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From ancient sites home to centuries of fascinating history to breathtaking natural wonders, here are some of the most magical places to visit on home shores

Summer holiday season may soon be coming to an end, but for those already mourning their time abroad, staying on UK shores doesn’t have to mean a return to the mundane. There are countless places to discover tucked away in all corners of the country that rival holiday destinations overseas with their stunning scenery and fascinating history.

If Brits are seeking inspiration on where to visit next to stave off those post-summer holiday blues, our travel experts have picked out some lesser-known destinations across the UK that are sure to impress. The list below includes five of the top-rated attractions that are branded ‘hidden gems’ on TripAdvisor, with each having earned glowing reviews from visitors.

Our experts have also included tour options from the travel experiences website Viator, for visitors who want to take their excursions to the next level and tick off several beauty spots and historical sites in one day. These tours rank among the highest rated in the area, earning praise from participants for their organisation and informative guides.

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Viator offers flexible booking options, such as 24-hour cancellation and the option to reserve now and pay later, Meanwhile, the app allows travellers to manage all their bookings in one place and search for things to do nearby.

From the ancient Roman ruins of northern England to a one-of-a-kind village in Wales, here are five places to put on your travel list for the remainder of 2026. As well as uncovering hidden gem places, several of the tours found by our travel writers include stop-offs at some of the UK’s most iconic sites too, from Stonehenge to the Giant’s Causeway.

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Vindolanda, Northumberland, England

Hidden in the Northumberland countryside is one of the most important Roman archaeological sites in all of Europe. Vindolanda was once a key military post along the famous Hadrian’s Wall, with its ancient ruins still visible today alongside an on-site museum displaying some of the fascinating finds that have been unearthed, including the Vindolanda Writing Tablets – the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain.

Take a tour: For a day trip delving into the rich history of Northumberland, a top-rated option on Viator is the Hadrian’s Wall and The Borders Tour from Edinburgh. Priced from £88 per person, this 10.5-hour tour begins in Edinburgh before crossing the border into the awe-inspiring Hadrian’s Wall country to stop off at several historical sites, from an Augustinian abbey to a Victorian spa town.

Operated by Rabbie’s Trail Burners, this tour has been praised as a “very interesting and engaging experience” in reviews, with several participants praising their guide as “very knowledgeable”. While one reviewer thought that the tour felt “a bit rushed” and another fed back that they would have “loved more time at Vindolanda”, multiple others said they had “plenty of time at each stop”.

The price of this tour includes admission to the Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum. For those organising their own trip to this part of Northumberland, tickets are available to buy online via the Vindolanda Charitable Trust.

Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England

Dubbed the “prettiest village in England”, Castle Combe ranks highly on TripAdvisor’s list of the country’s best hidden gems. A trip to this tiny picture-perfect village feels like stepping back in time, as it has changed very little over the centuries, with its honey-coloured cottages nestled in a woodland valley.

Visit Wiltshire notes that the village is “vulnerable to the pressures of over-tourism” due to its small size, and is therefore not an all-day destination. A visit is best taken as part of a wider tour, with plenty of options available on Viator that include stop-offs at other must-visit spots in this picturesque part of England.

Take a tour: One of the most highly rated options on Viator is the Private Tour to Stonehenge, Bath and The Cotswolds. Lasting around 10 hours, this tour doesn’t come cheap with prices starting from £1,100 per group of up to seven people, but it does check off multiple bucket-list worthy destinations, from the iconic Stonehenge to the Roman Baths, making it a dream for lovers of history and idyllic scenery.

Run by Tailored Tours, this excursion has been branded an “enriching experience” in reviews, with participants having high praise for the “vast and in-depth knowledge” of their guide. In fact, with nearly 200 reviews, it has received five-star ratings exclusively, with others describing it as “a perfect mix of fun, historical and beautiful”, although one person noted that they “wish we’d had more time to explore Bath”.

The price of this tour does not include admission to Stonehenge. Anyone planning their own visit to the world-famous prehistoric monument can book tickets via English Heritage, which also includes admission to an exhibition housing more than 250 artefacts discovered in the landscape.

Portmeirion Village, Gwynedd, Wales

Over in Wales, the number one hidden gem attraction according to Tripadvisor rankings is the spectacular Portmeirion Village. This unique tourist village will have visitors thinking they’ve travelled to the Italian Riviera with its colourful buildings and ornamental gardens, with shops, cafés, tea-rooms and restaurants too.

Take a tour: Travellers can explore the treasures of North Wales with the Portmeirion, Castles and Snowdonia Tour, a top-rated option on Viator that embarks from Llandudno on a drive along the one-way road of the Great Orme headland with its spectacular mountain drop off into the sea. Alongside a visit to Portmeirion, tourists will stop off at the medieval castle towns of Conwy and Caernarfon, before driving through part of the Snowdonia National Park for a chance to experience its breathtaking scenery from mountains to waterfalls.

Operated by Adventure Tour Snowdonia, the action-packed day has been hailed as an “insightful” trip offering “a great taste of North Wales” and “a great way to see the Snowdonia area without a car”. One reviewer remarked that “the three longer stops felt a bit too long”, while someone else thought that “some spots did not feel worthy of time”, although a different participant said they “enjoyed every moment”.

This tour is priced from £65 per person and is a full day lasting around nine hours. Meanwhile, tourists who want to turn a visit to Portmeirion Village into a holiday have a choice of hotels and self-catering cottages in the village itself for a one-of-a-kind retreat, from the striking Castell Deudraeth to the characterful Village Rooms.

Dean Village, Edinburgh, Scotland

Up in Scotland, Dean Village in Edinburgh takes the top spot when it comes to hidden gems to discover in the country, rated by visitors on TripAdvisor. An ancient settlement with roots dating back to the 12th century, this cherished beauty spot offers a tranquil retreat at the heart of the city, steeped in fascinating history.

