All the United Kingdom England

The Atlas Obscura Guide To England

2,205 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in England

Updated May 9, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Aldbury
  2. Aldershot
  3. Alnwick
  4. Alresford
  5. Alton
  6. Ashbourne
  7. Baginton
  8. Bamburgh
  9. Barnard Castle
  10. Barnsley
  11. Barrow In Furness
  12. Basingstoke
  13. Bath
  14. Bath And North East Somerset
  15. Berwick Upon Tweed
  16. Beverley
  17. Bingley
  18. Birchington On Sea
  19. Birmingham
  20. Blackpool
  21. Borrowdale
  22. Bournemouth
  23. Bourton On The Water
  24. Bradford
  25. Bradford On Avon
  26. Brighton
  27. Bristol
  28. Buckinghamshire
  29. Bude
  30. Burnley
  31. Bury Saint Edmunds
  32. Buxton
  33. Cambridge
  34. Canterbury
  35. Carnforth
  36. Cerne Abbas
  37. Cheltenham
  38. Cheshire East
  39. Chester
  40. Chesterfield
  41. Cleethorpes
  42. Clitheroe
  43. Colchester
  44. Coleford
  45. Cornwall
  46. County Durham
  47. Coventry
  48. Cumbria
  49. Darlington
  50. Derby
  51. Derbyshire
  52. Devizes
  53. Devon
  54. Dorset
  55. Dover
  56. Dunwich
  57. Durham
  58. Eastbourne
  59. East Molesey
  60. East Riding Of Yorkshire
  61. East Sussex
  62. Ely
  63. Essex
  64. Exeter
  65. Eyam
  66. Farnham
  67. Finchingfield
  68. Folkestone
  69. Gateshead
  70. Glastonbury
  71. Gloucestershire
  72. Great Dunmow
  73. Great Yarmouth
  74. Grimsby
  75. Guildford
  76. Hale
  77. Halifax
  78. Hampshire
  79. Harrogate
  80. Hartlepool
  81. Hastings
  82. Hereford
  83. Herne Bay
  84. Hertfordshire
  85. Heysham
  86. Holy Island Of Lindisfarne
  87. Hove
  88. Hucknall
  89. Hull
  90. Hythe
  91. Ilkeston
  92. Ipswich
  93. Isle Of Wight
  94. Isles Of Scilly
  95. Ivinghoe
  96. Kendal
  97. Kent
  98. Keswick
  99. Kilpeck
  100. Knaresborough
  101. Lancashire
  102. Leeds
  103. Leek
  104. Leicester
  105. Lewes
  106. Lichfield
  107. Lincoln
  108. Lincolnshire
  109. Liverpool
  110. London
  111. Lyme Regis
  112. Lympne
  113. Lyndhurst
  114. Lytham
  115. Macclesfield
  116. Maidstone
  117. Maldon
  118. Malmesbury
  119. Malton
  120. Manchester
  121. Manningtree
  122. Margate
  123. Matlock Bath
  124. Middlesbrough
  125. Milton Keynes
  126. Morecambe
  127. Newark On Trent
  128. Newcastle Upon Tyne
  129. Newquay
  130. Norfolk
  131. Northamptonshire
  132. Northumberland
  133. North Yorkshire
  134. Norwich
  135. Nottingham
  136. Nottinghamshire
  137. Odiham
  138. Oxford
  139. Oxfordshire
  140. Penrith
  141. Peterborough
  142. Peterlee
  143. Plymouth
  144. Portsmouth
  145. Preston
  146. Rawtenstall
  147. Reading
  148. Ripponden
  149. Robin Hood's Bay
  150. Rotherham
  151. Rothwell
  152. Ryde
  153. Rye
  154. Salford
  155. Salisbury
  156. Sandgate
  157. Sandown
  158. Scarborough
  159. Seaham
  160. Sheffield
  161. Shildon
  162. Shoreham By Sea
  163. Shrewsbury
  164. Shropshire
  165. Somerset
  166. Southampton
  167. Southend On Sea
  168. Southport
  169. Southwell
  170. Southwold
  171. South Yorkshire
  172. Staffordshire
  173. Stanton Lees
  174. Stockport
  175. Stoke Heath
  176. Suffolk
  177. Sunderland
  178. Surrey
  179. Swindon
  180. Tattershall
  181. Thetford
  182. Tintagel
  183. Todmorden
  184. Totnes
  185. Ulverston
  186. Waddesdon
  187. Wakefield
  188. Warrington
  189. Warwickshire
  190. Waterloo
  191. Wentworth
  192. West Sussex
  193. West Yorkshire
  194. Whitby
  195. Whitchurch
  196. Whitehaven
  197. Wilmington
  198. Wiltshire
  199. Wimborne Minster
  200. Winchester
  201. Windsor
  202. Woking
  203. Worcestershire
  204. Worthing
  205. Wortley
  206. York
  207. Yorkshire

