The most beautiful places in England
With vast national parks, countless chocolate-box villages and endless stretches of coastline, it isn't hard to see why England is brimming with pretty landscapes and picturesque views. We've rounded up the country's best-looking destinations, from cliffs overlooking the sea in Dorset and cosy cottages in Sussex to hidden caves in the Peak District and craggy shores in Devon.
On Cornwall’s north coast, The Scarlet in Mawgan Porth is a well-deserved pitstop on one of the best walking holidays in the UK and looks out over the swelling Atlantic waves and tiny islets out to sea.
Sophie KnightOn the bustling streets of Southwold, a coastal breeze, signs for fresh fish for sale and plenty of pastel houses make for a lovely English staycation in Suffolk.
Sophie KnightThis storybook house sits just off the beach in Southwold, Suffolk. Discover more of our favourite beach houses to rent in the UK.
Sophie KnightA spiral staircase corkscrews its way upwards among the palms in Kew Gardens, one of London’s loveliest parks.
James BedfordAlong the Devonshire coastline, Hope Cove House is a sophisticated, no-frills hotel with views across a sandy cove backed by thatched cottages, one of the best hotels in the UK.
Sophie KnightThe majestic redbrick Kew Palace proudly overlooks the grounds of Kew Gardens.
Sophie KnightWoodland walks, long pub lunches and the chance to spy wild horses roaming free – the New Forest is one of our favourite day trips from London.
Sophie KnightColourful beach huts line the shores of Mudeford Sandbanks, one of the UK’s most beautiful beaches.
Sophie KnightCovered in twisting vines and crawlers, the leafy Pig Hotel in Brockenhurst is a perfect place to unwind. For a day exploring Hampshire, head to the village of Beaulieu, one of the prettiest villages in the UK.
Sophie KnightWith wild deer roaming free, the babbling river Thames gently flowing past, and plenty of green spaces blooming with wildflowers, Richmond is a corner of the city that doesn’t feel like London.
One of England’s top hotels, Thyme is a grand manor house set on pristine grounds and is also home to the Ox Barn, one of the best restaurants in the Cotswolds.
Sophie KnightA shop for the green-fingered – Petersham Nurseries in Richmond is a bohemian jungle of greenhouses and plants and one of the best park cafes in London – plus it’s home to a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Sophie KnightFrom London, you can get to Surrey in just 50 minutes. Explore the tiny villages (like this one in Shere) or marvel at Hampton Court Palace – this is one of the best day trips from London.
This rickety restaurant, with pale blue doors and hazy sunset views, looks out over the beautiful South Milton Sands in Devon – and is one of our favourite beach restaurants in the UK.
Sophie KnightFor a romantic trip in the UK, it doesn’t get much better than disappearing among the ferns and pines of the New Forest National Park for a back-to-nature camping trip.
Jake EasthamAlong the winding Cornish coastline, this walking route takes you past The Pig, where you can sit outside and fill up on freshly caught seafood from The Lobster Shed.
Waves gently lap this Cornish hotel, but inside eclectic decor, giant bathtubs and a blue-and-white sailor colour palette make the Idle Rocks one of England’s most charming seaside hotels.
Jake EasthamFlagstone floors, wooden bars and lavender-fringed gardens at The Lord Poulett Arms in Somerset.
A view of Camber Sands in Rye.
Will ElsomA frosty morning walk in Oxfordshire.
Will ElsomThe pale blue shores and white sands of Kynance Cove, Cornwall. For more inspiration nearby, see our recommendations for the best places to visit in Cornwall.
Will ElsomA waterfall pours down a cliffside on the North Devon coast.
Rebecca Chandler @bybecColourful beach huts line the shore on Mersea Island.
Alessandra SpairaniThe picturesque Clare College Bridge crosses the River Cam in Cambridge.
Mismatched furniture, oil paintings and high ceilings at The Talbot in Malton.
Jan Baldwin / NarrativesA string of medieval houses in Rye, Sussex.
Alessandra SpairaniCobbles Court in Cambridge, built in the 1720s.
Toby MitchellThe Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, opened in 1864, is one of the wonders that followed the Industrial Revolution.
The cosy Star Inn at Harome in Yorkshire with wooden beams and crooked staircases.
Jenny ZarinsThe Newt sits on a fruit-filled estate in Somerset.
Nick IsdenBledington Barn is a renovated 300-year-old stone barn in Oxfordshire.
