Things to See in England

These monumental remains are some of the best preserved in Britain. The city's steaming soul is the bath-and-temple complex built by the Romans over one of Bath's three natural hot springs from the 1st century AD. You can usually avoid the worst crowds by visiting early on a midweek morning or outside the peak months (July and August).

Shakespeare's Globe was originally built in 1599, burned down in 1613 and immediately rebuilt. The Puritans, who regarded theatres as dreadful dens of iniquity, eventually closed it in 1642. American actor and director Sam Wanamaker fought to rebuild it last century, sadly dying before the opening night in 1997.

If you thought the current batch of British royals were an eccentric bunch, just wait until you see Brighton's crowning jewel, the Royal Pavilion. The exotic palace-cum-playpad of Prince George, later Prince Regent then King George IV, is one of the most self-indulgently decadent buildings in England and an apt symbol of Brighton's reputation for hedonism.

It's hard to imagine a more imposing mother church for Anglicanism than this majestic early Gothic cathedral. Though ominous undertones of violence and bloodshed whisper from its walls, it's an overwhelming edifice filled with enthralling stories, striking architecture and a very real and enduring sense of spirituality.

One of the most important prehistoric sites, the ancient ring of monolithic stones at Stonehenge has been attracting pilgrims, poets and philosophers for the last 5000 years. Despite the constant flow of traffic, and the huge numbers of visitors, Stonehenge still manages to be a mystical, ethereal place - a haunting echo from Britain's forgotten past.

Sitting snugly between the brooding North York Moors to the east and the dramatic Lake District to the west are the Yorkshire Dales (from the Viking word dalr, meaning 'valleys'), a marvellous area of high hills and moors, cut through by rugged stone walls and spotted with extravagant houses and the faded, spectral grandeur of monastic ruins.

Westminster Abbey is one of the most sacred and symbolic sites in England. With the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII, every sovereign has been crowned here since William the Conqueror. It's a beautiful building, full of morose tombs and monuments, with an acoustic field that will send shivers down your spine when the choirboys clear their throats.

The Victorian symbols - shrouded urns, obelisks, upturned torches (life extinguished) and broken columns (life cut short) - the eerily overgrown graves and the twisting paths of the western side of Highgate Cemetery weave a creepy kind of magic. On the other, less atmospheric side you can visit the graves of Karl Marx and George Eliot.

Yorkshire has a great selection of spooky, majestic castles but none more so than this 1070 heap. It's had many uses through the years, including a stint as a prison for conscientious objectors during WWI. Legend has it that King Arthur rests beneath the keep. The best part of a visit is the view from the top of the remarkably well-preserved 30m-high tower.

This former power station is home to the tremendous Tate Modern, Europe's most successful contemporary art gallery and one of the South Bank's most exciting attractions. By the end of the museum's first year it had attracted 5.2 million visitors, making it the second-favourite attraction in London.