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Places to go in Great Britain
The United Kingdom is the world’s 8th biggest tourist destination, with 36.115 million people visiting in 2015.
1- London
London is one of the world’s most visited cities.
It was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. The Romans left at the beginning of the 5th Century and Britain was invaded by the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes (who came from Holland, Germany and Denmark).
During the 9th and 10th Centuries there were many attacks by the Vikings.
Soon afterwards, the Normans invaded from France and William I (William the Conqueror) took control. He quickly began to build a stronghold to guard London – the Tower of London. The Tower has been used as a castle and a palace, a zoo and a weapons store, a mint (where coins are made) and a prison.
In the 1640s civil war raged in England, with Charles I and his army battling against Parliament. Charles I was killed and Charles II became the King. In 1665, rats on board trading ships brought bubonic plague into the city of London. 100,000 people died.
A small fire, accidentally started in Pudding Lane in the City of London in September of 1666, was the cause of an enormous fire which lasted four days and wiped out 80% of London.
Then, since the 18th century, London has become more and more powerful and has continued to grow both in population and spread.
Today many monuments from all those periods can be visited, most of them for free.
2- Brighton
Britghton was an ancient fishing village which emerged as a health resort in the 18th century and grew into one of the largest towns in England by the 20th century.
3- Bath
There is a legend that Bath was founded in 860 BC (BC = Before Christ) when Prince Bladud, father of King Lear, caught leprosy. He was banned from the court and was forced to look after pigs. The pigs also had a skin disease but after they wallowed in hot mud they were cured. Prince Bladud followed their example and was also cured. Later he became king and founded the city of Bath.
Around 50 AD (AD = Anno Domini) , Romans built a temple dedicated to Sul, a Celtic god and Minerva the Roman goddess of healing. They also built a public baths which was supplied by the hot springs.
4- Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital of Wales.
It is said to be « the most sociable city in Great Britain ». Cardiff’s rich culture has a diverse range of influences, from the Romans and Normans of Antiquity to the Industrial Revolution and the coal industry – which transformed Cardiff from a small town into an international city.
Cardiff began as a Roman fort. Then, the town of Cardiff was founded when the Normans conquered Glamorgan. The medieval castle you can visit in Cardiff dates from the 11th century, and was built within the walls of the old fort.
Now, Cardiff is a flourishing city. Attractions in Cardiff include the new Mermaid Quay, which is famous for its restaurants, the Oval Basin and the Atlantic Wharf Leisure Village, as well as the Glamorgan Cricket Stadium. Furthermore the Cardiff Millennium Centre opened in 2004 and The Cardiff Story opened in 2011.
5- Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is Scotland’s second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom.
Edinburgh began as a fort then it became a castle in the Middle Ages, and the town grew up around it. In 1128 King David I founded Holyrood Abbey. For many years the city had to face attacks from England. Then there were a civil war and a plague.
Lots of monuments were built since the early 1300s, such as the University. Edinburgh was a city of lawyers, bankers and literary figures.
In 1847 Alexander Graham Bell was born in Edinburgh. Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was born in Edinburgh in 1859.
6- Other places to visit
