

Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets: quiet busy peak

Average highs for London. The north and the coast are several degrees cooler, and rainfall is spread across every month rather than concentrated.

What your trip will cost

Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in pounds. London adds roughly a third to the bed and the pint.

Excludes intercity trains, which swing from £25 booked early to £90 on the day. The doing column can be zero in London because the national museums are free.

Nights 7

—

Beds—
Food and drink—
Getting around—
Doing things—

What's on

What is on while you are there

Several of these fill their cities entirely. Book beds early or plan around them.

Staff pick

25 Sep – 4 Oct

Nottingham Goose Fair

Nottingham

Held annually at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham, England, the Nottingham Goose Fair is one of the oldest and most iconic fairs in…

Staff pick

2–25 October

Brighton Early Music Festival

Brighton

Brighton Early Music Festival in Brighton, United Kingdom, is known for its innovative approach to early music, presenting concerts, workshops, and outreach projects throughout…

Staff pick

7–18 October

BFI London Film Festival

London

The BFI London Film Festival is a prestigious event showcasing the best in international cinema, attracting over 200,000 film enthusiasts annually. With a diverse…

Staff pick

28–29 October

Leeds Light Night

Leeds

Join the vibrant city of Leeds for its annual Light Night event, where the streets come alive with dazzling light installations, performances, and interactive…

Staff pick

1 October

Kane Brown

Hull

Kane Allen Brown is a singer and songwriter from the United States. Brown was originally brought to the public's attention through social media. In…

Staff pick

2 October

Kane Brown

Southport

Kane Allen Brown is a singer and songwriter from the United States. Brown was originally brought to the public's attention through social media. In…

Staff pick

2–4 October

Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Kendal

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, Cumbria, UK, brings together comic creators and fans from around the world for a celebration of…

Staff pick

3–4 October

York Unlocked

York

York Unlocked invites the public to step inside some of York, United Kingdom’s most fascinating and historically significant buildings, many of which are usually…

All events in England

Hostels

Where to stay in England

The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. London has the most and the priciest; Manchester and Liverpool are far better value.

8.7 17,405

Palmers Lodge - Swiss Cottage

London

Dorms from £24 a night

See dates and book

9.0 2,439

YHA Manchester

Manchester

Dorms from £22 a night

See dates and book

9.4 1,107

YHA York

York

Dorms from £16 a night

See dates and book

9.0 1,487

The Bristol Wing

Bristol

Dorms from £28 a night

See dates and book

Sustainable 8.9 2,415

YHA Liverpool Albert Dock

Liverpool

Dorms from £19 a night

See dates and book

8.7 10,216

Astor Museum Inn

London

Dorms from £15 a night

See dates and book

8.5 1,155

Malacuna Manchester

Manchester

Dorms from £19 a night

See dates and book

8.9 1,624

Astor York

York

Dorms from £15 a night

See dates and book

8.2 1,631

The Full Moon Backpackers

Bristol

Dorms from £25 a night

See dates and book

Sustainable 8.0 1,296

Liverpool International Inn

Liverpool

Dorms from £20 a night

See dates and book

8.7 6,856

Astor Kensington

London

Dorms from £15 a night

See dates and book

Sustainable 8.6 2,202

Safestay York Micklegate

York

Dorms from £18 a night

See dates and book

All hostels in England

England travel questions

The ones we get asked most.

How many days do you need in England?

Four days for London alone, given the museums and the size of it. A week lets you add Manchester, Liverpool or York, or a few days in the Lake District or Cornwall — all within a few hours by train.

Is England expensive?

London is; the rest is mid-priced. Dorms from £28 in London against £18 to £24 in the north, and a pint at £6 to £8 versus £4 to £5. Free national museums pull a London day down to £60 to £80.

Are museums in London really free?

Yes. The British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, V&A and Natural History Museum all have free permanent collections. Special exhibitions charge, but you can fill several days without paying anything.

How do I get cheap train tickets?

Book advance fares when they release, around twelve weeks before travel — London to Manchester is about £25 booked early and £90 on the day. A railcard costs £35 a year and takes a third off, paying for itself in two journeys.

Do I need a visa for England?

Most visitors now need an ETA, an Electronic Travel Authorisation applied for online before travel. EU citizens also need a passport rather than an ID card since Brexit. Check the official UK government site, as the rules have changed repeatedly.

Does time in England count towards Schengen 90 days?

No. The UK is outside the EU and Schengen, so time here is separate. That makes it useful as a break in the middle of a long European trip.

What is worth seeing outside London?

Manchester and Liverpool for music and nightlife at half the price, York for a walled medieval city, Bristol for independence and street art, and the Lake District or Cornwall for walking and coast.

Say yes to hostels, meet the world

Compare hostels across England — live prices, real reviews and free cancellation on most bookings. Then meet the people already there in the app.

Find hostels in England Get the app

Things To Do In England

London, and the country people skip

Where to go

London

Manchester

Liverpool

York

Bristol

Brighton

Bath

Newcastle

Cambridge

Oxford

What kind of trip is this?

City break in England

What to do

Spots to visit

Best cities for it

Reading on city break in England

4 Days in London: Museums, Markets and Walks

London City Breaks: A Perfect Weekend in England’s Capital

3 days in London, England

Exploring a new city: 12 hours in London (featuring Jack the pumpkin!)

Culture in England

What to do

Spots to visit

Best cities for it

Reading on culture in England

4 Days in London: Museums, Markets and Walks

10 places in London that every Harry Potter fan will love

Books, boats and backpacker bargains – our favourite things to do in Oxford

Free Museums In London: Chamber Pots, Board Games & An Overstuffed Walrus

The Best Art Galleries In London – From Van Gogh To Banksy

17 Reasons to visit Liverpool beyond The Beatles

York – England's Medieval City England

London’s goldmine of street art & where to find it

Nightlife in England

What to do

Spots to visit

Best cities for it

Reading on nightlife in England

The best sports bars in London!

Discover the 13 Best Live Music Venues In London

Norfolk Coast Pub Tour England

Best Cheap Nights Out in London

8 London Carnival After-Parties For Under a Fiver

The Best Clubs In London for Electronic Music Addicts

Adventure in England

What to do

Spots to visit

Best cities for it

Reading on adventure in England

The Best Hostels in London for a Great British Adventure

Beach in England

What to do

Spots to visit

Best cities for it

Reading on beach in England

Norfolk Coast Pub Tour England

Budget in England

What to do

Spots to visit

Best cities for it

Reading on budget in England

The best social hostels in London for meeting people on a tight budget

Manchester on a budget – your cheap city guide

Leeds on a budget – your cheap city guide

Nottingham on a budget – your cheap city guide

Best Cheap Nights Out in London

8 London Carnival After-Parties For Under a Fiver

Best Tea Shops in London for a Cheap Afternoon Tea

Best Cheap Eats in London for Budget Travellers

Things to do in England

More on things to do in England

Hidden Gems in London: The Best Unseen Spots

Epic day trips from London: A guide to the best nearby destinations

What to do in London in winter: Bookshops, jazz nights and mulled wine

Books, boats and backpacker bargains – our favourite things to do in Oxford

The 13 best free things to do in Bristol

The ultimate guide to school trip ideas to London