England hosts an incredible amount of visitor attractions from historic houses, palaces, museums and art galleries to natural parks, visitor centres and theme parks.
But which ones pull the greatest crowds? And which see visitors returning time and again?
London Eye: The London Eye is London's newest major tourist attraction. It is a huge wheel designed to celibrate the Millenium year 2000. The world's largest observation wheel which offers a spectacular view over London's most famous landmarks in just 30 minutes.
Tower of London: One of the most famous buildings in the world. Its contruction began in 1078 at the reign of William the Conqueror. All through history the Tower has been a palace, prison, treasury, arsenal and a zoo. Also on view are the Medieval Palace, the infamous Bloody Tower and over 90 inscriptions made by prisoners in the Beauchamp Tower. The Tower houses the priceless Crown Jewels exhibition, the evolution of Royal Crowns which are housed in the Martin Tower.
Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo, Yorkshire: One of the family adventure parks with over 100 rides including England's only motorbike launch Rollercoaster, the free falling cliff hanger and the suspended looping rollercoaster. There is also England's largest privately owned zoo, home to many exotic species including giraffes, lions rhinoceros and tigers..
Pleasure Beach, Great Yarmouth is situated at the seaside which has an area of 9-acre leisure park featuring over 70 rides and attractions. The admission is completely free. Visitors can come and go whenever they want. In 2009 over 1.4 million people visited The Pleasure Beach, putting it in the top ten free entry amusement parks in the UK. New rides, attractions and innovations are added every year.
Eden Project, Cornwall is an unforgettable experience in a breathtaking epic location. Eden is a gateway into the fascinating world of plants in a huge greenhouse and people and a reminder of how we need each other for our mutual survival. The lost world in the biggest greenhouse is also built here. Located in a 50 metre deep crater the size of 30 football pitches and beautifully sculpted to make a spectacular and unique global garden.
Canterbury Cathedral is both a holy place and part of a World Heritage Site. Canterbury Cathedral was founded in AD597. In 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral and ever since, the Cathedral has attracted thousands of pilgrims, as told famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
Westminster Abbey in London is one of Britain's finest Gothic abbeys and scene of the coronation, marriage and burial of British king and queens. Visitors can see the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, Royal Tombs, the Coronation Chair, Lady Chapel and Poets' Corner, Pyx Chamber, Nave and cloisters, the Royal Chapels and the Undercroft Museum. The 'Service of Light' on New Millennium Eve saw the inauguration of the Abbey's spectacular new lighting system.
Windsor Castle is the oldest and biggest castle in the world and official residence of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Its rich history dates back almost 1000 years to the reign of William, the Conqueror. Later monarchs added to the complex of buildings we now know as Windsor castle. The Castle covers an area of about 5 hectares and contains magnificent state apartments furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection, St George's Chapel, the burial place of 10 monarchs, and Queen Mary's Dolls' House.
Stonehenge is a world famous prehistoric monument which was built as a ceremonial centre. But its real function remains a mytery. Started 5000 years ago and remodelled several times in next 1500 years, the massive stone lintels are curved to follow a circle. Some of the stones weigh over 50 tons each, with some brought from the Preseli Mountains in Welsh mountains.
Roman Baths of Bath are surrounding the hot springs where the city began. The great Roman temple and bathing complex was built about 2000 years ago. Discover the everyday life of the Roman spa, see the ancient treasures from the temple and a lot of other objects which were recovered from the sacred spring offered to the goddess.
To experience some of these England attractions, make sure you book England accommodation and England vacation rentals. |