Take a cruise around the UK and you’ll soon discover just how special the British Isles are. Landscapes as diverse as they are beautiful, historic towns and cities that reveal their stories in their castles, palaces and pubs and that dramatic, ever-changing coastline. Perfect for mini-cruises, short-break cruises or as part of a longer adventure. To see a wide range of cruises that depart from the UK, visit our sister site - UK Cruises.
Southampton, as a main cruise port, is well placed to offer excursions to historic houses like Beaulieu, the cathedral towns of Winchester and Salisbury, prehistoric Stonehenge and London.
London has the buzz you’d expect from Europe’s largest city. A stimulating blend of old and new and a diverse cultural scene makes London a premier tourist destination. As well as taking in the major sites of The Houses of Parliament at Westminster, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, a visit can be enhanced by a shopping trip around Oxford Street, Covent Garden or an exploration of the world-class National Art Gallery and British Museum. England’s largest castle, Royal Windsor, lies just outside the city.
St Peter Port is the gateway to the beautiful, floral island of Guernsey. Lying within sight of the Normandy coast, the French influence is everywhere: in street names, the patois and the fine cuisine.
From Holyhead, Wales you can explore the stunning Welsh mountains of Snowdonia with its country cottages and historic castles at Beaumaris, Conwy and Caernarfon, and visit Llanfair PG, the village whose full name runs to 58 letters!
Cruise the Irish Sea to Dublin for a taste of Ireland. The city’s many highlights include Trinity College, set around a fine courtyard, St Patrick’s Cathedral, the lively Temple Bar quarter and of course the many traditional pubs for that dram of whiskey or pint of the black stuff. Outside the city lies splendid Powerscourt House and Gardens, set against the rolling Wicklow Hills, site of the picturesque monastic ruins at Glendalough. Northern Ireland can finally open its many attractions to the world: including the stately Victorian and Edwardian buildings of Belfast, and the natural wonder of the Giant’s Causeway on the stunning Antrim coast.
The Islands and the Highlands of Scotland have been inhabited for over 5000 years, with each generation leaving their mark amidst the spectacular wilderness of mountains and lochs, from prehistoric stone circles, Viking settlements and whisky distilleries. Glasgow and Inverness offer fascinating city attractions including grand Victorian Arts and Crafts architecture, great shops, art galleries and parks. They are gateways to the impressive scenery of Loch Lomond and Loch Ness respectively.
The visitor to Scotland’s proud capital, Edinburgh, is greeted with a wonderful skyline. Edinburgh Castle perches on a rocky outcrop, The Royal Mile slopes down to the parkland of Holyrood Palace at the foot of volcanic Arthur’s Seat and beneath it are the elegant shopping streets of the Georgian new town.
View our live UK and Ireland cruise webcams to see which ships are in port
Take a virtual tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland using our Google Earth cruise and see the ports often visited.
If you do not have Google Earth on your computer go to our Google Earth info pages for a step by step guide |
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