United Kingdom

A four-in-one destination (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), the U.K. offers beautiful, memorable, and accessible nature, some of the best museums in Europe, and a flourishing food scene far beyond mushy peas or beans on toast. Its landscapes are unparalleled and diverse—think craggy mountain peaks, ancient forests dripping with moss and ferns, and cool glassy lakes increasingly popular for wild swimming.

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Overview

Planning your trip

Use these articles, resources, and guides to plan and inspire your next trip to the United Kingdom.

Related Guides
READ BEFORE YOU GO
HOTELS
Opened in February 2026, the Newman is an independent hotel that puts guests in the heart of Fitzrovia, a character-rich London neighborhood that visitors often overlook.
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The hotels on this list are as thoughtful about accessibility as they are about design, going beyond compliance to make travel more comfortable and intuitive for disabled guests.
Sleep under the world’s darkest, clearest skies across six continents at one of these 19 dark sky zone hotels.
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Afar editors share the 2025 hotel stays they didn’t want to leave—and would happily return to.
Opening in February 2026 just north of London’s West End, the Newman takes cues from Fitzrovia’s bohemian history, balancing thoughtfully designed rooms with street-facing spaces meant to be shared.
Whether it’s a villa in Italy, a dude ranch in the U.S. West, or a luxury all-inclusive in the Caribbean, here are places where accommodations and experiences are ideal for large family groups with a wide range of ages.
The luxury hotel industry is changing fast. The Langham Hospitality Group CEO Bob van den Oord discusses how his brand is adapting—and what the future holds for high-end travel.
These are the 24 hotels we recommend most for wellness.
RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN YOUR TRIP
We learned from experience so you don’t have to—heed our advice to set yourself up for permanent ink success.
Put down your pint and head upstairs to find comfortable beds, cool designs, and maybe a cozy fireplace or reading nook. Could pubs with rooms be the perfect alternative to big chain hotels?
Spoiler alert: The U.K. and Great Britain are different things. Here’s what you need to know about the history and etymology of a fairly baffling cluster of islands.
Italy or India, Bangladesh or Burundi: Where will your reading take you this year? If your booklist needs some international flair, consider these recent stories by writers around the world.
Netflix used Belvoir Castle as a filming location in its hit drama starring Olivia Coleman. Now you can rent it for limited 1-night stays this winter—including New Year’s Eve.
36 destinations to kick-start your travel dreaming and scheming.
Immerse yourself in four emerging destinations on this exclusive 13-day Journeys from London with AFAR and TCS World Travel.
When you take the time to listen, the country speaks through the buzz of bees, the hubbub of the market, the desert wind.
An elegant journey on Europe’s most iconic train takes a traveler into the past. But not the one she imagined.
It’s possible to explore the country like your favorite characters from the award-winning period drama series, among them fictional aristocrats Lady Mary and Lord Sinderby.