The green exterior of Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms, The Black Swan at Olstead in Yorkshire.
Rugged coastal views from Gara Rock in Salcombe, Devon.
A laid table framed by hanging herbs and flowers in Osip, one of the best restaurants in Somerset.
Tim Evan-CookLavender-framed lawns at Soho Farmhouse, one of the UK's best hotels.
Jo RodgersA cosy sitting room in The Lygon Arms in Worcestershire.
Jake EasthamSet in five acres of rolling grounds, red-bricked The Pig at Bridge Place offers rural isolation in Canterbury, Kent.
Artist Residence in Oxfordshire is set inside a 16th-century building with an olive tree-studded courtyard.
Moody colours, vintage tiles and wood panelling welcome guests at Babington House in Somerset.
An eco-friendly retreat, The Scarlet Hotel in Cornwall overlooks golden sands at Mawgan Porth bay.
Sarah Lauren PhotographyView of the Devon coastline from The Cary Arms.
Emma LewisThe Stepping Stones, a historical landmark, in Bruton, Somerset.
Emma LewisForde Abbey is renowned for its immaculate gardens filled with roses, wisteria and acres of land in Somerset.
Emma LewisA man fishing on the River Loddon in Hampshire.
Emma LewisA bathtub in Soho townhouse Hazlitt's in London.
Holly FarrierThe rocky lands of Carl Wark in the Peak District.
Holly FarrierSunset over the sea in Dorset.
Emma LewisHistorical landmark Forde Abbey covered in wisteria.
Holly FarrierColourful beach huts line the shore in Whitstable, Kent.
Holly FarrierA man hikes up Thor's Cave, a natural cavern in the Manifold Valley in the Peak District. See our guide to the best walks in the Peak District.
Holly FarrierDurdle Door on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.
Holly FarrierColourful fields in Yorkshire.
Lesley LauThe sun sets on Beachy Head in East Sussex.
Lesley LauA hazy seafront at Hastings, Sussex.
Lesley LauDiners sit in the sunshine outside Somerset House in London.
Toby MitchellCarnewas at Bedruthan Steps in the Cornish coast, between Padstow and Newquay.
Toby MitchellGolden hour in Covent Garden, London.
Toby MitchellPeople stand overlooking the sea on a cliff at the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.
Toby MitchellA view of the golden-hued buildings of Bath from a hot air balloon.
Toby MitchellUnusually quiet streets of Oxford Circus in London.
Will ElsomA forest filled with a carpet of bluebells in Oxford.
Will ElsomSaunton Sands on the north Devon coast.
Will ElsomForests of green in Stourhead, Stourton.
Will ElsomThe sleepy shores of West Lulworth, Dorset.
Will ElsomLow-lit interiors and stained-glass windows of Balliol College, Oxford.
Unique HomestaysAmmonite, an understated 1930s log cabin in East Sussex.
Yuki SugiuraA green coastal path by the beach in Devon.
Yuki SugiuraHanging lights, wooden tables and white-washed walls at St John bakery in London.
Yuki SugiuraThe view over fields from a house in Kingsbridge.
Yuki SugiuraThe sun shines through the windows of the restaurant in Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukHouses reflecting in the water in Whitby.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukPlants take over the Conservatory Archives in London.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukA pub covered in ivy in the village of Bibery, Cotswolds.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukThe Woodsman's Treehouse in the Dorset woods.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukA sandy stretch of land in Dungeness, Kent.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukAtkinsons coffee roasters in Manchester.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukA plant shop in Falmouth, Cornwall.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukLooking out over Old Harry Rocks in Dorset on a foggy day.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukA glimpse of water between two houses on the North Norfolk coast.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukA pink house in Suffolk.
- Haarkon - Haarkon.co.uk
The circular walk from Blakeney through Cley.
Haarkon - Haarkon.co.ukThe silhouette of a lighthouse in winter in Whitby, Yorkshire.
Nancy LovaA shady corner by a stream in Canterbury, Kent.
The colourful grounds surrounding The Ethicurean, a restaurant in Somerset.
Issy CrokerBrightly coloured houses line a road in Malton.
Will ElsomThe majestic Radcliffe Camera in Oxford.
Toby MitchellThe Circus, a popular street in Bath, Somerset.
Grand Askham Hall rises up amid fields of green in Cumbria.