The 23 most beautiful places in the UK to visit in 2026

Gorgeous places are abundant in Pembrokeshire, a southwestern Welsh county, home to gloriously wide, velvety beaches, sea-beaten cliff faces and the UK’s only coastal national park. But the resort town of Tenby, jutting out into Carmarthen Bay, is a halcyon dream of the Great British Seaside. Georgian and Victorian townhouses line the coastline, painted in baby blues, buttery yellows and pale pinks, while massive golden beaches skirt the town on all sides. Skinny streets strung with fairy lights snake through the centre, and thirteenth-century medieval town walls – some of the best-preserved in the UK – still stand strong.

Time Out tip: Tenby’s handsome appeal draws big crowds, particularly in the summer, but that popularity has given rise to an exciting food scene. Grab a Welsh cake hot off the griddle at Loafley; head to The Mews on Upper Frog Street for wine bars and small plates; and head to The Baytree for local grub, including freshly caught mackerel and lobster.

Cornwall’s magnificent castle in the sea feels like the stuff of fairytales. Built in 1135 AD, this magical spot is the site of numerous Cornish legends and myths, including miracles, angelic visitations, mermaids and giants. It’s also steeped in history, and over the centuries this former monastery has witnessed Norman conquests, the Spanish Armada, World War II sieges and even a tsunami. These days it’s a National Trust property with tonnes to see and do, which includes touring the castle, an art gallery, shops and cafes. Spying this spectacular structure from across the water at Mounts Bay has to be one of the best views in Britain.

Time Out tip: Depending on the tide, the mount can be reached on foot via a (quite slippery) seaweed-covered cobblestone causeway, or boat. If walking, make sure to time your trip right or risk having your socks soaked through.

The best things to do in Cornwall.

With dramatic gritstone cliffs, windswept dales and dozens of adorable villages, the Peak District isn’t short of beauty. But Thor’s Cave, a 280-million-year-old natural cavern gaping over the Manifold Valley, is arguably the national park’s most mysterious and arresting sight. Roughly 150 metres deep and flooded with light from two apertures, Thor’s Cave is steeped in lore, having once housed prehistoric beasts and even acted as a burial ground. Reach the entrance via a steep and slippery clamber, perch on a slick rock inside and take in a view of tree-blanketed hills and snaking walkways, quite magnificently framed by the cave’s 10-metre-high, 7-metre-wide mouth.

Time Out tip: Just under 20 minutes’ drive away in Dovedale is the Izaak Walton Hotel, home to what has to be the country’s most beautiful beer garden. Fewer than a dozen tables dotted over a grassy hill that slopes down in reverence before the arresting peaks of Bunster Hill and Thorpe Cloud. Perfect for a post-walk pint.

Glen Coe’s beauty is as far from a secret as can be – it is the home of Scottish mountaineering, after all – but no amount of hype can prepare you for this mighty, majestic valley. The A82 north from Glasgow and the Trossachs is surely one of the most jaw-dropping roads in Britain, opening out with views of Glen Coe’s rounded peaks and sweeping glacial half-mile-wide crevasse. There’s a reason the route has so many places for cars to park in and embrace the vista. Walking and hiking the area is just as special, each turn offering a new perspective on sights like the Bidean nam Bian massif’s famous ‘Three Sisters of Glen Coe’, Aonach Eagach’s ‘Devil’s Staircase’ and the ‘peak of the mountains’ Meall a' Bhùiridh.

Time Out tip Stay in Glencoe (the village) and you’re well-located for exploring both Glen Coe (the valley) and other Grampian wonders in the Ben Nevis foothills.

I went on a road trip through the Highlands and discovered a food-lover's paradise.

There’s loads to admire at Wells Cathedral. Yes, it has an incredible façade, adorned with hundreds of original medieval statues, but the interior is what really stands out. The dramatic scissor arch (added a hundred years after the rest was finished, not to look good but to support the central tower’s weight and prevent collapse) is the cathedral’s most striking feature. It looks way, way ahead of its time and seems almost art deco in style, flowing elegantly from the floor tiles to the stone-vaulted ceiling. That ceiling, by the way, is another sight to behold, painted with intricate swirling red and blue murals. Elsewhere look out for the 600-year-old astronomical clock, the chained library of ancient books and the 14th century stained glass (thought of as one of the greatest surviving examples in Europe).

Time Out tip: Fan of the Cornetto Trilogy? Well, Wells is where Hot Fuzz was filmed. You won’t recognise the cathedral from the movies as it was digitally removed in post-production, but there are tours around the tiny city that take you to familiar sites like the Swan Hotel and St Cuthbert’s Church.

