Where to go
London
Unavoidable on a first visit and the most expensive part of it. The national museums are free and among the best in the world; the neighbourhoods matter more than the monuments. Everything is walkable in combination with the Underground. Four full days without rushing.
Oxford, Cambridge and the south
Two university cities within an hour or so of London, both walkable in a day, plus Bath and its Roman baths, Stonehenge and the Cotswolds. This is the classic short loop and it works well by train and bus.
Edinburgh and the Highlands
The Old Town and the castle, then the Highlands, Skye and the lochs beyond. Edinburgh in August is the largest arts festival in the world and the city is full; any other month is calmer and cheaper. A week.
Wales
Snowdonia, the Pembrokeshire coast path, castles at Caernarfon and Conwy, and Cardiff. Far less visited than Scotland at comparable quality, and quickly reached from Birmingham or Bristol.
The Lake District and the north
Fells, lakes and the walking that made the region famous, with York, Liverpool and Manchester within reach. The rail line up the west coast makes this feasible without a car.
Northern Ireland
The Giant's Causeway, the Antrim coast and Belfast, with Dublin two hours away by train. A short flight or ferry from Great Britain, and a distinct history that the museums treat seriously.
Building the itinerary
- Three stops a week, no more. Every move costs half a day at minimum, often a whole one, and you see nothing of a place where you sleep one night.
- Alternate the pace. A dense city, then two quiet days: that is what makes travelling as a couple sustainable, especially if one of you lives there and works.
- Keep a buffer day before the flight home, in the departure city. Domestic transport delays are the leading cause of missed flights.
- Ask the person who lives there what they want to show you. Guidebook itineraries and the places that matter to them rarely overlap — and the second list is the better one.
Two reflexes that change a trip
Distances deceive. On a map two points look close; on the ground, road conditions, checkpoints and terrain double or triple the time. Plan fewer stops and more time at each.
Ask before photographing anyone, and never insist. Official buildings, soldiers, airports and bridges are best avoided almost everywhere — the most banal and most avoidable source of trouble.