Historic Edinburgh is a fascinating city to explore, while Glasgow explodes with nightlife options. Visitors to Wales can meander from the urban highlights of Cardiff to Snowdon’s jagged peaks in the north. Across the water, Belfast is reviving as a tourist destination, and Northern Ireland’s countryside is green and rolling.

Note: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Although they form one administrative unit (with regional exceptions), they have had separate cultures, languages and political histories.

The United Kingdom section consists of a general introduction (covering the aspects that the four countries have in common) and sections devoted to the four constituent countries. The Channel Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and Herm) and the Isle of Man are dependencies of the British Crown. These are included here for convenience of reference.

More detailed geographical descriptions of the various countries may be found under the respective travel guides.

Currency

Pound (GBP; symbol £) = 100 pence. Notes are in denominations of £50, 20, 10 and 5. Additional bank notes issued by Scottish banks (including £1 notes) are accepted in all parts of the UK, although some smaller shops outside Scotland may prefer English banknotes. Coins are in denominations of £2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 pence.

Electricity

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard.

2018

New Year’s Day: 1 January 2018
Good Friday: 30 March 2018
May Day: 7 May 2018
Spring Bank Holiday: 28 May 2018
Christmas Day: 25 December 2018
Boxing Day: 26 December 2018

All information subject to change.

Glasgow’s annual folk, roots and world music festival, Celtic Connections celebrates Celtic music and its connections to cultures across the globe. Typically, over 2,000 musicians from around the world descend on Glasgow and bring the city to life for almost three weeks of concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops and free events.

The festival programme encompasses a huge range of moving image experiences. Visitors can expect entertaining galas, premieres, parties, lively events, celebrities and of course a collection of stunning documentaries from around the world.

The Glasgow International Comedy Festival is attracting increasingly bigger and better names, making it one of the most well respected comedy festivals in Britain, rivalling even Edinburgh’s line-ups. Venues range from small pubs to big theatres and concert halls, so you can expect everything from major shows featuring big names on the circuit to little gems by unknown performers. Nearly 300 shows take place at some 40 venues all over Glasgow.

This old-fashioned community festival and street party take place in Glasgow’s academic and campus quarter and include live music, film screenings, garden fetes, cake stalls, barbecue and family fun days, and a Japanese Matsuri, where visitors put on a kimono, make origami and try their hand at the Japanese alphabet.

Now sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Glasgow Jazz Festival continues to progress, with over 160 separate performances staged each year. Most concerts take place at the Royal Bank Big Stage, aided and abetted by other concert venues and many Fringe venues around the Merchant City area. This is a festival with strong roots and many top names have featured here in past years.

This vibrant arts and entertainment festival takes place in about 70 venues in Glasgow’s rejuvenated cultural quarter. A packed, four-day programme includes music, theatre, comedy, film, food and exhibitions in a list of about 300 events. Past acts include the Urban Rocks Fashion Show, Ceilidh Dance Class, cutting-edge film screenings and street theatre.

Scottish pipe bands from around the world perform daily for three hours in the middle of Glasgow during the annual Piping Live! event. Daily workshops offer an opportunity to be initiated into the secrets of the bag pipe – the quintessentially Scottish instrument. There are also café pipe jamming sessions, piping lectures, a Festival Club, the World Solo Amateur Piping Competition and the eagerly awaited Pipe Idol competition.

New Year’s Eve celebrations offer the best in Scottish themed entertainment and activities including Highland Dancing, pipe bands, free performances by top Ceilidh bands and much more.