For 60 years, Charleston was the home of two of the 20th century's most prolific aesthetes, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and a regular rendezvous spot for the Bloomsbury set. It’s bucolic on the outside, ivy-clad with a sugar pink door. The inside, however, is beautiful chaos. Bell and Grant clearly enjoyed decorating this place. Every last inch of Charleston’s interior – from the doors to the fireplaces to the window frames to the bath tub – has been hand-painted. There are delights to be found in every nook and cranny – a lampshade fashioned from a colander and glass beads here, a plaster-cast pair of ears mounted on the wall there. Geometric motifs, flowers, fish and playful patterns fill every single room. You’ll leave tempted to go crazy with a paintbrush on your own walls and furniture. 

Time Out tip: Turn your trip to Charleston into an art tour of the whole region with the Sussex Art Shuttle. At just £5 for a whole day of hopping on and off, you can visit Towner Eastbourne, Charleston House, Seven Sisters Country Park and Charleston in Lewes (the modern art gallery that opened in 2023).

Plenty of locations in this list are unlike anywhere else on the planet; Neasden Temple, however, very much does resemble another place – and that’s precisely why it’s special. Officially named the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, it was built using traditional north Indian methods and materials. The first traditional Hindu stone temple in all of Europe, the complex features two buildings – the flat, wide haveli and the grand, towering mandir – which both have their own kind of beauty. ‘Ornate’ doesn’t quite cut it: every inch of the place is carved and crafted with tremendous detail. Great hunks of limestone and marble – 5,000 tonnes, in total – have been chiselled into dazzling patterns, majestic columns and elegant figures. Quite the glow-up for a site that was previously a disused truck warehouse.

Time Out tip Time your visit with London’s Open House festival, which the temple often participates in, for special tours.

Peering down York’s Shambles in 2026, with its overhanging buildings, rustic wooden crossbeams and characterful row of twee shops, you’d have no idea of the road’s grim past. The name ‘Shambles’ literally refers to an open-air slaughterhouse, which is what this York street was back in the 1300s. These days all that blood and gore (and the street’s famed butchers, which stuck around until the 1800s) is long gone; leaving one of the UK’s best preserved medieval streets. There are few easier, more atmospheric ways to transport yourself back hundreds of years (without the iffy smells) than a stroll down Shambles.

Time Out tip: You try walking past Shambles Kitchen without buying one of the shop’s delicious smoked sandwiches. The wafts coming out of that place are irresistible – just try and keep your mind off the street’s historic slaughter.

The Minack looks like something from an epic of antiquity, with a greco-esque structure jutting out from the craggy cliffs over a shockingly blue sea. One of the most exciting things about watching a play at the open-air theatre is the unpredictability of the weather. Come rain or shine, the show must go on, even if the audience has to get soaked to their underpants. Built in 1930, this amphitheatre usually has a dependable summer programme of musicals, Shakespeare and other classics, Cornish tales, kids’ performances, and gigs. 

Time Out tip: Walk the five-minute (slightly hair-raising) cliff path from the Minack to get to Porthcurno, one of the most stunning beaches in the country. And if naturism is your thing, there’s a nudie beach just round the corner called Pedn Vounder. The perfect recipe for a free-spirited day out.

Anyone who’s ever taken the M4 out of Cardiff will be familiar with the sight of Castell Coch. Its three turrets that rise out of the furry beeches of Fforest Fawr are a fairytale view in themselves. But veer off the motorway and follow the road uphill and you’ll get to see this gothic revival masterpiece in its full glory. Castell Coch (the ‘Red Castle’) sits on the ruins of a 13th century fortification and was designed by Victorian architect William Burges, who also oversaw the reconstruction of Cardiff Castle. He was commissioned by the third marquis of Bute, one of Britain’s wealthiest men at the time, and was allowed total free reign. The result is magnificent. Its piece de resistance is the vaulted ceiling of the drawing room, embellished with gold stars, butterflies and all manner of birds. On the walls below are murals inspired by Aesop’s fables and in the next tower along, Lady Bute’s bedroom is watched over by friezes of monkeys and pomegranates.

Time Out tip: Combine your visit with a walk along one of Fforest Fawr’s trails – the woodland is particularly lovely at Easter time, when it bursts with bluebells.

Look, I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. No matter how much I wax lyrical about its towering concrete curves, the Barbican is always going to have its detractors. There are plenty of people who don’t appreciate its peaceful vistas, towering greyness and general ruggedness. But to me, it’s stark, cool, imposing and utterly magnificent. Walking around its silent streets makes me feel like I’m in a Cold War spy movie. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s also home to one of London’s most celebrated arts venues, complete with a verdant conservatory, plush auditoriums, chic martini bar and loads of quiet little nooks for working (or gossiping) in.

