Tourism plays a significant part in the economic life of England.
Map of England, UK
Cultural and heritage tourism
England's long history and pervasive culture spread worldwide through the English language and colonialism make England a popular tourist destination, particularly in London. (See Tourism in London).
Heritage Cities in England
Bath: A spa town, famous for its Georgian architecture and crescents, and also for its Roman baths.
Brighton: Brighton is a seaside resort which includes two piers, West Pier and Brighton Pier, and is home to the Royal Pavilion.
Bristol: Brunel's The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a famous landmark, and the ship, the SS Great Britain is another of Brunel's famous constructions, which is now in dry dock in Bristol.
Cambridge: A famous university town.
Canterbury: Renowned for its cathedral.
Chester: Important Roman and medieval walled city with an amphitheatre and 11th Century Benedictine Abbey, now the Cathedral. Renowned for its covered medieval shop 'rows', racecourse and Chester Zoo.
Dover: A major port with access to the continent. Also well known for its white cliffs, and to a lesser extent for its castle, Dover Castle.
Durham: A famous university town, also renowned for its cathedral and castle.
Exeter: City home to Exeter Cathedral and Rougemont Castle.
Haworth: where the Brontë Sisters lived, is very popular with Japanese tourists, as Wuthering Heights has a cult following in Japan.
Lincoln: A medieval city, home to the very ornate Lincoln Cathedral and to Lincoln Castle, where a copy of the Magna Carta is kept.
Liverpool: The 2008 European Capital of Culture, a major commercial port and World Heritage Site, home to two cathedrals, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a strong theatrical tradition. It has more listed buildings, registered historic parks, museums and art galleries than any other city in the UK outside London. The home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton. The first city in the world to be linked by passenger railway (with Manchester) it is also famous for The Grand National, and its musical, maritime and literary heritage.
Norwich: City renowned for its castle and cathedral. The latter has the second-tallest spire in the country.
Nottingham: The city and Nottingham Castle are famed worldwide for their links with the legend of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest is nearby.
Oxford: A city known for its university, the University of Oxford.
Plymouth: A naval dockyard, with a listed heritage area, the Barbican, which includes the National Marine Aquarium and the Mayflower Steps. Also home to Smeaton's Tower, a former lighthouse now used as a viewpoint.
Portsmouth: Portsmouth is also a naval dockyard, and has some famous ships on display, including the Mary Rose, and HMS Victory, all within its Historic Dockyard. Also home to Gunwharf Quays retail centre, with its iconic Spinnaker Tower.
Salisbury: Salisbury Cathedral is very well known, and has the tallest spire in the country. Nearby is the pre-historic site of Stonehenge, which is administered by English Heritage.
Shrewsbury: Medieval walled town situated within a loop of the River Severn. Famous for its many timber framed buildings, churches, stone bridges and as the birthplace of Charles Darwin.
Stratford-upon-Avon: The birthplace of William Shakespeare is probably the most visited place in Stratford. It had more than 805,000 visitors in 2011.
York: Famous for the York Minster cathedral. Also the location of the National Railway Museum and a wealth of preserved medieval streets and buildings, such as the Merchant Adventurers' Hall and the Shambles.
Other places in England are also of historical interest. The city of Manchester is the second most visited city by foreign tourists in England after London (in a survey from 2002). Many foreign tourists also visit the neighbouring countries Scotland and Wales – see tourism in Scotland and tourism in Wales.
Domestic tourists, and foreign tourists who have specific interests in art, music, history etc., also visit the following:
Birmingham: A major city, with an orchestra, major exhibition venues (NEC, ICC) and art galleries. Of historical interest for its significant role in the industrial revolution, the childhood home and inspiration of Tolkien, noted for its shopping and boasting the longest stretch of nightclubs in England.
Hadrian's Wall: The Roman wall built in Northumberland by order of the Emperor Hadrian.
Hereford: A cathedral city, famous for the chained library in the cathedral, and the Mappa Mundi
Ironbridge: The cradle of the industrial revolution and the site for the legendary Iron bridge.
Manchester: A culturally pre-eminent city, once famous for its industry. Known for the Hallé orchestra and many museums, art galleries and its Victorian and Edwardian era architecture. The city was host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is home to two Premier League football clubs. Manchester is also known for being the world's first industrialised city, and is well noted for its shopping, cuisine, music, media, social history and nightlife.
Winchester: A cathedral city, also famous for its castle, which has a depiction of King Arthur's Round Table in the Great Hall.
The English countryside has been described as particularly suitable to ecotourism, if affected by the sad irony "that the things that make the landscape of Britain comely and distinctive are almost entirely no longer needed. Hedgerows, country churches, stone barns, verges full of nodding wildflowers and birdsong, sheep roaming over wind-swept fells, village shops and post office and much more can only rarely be justified on economic grounds, and for most people in power those are the only things that matter".
England possesses some unique natural environments, and continues to benefit from a significant Ecotourism industry:
Eden Project in Cornwall.
The Lake District, a national park with hills and lakes, including Windermere, the largest lake in England.
The Peak District, a national park in Derbyshire.
Dartmoor and Exmoor, national parks in Somerset and/or Devon.
The New Forest, a rural forest park in Hampshire.
The Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site in Dorset and Devon.
The Broads in Norfolk.
The National Forest, covering parts of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Center Parcs, a European network of rural holiday parks.
