Wondering how to spend 10 days in the UK? This itinerary has you covered with all the highlights of England and Scotland you can fit into a 10 day UK itinerary.
Here’s the deal: the UK is made up of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. If you’ve only got a week or two, you need to pick your spots wisely. I’ve been exploring the UK for over a year now, and I still feel like I’ve only seen a fraction of it.
This itinerary suggests spending six days in England and four days in Scotland. Got a second week? Why not try out Wales or dive deeper into Scotland and England?
We start in Edinburgh and finish in London, both cities have international airports, making them perfect starting and ending points. It’s best to travel in a straight line, either north to south or vice versa, to avoid wasting time doubling back. Let’s get going and explore the best of the UK!
The 10 day Scotland and England itinerary
This itinerary starts in Edinburgh and ends in London meaning you should buy an open jaw flight ticket. The itinerary can easily be done in either direction. In other words, you can fly to London and out of Edinburgh if that suits you better.
Day 1: Edinburgh
Spend the first day relaxing in Edinburgh.
Explore Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile. I love the view from Calton Hill. It is a viewpoint that overlooks the Edinburgh skyline.
There are several excellent museums such as the National Museum of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery.
Day 2: Fort William
Drive time from Edinburgh Airport to Fort William: 3.5 hours
Distance: 214 km
Rent a car. There are several car rental companies close to the railway station or at the airport.
You have two options for driving to Fort William. One route is past Stirling, the other skirts the Cairngorms National Park.
Along both routes, there are plenty of castles you should stop at. My recommendation is to pick one route each way.
On the way to Fort William drive past Stirling and stop at Stirling Castle. Make sure you leave early enough to be at Glenfinnan when the afternoon steam train passes over the viaduct. The afternoon service only runs from early May to the end of September.
There are several viewpoints to watch the steam train cross the viaduct. Afterwards explore the Glenfinnan monument and museum before driving back to Fort William and checking in to your hotel.
Day 3: Ben Nevis (Alternative 1)
A short drive from Fort William is Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. It is 1,344 metres high but it is harder to climb than you might think. For anyone who is fit and likes the outdoors this is a must whilst in Scotland.
The easiest route to the top is called the Mountain Track and takes about 7 hours.
One thing you can never guarantee in Scotland is the weather. You can climb Ben Nevis from May to the end of September and you should plan for a day with good weather forecast. It is not an easy climb so it won’t be for everyone so an alternative day 3 itinerary has been provided below.
Day 3: Steam train to Mallaig (Alternative 2)
Drive time from Fort William to Mallaig: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Distance: 69 km
If you didn’t make it to Glenfinnan on day 2 this is the perfect time to do a day trip on the “Harry Potter Steam Train”, actually called the Jacobite steam train. It runs from late March to the end of October.
The train takes 2 hours from Fort William to Mallaig. You then have 2 hours to explore the small fishing village of Mallaig before returning on the train to Fort William.
The downside is the train has become very popular so it is difficult to book tickets. As an alternative, you can either drive to Mallaig or get the ‘standard’ train. The standard train operates on the same route and is much cheaper.
Personally, I would either take the Jacobite or drive. If travelling by car you can stop to see the steam train cross the viaduct, visit the cute seaside village of Arisaig and admire the many beaches in the area.
Days 4: Edinburgh
Drive time from Fort William to Edinburgh: 3.5 hours
Distance: 235 km
Return to Edinburgh using the route that skirts the Cairngorms National Park. Stop at Blair, Blackcraig or Taymouth Castle. You will also pass Loch Ness where you can have a look for the monster.
I don’t recommend using a car in Edinburgh. You can walk pretty much everywhere in Edinburgh and having a car just means that you have to pay for expensive parking and it will limit where you can stay.
In the afternoon either visit the places you didn’t see on day one or try a Scottish Whisky Experience.
Day 5-7: London
Train time from Edinburgh to London: 4 hours and 45 minutes
Flight time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
On day 5 it is time to travel to England and visit London, the most famous and biggest city in the UK. This will be the longest travel day in the itinerary, but at least you can sit back and relax rather than having to drive yourself.
There is little difference time-wise between taking the train or a flight. Trains take you from city centre to city centre with stops at northern cities like York and Newcastle. Flight time is less but by the time you have got to and from the airports it works out similar. However, it is often cheaper to fly than taking the train.
Train tickets can be booked 3 months in advance and you should book tickets as early as you can. The cheapest tickets are for one particular train and do not allow for changes. It is incredibly expensive to buy tickets on the day in the UK so avoid that.
Make sure you reserve a seat with your booking, Trainline does it automatically but not all sites do and you can end up standing all the way to Edinburgh (this happened to my roommates).
You could easily spend a week in London and not run out of things to do. If it is your first time in the city then start with the highlights.
Westminster
Take a double decker bus and hop off at Westminster Abbey. After seeing the Coronation Chair and the Royal Tombs in the abbey cross the square to the Houses of Parliament.
The views of Big Ben are best from Westminster Bridge. Cross the bridge and walk along the South Bank. Join the queue for the London Eye for even better views of Westminster and Big Ben.
During the summer the South Bank is full of performers and street food stalls. Walk along the Thames to Tate Modern. There is always a free exhibition that is worth checking out.
Afterwards cross the Millennium Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral. Continuing along the river you can walk all the way to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
Museums
London is full of excellent museums such as the British Museum, the National History Museum and the V&A.
Shopping
The best places to go shopping in London are Oxford Street and Regent’s Street. For most of us Harrods is out of our price range but it is fun to look around this world-famous store.