Time Out tip: To wet your whistle, head round the corner to the Sekforde, a historic philanthropic pub which operates an educational charity – and does a mean Sunday roast.

A museum all about design must of course be itself a work of exemplary design. Looming over the River Tay, the V&A Dundee lives up to that expectation. It’s the work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma (the same man behind the Tokyo Olympic Stadium) and, combined with the glass-like water it sits on, it’s a thing of splendour. The concrete building is made up of two structures that resemble upside-down pyramids. Their walls twist and fold and jut to create a hypnotic monument that mirrors the rugged cliffs of Scotland’s coast or, from another angle, the prow of a ship.

Time Out tip: After admiring the V&A Dundee’s magnificence and exploring its exhibitions, grab an award-winning donut and a coffee from Heather Street Food, the food truck parked a few metres away.

Yorkshire has the dales and Cumbria has the lakes, but Sussex is home to some of the UK’s most dramatic, most beautiful cliffs. Enter the Seven Sisters, a succession of (you guessed it, seven) glistening peaks which sit between Seaford and Birling Gap. It’s one of the longest stretches of undeveloped shore on the south coast and is part of the South Downs National Park. But the chalky geology of the area (which is why the cliffs are so brilliantly white) doesn’t just make it beautiful, it’s also responsible for a remarkably diverse ecosystem – head here in the summer and keep an eye out for some of the 20 species of butterfly that flutter around.

Time Out tip: After the hilly walk from Seaford to Cuckmere Haven, a reward lies in the form of a brilliant beer garden at the Cuckmere Inn.

The greatest walks and hikes in the UK.

Portmeirion is often dubbed ‘Britain’s most bizarre village’ and it’s certainly an oddity, a mish-mash of follies in bright pastels and various architectural styles (from Italianate and gothic to arts and crafts). But it’s also an extraordinarily aesthetically pleasing place. Designed by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975, it’s set to the peaks of Eryri and is feasibly a tribute to the Mediterranean. In reality, however, Portmeirion little resembles anywhere in the Med and is more akin to a pristine model village that fascinates whatever your view: eclectic rooftops or serene fountains, dainty flowerbeds or elegant statues, sweeping estuary or winding forest paths. Portmeirion just celebrated its centenary (which is why we named it one of Time Out’s best places to visit in 2026), but it looks as striking as ever.

Time Out tip Don’t miss out on the lighthouse. A short walk out from the village, it’s both a twee delight in itself and a viewpoint with broad views of the River Dwyryd estuary and beyond.

It may be an antiquated, elitist academic institution, but you’ve got to hand it to the University of Oxford: it’s responsible for one of the most beautiful bits of urban landscape in Europe. Even for jaded students, the stretch of central Oxford between Broad Street and the High Street is just jaw-dropping, its medieval lanes and olde-worlde cottages, pubs and bookshops contrasting with the grandiose, honey-coloured stone buildings of high academia. You don’t have to pay for a single college tour to appreciate the dreaming spires (or should that be ivory towers?) from the outside.

Time Out tip: Grab a coffee from The Missing Bean and sip it in the sun on the recently-pedestrianised sweep of Broad Street or stop for a pint at the Grade II-listed Turf Tavern, tucked away between the ancient stone walls.

The best things to do in Oxford.

Got a head for heights? Head to the pretty area of Clifton in Bristol to take in the Georgian architecture before heading to see the icon of the city: Clifton Suspension Bridge. Designed by legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1864, the bridge spans the breathtaking Avon Gorge and towers a whopping 75 metres above the River Avon, so you can take in views of the city, surrounding countryside – and maybe even a hot air balloon or two if you time it right. The visitor centre is free to visit should you want to learn more.

Time Out tip: While The White Lion is the best-known places to get a great view of the bridge and gorge, for an equally good view and fewer crowds, head to the terrace at Clifton Observatory for 360-views to enjoy with a cocktail.

📍 Discover more of the best things to do in Bristol

The first time I visited world-class Benone Strand, this vast seven-mile stretch of beach was deserted apart from a single horserider galloping through the clear shallows. Yep, just like in the movies. You can walk along the sandy shore towards Downhill Strand, where ‘Game Of Thrones’ was filmed, passing the rush of the Dunne waterfall, one of the tallest in Northern Ireland. And just past this, perched high up on the cliff-edge, is the area's crowning glory: much-photographed Mussenden Temple, once the library of the 18th century Bishop of Derry, who also built nearby Downhill House, now a wonderfully atmospheric ruin.

