tourism

 

Britain has more culture per square mile than just about any other country in the world. And the really good news is that it is all packed on to one very small island.

 

You can visit London's Tate Gallery in the morning, and be swimming off Brighton beach by lunchtime, before dropping in on the exotic Royal Pavilion for tea. You could be seduced by Manchester's delightful street theatre in the afternoon and enjoying Birmingham's acclaimed Symphony Orchestra, Liverpool's outstanding Royal Philharmonic or Leeds' renowned Opera North in the evening. Beautiful Bristol and Bath are literally down the road from each other, and Cardiff, the handsome Welsh capital, is just over the border.   A mere ferry ride from Liverpool takes you to the Emerald Isle where you can delight in the attractions of Belfast.

 

Only an hour of your time separates Newcastle - that mighty stronghold of the North East - and the world's most famous festival city, Edinburgh. That other great Scottish city, Glasgow, is a mere 40 minutes away, hoarding a spellbinding collection of visual and performance art.

 

You could see all these individual and original cities in a week - though every one is a treasure trove of contemporary and traditional art, music, theatre, dance and opera, so you will probably want to take longer or make several visits.