old city centre and a castle that lies on a
hill above the city. Several famous people were born in Edinburgh, for example Alexander Graham Bell (who invented the telephone), Tony Blair (Prime Minister) and Arthur Conan Doyle (who wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories). By the way, J. K. Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter book in an Edinburgh coffee-shop.Oxford is a beautiful university town that is famous all over the world. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in Great Britain. It already existed in the 12th century. In the town centre there are many old buildings. There is also a museum where you can learn more about Oxford’s history.
London lies on the river Thames and is the capital of the United Kingdom. With about 7 million inhabitants, it is one of the largest cities in the world. There are plenty of museums, theatres and interesting sights, for example the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament with their clock tower and a world famous bell, Big Ben.
Dover is a little town and an important ferry port. Between Dover and Calais in France, the English Channel is only 34 km wide. To cross the channel by ferry takes only about 90 minutes. From the ferry you have a wonderful view of the famous chalk cliffs – the White Cliffs of Dover.
Stonehenge is a mystical place. Its stone circles are probably more than 4,000 years old. The huge stones come from an area about 30 km north of Stonehenge. The smaller stones possibly are from the Preseli Mountains in Wales, almost 400 km away from Stonehenge. Nobody knows for sure what the function of Stonehenge was. Maybe it was a druid temple. Maybe it was a sacrificial altar. Maybe it was some kind of observatory.
Liverpool is not only an industrial centre. First of all it is known all over the world as the birthplace of The Beatles’. In the Beatles Story Museum you can find everything about this famous group.
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is one of the youngest capitals of the world. It is a city of the 19th century and of the industrial revolution.
Cardiff is Wales’ capital city and Europe’s youngest capital. Cardiff Castle’s walls and fairytale towers conceal over 2,000 years of history. The National Museum of Cardiff houses Wales’ national archaeology, geology and natural history collections, as well as one of Europe’s finest art collections. In addition, the Wales Millennium Centre is one of the most varied and lively performing art centres in Europe.
Situated on the River Avon in the heart of England, Stratford-upon-Avon is best known as the birthplace of England’s greatest poet and playwright, William Shakespeare. Visit this beautiful place to discover a charming town with a real sense of history.
The Peak District National Park lies between the cities of Sheffield and Manchester at the very heart of England. It was Britain’s first National Park, and is home to wild and wonderful landscapes, impressive peaks and picture postcard English villages.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
