Things to Do in England

Liverpool’s wealth came from the shipping trade over the centuries, and the city’s maritime legacy is celebrated at the revitalized waterfront area known as Albert Dock.

The dock is lined with sturdy five-story warehouses, restored and reinvigorated to house boutiques, museums, restaurants and bars. The mix of Victorian-era cast-iron columns, Grade I-listed buildings and waterfront walkways creates an evocative atmosphere, where the past seamlessly melds with the present. There’s plenty to do at Albert Dock, the location of many of Liverpool’s most popular attractions. View contemporary art at the Tate Liverpool gallery, delve into seafaring history at the Merseyside Maritime Museum, or take a poignant journey through the history of the slave trade at the International Slavery Museum. The Beatles Story is also at Albert Dock, a must-do for music fans of all ages.

Sitting on a 150-ft (46-m) volcanic outcrop overlooking the North Sea on one side and a cute little town of the same name on the other, Bamburgh Castle began life in Anglo-Saxon times as the fortified home of the kings of Northumberland. By the 12th century the massive stone keep was in place; this is the oldest part of the castle as most of what stands today is a Victorian folly. It is the result of rebuilding in the 19th century by the wealthy industrialist Lord Armstrong, who was also responsible for creating Cragside House nearby, where hydroelectricity was first used in 1863. Today Bamburgh is still the private home of the Armstrong family, and a tour of its interior winds through impressive staterooms laden with decorative arts from Sèvres porcelain to medieval weaponry.

Highclere Castle is best known as the filming location of the popular British TV drama Downton Abbey and home to the fictional Crawley family. In reality, the estate is owned by George Herbert, the eighth Earl of Carnarvon, and his wife Lady Carnarvon. The castle has been in the Carnarvon family for centuries, but it was remodeled from a simple mansion to its current grandeur between 1839 and 1842 by Sir Charles Barry, an architect known for his contributions to a Renaissance-revival movement.

Located in the rolling green hills of Hampshire, the estate covers over 5,000 acres of mostly parkland. It includes forests, lakes and decorative gardens planted with a wide array of plants ranging from climbing roses, lavender and geraniums to fruit trees and meticulously sculpted hedges. In the center of it all sits the great Victorian castle with its pinnacles and towers jutting into the air.

The main research library of the University of Oxford and one of the oldest of its kind in Europe, the Bodleian Library is also one of the UK’s five "copyright libraries," famously housing a copy of every book printed in Great Britain—a collection that spans more than 11 million works. Founded by Sir Thomas Bodley in 1602, the Bodleian Library, or "the Bod" as it’s known to students, is actually a complex of libraries and reading rooms located in the heart of Oxford, including the domed Radcliffe Camera, the vaulted Divinity Room, the Duke Humphrey's Library and the Old and New Bodleian Libraries.

With its towering shelves of prized books and manuscripts, exploring the Bodleian libraries is a rare treat for book lovers, with everything from early manuscripts, biblical texts and ancient maps to rare literary editions, Oriental manuscripts and a large collection of original J.R.R Tolkien works.

Hadrian’s Wall was built in the 2nd century AD during the reign of the emperor for whom it was named. At the time it marked the northernmost limit of the Roman Empire.

The stone fortifications, stretching between present-day Newcastle and Carlisle, represent the greatest monument of Roman Britain and are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The longest preserved stretches of wall are between the towns of Chollerford and Walton, while along its route you will find the remains of numerous forts as well as a temple dedicated to the goddess Mithras at Carrawburgh.