All United Kingdom England

The Atlas Obscura Guide To England

2,078 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in England

Updated September 6, 2024

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Cities

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

Unusual Attractions in England

See All 2,078 Things To Do in England

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in England

See all 10 Places to Eat in England
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

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

Architecture 272
History 231
History & Culture 224
Museums 177
Art 132
Architectural Oddities 131
Military 125
Sacred Spaces 124

England Leaderboard

Recent England Activity

Stories About England

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
Punxsutawney Phil has predicted a longer winter nearly every Groundhog Day.

A Primer on Both Groundhogs and Hedgehogs

Just in time for their moment in the sun (or not).
by April White
Behold the first satellite-like image drawn from observation.

Flying Circuses Led to the First Aerial Maps of Earth

There was vomiting, crashes, fire, and an abandoned cat.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think
London is at odds with the rest of the country—but not the way you might think.

Christianity Is Disappearing in England, As Seen in These Maps

See what's taking its place for the first time in almost 1,500 years.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think

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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