Day 8: Cotswalds
Train time from London to Oxford: 55 minutes
Drive time from Oxford to Broadway: 1 hour
Distance: 66 km
Take the train to Oxford to avoid having to drive in London. Unless you are used to the traffic and driving on the left it is better to pick up your hire car in Oxford.
It is one hour by train from London to Oxford. Pick up a car at the train station in Oxford and drive north to Broadway, one of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds.
My favourite area in Broadway is the eastern end of High Street. This is where you will find Broadway Tower. From the top, there are sweeping views of the village and the countryside.
Back in the village try a cream tea at one of the tea shops. There is no more quintessential English way to end the afternoon than having scones, clotted cream and tea in a cute Cotswold village.
Days 9 and 10: Oxford
Drive time from Broadway to Oxford: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Distance: 66 km
On driving back to Oxford stop at some of the other villages in the area. My favourite villages in the Cotswolds are Snowhill, Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford.
Return to Oxford in the late afternoon and drop off your hire car. Like in the other larger cities it is better not to have a car when exploring Oxford city centre. Many hotels don’t have parking and it is easier to explore on foot.
The university colleges and spires of Oxford are well known from TV shows such as Inspector Morse and Lewis. Oxford is one of the most recognisable cities in the UK.
Many of the colleges are open to visitors. The two most interesting ones are Christ Church and Magdalene. My favourite buildings in Oxford are the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera.
At the bottom of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin is a café called Vaults & Garden. It is the perfect place to have a coffee and admire the architecture of the Radcliffe Camera.
You can also try your punting skills on the river. Punting requires good balance and sometimes the pole gets stuck in the mud. A picnic on the banks of the river might be a safer way to watch the boats glide past.
How to travel around the UK on this itinerary
In the largest cities such as London, Edinburgh and Oxford I recommend not using a car. Parking is expensive and difficult to find and in London it is much quicker to take the tube than to drive.
Buses and trains are a good way of getting between different cities such as between London, Oxford and Edinburgh.
However, as soon as you get out of the larger cities it is best to have a car. Travelling by public transport will make it much more time consuming to visit the main sites. Many places, particularly in Scotland and around Oxford, are difficult to get to by public transport and you may have a long walk to the sites.
I would recommend renting a car for the sections of your trip where there is limited public transport, so really when you are exploring the Highlands in Scotland and the villages of the Cotswold outside Oxford.
Between the larger cities such as Edinburgh to London and London to Oxford I would recommend taking the train. From Edinburgh to London is a long drive and you want to avoid driving in London unless you are used to the traffic and don’t mind paying a lot for parking.
You can find good deals on Trainline which is where I buy all my tickets.
One-way rentals are expensive so it is best to hire a car for a few days in Scotland and return the car before hiring another in Oxford to explore the Cotswolds.
You can check out rental car prices and book at DiscoverCars.com.
Where to stay in the UK
This itinerary is based on staying in hotels and B&Bs. In the larger cities, there are plenty of hotels to choose from. In the countryside, I usually stay in B&Bs or boutique hotels.
In smaller towns and villages it is important to book well in advance. Booking early means at least 6 months in advance and in the more remote parts of Scotland even further in advance.
Demand far outstrips supply and the best places can sell out shortly after dates open for the most popular weeks in the summer. I always book online via Booking.com as they have a flexible cancellation policy in case your plans change.
Alternative: 1 week UK itinerary
If you only have one week in the UK you really have to pick and choose what you want to see. This itinerary could easily be done over 2 weeks giving you more time in each location rather than trying to squeeze everything into a 1 week trip.
Anyone short on time could prioritise the two great cities of London and Edinburgh. However, I think you will then be missing the most scenic parts of the UK.
Combining the UK’s cities, the countryside and the cute traditional villages makes for a fantastically varied holiday.
Alternative: 2 week UK itinerary
This longer itinerary visits the same places as in the shorter itineraries but by spending more time in each place you can explore in more detail.
There are also many other day trips you can do from London like Rye, a super cute town in East Sussex or Salisbury, near Stonehenge.
For a slower-paced option you could take the 10 day UK itinerary and use the extra days for travelling which will give you more quality time in each location.
- Fort William
- Fort William
- Fort William
- Travel to Edinburgh
- Edinburgh
- Edinburgh
- Travel to London
- London
- London
- London
- Travel to Cotswolds
- Cotswolds
- Oxford
- Oxford
Alternative: 3 week UK itinerary
With 3 weeks to spend in the UK you can add a completely new destination. Choose between Devon and Cornwall or Wales for the extra week.
The two destinations are completely different. Wales is full of castles and green hills. Devon and Cornwall are favourite summer holiday destinations for the British. The seaside towns and beaches provides a complete contrast to London and Scotland.
For these additions pick up your rental car at the airport you will be flying out of rather than in Oxford. This will limit where you can stay in Oxford but it is worth it to make the onward travel easier.
For the final week choose between the two itineraries below:
Wales
- Drive from Oxford Tenby
- Tenby
- St Davids
- St Davids
- To Cardiff
- To Bath
- Return to the airport
Devon and Cornwall
- Drive from Oxford via Bath to Penzance
- Penzance
- Penzance
- Mt Saint Michel
- Devon
- Devon
- Return to the airport
Living in London and having travelled all over the UK it is hard for me to pick what to recommend out of so many good options. There are many amazing places that deserve a mention on this list.
The options listed in this post are some of my favourites but whether you take all or part of these itineraries I can guarantee you that you will have a great experience.
Happy travelling!
UK Travel Resources
- Find the best prices on hotels with flexible cancellation at Booking.com
- Find awesome day tours on Get Your Guide
- Book train tickets and buy a discount Railcard from Trainline
- Save on attractions with a city pass from Go City (including London and Edinburgh)
- Sort your pounds and other currencies with a Wise multi-currency card
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