Great Britain's leading cities: From London to Edinburgh

Ever since it was founded by the Romans 2,000 years ago, the city on the banks of the Thames has been a cosmopol­itan mix of cultures and reli­gions. Famous landmarks include the Houses of Parlia­ment, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, West­minster Abbey and Buck­ingham Palace among many others, not to mention such famous institu­tions as the British Museum, the National Gallery and Madame Tussaud's. London is also one of the music capitals of the world, offering numerous venues for every type of music from clas­sical performances in the Royal Albert Hall to electronic trends presented in the pubs of Soho.

The first teachers in the 12th century were most likely monks from Paris. In 1318, the univer­sity was founded. The city and the colleges are best expe­r­i­enced from the water. Lovely walking trails run along the Rivers Cam and Granta.

The York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in England, towers over the city center. The cathedral is surrounded by narrow, winding medieval streets lined with shops, boutiques and tea rooms. Visitors can walk on top of the histor­ical city walls, from where they can enjoy splendid views of the city. Founded in 71 AD, York remained one of England's main cities throughout the Middle Ages, declining in rela­tive importance only with the advent of the Indus­trial Revo­lu­tion.

There are 18 islands in Windere­mere, the largest is more than one kilometer long and is served by excur­sion steamers. Picturesque, partly wooded hills line the lake, where you can go for easy hikes. In the north the higher furs rise, as one calls the hills of the Cumbrian Mountains overgrown with grass­land. On the north shore lies Amble­side, a pretty village with 2,600 inhab­i­tants and starting point for mountain hikes, mountain bike tours and other excur­sions in the Lake District.

Walls were erected around the town in the shadow of the fortress following bloody and disas­trous clashes with England. The medieval plan and narrow winding streets of the Old Town once protected by those walls have been preserved. The area called New Town was created in the 18th century to relieve crowding in the rapidly growing city. With its rigidly ordered grid New Town was consid­ered the epitome of rational urban devel­op­ment during the period of Enlight­en­ment. The main shopping street today is Princess Street, which is lined with shops, galleries and museums. The cultural capital of Scot­land is often referred to as the Athens of the North. The city's polit­ical history was defined by the rivalry with England. Edinburgh is now once again the seat of the Scottish Parlia­ment.