Unusual Attractions in England

See All 2,205 Things To Do in England

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in England

See all 92 Places to Eat in England
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Hidden Trafalgar Square

Wedged between Charing Cross and Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square is known for the throngs of people flocking to its famous attractions. Weave around the tourists on the National Gallery stairs and dodge the crowds clogging the street corners. Instead, duck down dreamy alleys and pop into unique, overlooked museums and shops. There, a secret side of this busy area waits to reveal itself.

View Itinerary

Explore England

2204
Architecture 284
History 246
History & Culture 239
Museums 192
Art 136
Architectural Oddities 135
Churches 129
Sculptures 128

England Leaderboard

Recent England Activity

Stories About England

Richard Long’s 1972 land art piece Walking a Line in Peru.

Ley Lines and the Allure of Imposing Order on History's Chaos

Believers claim these mysterious paths reveal unseen connections and, through them, a larger picture of the truth.
by Colin Dickey
The annual pipe walk (shown in red) moves north from the ancient well, through neighborhoods and Victoria Park, before veering west to follow a 19th-century diversion.

This Annual Pipe Walk Maps a Medieval Tradition in Bristol

The St. Mary Redcliffe Pipe Walk honors a legal agreement dating back to the days of Richard the Lionheart.
by Frank Jacobs
The Oxfordshire Band of Hope and Temperance Union produced this map of Oxford’s breweries and pubs in 1883.

The Victorian 'Drink Maps' Wielded by Anti-Booze Crusaders

Author Kris Butler reveals how Temperance advocates mapped bars to discourage their spread.
by Andrew Coletti
In this 1625 painting entitled ‘The Merry Student,’ Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst shows a young man singing a lively ballad.

Shakespeare, Kings, and Commoners All Loved These Hit English Ballads

Move aside Taylor Swift. In the 17th century, these songs were the pop music anthems of their day.
by Indi Bains
For some 4,500 years, Stonehenge has attracted and fascinated humans—now it turns out the Altar Stone, at its center, is from Scotland.

Stonehenge Has a Scottish Heart

Long thought to be from Wales, the monument's Altar Stone is from northern Scotland, nearly 500 miles away.
by Roxanne Hoorn
Hogarth’s “O the Roast Beef of Old England (The Gate of Calais)” captured his sentiments as a society member.

A Rare Look Inside Britain's 'Sublime Society of Beefsteaks'

The secret dining club has extolled patriotism, masculinity, and meat since 1735.
by Rachel Naismith
It’s the oldest unintentionally preserved egg in history.

This 1,700 Year Old Egg Never Broke—And Now It’s Further Stunning Scientists

They still can’t fully crack the mystery.
by Colleen Kelly
The cartonnage dates to 800 BC.

The Victorian Ladies Who Smuggled a Mummy Case Out of Egypt

And did the unthinkable to the mummy inside.
by Indi Bains

Lists Featuring England

Charles Goodwyn, Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection, with copies of world’s first stamp
Lock & Co.
Plaque marking the Texan Embassy
The Lioness and the Lesser Kudu.

The 11 Best Places to Visit Near Buckingham Palace for Curious Travelers

11

Including The Royal Philatelic Collection, Lock & Co. , and The Embassy of the Republic of Texas

The “pet ham” is 119 years old.

Bog Butter, Ancient Beef, and Other Remarkably Old Foods on Display in Museums

Some of these foods are centuries past their expiration dates.

6

Including Ancient Bog Butter, Preserved Victorian Wedding Cake, and World’s Oldest Edible Ham

Madaba Mosaic Map
The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling
Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

13

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium Globe

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem0115 947 3171
The Star Tavern
The Eagle is among the best-known pubs in Cambridge.
The recreated apartment.

The Best British Pubs to Get Drunk on History

A 14-stop bar tour through Great Britain's past.

14

Including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, The Star Tavern, and The Eagle

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