Take a tour: Offering the chance to fully experience this hidden gem with the help of expert local insight is the Dean Village Circus Lane Walking Tour with a Local, which is priced from £18 per person and comes recommended by 100% of reviewers on Viator. Following a visit to Dean Village, this two-hour tour will lead to the New Town of Edinburgh, followed by the Water of Leith Walkway, before finishing at Circus Lane – the so-called ‘most Instagrammable lane in Edinburgh’.

Run by Local Eyes Tours, this walk has impressed participants with no ratings below four stars and reviews praising it as “very informative” and “picturesque”. Although multiple reviewers named the “flat, clear walking surfaces” as a bonus, one reviewer advised: “You’ll be in the weather elements, so bring a jacket and an umbrella or a waterproof coat. There might be a little bit of mud.”

For more tours exploring Edinburgh and wider Scotland, the award-winning Rabbie’s Tours offers more than 30 options, travelling to beauty spots such as Loch Ness, Loch Lomond and the Isle of Skye.

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

And finally, Northern Ireland’s top hidden gem according to TripAdvisor reviews is the majestic ruins of Dunluce Castle. Described as “one of the most picturesque and romantic of Irish Castles” by Discover Northern Ireland, its remains date from the 16th and 17th centuries, with its position on the coastal cliffs of County Antrim making it an all the more dramatic sight.

Take a tour: For a tour that includes Dunluce Castle alongside several more of Northern Ireland’s most awe-inspiring sites, one option that comes highly rated by participants is the Giant’s Causeway Sightseeing Day Tour from Belfast. Lasting around nine hours and priced from £30 per person, this tour offers magnificent views of the Giant’s Causeway, plenty of photo stops along the Antrim Coastal Road, and the chance to learn all about the history of Northern Ireland.

Operated by Citysightseeing Belfast, participants said they loved the “amazing scenery” and “knowledgeable” guides, saying the Giant’s Causeway was “spectacular to see in person”. One reviewer described Dunluce Castle as “beautiful and majestic”, although one person felt that they spent “a little too much time on the bus”.

The National Trust also offers Giant’s Causeway experiences available to book, including a five-mile guided cliff hike along the coastline, and seasonal events such as twilight tours.

Residents searching through the rubble of an Israeli strike in western Gaza City recovered the body of an unborn baby after the attack killed a pregnant woman, her husband and their five-year-old son.

The village was once a thriving community, but it was completely submerged to create a reservoir – and visitors can see its haunting memorial today and even spot the buildings if they’re lucky

Once a thriving, proud Welsh-speaking community, this cherished village was entirely abandoned and left to disappear beneath the water without a trace.

The submersion of this much-loved settlement remains a deeply painful topic for those in the surrounding area, who fought with every ounce of strength to preserve their homes. Sadly, their determined efforts proved futile, as the UK government flooded the village entirely to provide water to a considerably larger English city.

In 1965, the village of Capel Celyn, tucked away in the Tryweryn Valley in North Wales, was lost forever when it was left to sink beneath the surface of a vast reservoir. It was a deeply contentious decision, to say the least, driven by the Liverpool Corporation to provide water to Liverpool and the Wirral.

For some, it may have appeared to be little more than a straightforward infrastructure project, but for the vast majority, the implications ran far deeper. The devastation it brought to the local area and the broader Welsh community had a profound political impact, fuelling a significant surge in support for Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru.

The fight for the village

It was in 1955 that the residents of Capel Celyn first discovered their homes had been earmarked for sacrifice to make way for a new reservoir, marking the start of a grueling decade-long struggle. Before long, the villagers banded together, forming what became known as the Capel Celyn Defense Committee, which debated, protested and condemned the scheme across the country and as far as Liverpool.

On several occasions, this led them to march directly to Liverpool to make their opposition unmistakably clear.

Despite their determined efforts, Liverpool councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of pressing ahead with the plans, and in 1957, a private bill backed by Liverpool City Council was brought before Parliament.

All 35 Welsh Members of Parliament who cast their votes opposed the bill, yet it was passed regardless in 1962. Three years on, the village and all its buildings, including people’s homes, were submerged beneath the water.

In total, approximately 800 acres of land were consumed by the reservoir, taking with it the school, the post office, the chapel and the cemetery.

Some 48 people lost their homes out of the 67 who had lived in the valley, with many forced to relocate to entirely unfamiliar areas and rebuild their lives from scratch.

What made this so deeply controversial was the wholesale destruction of a traditional Welsh community, as the village had stood as a living symbol of authentic Welsh culture and its endangered language.

The site today

Visitors continue to flock to the site to this day. During particularly dry periods if the water levels drop enough, you can occasionally spot some of the ruins of the houses, school and post office. One TripAdvisor reviewer described the place as “beautiful but sad”.

They wrote: “This wasn’t my first visit to this beautiful area, but after researching the flooding of the village and being Welsh, we spent more time around where the village once stood.

“There is no doubt the scenery is outstanding, but I also found it to be quite sad; people’s lives were completely upturned, and their entire village was drowned. Well worth a visit, especially if you read the history of the village.”

The reservoir offers a breathtaking backdrop, framed by the gently rolling hills of the valley, and many visitors opt to take a stroll around the area. A memorial chapel stands as a tribute to the village that once existed, offering a place for people to reflect on its history.

One visitor remarked: “Poignant and stunning. The heartbreaking history of this reservoir should never be forgotten.”

There is every chance the village could resurface this year, as it only emerges above the waterline during spells of extreme heat. The ongoing heatwave may cause water levels to drop sufficiently, much as they did in 2018.