Time Out tip: Warm up at Finnish-style Hotbox sauna on Benone Strand before coffee at the wood-panelled artisan café on the dunes, complete with surf hire.

Over-the-top and kind of bonkers, Brighton’s Royal Pavilion is like nothing you’ll see anywhere else in the UK. When it was built circa 1800, it was something of a party palace for the Prince Regent at the time (later King George IV), who was known for his lavish taste and big spending. With its opulent domes and chhatri-topped minarets, it doesn’t take an expert to notice that the whole place has been inspired by Indo-Islamic and Chinese architecture, and has taken certain elements from the Taj Mahal. Wander its hallowed halls and you’ll spot a humongous chandelier hung from the claws of a silver dragon, mahogany handrails carved to look like bamboo, a ceiling made out of hundreds of plaster cockleshells and kaleidoscopic carpets.

Time Out tip: Appreciate the beauty of the Pavilion and its gardens from the terrace of Redroaster at Brighton Dome. It does a cracking all-day brunch.

While there are plenty of beauty spots throughout the Lake District, none feel as mystical as Rydal Caves. Located between Grasmere and Ambleside, they’re the perfect place to visit if you don’t feel like a lengthy hike, with a car park just a 15-minute walk away. The caves themselves are dramatic, with an almost mirroring effect from the water. Carefully wander across the stepping stones to the dry areas near the back of the cave to truly appreciate the beauty of the caves. It's little wonder that Netflix's The Witcher chose to film here for their second season.

Time Out tip: Once you arrive back in Ambleside, head to the Ambleside Tap Yard for a wide range of locally brewed pints and delicious pizza.

📍 Discover more of the best things to do in the Lake District

The Fairy Pools – glistening turquoise basins threaded together with a series of waterfalls, all set in the backdrop of the imposing Cuillin mountains – might well be a tourist trap, but they’re one of these rare places that actually lives up to the hype. Legend has it that the pools attract selkies, mythological creatures which turn from seals into humans at nightfall. Get to the pools early enough and you might be lucky enough to spot one – or at least beat the crowds.

Time Out tip: Make the most of the idyllic island by booking yourself a stay at the 4 AA Rosette-awarded Edinbane Lodge, where you can fill up on an exquisite menu before resting your head in a renovated 16th century hunting lodge.

A forest so enchanting, it was supposedly the blueprint for Middle Earth’s Mirkwood, Puzzlewood is a dense green labyrinth within the Forest of Dean. The ancient woodland covers 14 acres, offering hidden caves, towering ravines, charming wooden bridges, moss-covered rocks and twisting roots. Its meandering path is the result of eroded underground cave systems which, over a few million years, became exposed to the surface. Now, it’s a regular on the silver screen, featuring in the likes of Harry Potter and Star Wars. Along the short, easy trail you’ll find nooks and crannies fit for fairies and elves around every corner.

Time Out tip: After wandering Puzzlewood’s spellbinding track, enjoy some culinary magic at Tudor Farmhouse. The produce is locally sourced, dishes are fresh and if you’re feeling particularly bougie, go ahead and spend a night in one of its luxurious rooms.

I’ve been going to Whitstable since I was little and I’ve sat on Whitstable Beach probably a million times – and it has never felt any less magical. Its mile of pebble beach is separated by wooden groynes, fading into a string of multi-coloured beach huts before eventually leading to Seasalter. But the crowning glory has to be the view of Whitstable’s sunset, which feels as though someone has peeled away the sky to expose it: all deep pinks and oranges reflected on little pools of sea water when the tide is far out. It feels as though the whole world goes still when it sets.

Time Out tip: The best spot to watch this marvel is from the comfort of the Old Neptune’s beer garden right on the beach, with a pint of Whitstable Lager in hand (and possibly a dozen oysters). The Neppy is one of Time Out’s best pubs in the UK for good reason.

The best things to do in Whitstable.

Perched on the River Dee, this ‘artists’ town’ and fishing village is a quiet wonder in gorgeous, Gulf Stream-warmed Dumfries and Galloway. I discovered Kirkcudbright (pronounced ‘kir–coo–bree’) on a road trip of locations from the legendary folk horror The Wicker Man and fell in love. It’s only wee – 3,000-odd people last time anyone checked – and every shop, pub, art gallery and tea room has its own gentle charm. It’s even got its own planetarium. And if you’re not too busy stargazing, the town is a brilliant springboard to explore this part of Scotland’s west coast with its looming castles and lush botanic gardens.

Time Out tip: An annual Arts & Crafts Trail runs in August and turns the town into an open-house for visitors to check out its artist studios.