Tourism in England

The British Museum, England's single most visited site.

Stonehenge, a World Heritage Site in Wiltshire.

The interior of Wembley Stadium, the most expensive stadium ever built.

Canterbury Cathedral.

The historic 'Old Portsmouth'.

Tourism plays a significant part in the economic life of England.

Cultural and heritage tourism

England's long history and pervasive culture spread worldwide through the English language and colonialism make England a popular tourist destination, particularly in London. (See Tourism in London).

Heritage Cities in England

• Bath: A spa town, famous for its Regency architecture and crescents, and also for its Roman baths.
• Brighton: Brighton is a seaside resort which includes two piers, West Pier and Brighton Pier, and is home to the Royal Pavilion.
• Bristol: Brunel's The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a famous landmark, and the ship, the SS Great Britain is another of Brunel's famous constructions, which is now in dry dock in Bristol.
• Cambridge: A famous university town.
• Canterbury: Renowned for its cathedral.
• Dover: A major port with access to the continent. Also well known for its white cliffs, and to a lesser extent for its castle, Dover Castle.
• Haworth: where the Brontë Sisters lived, is very popular with Japanese tourists, as Wuthering Heights has a cult following in Japan.
• Lincoln: A medieval city, home to the very ornate Lincoln Cathedral and to Lincoln Castle, where a copy of the Magna Carta is kept.
• Liverpool: The 2008 European Capital of Culture, a major port and World Heritage Site, home to two cathedrals and houses more listed buildings, museums and art galleries than any other city in the UK outside of London. The home of Liverpool F.C, a world-famous football club. Is also famous for The Grand National, and its musical, maritime and sporting heritage.
• Oxford : A city known for its university, the University of Oxford.
• Nottingham : The city and Nottingham Castle are famed worldwide for their links with the legend of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest is nearby.
• Portsmouth: Portsmouth is a naval dockyard, and has some famous ships on display, including the Mary Rose, and HMS Victory, all within its Historic Dockyard. Also home to Gunwharf Quays retail centre, with its iconic Spinnaker Tower.
• Salisbury: Salisbury cathedral is very well known, and has the tallest spire in the country. Nearby is the pre-historic site of Stonehenge, which is administered by English Heritage.
• Stratford-upon-Avon: The birthplace of William Shakespeare is probably the most visited place in Stratford.
• York: Famous for the York Minster cathedral. Also the location of the National Railway Museum and a wealth of preserved medieval streets and buildings, such as the Merchant Adventurers' Hall and the Shambles.

Other places in England are also of historical interest. The city of Manchester is the second most visited city in England after London. Many foreign tourists also visit the neighbouring countries Scotland and Wales – see tourism in Scotland and tourism in Wales.

Domestic tourists, and foreign tourists who have specific interests in art, music, history etc., also visit the following:

• Birmingham: A major city, with an orchestra, major exhibition venues (NEC, ICC) and art galleries. Of historical interest for its significant role in the industrial revolution, the childhood home and inspiration of Tolkien, noted for its shopping and boasting the longest stretch of nightclubs in England.
• Hadrian's Wall: The Roman wall built in Northumberland by order of the Emperor Hadrian.
• Hereford: A cathedral city, famous for the chained library in the cathedral, and the Mappa Mundi
• Ironbridge: The cradle of the industrial revolution and the site for the legendary Iron bridge.
• Manchester: A major city, famous for the Hallé orchestra and many museums and art galleries, a classic example of Victorian era architecture. Also well known for the Manchester Ship Canal. The city is home to the world famous Manchester United F.C., and Manchester City F.C. - the world's richest football club. The host city of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Manchester is also known for being the world's first industrialised city, and is well noted for its shopping, cuisine and nightlife.

Ecotourism

The Eden Project is the world's largest greenhouse

England also has some unique natural environments, and has a significant Ecotourism industry:

• Eden Project in Cornwall.
• The Lake District, a national park with hills and lakes, including Windermere, the largest lake in England.
• The Peak District, a national park in Derbyshire.
• Dartmoor and Exmoor, national parks in Devon.
• The New Forest, a rural forest park in Hampshire.
• The Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site in Dorset and Devon
• The National Forest, covering parts of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
• Center Parcs, a European network of rural holiday parks.

Most visited sites

The City of Liverpool is amongst the 100 most visited cities in the world.

St Paul's Cathedral in London is the country's most visited religious building.

The city of Bath has some of the best preserved Roman architecture in England.

Most visited cities by International visitors National Rank Global Rank Location Visitor Count (2006) 1 1 London 15,640,000 2 73 Manchester 912,000 3 81 Birmingham 779,000 4 91 Liverpool 625,000 5 108 Oxford 449,000 6 113 Bristol 403,000 7 120 Cambridge 348,000 8 122 Newcastle upon Tyne 317,000 9 125 Leeds 292,000 10 126 Brighton and Hove 265,000 11 128 York 253,000 12 131 Bath 245,000 13 136 Nottingham 219,000 14 138 Reading 202,000 15 144 Chester 173,000

Most visited historic sites National Rank Site Location Visitor Count (2009) 1 Tower of London London 2,389,548 2 St Paul's Cathedral London 1,821,321 3 Westminster Abbey London 1,449,593 4 Roman Baths Bath 1,196,481 5 Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury 1,013,118 6 Stonehenge Amesbury 990,705 7 Palace of Westminster London 963,362 8 York Minster York 797,100 9 Chatsworth House Chatsworth 652,969 10 Leeds Castle Maidstone 646,801 11 Hampton Court Palace London 541,646 12 Blenheim Palace Woodstock 537,120 13 Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Portsmouth 532,158 14 Stourhead Mere 356,816 15 Beaulieu Palace House and Abbey Beaulieu 351,975

Most visited museums

Main article: Most visited museums in the United Kingdom

List of tourist attractions

Main article: Lists of tourist attractions in England

See also

• Enjoy England
• Institute of Tourist Guiding
• Tourism in Scotland
• Tourism in Wales
• Tourism in the United Kingdom
• iknow UK

External links

• English Tourist Board
• English Tourist Board Blog
• www.pagemost.com, Interactive Google maps showing local places and attractions, complete with Flickr photographs. Search by UK place name or postcode.
• TheLeisureGuide, Tourist Attractions around England.
• See The Sights, Tourist Attractions and Places To Visit in England.