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 England is the largest of the four "home nations" that make up the United Kingdom. It is also the most
populous of the four with almost 52 million inhabitants (roughly 90% of the total population of the UK). On the island of Great Britain, Scotland sits to the north of
England and Wales is to the west. Northern Ireland (also part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland lie across the Irish Sea to west of England (and Wales). France and the Channel Islands are across the English
Channel to the south, and to the east is the North Sea. Don't confuse England with Britain or the UK.
Regions
England can be divided most generally into three sections, with deep historical and linguistic roots for each of them. These can be further divided into regions, which in turn
consist of counties (most of which also have long histories, but have been revised in many cases for administrative reasons).
South of England
The South of England is roughly the area south of the River Thames and the Bristol Channel.
Cities
England has many large cities. Listed below are nine of the most popular:
- London - largest metropolitan area in Western Europe, and a global capital of finance, fashion and culture
- Birmingham - the UK's second largest city (by population) in the industrial heartland
- Bristol - vibrant music scene, lovely historic buildings and an attractive waterfront
- Brighton - regency seaside resort and university town with quirky shopping, good eating, rich culture and vibrant nightlife
- Liverpool - booming cosmopolitan city, famous for its landmarks, sport, music and nightlife
- Manchester - third most visited city in the UK, a cultural, sporting, entertainment, shopping and media hub
- Nottingham - "Queen of the Midlands", home of Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle
- Newcastle upon Tyne - a thriving northern city with world-famous nightlife
- York - ancient capital of Yorkshire, with Roman, Viking and Medieval remains
Other destinations
England has many outstanding landmarks and sites of interest. Listed below are nine of the most notable:
Get in
By road
From outside Great Britain
Since England is on an island, it is not possible to drive directly into England from outside Great Britain. Motorists have two choices to enter England from outside Great Britain, by various car ferry routes, or the Channel Tunnel.
Car ferries
- From mainland Europe. - there are a wide variety of routes and operators from various countries. Ferry routes to British Mainland
- From the Channel Islands. Services connect Jersey and Guernsey with the south of England.
- From the Isle of Man. Services connect Douglas, Isle of Man with the north west of England
- From Ireland. There are only limited car ferry services connecting Ireland directly with England. Alternatively it is
possible to take a ferry fromIreland to Wales or Scotland and then continue the journey by road to England.
Channel Tunnel
- From France. Eurotunnel run a frequent train service from Calais, France, to Folkestone which carries vehicles and their passengers.
From elsewhere in Great Britain
A number of roads cross England's borders with its British neighbours. These roads range from the simple country lanes to
motorways. There are no border controls with Scotland or Wales; indeed, on smaller roads the border may not be noticed at all.
There are no tolls to cross into England; however, motorists need to be aware that crossing from England into Wales via the M4 and M48 Severn Bridges will need to pay a toll. Also, there is a M6 toll road to bypass the congestion of Birmingham
(England's second largest city) on the main M6 motorway.
The most important road connections into and out of England are.
- A1 from Edinburgh to Eastern Scotland
- M4 from South Wales
- M74/A74/M6 from Western Scotland
- A55 from North Wales.
By plane
England has numerous airports:
London and the South East
- London Gatwick
- Heathrow Airport - Largest airport in UK, and third busiest in the world.
- London Stansted
- London Luton
- London City
The South
The South West
- Bristol
- Exeter
- Newquay
- Plymouth
East Anglia
The Midlands
- Birmingham International
- East Midlands
- Coventry Airport
The North
- Manchester International - largest UK airport outside London
- Liverpool John Lennon
- Newcastle International
- Leeds-Bradford
- Doncaster-Sheffield
- Humberside International
- Durham Tees Valley
- Blackpool
By train
Eurostar links mainland Europe to England. Trains run from Paris, France and Brussels, Belgium (via Lille and Calais)
crossing into England via the Channel Tunnel (and often stopping at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford) before continuing to St.
Pancras Station in London. Occasional services run from other destinations in France. Book as early as possible as fares can be considerably more expensive if trying to book at the last minute.
From Wales and Scotland regular services cross the borders into England.
BritRail Passes are also available to non-UK citizens which allow the traveller unlimited rail travel in England on one ticket.BritRail Passes
By boat
With so much coastline and so many ports, England has extensive shipping links with many countries worldwide. Major ports
are Dover, Folkestone, Harwich, Hull, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton,Liverpool,Ipswich and Newcastle. See Ferry routes to British Mainland.
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