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Destinations in the United Kingdom — where to go

London and Edinburgh — where to base yourself and how long each city actually deserves.

London and Edinburgh are the UK's two essential city stops. London needs 4–5 days minimum (it's genuinely enormous); Edinburgh rewards 2–3 days and works as a compact, walkable add-on. Most first-time visitors combine both with a rail journey between them (about 4.5 hours direct, or a 1h10m flight) and add a few days of regional day trips around either end.

The UK looks small on a map and is not small in practice — London alone could eat a two-week trip if you let it. The efficient move is picking one or two cities as a base and layering in day trips, rather than trying to hit every place you've seen on a postcard. Here's every major city destination, with an honest read on how long it actually needs.

London
Destinations

London

4–5 nights minimum — it's bigger than it looks on any map.

Edinburgh
Destinations

Edinburgh

2–3 days, walkable Old Town, one of the world's great festival cities.

Questions people actually ask

How many days do I need in the UK?
7 days covers London plus one or two day trips. 10–14 days lets you add Edinburgh and a proper regional loop (the Cotswolds, or the Scottish Highlands). Anything over 14 days and you can start slowing down rather than rushing between sights.
London or Edinburgh first?
Most itineraries put London first since it's the main international gateway for long-haul flights, then take the train or a short flight up to Edinburgh. Either order works fine if you're flying into Scotland directly.
Is the UK expensive?
London is genuinely one of the pricier major cities in the world, especially for accommodation. Edinburgh and the regions cost noticeably less. Budget travelers can still do it well with hostels, supermarket meals, and free museums — see our full cost breakdown on the practical pages.