Each city, town and village in the UK has its own unique and individual attractions, but there are a few places that you should definitely visit if you are in the UK for the first time or even if have lived here all your life. I adore places like Manchester, London and the Cotswolds but the choices below really stand out of me. Narrowing  it down to just 5 destination was very tricky...

My hometown grew during the industrial revolution and has its fair share of historic buildings but it really can't compare to York with is snickleways (alleys), overhanging timber-framed houses and medieval town walls. The traditional shopfronts of The Shambles makes it one of the UK’s most historic (and gorgeous) streets. You can’t visit York without paying a visit to York Minster, one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe and also one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in the world. York also has Viking heritage too. You can and experience the sights, sounds and smells of the viking period at the Jorvik Viking Centre. A personal highlight of my visit to York was learning about 300 years of railway history, climbing aboard giant locomotives and browsing some of the 1 million train-related artefacts at the truly amazing National Railway Museum. You can read more about my trip to York and get some tips about what so see and do here. 

Known all over the world for it’s Roman Baths (hence the name) Bath is one city everyone needs to visit in the UK at least once! The city has such an amazing history – along with some of the UK’s more exclusive postcodes outside of London. Visitors all over the world flock to Bath each year to get a real sense of what life was like in Regency UK and as a pilgrimage to the beloved author Jane Austen. I recommend a stay at the Francis Hotel for a modern take on Regency/Georgian style and a burger at  Schwartz Bros.

West Wales has many excellent beaches that are suitable for surfing, sailing and relaxing. Tresaith beach is particularly lovely with its unusual waterfall cascading over the cliff into the sea. Tenby has pretty pastel buildings, restaurants with locally caught seafood and is the perfect base to explore the nearby Caldey Island which is home to Cistercian monks and interesting wildlife. 

There are also many historic attractions to visit, such as Cilgerran Castle and the grand St David's Cathedral. St Davids is the smallest city in Britain with a population of just over 1,600. The Pembrokeshire Coastline is so outstandingly beautiful and important it was established as a National Park in 1952. No blog post would be long enough for me to convey how magical and breathtaking West Wales it, you'll just have to visit yourself and make up your own mind.