British Landmarks

Nearly 1,000 years of sieges, coronations and executions — all crammed into one square mile on the Thames. Home to the Crown Jewels and neighbour to Tower Bridge, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is equal parts fortress, palace and prison.

There's a reason it's still the first thing people want to do when they come to London. 135 metres above the Thames, the whole city opens up beneath you. Best at dusk, just saying.

For a few weeks each year, the doors open and the public gets to walk through the rooms where history actually happens. Nineteen State Rooms, centuries of royal art and the Gold State Coach.

Less visited than the State Rooms, arguably more fascinating. The working stables behind the palace are home to the royal carriages and horses used on every state occasion, including the coronation coaches.

Henry VIII's favourite palace sits on the Thames just outside London, and it's worth every minute of the journey as a full day out on its own. Tudor kitchens, baroque state apartments and sprawling gardens stretch across the site, and there's still the famous maze to get lost in.

Wren's masterpiece has defined the London skyline since 1710 — and London planning law is still written to keep it that way. Climb to the Whispering Gallery, where a word spoken softly travels round the dome to the other side. Breathtaking at every level.

The oldest and largest occupied castle in the world — and still a working royal residence. St George's Chapel alone is worth the trip: the burial place of ten monarchs, including Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth II.

Diana's home. Victoria's birthplace. Now the public and working residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The palace sits within Kensington Gardens and holds rotating exhibitions drawing from the Royal Collection.

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens is the spectacular official residence of the Royal Family in Northern Ireland. Explore the stunningly renovated Staterooms, including the grand Throne Room and Red Room where key political figures and royalty alike have gathered, then venture outside to discover the delights of the 100-acre gardens, whatever the season.

The King's official Scottish residence sits at the foot of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, with Arthur's Seat looming behind it. 12 acres of grounds, royal apartments and a ruined 12th-century abbey