The ultimate travel guide to the UK from the 1Cover team
Click on the links to navigate your way around.
From Wimbledon tennis to rugby or one of the many football teams, the UK is famous for it’s love of sports.
If you are lucky enough to experience a British summer, head to Wimbledon Tennis at the beginning of July! Join “the queue” -another thing Brits are famous for – and get tickets to see some of the best Tennis players from around the world!
From August to May, the Premier League has many games up and down the country with some of the best Football teams in the world.
If you are there the Autumn and winter months, head to a rugby game! Another British staple with lots of clubs around the country and you may even be lucky enough to see some of the Six Nations, an international tournament hosting the home Nations of England, Scotland and Wales as well as France, Ireland and Italy!
London is amazing, it is packed with culture, history and there is so much to do! However, there is so much more to the UK!
Across England you have other major cities like Manchester, home to two huge football clubs with intense rivalry and some of the best music and comefy venues around. Places like York and the UNESCO world heritage site of Bath, so rich in history and beautiful old buildings. Cities like Bristol and Newcastle famed for their culture and nights out, and the moorlands and beaches Cornwall!
The highlands of Scotland known for their breath-taking scenery await you up north and the incredible cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Not to mention the world renowned whiskey distilleries, it’s called Scotch for a reason.
Out West you have Wales with 600 hundred castles to visit, miles of rolling hills, rugged coastlines and the stunning city of Cardiff! Across the water you have Northern Ireland with heaps of culture and history and plenty of spots for the perfect pint of Guiness.
Sure, London’s great. Stay there for a while and explore. But then, get on a bus, train or a plane and see what the rest of the UK has to offer.
Some of the best museums in the world are all right in London, and the best part is, most of them are free! The Natural History Museum, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, the Science Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and so many more are all free to enter!
The Natural History Museum is a phenomenal place that houses dinosaur skeletons, an eight-metre-long giant squid, a blue whale skeleton, and a cup made from a human skull. The Tate Modern has works by Warhol, Dali, Picasso and more. The British Museum features the Elgin Marbles, millennia-old Egyptian artefacts, and the Rosetta Stone.
Some of them are even right along the river and you an get the Uber Boat right down the river to see them all just by tapping your card.
Getting around London is super easy with contactless available on all the TFL services or an Oyster card. It covers the tube, buses, many of the trains and even the Uber Boat – a river bus service that can take you from one end of the city to the other passing by some of Londons most famous sites along the way!
If you are on the outskirts of London, some of the trains and buses may not be covered in which case, you can book tickets on apps like trainline. If you want to explore the rest of the UK, book tickets in advance. They are often much more expensive on the day or in the stations.
The “citymapper” app is also the best for getting public transport around London and major cities, it even tells you how much each trip will cost you!
If you love exploring, hiking and fitness, this is the challenge for you taking you across 3 countries and through 3 national parks. The 3 peaks challenge consists of Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands, it is the highest peak in the UK; Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England; and Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. If you want to see some of the best of nature the UK has to offer this challenge is for you. You can try to climb them all in the same day or individually over a longer time frame. The second allows you to spend more time in the surrounding areas.
Ben Nevis is located in the Scottish Highlands which are renowned for their dramatic landscapes, including mountains, lochs, and vast moorlands. The Cairngorms National Park is located within the Highlands and is the largest national park in the UK. Snowdon sits in Snowdonia, one of the best national parks in the UK. Having rugged mountains, glacial valleys and a diverse range of outdoor activities including the current fastest zip line in the world at Zip world! Scafell Pike is located in the Lake district. Known for its picturesque lakes, mountains, and charming villages, it is a popular destination for hiking, boating, and enjoying the serene countryside.
If you want to complete the challenge, it is encouraged to follow the Leave No Trace principles; stay on designated paths and respect the surrounding nature. Safety is also an important factor and you should be aware of your own limits, carry the correct gear and be prepared for potential changes in weather conditions!
There are 4 separate countries that make up the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland- and they do not like to be mixed up! Most people will refer to themselves as British but be careful not to call a Welshman English or an Englishman Scottish!
The republic of Ireland is also not a part of the UK, unlike northern Ireland which is. There is a long history between the two and they do not like to be confused for one another, even more so than the rest of UK. If people refer to just "Ireland" they are most likely talking about the republic. They also use separate currencies -Northern Ireland uses Pounds just like the rest of the UK, however Ireland uses Euros.
Residents of Northern Ireland may identify as British, Irish, or both. The Republic of Ireland, on the other hand, is a sovereign state with its own national identity. Confusing the two may inadvertently overlook the diverse identities and affiliations of the people living there and can also get you in some trouble.
With all that info, you're ready to start your UK adventure! Pack your raincoat, curiosity, maybe your sunscreen, and of course your 1Cover Travel Insurance. It's the one thing you need when one thing goes wrong.
Find out more insider tips about other destinations: read our "One Thing" series here.
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Grace wrote this article. She has spent the past few years travelling to over 20 countries and is always looking for her next adventure. Learn more about Grace.
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