England Activities

England has a rich culture pulling together thousands of years of history which can be seen through its numerous cultural attractions. Everything from world-renowned museums and galleries to massive working castles, quality theatres and architecturally-stimulating cities await the visitor. English Heritage manages England’s historic sites.

England has always had a vast amount of traditional dishes on-hand and the large influx of immigrants has seen a rise in exotic dishes served. Cafés, pubs, restaurants, and inns all serve excellent food and offer a variety of price ranges.

The full English breakfast, fish and chips, and afternoon tea are all synonymous with the typical English gastronomic experience, yet the likes of Indian chicken biriani, doner kebab, and wanton soup are all ingrained in the English diet too. Vegetarian food is on the up and up and can be found in most venues.

A traditional full English breakfast consists of fried eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding (fried pig’s blood), fried mushrooms, baked beans, fried bread, and toast and butter. Orange juice, and hot tea or coffee, are generally included.

Fish-and-chips are the traditional national food. Real deep-fried chips are served together with battered fish (usually cod, but also haddock and plaice) and wrapped up in paper from a ‘chippy’ (fish and chip shop) or served on a plate garnished with a side salad in a restaurant.

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is another traditional English dish which is best eaten on a Sunday. The dish consists of thinly sliced succulent beef which is served with Yorkshire puddings (an oven-baked flour, eggs and milk mix) which is then smothered with gravy.

Pubs and inns offer the best-priced food in England and there are literally thousands all over, even in the smallest of villages. The larger pubs and so-called specialist gastropubs offer a wide range of dishes and can usually be found in medium-sized towns and larger. The best and priciest restaurants are in London, while shopping malls are good for fast food and specialist cafes.

In the world of shopping in England, most towns offer a similar choice of high-street stores with lots of shoe shops, clothes shops, numerous book shops and pharmacies in between glitzy malls.

Everything from cutting-edge fashion to porcelain and china, luxury food and chocolates, an unending supply of book shops, as well as antiques fares, are in abundance. Numerous high quality items are made in England such as The Body Shop items, Doc Martens, cashmere and woollen items, bone china, antiques, and rare books.

London is a shopper’s paradise. There are literally thousands of shops here and it is the world capital for fashion boutiques, chain shops and department stores. Oxford street, Charing Cross, Covent Garden and Knightsbridge all offer fantastic shopping options.

Many larger shops offer tax-free shopping to tourists, whereby overseas visitors can fill out a form that allow them to present the goods and the form (which should bear the shop’s stamp) to customs upon leaving the country. Shoppers are then entitled to a value added tax (VAT) refund, which is currently 17.5 per cent. VAT refunds must be claimed within three months of the date of purchase.

The walking and cycling opportunities are particularly great in England and are best enjoyed between May and October when the weather is better. The variety of landscapes in England is staggering with rolling hills, idyllic rivers and streams and an unending green. There are also some superb beaches loaded with activities, while most of the world’s popular spectator sports were invented or codified here.